Podcasting is booming and is showing no signs of slowing. And, while the pandemic brought on some changes to where and how users tune in, the upward trend in podcast listening hasn’t shifted. 

More companies and brands are creating podcast content as well as putting ad dollars into podcasting.  

This podcasting fact sheet reviews key statistics and trends. 

Key Statistics and Trends

Podcast familiarity and listenership are up, with Spotify leading the pack among online audio platforms.  

Majority of Americans are now familiar with podcasting. In 2022, 38% of Americans said they listened to a podcast in the last month. Although this is down from 2021, it is up from 2020 and 2019, reflecting an end to the pandemic related uptick in podcast listening. Edison Research

Spotify, Pandora, and Google Play are most popular for online audio. Americans ages 12 and older are most likely to listen to online audio using Spotify (31%), followed by Pandora (18%), and Google Play/YouTube Music (14%). — Infinite Dial, Edison Research and Triton

The pandemic changed listening habits. “The share of time spent listening to audio at home in the U.S. increased 44% during covid-19 disruption…While 48.5% of all listening occurred at home before COVID-19 (and this finding has been very consistent since Share of Ear began in 2014), 70.0% of all listening was at-home in May [2020].  All three other locations—car, work and ‘other’—dropped.” — Share of Ear, Edison Research

Young adults are most likely to listen to podcasts. Americans ages 12 to 34 are the most likely to say they listened to a podcast in the last month (50%), followed by those ages 34 to 54 (29%), and those 55+ (21%). — Infinite Dial, Edison Research and Triton

Benefits and Best Practices 

Podcasting is a growing source of revenue and an impactful way to market your business. 

Many users are willing to pay for great audio content. The portion of the American population that is paying for an audio subscription of some kind has doubled since 2015, and is now almost half of everyone (47%). — Share of Ear, Edison Research

Podcast ad spending is increasing rapidly. “U.S. podcast ad spending will grow 10.4% to $782.0 million. It will surpass $1 billion in 2021 and reach $1.61 billion by 2024, more than double its current level.” — Insider Intelligence, Podcast Industry Report

Podcast ad revenues also on the upswing. Revenues from podcasting in the U.S. grew 19% year-over-year in 2020, and are on track to exceed $1 billion in 2021 and $2 billion by 2023. — Interactive Advertising Bureau

Ads on podcasts have an impact. “65% of listeners paid attention to podcast adverts…51% said podcast adverts made them want to buy something from the brand.” — The Guardian

Give it time when launching a new podcast. It took the InVision team several years to grow a substantial following for its podcast. But after three years, the podcast is tremendously popular with over a million downloads. Creating Content Designers Crave: Q&A with InVision’s Director of Design Stories

Companies should embrace journalistic practices when creating podcast content. For example, CVSHealth has branched out into the podcast space with Healthy Conversations, which it says “brings experts together for an open discussion on timely topics in health care to uncover clinical insights and the emerging innovations that are transforming our industry in real time.” What Is Brand Journalism?

Bottom Line

Podcasting is growing in popularity as users gain access to more digital devices and platforms for streaming audio online easily. So, whether you’re thinking about creating a podcast or investing ad dollars in the space, now is a good time to make a move. 

The Author

Content Science partners with the world’s leading organizations to close the content gap in digital business. We bring together the complete capabilities you need to transform or scale your content approach. Through proprietary data, smart strategy, expert consulting, creative production, and one-of-a-kind products like ContentWRX and Content Science Academy, we turn insight into impact. Don’t simply compete on content. Win.

This article is about
Related Topics:

Comments

COMMENT GUIDELINES

We invite you to share your perspective in a constructive way. To comment, please sign in or register. Our moderating team will review all comments and may edit them for clarity. Our team also may delete comments that are off-topic or disrespectful. All postings become the property of
Content Science Review.

Events, Resources, + More

Webinar: Benchmarks for Content Effectiveness

It's not about more content. It's about more effective content. Gain tips based on Content Science's unique research + experience.

The Ultimate Guide to End-to-End Content

Discover why + how an end-to-end approach is critical in the age of AI with this comprehensive white paper.

The Content Advantage Book

This top-rated second edition by Colleen Jones explains why and how the right content approach can give you a competitive advantage.

Upskill with Content Science Academy

Get practical training for modern content roles through on-demand certifications, live webinars, + comprehensive workshops.