The Future of Podcasting: 9 Trends for Creators & Companies

The popularity of podcasting: Podcast growth over the years

The numbers don’t lie: podcasts have been, are, and will continue to be hugely popular. Here are just a few stats that prove our point: 

• There are over 450 million podcast listeners around the world. Estimates predict over 500 million by 2025. 
• According to Pew Research Center, 42% of Americans over the age of 12 have listened to a podcast in the past month. That’s a jump of 30% over the last decade. 
• 5 million podcast shows exist worldwide 

You can find a whole range of stats about podcasts in our Podcast Statistics and Trends article. 

What is the future of podcasting?: 6 Upcoming trends 

Although we can’t predict the future for certain, here are what we think the defining trends in podcasting are going to be: 

AI 

AI is transforming podcasting as we know it. As  platforms like Riverside develop ever more powerful AI podcasting tools and features, they optimize not only podcasters’ workflows but also how podcasting works as a whole. We’ve already seen the impact of AI in:

• Generating highly accurate transcripts
• Auto-editing podcast episodes
• Creating show notes and summaries
• Cutting together short-form clips for social media

You can experience all this and more with Riverside. Learn more or start podcasting with AI today! 

These AI podcasting tools help:

• Make podcasters’ lives far easier, freeing up their time to focus on the creative aspects of podcasting. 
• Speed up podcasting workflows by eliminating time-consuming administrative tasks. 
• Make podcasting more accessible. AI tools reduce the need for specific know-how or experience so that anyone can create a show. 
• Upping expectations and standards. Anyone can produce a high-standard podcast with little to no experience. This means there may be a rise in overall industry standards.  

There’s no doubt that podcasting will become even more reliant on AI as time goes on. 

Content Repurposing 

Content repurposing goes hand-in-hand with the development and expansion of AI. As social media becomes even more ingrained in our everyday lives, it has become a major platform for the consumption of podcasts. This has also pushed podcasters to adapt to social media formats – namely short-form video. We’ve seen more and more podcasters creating short-form highlight reels and clips from their shows to promote their content and reach audiences on socials. And this isn’t going anywhere any time soon. 

AI transcription and summarizer tools have also made it easy to transform audio or video podcasts into blog posts. 

How this will change podcasting: 

• Reach new audiences. By ensuring that content repurposing is an integral part of their workflow, podcasters can ensure they continue to reach audiences beyond the major listening platforms. 
• Podcasters will have to adapt to changing norms and trends on social media. Social media is a fickle game, and new trends seemingly crop out of nowhere. That means that podcasters will have to keep on top of best practices for each different platform in addition to their normal workflows. 
• Emphasis on highlights and short-form content. Social media – as it stands currently – calls for short, snappy content that can catch people’s attention. This changes the game slightly for podcasters who are used to funneling their energy into long-form content only. 

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Video 

According to Morning Consult, 46% of podcast listeners prefer consuming them with video. And over one one third of podcast listeners chose YouTube as their favorite podcast platform. Add the fact that 75% of people believe that video will become the default recording format, and it’s clear that video podcasting is the new normal. If you’re behind the curve on this, switching to platforms like Riverside that make integrating video into your workflow seamless and easy is a quick fix. It’s important to prioritize the quality of your videos because as the charts become more saturated with video podcasts, you don’t want yours to stand out for the wrong reasons. 

How videos are changing podcasting: 

• Audience interacts and engages with podcasts differently. Video podcasts are fundamentally different to audio-only shows. Viewers feel they can force a connection directly with the podcast hosts and can 
• Expanded capabilities and ability to harness visuals. Video opens up new horizons for podcasters who are used to working with audio only. You can include visuals and footage that complement what you’re talking about – offering your viewers more value. 
• Different publication platforms. By publishing on video-oriented platforms, you’re also opening yourself up to new audiences.  
• Enhanced audience connection. Video fosters a better connection between you and the audience. This will contribute immensely to building out a loyal audience base.  
• Better discoverability. Videos – both long and short-form – will lead to better discoverability for podcast content. This is a big part of reaching new audiences. 
• More monetization opportunities. Converting to video podcasting opens up a whole new world of monetization possibilities – from video adverts through to including branded objects in your show. 

Immersive & Interactive Podcasts  

Podcasts as we know them will definitely change when immersive and interactive technology takes hold. VR (virtual reality) tech will bring the world of podcasting to life – giving podcasters a new way to connect with listeners. Alongside, tools that let podcasters introduce an element of interactivity are gaining traction. Now platforms like Spotify have introduced the ability to include Q&As and polls that listeners can answer directly through their app. 

