Want to learn how to start a podcast this year? You’re not alone. According to new Podcastle data, 18% of Americans are starting a podcast in 2024.
Since 2019, podcast listeners worldwide have increased by 69%, reaching 464.7 million listeners - and now we’re seeing a similar trend in podcast production.
Until 2020, less than 400,000 new podcasts were created globally each year, but in 2020, over 1 million new podcasts were made as we spent more time at home during periods of lockdown. Now, there are over 3 million active podcasts globally.
To set you up for success with your own podcast, our new study reveals the perfect podcast formula - informed by an in-depth analysis of the top 250 podcasts of 2024 so far and survey insights from listeners on their podcast preferences and icks…
Key findings:
– Almost 1 in 5 Americans are starting a podcast this year
– Over a third of Americans want to start a podcast to make money
– The average podcast episode length is 65 minutes
– 68% of the most popular podcasts follow an interview format - only 22% offer video content
– Spotify is the top podcast platform, followed by Apple Podcasts
– 70% of people say their top podcast ick is too many ads, followed by poor audio quality (49%)
If you’re starting your own podcast this year, it’s essential to pick a genre that aligns with your interests and expertise and one that’s popular!
Despite society and culture podcasts proving popular on the podcast charts in 2024, Americans are set on creating personal development podcasts this year. Check out the top 10 most successful genres and the top 10 genres being made in 2024, and consider one of these for success with your podcast.
Considering which platform might be the best fit for you? A heads up! Google Podcasts was shut down on April 2nd, 2024, in favor of further developing the YouTube Music platform. However, our data revealed that over one in six (17%) Americans listened to podcasts via Google Podcasts, more than double the number who tuned in via YouTube Music (6%).
The average podcast episode length is just over an hour (65 minutes), with an interview format proving to be the most popular, followed by deep topic explanation (20%). Surprisingly, only 22% of the analyzed podcasts offered accompanying video content.
Arto Yertisyan, CEO of Podcastle comments on why you should incorporate video into your podcast:
“Video podcasting, or vodcasting, is a great way to increase engagement and develop a stronger relationship with your audience.
“By watching you talk, listeners can read and understand your body language and the message you’re trying to convey. With a clearer understanding between you and your audience, you will build trust and be able to reach a wider audience by sharing your video content on various platforms, like YouTube, for example.”
Why are 18% of Americans recording their own podcast this year? According to our study, the top motivation is potential profit - the number one consideration across the generations of survey respondents.
More Gen Zers than any other generation want to make a podcast to express their creativity (29%), and more Baby Boomers want to share their knowledge and expertise than any other generation (21%).
It seems like the East Coast is where we’ll see a podcast boom this year! The top 3 states where residents are making their own podcasts are North Dakota (50%), Rhode Island (43%), then a tie in Connecticut and Delaware (33%).
With clear motivations for Americans to start their own podcasts in 2024, the industry doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. The global podcasting market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.6% from 2023 to 2030, valued at USD 18.52 billion in 2022.
Now that you’ve considered your preferred podcast platform and decided on your genre and format of choice, it’s time to do a deep dive into the top 50 podcasts in the US to think about what others might overlook…
An analysis of the cover art of the top 50 podcasts suggests darker colors perform better, with more black and blue featured in cover art than any other color. Despite all 50 podcasts featuring a different font on the cover art, nearly two-fifths had a ‘bold’ font type, so be sure to stand out!
With 70% of podcast listeners coming back to a podcast to hear new information and perspectives, it’s no surprise that 74% of the most recent episodes from the top 50 podcasts feature at least one guest. So keep your podcast content plan fresh with new voices for your audience!
Most podcast intros last 30-59 seconds; interestingly, 50% of those analyzed included an ad. This is quite a significant finding, but it makes sense, as podcast ads are more impactful than any other medium.
According to Sounds Profitable, podcast listeners are more attentive to advertisements, opting to listen ‘all the way through’ ads compared to other media. Their research suggests that 53% of podcast listeners would likely purchase a brand they heard advertised on a podcast. The effectiveness of podcast ads is encouraging news for the 34% of Americans who want to cash in on their podcast in 2024.
While our research has shared advice on setting up a podcast for success, it’s also revealed our biggest podcast ‘icks’, what you should avoid doing because it will lead listeners to switch off, in both meanings of the word.
70% of Americans said having too many advertisements in a podcast was their number one ick. This may explain why 50% of popular podcast intros include an ad to avoid interruption throughout the podcast recording and losing listeners.
For the most part, the generations are in agreement with their top podcast icks. Gen Z differs in not being too bothered about a podcast host being overly self-promotional. Instead, over two-fifths (42%) will get the ick if the podcast host doesn’t let the guest speak.
Baby Boomers were the only generation to rank a podcast host's overly self-promotional behavior as a higher-rated ick, with almost half (46%) of the generation saying they will quickly become frustrated and likely to tune out.
