Podcast Best Practices & Benchmarks: A Guide for Podcasters & Marketers in 2024

Everyone and their mother-in-law seem to be starting podcasts lately, but the odds of becoming a successful podcaster are slim. With over five million podcasts circulating the internet, most podcasters quit after their third episode (some sources claim that 90% of podcasts don’t get past episode 3).

You invested so much in your recording studio equipment and editing software, not to mention the hours you spent learning how to use those tools. What can you do to ensure that the podcast that you started for your personal brand or for your company will beat the odds and prove to be an engaging medium for your audience?

We created this article for our clients because these questions come up periodically when our partners want to promote an existing podcast or when they are considering starting a new one. We hope that these insights help your podcast succeed as well.

The outline below is hyperlinked so that you can easily jump to the section that interests you most. If you’re not interested in reading all of the content, I recommend jumping to the 2nd section - Podcast Best Practices FAQ. There is a lot of information contained within the answers to those clickable questions.

  1. Interesting Podcast Statistics

  2. Podcast Best Practices FAQ

  3. Podcast Streaming Platforms, Podcatchers, and Directories

  4. Podcast Genres in Order of Popularity

  5. Podcast Advertising FAQ

  6. Sources

Podcast Statistics

Here are just a few highlights of statistics that we found interesting and enlightening regarding podcasting and podcast marketing.

  • Podcast listener stats:

    • Global podcast listeners: 464.7 million

    • 34% of the US population listens to podcasts with 24% (68M) listening weekly (Podcast Insights)

    • Total number of podcasts worldwide: Over 5 million

    • The two biggest podcast streaming services are Spotify and Apple Podcasts

    • The Podcast Host states that if a new podcast gets more than 31 downloads within seven days of its release, it is in the top 50% of podcasts.

    • “80% of podcasts don’t survive the first 10 episodes,” according to Riverside’s podcast analytics.

    • “The average podcast gets around 27 listens per episode,” according to The Podcast Host.

    • “58% of people admit to skipping through podcast ads if given a choice,” according to Semrush blog.

  • Demographics (from Podcast Insights)

    • 51% male

    • 45% of monthly listeners have a household income of over $75K

    • 27% of US listeners have a 4-year college degree

  • Streaming and download market share (from DemandSage)

    • Streaming market share:

      • Spotify: 33.7%

      • Apple: 27.6%

      • iHeartRadio: 6.2%

    • Download market share:

      • Apple: 70.8%

      • Spotify: 8.9%

      • Other: 5.9%

      • iHeartRadio: 3%

Market share of podcast streaming and download listenership
 

  • Completion Rates (according to DemandSage):

    • True crime: 85%

    • Fiction: 85%

    • Religion and spirituality: 82%

    • News: 82%

Podcast Best Practices FAQ

  • It is best to release one episode at a time.

    Start with 3-5 episodes at launch and then release weekly or bi-weekly.

    Launching with multiple episodes reduces drop-off if the first episode isn't memorable enough.

  • An ideal season can have 5-20 episodes over 2-6 months.

    Not all podcasts have seasons, but if you do, communicate the schedule to your audience.

  • The ideal episode length is typically 30-40 minutes, but quality matters more than length.

    Some successful podcasts have episodes exceeding 60 minutes, especially for bi-monthly or monthly shows.

  • Releasing new episodes once a week or every other week is recommended.

    Consistency is more important than sporadic releases.

  • Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings at 5:30 AM EST are optimal times to release new episodes.

  • The timing depends upon the content.

    Health and fitness content will perform well at the beginning of the year, while true crime or spooky stores thrive in October.

    For non-seasonal genres, choose release times based on your audience.

    Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings at 5:30 AM EST are optimal times to release new episodes.

  • Yes, many prefer YouTube for podcasts.

    Benefits include automatic closed captioning, better search engine visibility, and additional content for social media.

    Optimize titles, descriptions, and thumbnails with searchability in mind. Include guests if applicable.

  • It depends on the content and the platform of the host, but interviews are often best, followed by two-host formats.

    Interviews can be hard to schedule, so weigh the benefits if the work is worth it.

    Other formats include educational, solo, non-fiction storytelling, news, podcast theater, bite-sized content, and limited-run series.

  • Key metrics to monitor, track, and optimize towards include:

    Number of listens or plays

    Subscriber count

    Number of downloads

    Which devices and platforms your listeners are using

    Drop-off rate (up to 35% of listeners drop off in the first 5 minutes)

    Reviews

    Appearing in the “New and Noteworthy” section in iTunes (within 8 weeks)

  • 1) Build your platform on social media and use it to promote your podcast.

    2) Invite guests and ask them to share the podcast via their social media. Make it easy for them to do so by providing them with graphics and a link to share.

    3) Encourage listeners to write reviews

    4) Improve SEO (search engine optimization) because Google now ranks audio in search results. See the FAQ related to optimization

  • SEO optimizations include:

    1) Including relevant, popular search terms in the podcast episode title, headers, and descriptions.

    Use tools like Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner (part of Google Ads), Ahrefs, SEMrush, and SparkToro to identify what themes and specific words are trending.

    2) Adding show notes and transcriptions (Rev.com charges just $1 per minute).

    3) Optimize meta descriptions and titles.

Podcast Streaming Platforms, Podcatchers, and Directories

Podcast Genres in Order of Popularity

According to Edison Podcast Metrics

  • Arts

  • History

  • Music

  • Science

  • Leisure

  • Technology

  • Fiction

  • Kids and family

  • Government

  • Comedy

  • News

  • Society and culture

  • True crime

  • Sports

  • Business

  • Education

  • Health and fitness

  • TV and film

  • Religion and spirituality

Podcast Advertising FAQ

  • Yes, approximately 81% of listeners have taken action after hearing audio ads during a podcast episode on Spotify.

    Actions include researching products online, connecting with brands on social media, and discussing brands with others.

    Keep in mind that Spotify’s podcast ads require that their internal team review a proposed script and record it using their vocal talent (which can be approved or rejected by the advertiser before it goes live).

  • No, Apple Podcasts doesn't accept external advertising.

  • Yes, Google has launched audio-style ad placements on Google, YouTube, Playstore.

    It involves a 15-second audio ad with an image. However, eligibility requires running TWO brand lift surveys first.

    They also state that certain categories won’t be eligible to use, so some religious categories might be rejected.

  • For audio/verbal calls to action, direct listeners to “where you get your podcasts.”

    For digital ads, use clickable links leading to the landing page.

  • Budgets can range from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month.

    Anything ad spend is better than relying on organic discoverability alone, but to rise to the top of the list in your category for “New and Noteworthy” in iTunes, it will take a substantial investment.

  • 1) Build your platform on social media and use it to promote your podcast.

    2) Invite guests and ask them to share the podcast via their social media

    3) Encourage listeners to write reviews

    4) Improve SEO (search engine optimization) because Google now ranks audio in search results. See the FAQ related to optimization

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