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Podcasting is a $25 billion business industryand the top podcasts have a lot in common, from length to number of episodes to cover art.
Now, new research from software company Podcastle aims to pinpoint those similarities and help new and experienced podcasters improve their chances of creating successful shows.
US-focused study Podcastle found the top podcasts using Apple Podcasts charts and looked at data for the week beginning April 15. To supplement its findings, Podcastle also surveyed 1,000 podcast listeners.
Surveys show that “profit” is the top reason Americans want to start a podcast this year, and podcasting can be a lucrative side hustle.
Related: According to people who have actually started a side hustle, here are three tips for starting a side hustle that is just as good as your main job
Yanese Torres, founder of the Personal Finance Podcast, Yo Quiero Dinero,share CNBC Earlier this month, she announced that she was making an average of $37,394 a month through podcast advertising. Bloomberg Reports suggest that some podcasters are making up to $18,000 a month from white noise.
Other findings from the study about popular podcasts and who listens to them include:
What do the top podcasts have in common?
According to the study, the average length of the top 250 podcasts was 65 minutes. Of those, 68% used an interview, which was the most popular format, and 20% used an in-depth explanation of the topic, which was the second most popular format.
The 10 most successful genres, in order, are society and culture, comedy and humor, true crime documentaries, news, education, business, health and wellness, improvisation, self-help and documentaries.
Credit: Podcastle
In the top 50 most successful podcasts, hosts spoke an average of 174 words per minute and used an average of 58 filler words like “um” and “for example” per episode.
These top performers’ podcast intros ranged from 30 to 59 seconds, and half even added ads to their intros.
Most of the top 50 podcasts (60%) had more than one host, and nearly three in four of the top 50 podcasts had at least one guest appear on the show.
As for cover art, the top 50 cover art used the colors black and blue more than any other color, and 52% of the cover art did not have a photo of the host.
Each podcast had a unique font on their cover, but only 38% used a bold font.
Most people who want to start a podcast are motivated by potential revenue (34%) or by podcasting being an outlet for creative expression (26%).
Related: This flexible side hustle helps millions of people make extra money and may be more “appealing” than an office job
Who listens to podcasts?
According to Podcastle, podcast listenership has grown nearly 70% since 2019, with more than 3 million active podcasts worldwide.
The majority of podcast listeners (64%) typically listen on Spotify, with 34% choosing Apple Podcasts, and a smaller number of listeners (6%) using YouTube Music.
The majority said they would return to a show because the host or guest was entertaining (69%) and provided new information or perspectives (70%). A host’s expertise on a particular topic persuades 36% of listeners to return.
Most podcast listeners are doing something else while they listen: more than one in four listeners (28%) were cooking or doing household chores, and more than one in five (22%) were commuting to work or school.
Listeners noted that the top things podcast hosts should avoid are too many ads and poor sound quality. Too many ads alienate listeners across generations, with 70% of Americans citing ads as the top reason they dislike podcasts overall.
Nearly half of listeners surveyed said poor sound quality caused them to stop listening.
Credit: Podcastle