Podcast Marketing Trends Explained: Data-Driven Podcast Growth Strategy

It’s a turbulent time to be a podcaster.

YouTube and Spotify are introducing discovery algorithms that have the potential to both help and hurt creators. The rise of video podcasting is challenging the very definition of what a podcast even is. And AI… well, you already know about AI.

In short, being a podcaster today means trying to keep your head above water in the firehose of noise that is constantly flooding your listeners’ screens, feeds, and even personal recommendations.

So the question is: In the face of all of this noise, competition, and change, what are we as creators supposed to do? 

Or, maybe a better question: Who are the podcast creators and marketers who are making the most of this changing podcast landscape, and what can we learn from the way they’re creating and marketing their shows, that we can apply to our own?

In Season 2 of Podcast Marketing Trends Explained, our goal is to get to the bottom of these questions, using a mix of data and personal insights and observations from our own podcasting experiments.

In every episode, we’ll take one key data point from the latest Podcast Marketing Trends Report, and break down what it means for you as a podcast creator, producer, or marketer, so you can make smarter, savvier, data-driven decisions about how to make and market your show.

You can check out the full report at podcastmarketingtrends.com and hit subscribe wherever you’re listening now to get every episode of this season.

⭐️ Get a free podcast marketing audit with personalized recommendations to help you grow: https://go.podcastmarketingacademy.com/audit-pmte-sn ⭐️

Resources

Subscribe to Podcast Marketing Trends Explained
Check out the Podcast Marketing Trends 2024 Report
Subscribe to the Scrappy Podcasting Newsletter
Try Transistor.fm for free for 14 days

✍️ Leave your feedback for the show: http://podcastmarketingtrends.com/feedback

Creators and Guests

Host
Jeremy Enns
👨‍🏫 Helping scrappy founders & marketers hit their next growth milestone @podgrowthschool📈 50M+ Client downloads✍️ Sharing daily podcast growth tips
Host
Justin Jackson
⚡ Bootstrapping, podcasting, calm companies, business ethics. Co-founder of @transistorfm (podcast hosting).

What is Podcast Marketing Trends Explained: Data-Driven Podcast Growth Strategy?

It's easier than ever to launch a podcast. But it's never been harder to grow one.

Part of the problem is that podcasts are a uniquely difficult platform to grow. But that problem is compounded by the majority of podcast growth advice that is based on guesswork, one-off "this worked for me", and emulating famous podcast hosts that are playing a different game (and by different rules) than the rest of us.

And so we get an endless stream of helpful-sounding advice like: post more clips, stay consistent, chase every new platform, and hope the audience eventually shows up. But does any of it actually work?

If you want to outgrow the competition and build a show that drives growth beyond the vanity metrics of downloads, plays, and views, you need to understand what the data shows about what's actually driving listener behavior, discoverability, and long-term podcast growth.

This show gives you the data-driven podcast marketing lens most other advice lacks.

On Podcast Marketing Trends Explained, we break down the research, analytics, experiments, and listener psychology behind what actually helps podcasts grow in 2026. Every episode explores the strategies serious podcasters are using to improve discoverability, increase audience retention, build authority, and turn podcast attention into meaningful business growth.

In every episode, we unpack a different piece of podcast marketing data to help you make smarter decisions about podcast growth instead of relying on recycled advice and surface-level tactics.

Hosted by Jeremy Enns (Podcast Marketing Academy) and Justin Jackson (Transistor.fm), the show combines data-backed podcast marketing strategy with real-world experience growing podcasts, software companies, and audience-driven businesses.

You’ll hear episodes about podcast discoverability, audience behavior, podcast analytics, packaging and positioning strategy, growth experiments, listener retention, podcast SEO, YouTube and video strategy, podcast marketing for coaches and consultants, and how expertise-based businesses use podcasts to attract clients and build authority.

Questions we explore include:

How do listeners actually discover podcasts today?
Which podcast marketing strategies are still working — and which have stopped?
What role can (and should) video podcasting play in your marketing strategy (and should you even do it)?
What podcast analytics matter most for growth?
Why do some podcasts keep listeners engaged while others lose them?
How do you turn podcast audience trust into customers and clients?
How is AI changing podcasting from both a production and audience behaviour perspective?

Using the data uncovered by the annual Podcast Marketing Trends Report, our goal is to make sense of the numbers and turn them into actionable insights that you can use to create a better show and market it more effectively.

You can find the latest report at podcastmarketingtrends.com.

Popular Episode Topics Include: Podcast Growth Strategy, Podcast Discoverability, Podcast Analytics, Podcast Listener Psychology, Podcast SEO, Audience Retention, Podcast Packaging Strategy, Podcast Titles, Listener Behavior, Podcast Marketing Experiments, Podcast Marketing for Coaches, Podcast Marketing for Consultants, Podcast-to-Client Acquisition, Podcast Audience Growth, Podcast Strategy, Podcast Promotion, Video Podcast Strategy, Authority Building Through Podcasting