Nearly half (49%) of all survey respondents said poor audio quality was a top podcast ick, so what can we do to avoid lousy audio leading us to lose listeners Arto Yertisyan, CEO of Podcastle comments:
“Studio-quality audio recording equipment is expensive, but that doesn’t mean you can’t access studio-quality sound. At Podcastle, we have developed a range of AI-powered audio and voice tools to give your podcast recording flawless audio quality in a matter of clicks.
“Our AI audio enhancer tool, Magic Dust, will transform low-quality audio to studio-level sound. You can record anywhere and be assured that background noise will be removed and your voice will be crystal clear!”
Start your podcast on Podcastle today
Now that you have the perfect podcast formula for 2024, it’s time to get started on your very own podcast! Want to learn how to start a podcast? Check out our top 4 tips below:
1) Define your niche and brand
It’s time to do some self-reflection and be clear on your motivations for starting a podcast and which genre you see yourself in. Think about your interests and the audience you want to target and work backward. What topics would they want to talk about? Where would they tune into podcasts?
Once you have a clear idea of your target audience, you can begin to tailor your content to meet their needs and interests.
2) Organize your setup and select your podcast software
A microphone is key to your podcasting setup, but there’s no need to invest in an external mic straight away. Your computer’s built-in microphone is perfectly sufficient to start with, and with podcast software like Podcastle, you can enhance your sound with impressive AI-powered tools.
As well as your computer, it’s worth having a pair of headphones to monitor your audio quality in real time. When shopping for headphones, it's important to consider comfort, sound quality, and noise isolation factors.
Find a quiet location away from background noise like traffic or animals. If there is a little background noise, a good podcast editor should still allow you to record high-quality audio with podcast editing tools that leave you sounding polished and professional.
Podcastle is your one-stop shop for podcast software that ticks all the boxes. With no editing experience needed, you can create high-quality audio with the help of our artificial intelligence tools and intuitive interfaces that are easy to master.
With your recording and editing software selected, it’s important to think about your podcast hosting service, as you won’t upload your podcast directly to a streaming platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Instead, you’ll upload your recording to a third-party site that will store your audio files and allow listeners to download, play, and subscribe to your podcast. Check out our blog post on the 10 best podcast hosting sites for more information.
3) Script, record, and edit your podcast
Before you hit record, it’s a good idea to set out a rough structure for your podcast episode with an intro, the body, and an outro. With key talking points agreed upon, you can perfect your time management, which is helpful for ensuring you stay relaxed while recording.
Knowing where to start with the podcast editing process can be overwhelming initially, but a consistent approach will make everything more efficient and effective. Start with the big cuts. For example, remove the sections you instantly know you don’t want to include. Then assemble a rough draft; there’s no need for perfection immediately!
The final step is to stitch, trim, and polish to ensure that your podcast recording flows naturally and sounds high-quality for uploading to your chosen platform.
4) Launch!
Before you hit the launch button, develop a launch plan that includes all the content you want to share with your target audience before your podcast episode - it’s time to get them excited!
Plot a timeline for creating branding assets like your podcast logo, cover art and website design. Consider how these assets will best appeal to your audience.
Creating and sharing a trailer podcast episode is a great way to get your audience buzzing ahead of your launch. Showcase your personality with a sneak peek of the show, but make sure you leave listeners wanting more in two minutes or less.
The final task is setting up a unique RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed for your podcast using your preferred hosting service. This feed plays a critical role in distributing your podcast to streaming apps and platforms, containing all the metadata about your podcast.
Once your RSS feed has been created, be sure to submit it to large directories such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify to ensure you can be heard by the largest audience possible!
Now that you’ve started your podcast journey, find more expert advice from the Podcastle team on our blog.
Study Methodology
Podcastle conducted comprehensive data collection on podcasting insights through various methods. Firstly, we analyzed the top 250 podcasts in the US according to the Apple Podcasts charts to determine the top 10 podcast genres, average podcast length, most common podcast format, and availability of video format. We then analyzed the top 50 most popular podcasts and their most recent episode, examining cover art color, font type, inclusion of selfies, podcast intros, presence of guests, filler words, and words per minute. This thorough analysis was conducted during the week commencing April 15th, 2024.
Furthermore, Podcastle surveyed 1,000 US respondents to understand preferences and motivations for podcast consumption and creation in 2024. The survey utilized both multiple-choice questions and open-text responses, with demographic segmentation including age, generation, and geographic location. Text analysis was employed to summarize open-ended questions, providing insights into common themes or threads. It's important to note that the survey data is self-reported, which may introduce biases or discrepancies between reported and actual behaviors and has inherent limitations associated with self-reporting.
Sources:
– https://chartable.com/charts/itunes/us-all-podcasts-podcasts
– https://analytics.podtrac.com/
– https://podcastle.ai/
– https://www.myfonts.com/pages/whatthefont
– https://fontsinuse.com/
Fair Use Statement:
Now that you have an overview of the podcast landscape in 2024 and insights on the future of podcast production, feel free to share this data.
We ask that you do so for non-commercial use and provide a link to this original study page, so the researchers are credited correctly.
