The most successful podcast cover art may have a black, blue, or white color palette, but that is just one of the many factors that goes into a successful show, according to a new analysis by Podcastle. It not only examines what is working for podcasters, but also what listeners are looking for when they grab their headphones.
In terms of what is working, Podcastle says a review of the top 50 reveals that the most popular intro length was between 30 seconds and a minute, with half featuring ads in the episode’s introduction. Six in ten have one host, while three-quarters of the top 50 shows had at least one guest in their most recent episodes. And while the analysis showed one unnamed show had 339 filler words in a single episode, most others were making some edits — the average top 50 show had 58 filler words per episode.
As for the cover art, Podcastle says there is a split between having the host’s picture and not — 52% do not show the hosts, while 48% do. There is a clearer result when it comes to a show’s font as 38% use a “bold” font on their cover.
Podcastle CEO Arto Yertisyan says their analysis showing results such as blackand blue appeared in the top 50 podcasts more than any other colors points to cover art among the contributing factor to success.
“The advice here is that podcast creators should make sure that they stand out amongst their competitors when listeners are choosing a podcast based on the visuals and this is where cover art choices are extremely important,” Yertisyan says. “I would suggest carrying out a creative analysis of your podcasting niche and making selections based on what’s popular and the elements that tie into your personal brand.”
According to new Podcastle data, 18% of Americans are starting a podcast in 2024. The top three states where residents are making their own podcasts are North Dakota (50%), Rhode Island (43%), followed by a tie between Connecticut and Delaware (33%). One in 25 podcasters want to make a show focused on conspiracy theories. Yet among U.S creators, personal development and true crime tie as the top genres for new shows. They are followed by health and wellness, science and technology, and comedy.
Profit Becomes A Factor In Show Launches
The 2024 Podcastle Study also looked at what the motivating factors are behind starting a new show. It found a third (34%) of U.S. creators cited the profit potential as a motivation, which is more than the quarter (26%) that cited podcasting as a outlet for their creativity.
“Despite the top motivation for creating a podcast in 2024 being for potential profit, the additional motivations identified in our study are still rooted in self-expression,” Yertisyan says. He points out 19% say they want to share their knowledge and expertise, 9% are looking to raise awareness for social, political, or environmental causes, and 5% are building a personal brand.
“Potential profit from a podcast may be in the form of a personal side hustle or as a marketing tool for business owners and marketers. Generating profit from podcast production is one of the more recent forms of ad revenue streams within content creation, and it’s effective,” Yertisyan says. “We know that podcast ads are more impactful than any other medium, with a higher purchase intent from listeners, so podcast creators can be assured that they can generate profit effectively whilst building their brand and inspiring audiences.”
The report says among Millennials, more than one in three want to make a podcast for profit. Yertisyan says there are some interesting differences when it comes to the additional motivations that some generations value over others.
Almost three in ten (29%) Gen Zers want to make a podcast to express their creativity, and over one in five (21%) Baby Boomers are motivated to start a podcast to share their knowledge and expertise, both more so than any other generation. And Gen Xers are also the most motivated to start a podcast to raise awareness and to advocate for social, political, or environmental causes (11%).
Too Many Ads The Biggest ‘Ick’
The report also features data on what could make some listeners tune elsewhere. It says seven in ten (72%) American podcast listeners say too many advertisements in a podcast was their number one turn-off. Podcastle says that may explain why 50% of popular podcast intros include an ad to avoid interruption throughout the podcast recording and losing listeners.
“It’s difficult to put an exact number on what qualifies as ‘too many ads,’ which was identified as the top podcast ‘ick’ in our study. However, in our analysis, 50% of the top 50 podcasts featured a pre-roll ad incorporated into the intro. Given the success of the top 50 podcasts, we can suggest that this is a more effective strategy than pausing the podcast to roll an ad,” Yertisyan says. “Podcast audiences are tuning in to listen to you, so having the narrative and flow of the show being repeatedly interrupted by ads will become tiresome for listeners. Take the time to step into their shoes and reflect on what you would prefer to create the ideal balance.”
For the most part, Podcastle says generations are in agreement with their top podcast turn-offs. Gen Z is less bothered about a podcast host being overly self-promotional. Instead, over two-fifths (42%) will get the ick if the podcast host doesn’t let the guest speak. On the other hand, Baby Boomers were the only generation to rank a podcast host’s overly self-promotional behavior as the biggest turn-off, with nearly half (46%) of the generation saying they will quickly become frustrated and likely to tune out.
Nearly half (49%) of all survey respondents also said poor audio quality was a top podcast ick.
Podcastle’s report says the average podcast episode length is 65 minutes, with 22% of the analyzed podcasts offering accompanying video content. That could be a missed opportunity, according to Yertisyan.
“Video podcast, or vodcasting, is a great way to increase engagement and develop a stronger relationship with your audience,” he says. “By watching you talk, listeners can read and understand your body language and the message you’re trying to convey. With a clearer understanding between you and your audience, you will build trust and be able to reach a wider audience by sharing your video content on various platforms, like YouTube, for example.”
See all the results of the 2024 Podcastle Study HERE.
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