Podcasts have been around for a few decades now, but only recently have they blown up and become more visible in mainstream media. There is more audio content being created and pumped out the world today, so why is 2019 the year of the podcast?
Why 2019 is the Year of the Podcast
There was a HUGE amount of podcasts created in 2018. In fact, one study showed that on average, around 575 podcasts were created every single day. Crazy, right? Now that might be a little disheartening to hear as a new podcaster that there’s so much competition. Well, don’t worry too much because a study by Daniel J Lewis, showed that of roughly 609,000 podcasts on Apple Podcasts, only about 231,300 are actually still active. So there's still loads of room for you to start a podcast.
Podcasts Are Habit-Forming
Daily podcasts also had a pretty big boom, not only in numbers but in loyal listeners. Take a few daily news podcasts like the popular YouTube to podcast iFL TV. Their audience numbers per episode are pretty consistent, and this is literally because people are adding podcasts as one of their daily habits.
This could also be a result of people using podcasts as alarms on their smart speakers, so as part of their routine, while they’re waking up and getting ready for work, they’re also listening to their favourite daily news podcast! Super convenient and it becomes a habit so your listeners come back for every episode!
Attention Spans Drop, but Not for Podcast Listeners
You’ve seen the news reports. Supposedly, attention spans in humans are getting shorter. So, what about podcasts? Well, podcast listeners seem to be a magical exception to this.
Research from Edison Research actually showed that 83% of podcast listeners listen to the entire episode (or at least most of it!). So you don’t have too much to worry about!
Is 2019 Really the Year of the Podcast?
So why is 2019 the year of the podcast? There have been some pretty big developments in the podcast world recently that we think is going to change things up a lot for podcasters. Big companies like Spotify, Google and Apple have increased their investment in podcasting.
- BBC have created their own podcast app just for their podcasts and are planning on pushing that this year in the UK, with the aim for it to become global soon.
- Google created Google Podcasts last year and this year they aim on improving it. They’re working on creating a way for podcasters to claim their podcasts in the catalogue, and an analytics dashboard for partners.
- Spotify made some pretty big acquisitions, like Gimlet Media and Anchor, with plans to continue spending a further $500 million on more acquisitions in the future.
Apart from the big companies making some big moves, smart tech is becoming more and more widespread. More and more people have smart speakers in their homes, or cars that have smart-tech-enabled, like Apple CarPlay.
2019 is the year of the podcast. Don't miss your opportunity to reach an audience you'd otherwise miss out on. Create your first episode today with your free trial 👇
