5 Key Podcasting Trends of 2024
2024 was another monumental year in podcasting. This year we witnessed not just the rise in podcasting, but the immense influence of podcast creators beyond just audio. In our Podcast Pulse report, findings revealed that podcasting now transcends audio with 84% of podcast listeners having taken action after seeing brands promoted in a podcast-first omnichannel campaign. As podcasting breaks down the barriers to other media, brands and media buyers are taking note. In fact, according to the research, 93% of media buyers agree podcast hosts are valuable cross-platform influencers.
As the year draws to a close, we’ve identified five key trends that at Acast we believe are indicative of what’s to come in 2025 through year-over-year tracking studies with weekly podcast listeners via OnePulse.
Podcast Audience Loyalty Extends Beyond Audio
According to a recent consumer trends report from Acast, podcast audiences are highly engaged and loyal to the hosts that they love – regardless of platform. This high engagement beyond audio is growing among audiences. In 2023, 80% of listeners said they had watched a video version of a podcast. In 2024, that has increased to 84% of listeners who say they have watched a podcast in video form.
As we look ahead to 2025, we at Acast predict that video will continue to become even more ingrained in our medium. We also expect that more brands will seek opportunities to harness the influencer power of podcasters creatively and across a mix of platforms.
According to our recent Podcast Pulse report, nearly 75% of podcast listeners say they will consider a brand from their favorite hosts on social media. Looking at YouTube specifically, 72% of podcast listeners say they will consider brands advertised by podcasters on the platform.
Audiences Discover New Podcasts on Social Media
Throughout 2024, social media remained a popular avenue among podcast listeners for discovering new content and creators to engage with. Interestingly, algorithm based platforms like TikTok and Instagram took a back seat to others like Reddit and YouTube in terms of podcast discovery on the platforms. In fact, Acast’s trends report found that 58% of podcast listeners say they have discovered a new podcast on YouTube, compared to 52% in 2023 and 31% said the same for Reddit – up from 25% last year.
This trend is indicative of the sought, not served nature of podcasts. Unlike many types of media out there today, podcast consumption is very intentional by audiences and therefore leads to incredibly high engagement rates.
Audiences are More Aware of AI and Open to Podcast Creators Using the Tech
Although AI is far from new in 2024, its place in podcasting continues to take shape. According to our report, podcast listeners recognized the use of AI in podcasts this year more than they did in 2023. As more listeners notice the technology, they remain open to its use in the medium, though at a lesser degree than in 2023. According to our trends report, 55% of listeners are open to podcast creators using AI to improve the quality of their show.
Looking to the new year, for podcast creators using AI, this means that they need to be very thoughtful about the way they use the technology in their podcast creation. Audience surveys are also a strong tactic for understanding how their unique audience may or may not be receptive to new strategies, like AI, that could potentially impact the overall listening experience.
Podcasting Takes Center Stage in Politics and Day-to-Day Life
In this year’s Presidential Election, we witnessed podcasting play a pivotal role in each candidate's campaign strategy. From the actual show content to the ads within an episode, our trends report shows that podcasts have incredible reach and influence for political discussions.
In fact, according to our report, 51% of audiences say that a podcast has changed the way they think about a political issue, an increase from 43% in 2023. Looking at the candidates themselves, 47% of listeners have said that a podcast changed their view of a political candidate, which is up from 44% last year.
The greatest change year-over-year stemmed from political advertising. In 2024, 37% of audiences said that a political ad on a podcast changed the way they viewed a political candidate or issue, compared to just 28% in 2023.
The growing relationship between politics and podcasts can likely be attributed to podcasting’s increasing role in day-to-day life. According to our report, podcasts played a larger role in everyday life in 2024 than in 2023 – and we anticipate that will continue to be an upward trend in the years to come.
Specifically, our report revealed that nearly 80% of podcast listeners in 2024 have tuned into a podcast while getting ready for school or work, compared to 73% last year. This shows that podcasts are playing an increasing role in daily life and routines.
Podcast Advertising Quality Improves and Opens Doors for Branded Content
Throughout this year, podcast advertising continued to improve in overall quality according to listeners. According to our report, nearly 60% of listeners in 2024 say that podcast ads are relevant to their interests and 63% say that the ads have high production quality. Looking back at 2023, just 58% of listeners said that podcast ads were relevant to their interests and 61% said that podcast ads had a high production quality.
This indicates the improvement in targeting technologies and advertising production by sales organizations and brands.
As ad quality improved this year, listeners also became more open to engaging with branded content on the medium. In fact, nearly 50% of podcast listeners in 2024 said they have listened to a podcast that is connected to a brand, an increase from 46% in 2023.
With eyes on 2025, Acast recently acquired Wonder Media Network and announced the launch of Acast Creative Studios. This acquisition supercharges Acast’s branded content, creative capabilities, and production abilities for advertisers interested in engaging with the medium.
To view our full 2024 trends report please click here. To learn more about how you can begin advertising on Acast podcasts, please contact sales.us@acast.com.
