Even though the podcasting business has been around for about 20 years, podcasting as it is practiced now has just seen enormous growth in the recent years. Podcasts are presently familiar to around 70 percent of those living in the United States. About 197 million people call themselves Americans.

The fact that listeners of podcasts are content to concentrate on audio programs, in conjunction with the proliferation of technology like as smart speakers, has contributed to the rise in popularity of podcasting as a career option. Because of this, prospective podcasters need to have a higher level of intelligence if they want to differentiate themselves. One of the most effective methods to do this is to be current on the most recent developments in podcasting trends.

Here are some of the most prominent trends expected to emerge in podcasting in 2022.

1. More Focus on Niching Down

A podcast is a wonderful medium that allows you to communicate with your audience. Podcasters of today create program’s that cater to a wide variety of listeners’ likes and tastes.

Even though the podcasting business has been around for about 20 years, podcasting as it is practiced now has just seen enormous growth in the recent years. Podcasts are presently familiar to around 70 percent of those living in the United States. About 197 million people call themselves Americans.

The fact that listeners of podcasts are content to concentrate on audio programs, in conjunction with the proliferation of technology like as smart speakers, has contributed to the rise in popularity of podcasting as a career option. Because of this, prospective podcasters need to have a higher level of intelligence if they want to differentiate themselves. One of the most effective methods to do this is to be current on the most recent developments in podcasting trends.

2. A Rise in Production and Marketing Budgets

The number of people who listen to podcasts is already rather considerable and continues to rise. In the year 2020, it is anticipated that 100 million individuals would listen to podcasts on a monthly basis. As a result of this upward tendency, it is anticipated that the number will reach 125 million in the year 2022. Increasing the budget for production and marketing is unavoidable given that doing so will enable you to produce episodes of a greater overall quality.

However, you shouldn’t spend the whole of your marketing budget on your podcast. You may allocate some of it to the implementation of marketing techniques that go hand in hand with podcasting. Email marketing is one area where you may put some of your marketing spend. Podcasting and email marketing may complement one another, allowing you to expand your network of contacts and deepen the bonds you already have with your audience members.

Send out a notification through email each time a new episode of your podcast becomes available. When sending out mass emails to your podcast listeners, using Gmail capabilities that allow mail merge can help you customize the message you deliver to your audience while saving you time. That will assist you in driving more people to listen to the episodes of your podcast and will help you cultivate your connections with those listeners.

Investing in content marketing strategies such as emailing, social networking, and blogging are just some of the methods to attract new listeners to your podcast. However, in order to get the most out of it, you will need to become an expert in each method. For instance, if you want the greatest outcomes, you’ll need to educate yourself on the best techniques for email marketing.

In a similar vein, you will need to educate yourself on the best practices for blogging, such as how essential it is to place an emphasis on keyword density.

Gaining an advantage over the competition requires you to become an expert in the production processes and provide your podcast listeners with an improved experience. When you are recording an episode of your podcast, you should invest in a recording studio so that there is less background noise. The sound quality of your podcasts may be improved by upgrading to higher-quality equipment such as microphones, headphones, and audio mixers.

During this time, making an investment in a dependable podcast hosting platform can assist you in producing higher-quality content and expanding your podcast audience.

3. The Popularity of Live Events and Streaming

Live streaming is another another development that should be brought to your attention in 2022. The majority of people who use the internet would rather watch videos than read blog posts.

Nothing beats the feeling of being able to connect with your audience the way you can during a live event. Live streaming enables interactive features such as question-and-answer sessions, sweepstakes, and phone-in discussions.

Therefore, regardless of the specific subject matter of your podcast, your listeners will value the opportunity to engage in conversation with you in the course of a live broadcast. There is no method that is more effective than using a live podcast in order to improve communication with listeners.

There are many different ways in which podcasters might profit from live streaming. In addition to providing an extra source of money, it also helps you cultivate a feeling of community with the people who listen to your podcast. That may be beneficial to the expansion of your podcast.

4. More Focus on Quality and Creativity

Delivering exceptional material is essential in order to compete with the two million other podcasts currently available. Being inventive and putting an emphasis on quality are two essential components of a successful strategy.

