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🎙️Today, we've got the inside scoop on:
The Numbers Don't Lie: How Two Shows Cracked the Top 20
When Your Fiancée Is Taylor Swift: The Ultimate Guest Strategy Case Study
The Industry Finally Takes Data Seriously (And It's About Time)
YouTube captures 60% of podcast simulcast consumption
The Numbers Don't Lie: How Two Shows Cracked the Top 20
Want to know what a real podcast success story looks like? Edison Research just dropped some eye-popping data that should make every podcaster pay attention. We're talking about Rotten Mango jumping from 142nd place in 2020 to 9th place today. Bad Friends made an even more dramatic leap – from 412th to 18th. That's not incremental growth. That's seismic.
Here's what's wild: both shows didn't just stumble into success. They made strategic moves. Rotten Mango got that SiriusXM deal and went all-in on the Diddy trial coverage. Bad Friends figured out how to make episodes go viral and doubled down on YouTube. Simple playbook. Massive results.
The Rundown : Edison Research's Weekly Insights reveals how Edison Podcast Metrics tracks the dramatic rise of podcasts in U.S. rankings. The study, based on over 20,000 weekly podcast listeners, demonstrates how strategic content decisions and platform diversification can propel shows from obscurity to the top 20. Edison's quarterly rankings provide crucial intelligence for understanding audience growth patterns across thousands of shows.
The Key Points:
Rotten Mango surged from 142nd place (2020) to 9th place (2025) – a 133-position jump
Bad Friends climbed even higher, moving from 412th to 18th place over the same period.
Both shows leveraged YouTube video distribution as a key growth strategy
Strategic content decisions like exclusive trial coverage (Rotten Mango) drove significant audience gains
Edison Podcast Metrics tracks thousands of shows with historical data dating back years
Why It Matters: These rankings aren't just bragging rights – they're roadmaps. When a podcast can jump hundreds of positions in five years, it proves that audience growth is still wide open for shows willing to make smart moves. The data shows that diversifying to video platforms like YouTube and creating timely, exclusive content can transform a show's reach. For any podcaster wondering if they've missed their window, these success stories prove the opposite.
The Big Picture: For podcasters and producers, this data reveals actionable growth strategies that work. The evidence is clear: shows that embrace video distribution, particularly on YouTube, see measurable audience gains.
Producers should consider how current events and exclusive coverage can create breakthrough moments. The podcast industry benefits from having concrete measurement tools like Edison's metrics – it means growth strategies can be data-driven rather than guesswork. Most importantly, these rankings prove the podcast audience is still expanding and there's room for strategic shows to claim significant market share. The takeaway for creators? Your next big jump might be one smart content decision away.
YouTube captures 60% of podcast simulcast consumption
The Rundown : Looking at Podscribe's latest performance benchmarks, one number jumps out like a neon sign in Times Square: 60% of simulcast consumption now happens on YouTube. Not 51%. Not "a slight majority." Sixty percent. That's not a trend anymore – that's a migration.
This isn't just about adding cameras to your recording setup. The data from Podscribe's Q3 2025 Performance Benchmark Report shows episodic campaigns with video components grew 30% while single-show campaigns are actually shrinking. Meanwhile, audience buys exploded 2.5x in just 10 months. The message is clear: the industry is moving toward broader, multi-format strategies, and YouTube is eating a bigger slice of the pie every quarter.
The Key Points: • 60% of simulcast podcast consumption now occurs on YouTube, with video campaigns growing 30% year-over-year • Single-show campaigns are declining while programmatic audience buys increased 2.5x to nearly one-third of all impressions • iPhone users convert 30% better than Android users, creating clear device-targeting opportunities • Combined podcast and streaming audio can reach up to 85% of US adult listeners when strategically deployed • Optimal advertising frequency caps at 5 exposures per month at the channel level before performance degrades
Why It Matters: The podcasting landscape is fundamentally shifting from show-specific, audio-only strategies to multi-platform, audience-targeted approaches. For creators and advertisers, this means the old playbook of focusing solely on audio downloads is leaving money on the table. YouTube isn't just a nice-to-have anymore – it's where most of your simulcast audience actually lives. The data also reveals that broader audience targeting is outperforming show-specific buys, suggesting listeners are more willing to discover content across networks rather than staying loyal to individual shows.
