Uk podcast listenership is booming in 2025, and here's why you should care.

If you're a podcaster, write then my podcasting padawan, a podcaster who is looking to attain pod mastery.

Brace yourself in this episode, because the RAJAR Midas Winter 2024 report has just been published and it's loaded with insights that might make you rethink your entire podcasting strategy.

If you're a podcast creator, marketer, or someone who just enjoys nerding out over data.

Hey, no judgment here.

I'm the same.

This is the kind of report that can help you make better decisions about your show.

So let's cut the crap and get straight into it.

Here's what's happening in UK podcasting right now.

Well, first of all, the headline podcasting is getting some serious love now on this little island here.

It turns out 26% of the UK population is now listening to podcasts on a weekly basis.

That's over 16 million people choosing to listen to podcasts regularly, which, let's be honest, that's a massive leap.

Up 54% since winter 2020.

Now, we're not going to get into the nitty gritty with this about what actually is listening to a podcast.

Is it something in a podcast app?

Can you do it on YouTube?

We're not here for that.

And we're not just here about the numbers either.

What we're here to talk about is the psychology, because these people aren't just casually dipping in, they're fully committed, spending an average eight hours a week listening to podcasts.

That's nearly a full work day dedicated to podcast listening.

Which, if you think about it, where we've come from to where we are now kinda mad.

If you've been wondering whether it's too late to start a podcast, this should put that nonsense to bed.

The audience is there, you just need to bring them to you.

So who's actually listening?

No surprises here.

Most podcast listeners are under 55.

So if your niche is how to retire in style, maybe rethink your target audience, come a little bit younger.

The gender split is 50 50, meaning podcasts are attracting a well balanced mix of listeners.

And so here's the takeaway for you on that.

It means there's an audience for every kind of podcast.

Whether you're talking about crypto crime stories or the best way to bake banana bread, there are ears out there for your content.

Now, this is gonna be of interest if your idea of podcast listening is a couple on the M1 listening on a Saturday driving out to see Aunt Flo.

No, that's not how most people are consuming podc.

Apparently, listening to podcasts is a deeply personal experience, with a huge 93% of listening happening alone.

Now, this is crucial insight for any podcast creator because it means your audience is likely fully engaged and paying attention to you.

They're not listening with you warbling on in the background while they have their own conversation in the car over the top of your voice.

It's absolutely not background noise like radio or tv.

Podcasts are intimate, and that's why listeners often feel like they know their favorite podcast host like you.

As for how people are listening, well, 81% use smartphones, but some are still sticking to computers.

That's 6%, tablets 7% and smart speakers 3%.

Still, 3% of the population in the UK is listening to podcasts through their smart speakers.

I'm astounded by that.

I really didn't think that they'd taken off as a listening device.

Shows what even I know.

Anyway, this means that optimizing for mobile listeners is definitely a must if your show is poorly formatted for easy mobile consumption, that is.

You've got terrible sound quality clunky episodes.

People can't find you easily because of your terrible titles while you're making it harder for yourself to find potential listeners.

So where and when are these people listening?

Forget the idea of listeners listening in while they sip coffee in a trendy cafe.

The reality is this.

51% listen at home, which makes sense when you think about it.

It's a comfy setting with no distractions.

17% listen at work, so they're clearly pretending to be productive while actually consuming podcast content.

Yeah, sorry boss, I'm not listening to Joe Rogan.

Promise I'll get that report to you by the end of today.

Another 17% are listening while traveling.

Hello, commuters, and the most popular time for podcast listening?

Between 8am and 8.30am so yes, podcasts are a morning routine staple, just like your radio morning shows, except hopefully more enjoyable and with less cringy jokes.

If you're publishing your new episodes at fairly random times, you might want to think about this, because it could mean you're missing out on some peak listening.

There's no guarantees that anyone's going to listen exactly when the stats say they are, but if the trends are going that way, it probably makes sense to try and lean into those trends.

Releasing your episodes at 1am probably not a good idea.

So what are the podcast genres then that everyone's listening into?

Well, of course, true crime.

No shocker there.

But alongside that, the top genres include news and politics because we all love a bit of rage bait sports comedy.

That's probably to recover from all the murder and politics, gender wise.

Okay, so no brainer really.

But men are more into sports podcasts, duh.

While women lean more towards true crime, also, duh.

So the big takeaway here is, if you're launching a podcast, consider aligning with these popular categories, or at least borrowing some elements from them.

It doesn't mean that every single podcast that's released today should have a true crime angle, though.

If you can crowbar that in, then why not?

But it does mean understanding what is engaging audiences.

So then let's talk about how people are finding their new podcasts.

Well, let's be real about this.

There are a lot of podcast gurus that claim podcast discovery is a total mess and impossible.

And that's why they try and get everyone onto YouTube because they think that's the golden solution to this due to YouTube's apparently much better search algorithm.

I call BS on that.

But that aside, for a moment, let's talk about where the data suggests people are finding new shows.

Word of mouth, Friends talking to friends about their favorite podcasts.

That's a biggie, apparently.

And yes, just like I've alluded to a moment ago, podcast apps like Apple Podcasts and Spotify Recommendation.

So yes, people are still finding shows within apps.

Regardless of what the gurus are saying about podcast SEO being terrible.

It's not.

It is actually possible for you to get your show found in search on podcast apps.

I teach on this stuff other ways that people are finding podcasts, social media video shorts, I.

E.

TikTok and Instagram.

Probably some YouTube short stuff in there as well.

Now they're saying this is how people discover shows.

They're not saying that the direct correlation means that they're listening to them once they've discovered them through those platforms.

However, yeah, it certainly wouldn't hurt if you're putting your podcast content out on those apps, because then it might be front of mind when someone comes to search for the shows within the podcast apps.

I still maintain social media accounts for less than 1% of all podcast conversions.

Either way, if you're relying solely on people will just find my show tactics, you're totally missing out.

You need to actively market your podcast, encourage your listeners to share it, get clips out on social, and make sure that your podcast is optimized for search.

So here are my final takeaways then from this report.

Here's what you need to do next as a podcaster.

Well, first of all, take it seriously.

There has never been a better time to podcast.

Audience numbers are up and the commitment to listening is high.

Know your audience.

Most listeners are under 55 and they're equally split between men and women, and most are listening alone.

That's a great opportunity that you've got.

The radio stations and television doesn't optimize your scheduling for peak listening times.

Mornings are key and mobile listening dominates.

Oh, and genre, that definitely matters.

So lean into the attributes of true crime, news, sports and comedy if you want mass appeal.

Now, let's not get into the argument of that right now because that's not what this episode's about.

I always talk about getting niche.

However, if you're looking for mass appeal, then think about what the other bigger shows are doing.

It's a no brainer that one.

And understand this Podcasting isn't slowing down.

If anything, it's only getting bigger.

Make discovery easy.

Use social media recommendations and podcast SEO to make sure new listeners can find you.

Look, here's the deal.

Podcasting isn't slowing down.

If anything, it's only getting bigger and bigger.

So if you're serious about growing your show or finally launching one, now is the time to start taking it really seriously.

And if you need my help in getting your podcast off the ground or growing it to the next level, you know where to find me.

Podmastery.co neilodnows.co.uk.

that's n e a l@p o-kn o w s.co.uk now go on, go make something bloody brilliant.

If you want more insights like this in your inbox, make sure you sign up at Podmastery Co newsletter.

The Podmaster is a Podnos production.

Find out more about us@podnos.co.uk podnos.