As an example, let’s take a look at the popular podcast titled “What Would the Aunties Say?” The presenter, Anchal, engages in conversation with the guests on the challenges that members of the Asian community face on a daily basis. She brings up topics that are often avoided in conversation out of fear of what “the aunties” may have to say about them.

The presenter and the guests draw the substance of the podcast from their own lives and the lives of other people. Anchal provides a fresh and original strategy for dealing with the requirements imposed by older people.

In addition to offering exceptional content, you should also give the highest possible quality for the following:

• Audio
• Video quality (for a video podcast)
• Marketing and promotion

When you are making episodes of your podcast, you should begin by first establishing an ideal recording setting and then learning the appropriate skills.

5. Optimizing for Data-Driven User Experiences

If you optimize for data-driven user experiences, it will be easier for you to zero in on the material that your listeners really want to hear.

Generally speaking, today’s consumers have higher expectations and are looking for more individualized experiences. Approximately 63% of customers anticipate that personalization will be a regular feature of the service they get.

Therefore, in order to satisfy the requirements of your audience, you need to step up your game and get more information about them. The experiences you create for individuals may be made more tailored by using the data you collect. You, as a podcast producer, may utilize the data insights to acquire a better understanding of the listeners you are trying to reach. Then, make use of the podcast data to provide individualized user experiences that live up to the standards set by your listeners.

You may get started by doing research on common keyword phrases. That will be of assistance to you with regard to popular issues, which will help you keep your listeners engaged. A further consequence of this will be increased engagement rates.

Combine the information you get from your own podcast media host statistics with general market information about listeners, such as their degree of engagement and the products they tend to buy most often. Keep tabs on the audience response to each particular episode as well as the data-driven marketing decisions you make. After then, adapt your plan for the podcasts properly.

6. Growth of Programmatic Ads

The term “programmatic advertising” refers to the practice of selling and purchasing internet advertisements in a manner that is entirely computerized. This method makes use of artificial intelligence and algorithms to purchase advertising space and improve its effectiveness in real time. Traditional advertisements are much slower and less effective than programmatic ones. Because of this, the advertising companies see improved conversion rates and reduced expenses associated with the acquisition of new customers.

According to estimates provided by EMarketer, the total amount spent on programmatic video advertisements inside podcasts would approach roughly $142 million by the year 2023. That is almost twice the estimate for the year 2020.

Using programmatic audio advertising is a great approach to get your podcast off the ground and start making money. After registering, all you have to do is sit back and watch the money roll into your account without having to create even a single advertisement. After you have selected your categories, the technology will take care of inserting the advertisements into your episodes.

7. Voice Search

The rise in popularity of voice-activated search tools has altered the manner in which we navigate the internet. Internet users are able to do hands-free internet searches with the help of virtual assistants such as Siri, Cortana, Alexa, and Google Assistant.

It should come as no surprise that voice search has emerged as another trend in podcasting in this year. In order for you to remain competitive, the content of your podcasts will need to be optimized for voice search.

Here are some pointers to keep in mind when trying to improve the textual content of your podcast for voice search:

• Make use of keywords while naming episodes and writing their descriptions for your podcast.
• Create information that might serve as a response to a query that is often asked. You may locate the appropriate inquiries by using the tool known as Answer the Public.
• Your textual content should be organized in such a way that it is easy for search engines to identify the appropriate portions as responses.
• Consider certain long-tail keywords that might be linked to your podcast in order to grow your brand. Be precise and concentrate on the audience you want to attract.
• Make sure that your website is optimized for mobile use.

Because the people who are most likely to listen to the material you produce are fans of audio, it is likely that they will search for your podcast using voice search rather than entering it into the search bar.

Podcast Trends Conclusion

Keeping up with the most recent developments in podcasting is necessary in order to run a successful program. If you keep up with these developments in podcasting, you will be able to cultivate a devoted following, which will assist you in monetizing your podcast.

In the podcasting business, some of the most important trends to keep an eye out for in 2022 are narrowing your focus while also placing an emphasis on quality and originality. In addition to this, podcasters will need to improve their content for data-driven user experiences and also offer live shows. There will be an increase in spending on production and marketing, in addition to a rise in the prevalence of programmatic podcast advertisements.

If you start (or scale) a podcast in accordance with the aforementioned trends, you will be able to transform your pastime into a lucrative business.