Growth of Podcasts in 2021

The podcast and radio production industry has significantly grown in 2021, and here’s why.

Podcasts have been around for quite some time now. As many people were hopping on the bandwagon by creating podcasts with friends, I decided to give it a go during the pandemic. Personally, creating podcasts was one of the most exciting things I’ve done in my spare time. There’s so much to learn. Although, if you have that motivation and determination, you will discover everything in a heartbeat.

Podcasting and online radio stations have grown massively over the past year since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. People were encouraged to remain at home, and if possible, work from home. This global event forced radio presenters and podcasters to produce their content from the comfort of their homes.

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According to Westwood One’s “Podcast Download – Fall 2020 Report”, nearly all weekly podcast listeners report podcast listening habits as unchanging (52%) or increasing (41%) during the lockdown.

Radio has also maintained its listenership. Radio presenter at East Coast FM, Jason Collins, mentioned that radio presenters are incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to work from home.

“Radio is one of the luckiest industries that most of the presenters can do their work from home if they’ve got the right technology,” he said.

“I’ve been able to do my shows from the box room of my house with a minimal technology set up,” he added.

Collins said that the podcast industry, alongside the radio production industry, is on the rise as of the beginning of the pandemic.

“Everybody seems to be doing podcasts these days. A lot of online radio stations are being set up as well,” he said.

Collins mentioned that podcasts are the future of businesses and companies. He said, “It’s not the traditional social media that you need now. You might create a podcast based on your company. They need people to do that.”

According to The Podcast Host, Apple Music currently hosts 1.96 million podcasts as of March 2021. In 2018 there were only 550,000 active podcasts!

Podcasting is a gripping and satisfying hobby to get into in 2021. It gives you a sense of freedom, and you can talk about anything you want. Podcasting is a new form of blogging but in the shape of conversing. People read books, blog posts, and watch documentaries, but it’s hard to do all that stuff while doing something else. Podcasts can be listened to while driving, studying, and doing house chores. Although many people create podcasts as a hobby and enjoy the creative side of them, it is also possible to start a career and earn a salary from podcasting. Podcasts can very much promote your business and attract an audience.

Generally, when starting your podcast, you’re going to base it on your personal experiences, views and opinions. You may not notice that by creating content based on your life and your way of seeing things, you are helping people that may be experiencing the same issues as you.  Creating podcasts allows you to express whatever it is you want to say. Your podcast can be inspiring and motivating to others and can increase your popularity in the podcasting community.

Starting a podcast can be confusing at first. A good tip would be to make sure you start listening to podcasts yourself and become familiar with the way podcasters speak. Do your research for cheap equipment, and eventually invest in a good quality microphone and editing software.

Let us know what your favourite podcasts are down below.