So, how many active podcasts are we competing with?

‘How many active podcasts are there?’.

That’s a question I feel no podcast manager seems to know they want an answer to.

At least not according to a social media thread I saw earlier.

As a commercial professional podcast manager I’ve been using this marketing messaging for months now, and even included it in my Podvent Calendar last December.

If you think about it, as a podcast manager it’s a significant consideration.

Podcasting is a seriously competitive space

Whether you’re managing your podcast for yourself, or on behalf of a client, it’s all about your status alongside your competition.

If you have an idea for a podcast, and there are millions of other podcasts out there, then the chances of someone having the same idea and ‘hogging’ your ideal audience is a bit of a pain in the arse.

In fact for branded podcasts, it’s actual livelihood.

If your name is Dave, you’re from Wyoming, and you run a YouTube podcast, hit me up!

If Dave from Wyoming has a “how to do YouTube” podcast that’s been around for three years and still going strong, you know you’re going to have to do a lot of work to catch up with him when you start yours.

Imagine then, however, there are only a few hundred thousand podcasts.

Well then the chances are there are far fewer podcasts out there that are able to ‘compete’ with yours.

But that’s just the surface aspect of this.

What a lot of people who call themselves a podcast manager seem to fail to realise is that actually, your podcast’s visibility is largely down to how well you’re doing in comparison with your competition.

And when I say ‘how well you’re doing’, I don’t mean in terms of download numbers.

The Apple Podcasts algorithm

I mean in terms of how much Apple Podcasts determines you’re doing in terms of delivering content that’s relevant to their listeners, in comparison with other podcasts that are covering the same topic.

Yes, Apple Podcasts has an algorithm, much like any other social tool.

Do some podcast managers need to do more to learn how this podcasting thing works?

So when I see an article that’s called “A surprisingly small number of podcasts are still in production” and I notice the reaction to it on social media is largely a chorus of “and?”, I find myself wondering if they shouldn’t do a little more research on how Apple Podcasts search indexing works.

In fact… no scratch that.

How content marketing works.

Because, at the end of the day, that’s what this podcasting thing is.

Is it a vastly more fun form of content marketing?
Yes, of course.

But it’s still just good ol’ traditional funnelled marketing at the end of the day.

And the existence of a vastly lower number of competing content pieces vying for the same attention as your own offers you an advantage that you didn’t necessarily know you had.

And the fact that some highly respected people in the podcasting space don’t think that’s a significant thing when it comes to suiting up ready for battle is frankly mind-blowing to me.

How to keep an eye on how many podcasts you’re competing with!

Hey, hard-working podcast manager, and anyone looking to take on clients in the space; look up “Podcast Index”.

This will ultimately be your friend in your marketing arsenal.

Because it’s the key to you reassuring would-be podcasters that it’s worth their while starting their next great podcast.

And let’s face it, who doesn’t want more fantastic podcasts getting launched?

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