Audio-only content has consistently grown in popularity since the advent of podcasts in the early 2000s. The format has gained popularity due to the breadth of content available on a vast amount of topics. It is estimated there are currently 700,000 podcast shows consisting of 29 million episodes.

Podcast listeners tend to be affluent, educated and tech-savvy. The traditional male skew of the format is evening out as time goes on, with the male majority among listeners standing at just 56% as of 2019.

In the UK, 6 million people (11% of the over-15 population) listen to at least one podcast per week. The 15-24 age group has grown to 18.7% listening to podcasts on a weekly basis. Comedy is the most popular genre, followed by music, TV and film.

Brands have been slow to include this format as part of their content marketing, approaching it cautiously due to the quality standard of popular podcasts being intimidatingly high. Nonetheless, brands have found success by keeping the formats simple with good quality and informative content. Podcasts allow brands to discuss in depth their core topics, bringing key people to life and allowing the audience to hear their voice and their stories with authenticity.

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