2024 was another monumental year in podcasting. This year we witnessed not just the rise in podcasting, but the immense influence of podcast creators beyond just audio. In our Podcast Pulse report, findings revealed that podcasting now transcends audio with 84% of podcast listeners having taken action after seeing brands promoted in a podcast-first omnichannel campaign. As podcasting breaks down the barriers to other media, brands and media buyers are taking note. In fact, according to the research, 93% of media buyers agree podcast hosts are valuable cross-platform influencers.
As the year draws to a close, we’ve identified five key trends that at Acast we believe are indicative of what’s to come in 2025 through year-over-year tracking studies with weekly podcast listeners via OnePulse.
Podcast Audience Loyalty Extends Beyond Audio
According to a recent consumer trends report from Acast, podcast audiences are highly engaged and loyal to the hosts that they love – regardless of platform. This high engagement beyond audio is growing among audiences. In 2023, 80% of listeners said they had watched a video version of a podcast. In 2024, that has increased to 84% of listeners who say they have watched a podcast in video form.
As we look ahead to 2025, we at Acast predict that video will continue to become even more ingrained in our medium. We also expect that more brands will seek opportunities to harness the influencer power of podcasters creatively and across a mix of platforms.
According to our recent Podcast Pulse report, nearly 75% of podcast listeners say they will consider a brand from their favorite hosts on social media. Looking at YouTube specifically, 72% of podcast listeners say they will consider brands advertised by podcasters on the platform.
Audiences Discover New Podcasts on Social Media
Throughout 2024, social media remained a popular avenue among podcast listeners for discovering new content and creators to engage with. Interestingly, algorithm based platforms like TikTok and Instagram took a back seat to others like Reddit and YouTube in terms of podcast discovery on the platforms. In fact, Acast’s trends report found that 58% of podcast listeners say they have discovered a new podcast on YouTube, compared to 52% in 2023 and 31% said the same for Reddit – up from 25% last year.
This trend is indicative of the sought, not served nature of podcasts. Unlike many types of media out there today, podcast consumption is very intentional by audiences and therefore leads to incredibly high engagement rates.
Audiences are More Aware of AI and Open to Podcast Creators Using the Tech
Although AI is far from new in 2024, its place in podcasting continues to take shape. According to our report, podcast listeners recognized the use of AI in podcasts this year more than they did in 2023. As more listeners notice the technology, they remain open to its use in the medium, though at a lesser degree than in 2023. According to our trends report, 55% of listeners are open to podcast creators using AI to improve the quality of their show.
Looking to the new year, for podcast creators using AI, this means that they need to be very thoughtful about the way they use the technology in their podcast creation. Audience surveys are also a strong tactic for understanding how their unique audience may or may not be receptive to new strategies, like AI, that could potentially impact the overall listening experience.
Podcasting Takes Center Stage in Politics and Day-to-Day Life
In this year’s Presidential Election, we witnessed podcasting play a pivotal role in each candidate's campaign strategy. From the actual show content to the ads within an episode, our trends report shows that podcasts have incredible reach and influence for political discussions.
In fact, according to our report, 51% of audiences say that a podcast has changed the way they think about a political issue, an increase from 43% in 2023. Looking at the candidates themselves, 47% of listeners have said that a podcast changed their view of a political candidate, which is up from 44% last year.
The greatest change year-over-year stemmed from political advertising. In 2024, 37% of audiences said that a political ad on a podcast changed the way they viewed a political candidate or issue, compared to just 28% in 2023.
The growing relationship between politics and podcasts can likely be attributed to podcasting’s increasing role in day-to-day life. According to our report, podcasts played a larger role in everyday life in 2024 than in 2023 – and we anticipate that will continue to be an upward trend in the years to come.
Specifically, our report revealed that nearly 80% of podcast listeners in 2024 have tuned into a podcast while getting ready for school or work, compared to 73% last year. This shows that podcasts are playing an increasing role in daily life and routines.
Podcast Advertising Quality Improves and Opens Doors for Branded Content
Throughout this year, podcast advertising continued to improve in overall quality according to listeners. According to our report, nearly 60% of listeners in 2024 say that podcast ads are relevant to their interests and 63% say that the ads have high production quality. Looking back at 2023, just 58% of listeners said that podcast ads were relevant to their interests and 61% said that podcast ads had a high production quality.
This indicates the improvement in targeting technologies and advertising production by sales organizations and brands.
As ad quality improved this year, listeners also became more open to engaging with branded content on the medium. In fact, nearly 50% of podcast listeners in 2024 said they have listened to a podcast that is connected to a brand, an increase from 46% in 2023.
With eyes on 2025, Acast recently acquired Wonder Media Network and announced the launch of Acast Creative Studios. This acquisition supercharges Acast’s branded content, creative capabilities, and production abilities for advertisers interested in engaging with the medium.
To view our full 2024 trends report please click here. To learn more about how you can begin advertising on Acast podcasts, please contact sales.us@acast.com.
