Are You Reelin’ in the Ears?

Podcasts are more popular than ever: An estimated 41% of the U.S. population listened to a podcast in the last month — up from 21% in 2016 and 37% in 2020. Twenty-eight percent have listened in the past week, versus 13% in 2016 and 24% in 2020. But as demand grows, so does the competition. As of August 2021, 2.3 million valid podcasts existed, with over 41,000 added during the past 30 days. That’s a year-over-year rise of nearly 1 million.

In a crowded and fragmented landscape, reaching your intended audience with your podcast can still be a challenge. To execute an effective push-pull strategy, you need a multiplatform presence, a proactive distribution strategy and engaging, differentiated content.