The Big Picture: For podcasters and producers, this evolution presents both challenges and massive opportunities. The video podcast revolution creates new pathways for audience growth and additional monetization through visual sponsorships, but it also means production workflows need to accommodate both audio and video efficiently.
Producers should prioritize iPhone-optimized experiences and consider simulcast strategies as standard practice, not experimental add-ons. The industry benefits from expanded reach – combining podcast and streaming audio can hit 85% of US adults – but this requires sophisticated campaign management across multiple platforms. Most importantly, the shift toward programmatic audience buying means creators need to think beyond individual show metrics and start building audience data that travels with them across their entire content ecosystem. The winners will be those who treat podcasting as a multi-format, data-driven medium rather than just "radio on demand."
Source: Podscribe Performance Benchmark Report Q3 2025, analyzing data from 66,000+ campaigns, 500+ advertisers, and 17 billion impressions across 200+ publishers from July 2024-June 2025.
The Industry Finally Takes Data Seriously (And It's About Time)
Podcast Movement 2025 wasn't just another event where we all talked about how great we are and how much we've grown. This year was different. The talk changed from "podcasting is growing" to "podcasting needs to show its worth." And to be honest, it's about time. What was the best part? Paul Riismandel and Daryl Battaglia from Triton Digital are dropping some serious truth bombs about why we've been measuring podcasting all wrong.
The kicker is that only 49% of podcast listeners listen to the top 50 biggest podcasts. But what about shows that are ranked 51 and higher? You got almost 85% of the people you wanted to reach. That's not a small change; it's a whole new way of thinking about how well podcast ads work.
The Rundown: Podcast Movement 2025's insights come from Signal Hill Insights' in-depth coverage of the conference, which included analysis from industry leaders like Paul Riismandel (Signal Hill Insights), Daryl Battaglia (Triton Digital), Brian Conlan (Digital Ad Exchange), and other important executives from the podcasting ecosystem. The conference showed that the industry is getting more mature and is focused on making decisions based on data and working together strategically.
The Main Points:
Data revolution in measurement : The new Triton Ranker can now filter for certain audience groups and covers the top 200 shows instead of just 50. This shows that the biggest shows only reach 49% of listeners.
When technology and education meet: There are more advanced tools available than ever before, but for creators, buyers, and brands to be successful, they need to learn how to use them correctly.
Patience as strategy: Podcast ROI works on different timelines than other media. To get the best results, you need to write detailed wrap reports that combine hard data with audience feedback and subjective impressions.
Working together instead of competing: Fragmentation in the industry hurts everyone. Instead of fighting over pieces, cross-promotional thinking and unlikely partnerships make the whole pie bigger.
The human touch is still important: Even though data is very important, trust, relationships, and real host reads are still the most important things for renewals and campaign success.
Why It Matters: The podcasting industry is changing from a hobby to a professional advertising platform that needs professional measurement and strategic thinking. Podcasters and producers can no longer rely on gut feelings or vanity metrics. They need to know how many people their podcasts really reach, show that their listeners are really engaged, and make campaigns that work on podcast timelines instead of trying to fit podcast content into traditional media. To be successful now, you need to balance advanced data analysis with the real relationships and content that make podcasting stand out.
The Big Picture: This change gives podcasters and producers both short-term chances and long-term strategic needs. The new measurement tools mean that smaller shows can now show advertisers that they are worth more than just top-tier podcasts. This opens up new ways for mid-tier creators to make money. To make strong cases for renewal, producers need to create full analytics workflows that include both hard metrics (like completion rates and demographic data) and soft indicators (like audience feedback, social engagement, and merchandise sales).
This growth is good for the industry because it brings in more advanced advertisers who need more than just download numbers to prove their performance. But this also means that it is getting harder for new people to get into professional podcasting.
Creators who can't show real audience engagement and real sponsor integration will have a hard time competing. The merger of Podcast Movement and Sounds Profitable shows that the industry is ready to find a balance between creative content and business measurement. This means that people who can master both the art and science of podcasting will be the most successful in the future.
The clear lesson is to start building comprehensive measurement practices right away, work together instead of competing, and keep in mind that while data drives decisions, real relationships and real content still close deals.
