The Rapid Rise of Podcasts: How This Media is Dominating the Digital Space – Including Social Media
Podcasts have been on the rise rapidly in the last few years. There are now over 4.19 million podcasts registered worldwide which is a huge increase from 500,000 back in 2018. UK podcast listeners have already reached over 15 million in 2025, which is only continuing to grow. There’s no doubt that podcast as a medium is a huge success.
Why are Podcasts on the Rise
So why do people engage with podcasts so much?
Firstly, podcasts are extremely accessible. Podcasts can be accessed on multiple platforms including YouTube, Spotify and Apple, and in most circumstances, podcasts are free to listen to or watch.
Secondly, they easily fit into our daily lives. Many consumers listen to podcasts in the background while doing other tasks. Like Radio, people tend to find this relaxing and soothing, even when washing the dishes!
Thirdly, with now over 4 million podcasts to listen to all over the world, the choices are endless. Whether you are interested in business, comedy or gossip, you have all the topics to choose from whatever takes your fancy. There is even the choice to listen to an audio or watch a visual podcast, so if you’re on the go or sitting at home, you can decide.
Finally, podcasts can give the opportunity to create a strong community between the host and their followers. A strong example of this is Grace Barry with her podcast ‘Saving Grace’, where she discusses all the gossip with celebrities. Her community has grown significantly over the years, leading her to take her podcast live across the UK. Grace is only one example of how podcasts can build strong communities.
Video VS Audio Podcasts
Podcasts typically come in two main forms: visual and audio. Both visual and audio podcasts are available on popular platforms like Spotify and Apple, with visual podcasts also featured on YouTube. While both formats are experiencing rapid growth, audio podcasts have been found to be more popular; data has revealed that 59% of UK consumers prefer audio podcasts and only 13% had preference to watch visual podcasts. More specifically, 76% of Gen Z primarily listen to audio podcasts, which is a huge comparison with only 6% primarily listening to visual podcasts. Both these stats clearly show that audio podcasts are more popular amongst all ages. The platform that listeners would choose to consume a podcast on is primarily YouTube, closely followed Spotify. This statistic is surprising considering majority of podcast consumers prefer audio, but unlike Spotify, this platform gives consumers the option to watch a podcast visually if they want.
Podcasts X Social media
In addition to podcast platforms Spotify, Apple and YouTube paving the way, social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok are now a big part of the process. Many of the visual podcasts, including ‘The Diary of a CEO’ by Steven Barlett and ‘Saving Grace’ by Grace Barry, have used social media to leverage their podcasts. Both examples have over 1 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, which shows the power of social media. The prime reason why these podcasts have grown such great success online is because they use clickbait; they take the most shocking and crazy clips from their podcast and add a bold caption, which then draws thousands of people in. This approach is used by majority of podcasters, which has proven to work well. In addition to strong hooks, podcasts that feature well-liked celebrities or influencers are particularly effective in capturing an audience’s attention. A notable example is the SheerLuxe podcast, which has featured some names including Maura Higgins and Olivia Attwood. Notably, a clip of their podcast featuring Olivia Attwood gained nearly 400,000 views, making it one of their most viewed podcast clips on socials. While the video hook played a vital role, the popularity of Oliva Attwood significantly contributed to the videos’ high views.
As podcasts are on the rise, many companies are interested in producing a podcast but lack the necessary time or budget. As an alternative, they create ‘fake’ podcast episodes, such as the Sainsbury’s ‘Big Friendly Podcast’, which was shared on social media platforms. This highlights the significant influence of podcasts and how key they are in our online world. Unfortunately for Sainsbury’s, their ‘fake’ podcast wasn’t a success, which was proven by their lack of views and engagement. There was no video hook, and it was too heavily branded, which made it come across unnatural. If a fake podcast was done correctly, with a strong hook, then this would work well. It saves time and money but still uses the fast-growing podcast format. Podcasts now really do go hand in hand with social media, which is something to consider.
The Future of Podcasts
We know podcasts are already on the rise in 2025, but what does the future hold for this rising medium?
1. Time spent listening will increase
Podcast audiences are gradually listening to them more often and for a longer length of time. Research from 2019 found that a huge 93% of podcast listeners stay for most or all of the episode once they start. As podcasts are rising in interest, it’s likely that this percentage has increased and will continue to. Long form podcasts are seemingly becoming more popular to consumers, which isn’t surprising. In 2024, the typical listener spent 54 minutes daily listening up to 8 podcast episodes a week – up from 33 minutes and 6 episodes in 2020.
2. Anticipate more podcast listeners tuning in daily
Podcasts are increasingly becoming an integral part of our day-to-day lives; in a 2024 survey, 83% of respondents highlighted the convenience of podcasts, which implements the demand for this medium.
3. More of Gen Z will tune into podcasts
Gen Z has been the quickest growing podcast listener generation group, with an average of +17% year over year growth. In 2023, Gen Z’s monthly podcast listening had risen by 57% from 2018, which is only predicted to continue growing.
Overall, it’s clear that podcasts are and will continue to rapidly grow in the UK, particularly amongst Gen Z listeners. If you are considering creating a podcast, this is your time to do so, but remember these three pointers:
1. Establish a clear concept
Listeners will only continue listening to a podcast if there is a strong hook and narrative. Without this key aspect, listeners will switch off.
2. Know your audience
It’s important to know who you’re talking to, as this can affect the success of your podcast. Start out by focusing on a small audience group, as you are likely to experience more engagement.
3. Quality and accessibility are key
As there are now thousands of podcasts out there, consumers expect high quality. They also expect your podcast to be on popular platforms, including Spotify and YouTube, as this will reach more people.
Here is a list of social media podcast we recommend:
· The Girls in Marketing
· Have you Herd?
· The Science of Social Media
· Social Minds
· Savvy Social
· The Art of Social Media