Being a podcast creator during the pandemic – are they really better off? [Survey & Analysis]

During these strange times, most of the ‘in-person’ entertainment industry has stopped and its leading field now is the internet. Blogs, online game championships, online classes, broadcasts and podcasts are taking the lead in entertaining people at their homes. Podcasts are one of many ways to receive information. We hear more and more about new podcasts popping up during the pandemic and looks like the market is thriving; though, is it really? And how are the podcast creators really doing? We think this is a very interesting topic to unfold; thus, we decided to do qualitative research on podcasts that were selected within various different categories. We created a 6 question survey, from which a total data from 25 podcasts was collected. This survey was anonymous. We hope that you will enjoy reading this as much as we did making it!

How has the number of listeners changed during the pandemic?

More than half of the respondents – 56% said that the number of listeners has increased. 12% of respondents said that the number has decreased and 28% responded said that the number has remained the same.

What has been the most challenging thing for the podcast during the pandemic?

Most of the respondents said that doing the interviews online has been challenging. Some stated that finding good topics have been difficult especially balancing them between pandemic related themes and something different. However, it was not challenging for everyone, if they already did most of the interviews online. Apparently it has been easy to find people, as a lot of people want to be interviewed. A few of the creators find it difficult to make the podcasts as they have to spend more time focusing on other things.

Have you changed the themes of your podcasts because of the things that are happening?

Majority of the answers state that the themes of the podcasts have slightly changed, according to relevant events. Some creators try to include more people who could help others in any way. However, there are a few podcasts which have not changed their themes and which stick with their current themes.

Has the format of your podcast changed (e.g. interviews being held online vs in person)?

Most of the respondents stated that the format has not changed. Some already did most of the stuff online and now have it all online. The ones who did more stuff in person now have turned to online interviews. There are podcasts which have more live streams now as there are a lot of participants. One respondent said that they went from studio audience recordings to Zoom and now they are back to studio recordings. This proves that people are becoming more open now and willing to step outside literally and figuratively.

What are the listeners most interested in hearing about during the pandemic?

Respondents mainly answered that people want to know about the expectations of the future after the pandemic. Also, how-to adapt, ways to help others, be strong and improve the current living situation.

Overall, how do you see the future of the podcast after the pandemic – do you see a positive/negative impact?

Noticeably, most of the respondents are feeling positive about the future of the podcast. Most feel that people are more willing and interested in listening to podcasts. They feel that in the future the number of listeners will only increase. Also, new challenges have taught them to work more efficiently creating more content in a quicker time. However, some fear about how the increase in the number of podcasts will lead to worse quality. 

Summary

Overall, the respondents feel positive about podcasts. A lot of people are listening to them and the formats are pretty similar to the previous ones. Some of the respondents find it difficult to balance the topics or they just combine them with their existing themes. Nevertheless, the future for the podcasts seems pretty bright both from the creator’s side and the consumer’s side.

Thank you to all of the participants and we hope you enjoyed reading this article!

P.S. all the podcast creators out there – please share your comments, views & feedback, we’ll appreciate it a lot!

Image credit: WIRED; Late Nite Coffee podcast; DubLab; Toucan Sounds