When Your Fiancée Is Taylor Swift: The Ultimate Guest Strategy Case Study
Here's a number that'll make you rethink your guest booking strategy: 90,000 new subscribers in 14 hours. That's what happened when Taylor Swift appeared on New Heights podcast. Sure, being engaged to the world's biggest pop star doesn't hurt your booking odds, but the real story here isn't about celebrity access – it's about what New Heights did with that opportunity.
The show didn't just hit record and hope for the best. They executed a guest strategy that turned one appearance into sustained audience growth. Female listenership jumped 600% in 24 hours, shifting their entire demographic from 32% to 50% female. That's not just a spike – that's a fundamental audience transformation. And while you can't book Taylor Swift, you can absolutely steal their playbook.
The Rundown: Headliner's blog post examines how Taylor Swift's appearance on New Heights podcast generated unprecedented growth metrics, using the case study to outline actionable guest strategies for podcasters. Written by Elissa Craig from Headliner, the analysis breaks down both the immediate impact (1.3 million live viewers, 9.5 million total views) and long-term strategic benefits of thoughtful guest booking, offering practical frameworks for finding and maximizing guest appearances.
The Key Points:
New Heights gained 90,000 subscribers within 14 hours of announcing Swift's appearance
The episode generated 1.3 million live YouTube viewers and 9.5 million total views within 24 hours
Female listenership increased 600%, permanently shifting audience demographics from 32% to 50% female
Strategic guest booking creates "trust transfer" – 64% of listeners consider hosts more credible with guests
Micro-influencers (1,000-50,000 followers) often provide better engagement rates than major celebrities
Why It Matters: This isn't just about celebrity guests – it's about understanding how any guest can expand your reach. When someone appears on your show, they bring their entire network with them. Even if just 2% of a guest's audience becomes regular listeners, that's significant growth. The data proves that strategic guest selection can break through growth plateaus and introduce your podcast to demographics you'd never reach otherwise. It's one of the few reliable methods for expanding beyond your existing listener base.
The Big Picture: For podcasters and producers, this analysis reveals a clear growth pathway that doesn't require massive budgets or celebrity connections. The strategy works at any scale – from micro-influencers to industry experts within your network.
Producers should view guest episodes as multi-cycle content opportunities, creating clips, quotes, and promotional materials that extend well beyond the initial release. The podcast industry benefits from having concrete examples of what works: authentic connections, strategic demographic targeting, and comprehensive promotion cycles. Most importantly, this proves that thoughtful guest curation can fundamentally shift a show's trajectory, offering a scalable alternative to expensive advertising or hoping for organic discovery.
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OTHER NEWS
Asia Podcast Awards 2025 Winners Announced at RadioDays Asia. The Asia Podcast Awards unveiled its 2025 winners during RadioDays Asia in Jakarta, celebrating standout creators across 23 categories. From comedy and crime to news and business, the awards recognized excellence in podcasting, including honors for best hosts, producers, and publishers, as well as the People’s Choice Award and the RODE Prize. The event showcased the region’s growing influence in global podcasting and highlighted the diversity of content shaping the industry.
Podcast Ad Spending Surges in 2025 as Financial Services, Recruiting Drive Growth. Global podcast advertising continued its upward trajectory in the first half of 2025, with spending climbing across major industries and new brands testing the medium at record pace, according to Magellan AI’s midyear report. The top 10 advertisers spent an estimated $231 million, led by BetterHelp, Amazon, Toyota, DraftKings and Quince, while LinkedIn and Unilever re-entered the list after a year’s absence.
Entries Open for 2026 Ambies, Podcasting’s Top Awards. The Podcast Academy has opened submissions for the 2026 Ambies, honoring excellence in audio across show and talent categories. Entries for podcasts launching before Dec. 31, 2025, are accepted from Aug. 4 through Oct. 10, with early bird pricing available until Sept. 8. The awards, known as the “Oscars of podcasting,” aim to celebrate the medium’s creativity and elevate its global profile.
Sound.Waves Summit to Debut in Adare With First All-Ireland Podcast Awards. SOUND.WAVES, a new two-day summit focused on podcasting, sports, and music, will launch in Adare, Co. Limerick, on Nov. 12–13, 2025, with early-bird passes now on sale. The event will conclude with the inaugural All-Ireland Podcast Awards, honoring podcasts across eight categories with BBC Sounds commissioner Dylan Haskins as head judge. Entries are free and open until Sept. 16 for eligible shows connected to Ireland, including Irish-language submissions.
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