Branded Podcasts 

Branded podcasts are on the rise, which signals that more companies and brands will get involved in the podcasting game. In 2022 alone, Apple Podcasts reported an 82% increase in the number of new branded podcasts. It’s clear that podcasts are becoming an important marketing asset and social-media adjacent platform for brands – whatever your industry. More than just a platform for promoting your product or service, a podcast is an effective tool for establishing thought leadership in your field, connecting with your customers across a different plane, and raising brand awareness generally. 

Live events 

We’ve seen a number of popular shows extend their offering beyond the recording studio to live events – whether remote or in-person. This combination of real-time events and on-demand content is a natural progression for popular podcasts that are hot on their business strategies. As more podcasters jump on the bandwagon, this is sure to become a growing trend in the wider podcasting world. 

Why live events? 

• Satisfies audiences on all levels. Listeners can still enjoy their favorite shows as they always have. But they get the opportunity to see their favorite hosts up close and feel like they have an ‘inside-track’. 
• Connecting with your loyal audience. Though podcasts do enjoy uniquely captive audiences, there’s nothing quite the same as gathering your listeners in the same room. 
• Another monetization route. Hosting ticketed live in-person events can be another way to monetize your podcast. 

Voice Search Optimization

Voice search optimization otherwise known as VSO relates to all those voice-controlled AI assistants such as Google, Alexa, and Siri. Optimizing your podcast to rank highly when a potential listener searches for yours or similar content via their AI assistant is key to staying ahead on this. To do this you should: 

Research and include keywords in your podcast, its title, description, and any related written text. 

Think carefully about conversational language, not just written speech. When people ask their AI assistant to search for something, they’re likely to do so in a colloquial way. You should consider this when thinking about what keywords to include, how to word your title, and so on.  

Create a page for your episode on your website or include it in a blog. Doing this will create a whole new place where you can boost your podcast episode’s SEO and voice search optimization performance. 

Private Podcasting

Podcasting for a private audience is a great way to offer loyal (and paying) subscribers exclusive access and content. You can use private podcasting a few different ways – creating additional content and episodes or giving your subscribers early access to your normal podcast episodes. Some podcasting platforms offer you the ability to easily create password protected or private access podcasts through the same interface.  

Short Form Content

It’s no secret that short-form content is taking over. From YouTube to Instagram, short-form videos are key to reaching new audiences and keeping your current followers interested. 

For podcasters, this poses an interesting challenge since their content is usually a mid to long-form medium. This means that creators need to get creative about how they can leverage short-form content to encourage their audience to stream the full-length episode. And it requires a fair bit of know-how about what the latest trends are on various social channels. 

Luckily, with AI clip makers, podcasters can easily turn their long-form recordings into short-form podcast videos. These tools identify key moments in recordings and turn them into clips.

Short-form content also represents an additional step in the podcast creation workflow, potentially creating the need for new software. 

The future of podcasting for individual creators

Individual creators will find that the podcasting possibilities accessible to them expand tenfold. AI will not only make their lives easier, but it’ll also mean that beginners can skip the learning curve and go straight to producing high-quality content. AI will also streamline and cut down core workflows, meaning that podcasting won’t take as long as it has traditionally. Finally, the importance of social media and short-form content will add an extra consideration when generating content.  

The future of podcasting for companies 

As we touched on above, company podcasts – or branded podcasts – are on the up. This means that companies that are keen to stay on top of their marketing and keep their audiences engaged, will have to enter the podcasting game. In the same way as individual creators, companies can most definitely benefit from using AI to create seamless and minimally time-consuming workflows. 

Tips to stay ahead of the crowd in podcasting

Here are a few tips to follow if you want to stay ahead of the crowd: 

• Stay on top of the latest in podcasting. If you want to stay ahead in podcasting, you need to be able to accurately predict what’s coming next. The best way to do this is to stay on top of the latest trends and movements, so you can extrapolate and make reliable guesses about what’s coming. 
• Stay true to yourself. At the end of the day, trends may come and go, but as long as you stay true to your tone of voice, style and content, your loyal audience will keep on listening. 
• Record high-quality content. Maintaining your recording and production quality is absolutely vital. This will instantly elevate your content above the amateur shows that lack recording quality.

FAQs on the Future of Podcasting

Are podcasts still relevant in 2024?

Absolutely. And they’re not going to be irrelevant anytime soon. Podcast listener numbers are only on the up – and with the introduction of new technologies and AI tools, podcasting is sure to keep growing. 

Is it worth starting a podcast in 2024?

We think it’s always worth starting a podcast. And, in many ways, the podcasting market is prime for newcomers – with the emergence of new AI podcasting tools and the rise of video podcasting, everyone has a good chance of making it in the podcasting world now. 

What is the future of the podcast market?

As we’ve outlined above, the podcast market will be defined – at least in the short to mid-term –  by AI and the rise of video podcasting.