E801 - PodMatch's Report on The Health of Podcasting for September -Time to Fall in Love With Podcasting Again

Episode 801 - PodMatch's Report on The Health of Podcasting for September -Time to Fall in Love With Podcasting Again

Fall in Love With Podcasting Again

Podcasting remains full of opportunity, even as the industry changes. PodMatch's September 2026 report focuses on independent, interview-based podcasters and removes the celebrity and network shows that can distort the numbers for smaller creators. The report offers a useful reality check for anyone wondering where their show fits within the larger podcasting landscape.

The Numbers Tell a Different Story

The report identifies more than 37,000 actively podcasting creators within its specific dataset. Podcast listenership shows strong growth while the number of active podcasts remains relatively stable. That creates room for new and existing podcasters.

Consistency matters. The report shows that most podcasters quit before reaching 100 episodes. Reaching 50 episodes already places a show among a much smaller group, while the percentage drops sharply as creators reach 100, 200, and 300 episodes.

Those numbers can encourage creators who feel insignificant because their audience seems small. Twenty-seven downloads within seven days puts a podcast in the top 50 percent according to the report's Buzzsprout data. Four hundred and seven reaches the top 10 percent. The numbers provide useful perspective when compared with inflated claims about podcast rankings.

Think Beyond Advertising

Traditional podcast advertising can generate surprisingly little income for smaller shows. The report puts average monthly advertising income at around $5.51 for podcasters at the relevant level. That raises a practical question about whether advertising makes sense when the revenue remains tiny and the audience experience suffers.

Podcast creators can build value around their expertise, relationships, services, and communities instead.

Make Your Podcast Easy to Find

PodMatch also examined how podcasters share their shows. A significant portion provided no link or supplied a broken link. A podcast website gives listeners a reliable home base and makes sharing easier across different platforms and devices.

The same principle applies when pitching yourself as a guest. One unanswered email rarely tells you anything about the host's opinion of you. Hosts have jobs, families, responsibilities, and unexpected challenges. Follow up with a genuine message that demonstrates you actually know the show. Reference specific episodes. Show real interest. Avoid pitches that sound like AI generated templates.

Build the relationship.

Podcasting rewards persistence. The data shows how few creators continue long enough to reach significant episode milestones. Keep creating, make your show easy to discover and share, build genuine relationships, and use meaningful industry data to measure your progress.https://podmatch.com/report

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