Spotify has launched its first global podcast trends tour, an interactive exploration of the latest trends in podcasting.
The trends tour showcases fresh insights and gives a free VIP pass to explore how people are engaging with podcasts.
Most notably, it found that there’s a new type of influencer on the scene – 63 per cent of people said they trust their favourite podcast host more than their favourite social media influencer. Just call them podfluencers! And Spotify users aren’t just listening to podcasts; they’re watching them, too: globally, average daily streams of video podcasts are up 39 per cent on Spotify.
While the podfluencer trend is happening across generations, it’s picked up particular steam with Gen Z: 55 per cent of Gen Zs said that if they follow someone on social media and listen to their podcast, they like their podcast content more than if they only listened.
There were some key local takeaways and findings when it came to Australian audiences:
Podcast era: a window into culture
In Australia, a big cultural moment featured a local leading lady (Margot Robbie) and had Oz seeing pink:
- 61 per cent increase in global streams of podcasts discussing Barbie the week of the Oscar nominations announcement when many felt the movie and its star were snubbed.
- 67 per cent increase in global streams of podcasts discussing Barbie the following week as conversations continued, a trend unique to Australia.
Here’s what categories trended in Spotify podcasts in Australia:
- Most popular categories: comedy, health & fitness, society & culture, true crime, sports.
- Fastest-growing categories: religion & spirituality (75.2 per cent), business & technology (70.7 per cent), society & culture (60.5 per cent), science (60 per cent).
- Nerd out, Oz: Australia is the only country among those analysed that has science in its fastest-growing categories.
Here’s what Gen Zs are streaming in podcasts in Australia:
- Most popular categories: comedy, society & culture, health & fitness, true crime, and arts.
- Fastest-growing categories: science (+62.9 per cent), religion & spirituality (+54.8 per cent), business & technology (+51.6 per cent), society & culture (+23.5 per cent).
Now streaming: results:
Sixty-two per cent of study respondents took action after hearing an ad during a podcast show, like searching for the product, purchasing the product, or simply talking about it.
Spotify helps advertisers reach over half of all podcast listeners in Australia.
Podcast advertising grew faster than music advertising revenue over the last year, and so far in 2024, the Spotify audience network continues to see positive growth in participating publishers and shows.
Spotify podcast conversion rates perform 26 per cent better than Spotify ad analytics industry benchmarks across 240 publishers.
Breaking borders:
Passport, please: Gen Zs are using podcasts to expand their horizons. In Australia, 50 per cent of podcast streams by users aged 18-24 were users streaming from a country different from the show’s origin country. That number is even higher for users aged 13-17 (66 per cent).
Users aged 13-17 and 18-25 are streaming outside of their own country more than all other age groups. Out-of-country listening is highest for shows originating in English-speaking markets like the United States and Australia, while content from countries like Brazil and Japan gets mostly local listeners due to the native language. Globally, 22 per cent of podcasts have half or more of their audience made up of international streamers.
“Podcasts continue to be one of the best ways for brands to reach audiences, mixing scale with high trust scores. Our first global podcast trends tour breaks down how Spotify’s uniquely engaged audience – reaching over half of all podcast listeners in Australia – generates conversion rates above industry benchmarks. This provides brands with a window in which to align themselves with culture and podfluencers, who are now more trusted than social media influencers by 63 per cent of people globally,” said Sam Moles, Spotify AU/NZ podcast account director.
“Significantly, the latest report also showed that podcast listeners were becoming podcast watchers on Spotify. Podcasts with video episodes have seen a 39 per cent increase in average daily streams, and Gen Z are 18 per cent more likely to engage with video podcasts. Ultimately, podcast ads have grown in popularity and become a proven, effective format to drive business results,” added Moles.
“There’s no denying we’re in the midst of the podcast era as people turn to podcasts to be inspired, informed, educated, and much more. And with that, it’s only natural for a new type of influencer to emerge. Through this podcast trends tour we’ve uncovered just how important podfluencers are for marketers looking to connect with audiences in a genuine way. With Spotify’s uniquely engaged audience and innovations in the podcast space, we have made it the perfect place to do just that,” said Jenny Haggard, Spotify global brand strategy, thought leadership lead.
