The rise in ‘influencer’ podcasts

In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of influencers branching out into podcasts. Although only 22% of internet users spend some of their time listening to podcasts, an overwhelming 92.7% of these internet users are on some form of social media. This places influencers in a uniquely advantaged position to accelerate the growth of the podcast industry.

Influencers are better positioned to gauge what content their listeners will more readily consume, since they already have feedback from whichever platforms they post on already

Currently, the number of podcast listeners sits around 460 million. This is predicted to increase to 500 million within the next two years, reflecting the growing nature of the podcast industry. This increase has been exacerbated by the surge in attention paid to influencers, with a large proportion of TikTok and YouTube stars deciding to create multi-host shows.

Social media influencers who have already amassed large followings on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Twitch ‘are quickly outpacing competitors’. Influencers are better positioned to gauge what content their listeners will more readily consume, since they already have feedback from whichever platforms they post on already.

Emma Chamberlain’s podcast Anything Goes, has over 1.1 million listeners and a rating of nearly four stars. Already a content creator and YouTuber when she began this podcast in 2020, its success secured her an exclusive deal with Spotify.

Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast began earlier, in 2018. With millions of downloads and sponsors such as Walmart, Paul has honed in on the monetisation of podcasts, and its annual revenue from sponsorship alone is estimated to be £2 million.

Podcasts are a great way for influencers to engage with their followers on a deeper and more meaningful level

Podcasts which feature interviews often perform well, especially with the circulation of short form clips or snippets from podcasts on TikTok which often go viral. Podcasts are a gateway to “interviews, sponsored segments, branded content, show sponsorship, giveaways or affiliate marketing” for influencers, increasing their exposure and fanbase.

Product placement is already a large part of influencer culture, and podcasts provide an excellent opportunity for brands to subtly ‘align themselves’ with influencers. Although some people just listen to podcasts as they go about their day, others watch them as well. Seeing a product or brand in a podcast produced by an influencer they admire or aspire to be like encourages people to consume this product or to buy from the brand in question.

Influencers themselves are facing the issue of oversaturation, reducing user engagement with influencers due to the sheer quantity they see online

Podcasts are a great way for influencers to engage with their followers on a deeper and more meaningful level. Whether this is authentic or not is determined by how they use their podcasts to captivate their target audience.

Some listeners have started to question the value of influencer podcasts, arguing that the conversation produced lacks meaning and is representative of an oversaturation of the podcast industry. However, it is still bringing attention to the podcasting space, which statistics prove is not yet saturated.

Influencers themselves are facing the issue of oversaturation, reducing user engagement with influencers due to the sheer quantity they see online. Whilst it is likely that this same phenomenon will eventually reach the podcasting industry, it is likely that we will continue to see the number of influencer podcasts climb in the next few years.