S4 112. What 300+ Podcasters Reveal About Podcast Growth in 2025 (Podcast Marketing Trends Report)
If you ask most podcasters what they’re doing to grow their show, the answers sound familiar: posting clips on social media, chasing consistency, experimenting with video, and hoping the algorithm finally notices them. But when you look at the data - real, self-reported data from creators who’ve been at this for years - a different story emerges. Growth isn’t evenly distributed, and effort doesn’t automatically translate into momentum. Some podcasts with massive audiences are shrinking, while smaller, focused shows are quietly compounding month over month. The gap isn’t about talent or effort but it’s truly about strategy.
That’s why my conversation with Jeremy Enns stopped me in my tracks. As the researcher behind the Podcast Marketing Trends Report, Jeremy looks past tactics and into patterns. What stood out most wasn’t what podcasters should be doing, but what actually correlates with sustainable growth and what doesn’t. Even more striking: his personal recommendation for podcasters who want to grow without ever touching social media.
Not as a contrarian take, but as a data-informed one.
Chapters:
03:10 – Who took the Podcast Marketing Trends Report 2005
05:30 – Why Big Podcasts Are Shrinking While Small Shows Grow
07:20 – You Don’t Need a Large Audience to Build a Profitable Podcast
09:55 – The Reality Behind Declining Podcast Growth Rates
12:45 – Audio vs. Video: How Metrics Are Being Distorted
16:50 – Do Social Platforms Actually Drive Podcast Growth?
20:00 – Short-Form Video Builds Brands, Not Downloads
28:40 – Why Email Is the Most Underrated Growth Channel
37:05 – How to Grow a Podcast Without Social Media
Why Podcasts Aren’t Growing At The Same Pace
One of the biggest misconceptions in podcasting is that bigger shows automatically grow faster.
The report shows the opposite. Larger, more established podcasts are often the ones experiencing decline, not because they’re failing, but because growth gets exponentially harder at scale. When you already have broad awareness, finding new listeners becomes a different challenge altogether.
Smaller shows, on the other hand, have leverage. It’s far easier to double a show with 500 downloads per episode than to meaningfully grow one with 500,000. This creates an unexpected reality: podcast growth right now favors focus, not fame.
Another missed opportunity is confusing audience size with business impact. Jeremy shared examples of creators with tiny audiences driving real revenue, while others with tens of thousands of listeners struggle to monetize. Growth without intention leads to fragility. A smaller audience aligned with a clear outcome almost always wins.
When it comes to social media, the data complicates the narrative. High-growth shows were often less active on most platforms - except TikTok. Even then, the relationship appears indirect. Short-form video builds brand awareness, not immediate podcast downloads. It works on a long arc, not a weekly KPI.
What consistently matters more than platform choice is clarity of concept. Respondents ranked a unique and compelling show idea above production quality, host personality, or promotion tactics. If the premise doesn’t resonate, no distribution strategy will save it.
Email Will Be Podcasters’ Biggest Ally in Podcast Growth
Email quietly continues to outperform expectations.
Newsletter lists grew significantly year over year, and while most podcasters still under-invest in email, it remains the most stable bridge between content and conversion. It’s not flashy, but it compounds.
Video also complicates measurement. Nearly half of podcasters now publish both audio and video, yet most growth metrics still track audio only. This makes many shows look stagnant when their audience has simply shifted platforms.
The most sobering insight?
The most common answer to “How would you describe your podcast growth strategy?” was: I don’t have one. Not because creators don’t care, but because they don’t know what actually moves the needle.
Which brings me to Jeremy’s most surprising recommendation: if your only goal is podcast growth, skip social media entirely. Instead, invest in collaborations, podcast guesting, and pitching platforms like Apple and Spotify for features. Those channels still outperform almost everything else for listener acquisition.
Podcast growth in 2026 won’t belong to the loudest creators or the most exhausted ones. It will belong to those who make intentional trade-offs, understand where growth actually comes from, and build systems that match their goals.
If you want to dig deeper into the data behind these insights, I highly recommend exploring the Podcast Marketing Trends Report 2025 and reflecting honestly on whether your current strategy exists or just feels busy.
For more focused guidance, book a discovery call to plan a content strategy that suits your goals and minimizes the overwhelming noise.
Related episodes:
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:
→Feeling stuck about your podcast’s growth? Do you have no idea where to start and want to partner up with a pro? Book a free discovery call or learn about what we do: https://thepodcastspace.com/grow-roi
💸 Affiliate links*:
Captivate.fm (Podcast Hosting platform)- https://bit.ly/3ZFbvjQ
Riverside.fm (Record high-quality interviews)- https://bit.ly/46C7A9E
Kit (Newsletter Provider) - https://partners.convertkit.com/thepodcastspace
Custom Neon (Neon sign) - 10% OFF https://bit.ly/48G5Aiq use code THEPODCASTSPACE10
*Understand that by clicking the links above, The Podcast Space may collect a small percentage of the total value. We only recommend products and services we believe in.
ABOUT THE HOST
Hi, I’m Ana Xavier, a multilingual award-winning podcast marketing and content strategist specialized in generating online visibility for women, multilingual, and minority impact-driven business owners.
Want to keep learning?
Check these episodes next…
