Podcasts are the content-phenomena of recent years. According to Podcast Insights, 24% of the population (at least 68 million people) listen to different podcasts weekly.
And even though Spotify and Apple have a big slice of this pie, it’s YouTube that takes the largest share of listeners — so it’s no surprise that the platform is launching a homepage that is entirely dedicated to podcasts.
But wait, YouTube is not the only one: Twitter has also been moving to make more room for this type of content in the app.
Let me explain in detail how these recent updates will work (and, more importantly: what the new opportunities are for us — marketers, brands and creators). Shall we?
Yes, podcasts are a phenomenon. But is it a saturated industry?
Many podcast professionals agree that the industry may be considered saturated. After all, loads of new content are uploaded every hour on all kinds of streaming and audio platforms, and it’s tough for users to keep up with the already established podcasts. Most of the listeners will stick to their favorite creators, making it hard to find new target audiences.
With all those obstacles, how should new podcasters and Marketing professionals find their golden opportunity?
That’s exactly where Youtube and Twitter’s new features enter.
YouTube’s homepage for podcasts
YouTube is the biggest platform podcasting-wise, holding 24.2% of listeners, with Spotify coming in second with 23.8% and Apple in third, with 16%.
Its new page (for now, available only in the U.S.) is made for listeners to explore content in an easier way (and podcasters can easily be found). The user can explore new and popular podcast episodes, shows and creators, as well as recommend content.
This is something particularly interesting, especially because Spotify’s algorithm doesn’t really allow growth and reaching big audiences without assistance from other social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and — look at that — Youtube itself.
Youtube does exactly the opposite, giving visibility to creators according to the interest of a topic to a specific audience, making it possible to reach the target audience more easily.
The video-giant has also hired a new Podcast executive, Kai Chuk, further demonstrating how the company is seeking to lead the industry and deliver more for their 2 billion YouTube Music users (50 million of them being paid users in 2021). These tools are going to make it easier for the listeners to find content to consume.
But of course… They are not alone. In a matter of days after launching the podcast homepage in the US, Twitter responded with an Audio tab in the app, which highlights audio content.
Twitter’s integrated podcasts display
Recent Twitter research indicates that 45% of people who use the blue-bird social network in the U.S. listen to podcasts monthly. So, it makes sense for the platform to find new ways to better explore this type of content.
Last week Twitter launched a new integrated podcasts display in the “Spaces” tab (in fact, they even renamed it “Audio” tab). This new tab will highlight podcasts, pre-recorded and live content all in one display, separated into specific topics.
In Twitter’s own words:
“Fans love to see when their favorite podcasts are launching a new season, going on tour, or endorsing a fellow podcast for their next listen. Up-and-coming and established podcasters alike are using Twitter to help expand and inform their audience.”
New tools and audio content way beyond podcasts
It’s important to mention that podcasting is just one of several ways of working with audio content — and the streaming platforms are realizing it.
While new tools are being tested by YouTube and Twitter to make the reach of podcasts broader, Spotify has been investing in audiobooks, seeking to cope with the exponential growth of the industry with a whopping 60% growth in consumption among young Americans (between 13 to 45), and even embracing video and games.
So, who wins in this battle? The answer is us: listeners, brands and creators
All these new features could be a great opportunity for new creators and marketers that want to reach their target audience without having to battle with the giants of Podcasting.
The younger generation is shifting their search behavior to platforms of quick information like TikTok, which is the exact opposite of a podcast. But Youtube also thought of that and is planning to roll out audio mechanics, which creators would be able to integrate and reach a fresh new audience.
The new podcasting homepages would also be of great interest to the new creators, since it allows more visibility to people searching for podcasts, potentializing the audience reach and growth, making smaller podcasters visible to the greater public.
Wrapping it up, the podcast industry is a very diverse and interesting investment for aspiring creators, and its exponential growth only exposes the infinite possibilities that can be explored in it. The new world for podcasting has proven itself to be the future for all audiences and the new tools being launched are proof of the opportunities that are to come — and you don’t want to be left out, right?
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