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🤔 How many podcasts feature guests? (surprising data)

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🤔 How many podcasts feature guests? (surprising data)

A lot of casual listeners associate “podcasts” with “guest interviews.”

But are they right? Do a majority of podcasts regularly feature guests?

No, not at all (according to Podchaser Pro data).

This might come as a bit of a surprise, but have no fear we’ll unpack the data.

Data point #1 - Active Podcasts vs. Active + Has Guests

The analysis starts by reviewing the total number of active podcasts. Then measuring that against the total number of active podcasts that have guests.

• Active Podcasts - 457,220

• Active + Have Guests - 80,692

• % of Active Podcasts that have guests - 17.65%

If you thought this percentage would’ve been higher, you’re not alone. But this doesn’t tell the whole story. Which is why you’ll want to continue reading…

Data point #2 - Active vs. Active + Has Guests (by Category)

Next let’s take a look at the distribution by podcast category. Why?

Different categories employ different show formats, so it’s important to have additional context.

Some key takeaways:

• Business - largest # of active + has guests

• True Crime - fewest # active + has guests

Why this matters:

• To the “podcasts are saturated” crowd, yes obviously competition exists but the hill your podcast must climb might not be as steep

• Innovative formatting and programming, based on category #’s, might help you produce signal (instead of noise)

Data point #3 - % of Active + Has Guests (by Category)

Raw numbers are great but what percentage of active + has guests shows exist by category?

Key takeaways:

• Active Religion podcasts feature the lowest % of guests

• Active Business, Film/TV, Comedy, News, Health & Fitness, and Sports categories all boast 20%+ has guests

Why this matters:

• If you’re starting an interview podcast in the Business category, you might want to consider how to differentiate your show’s premise from all the others

• If you’re starting an interview podcast in the Religion category, you might want to consider why others in the category feature fewer than average guests (and figure out what format they deploy instead)

So what should you do with this data? Using this data you can:

• Consider your podcast’s format based on your category

• Find shows in your category (or others) for collaboration/guest swaps

• Get inspired to do some competitive intel on top-performing interview-based podcasts

Speaking of, there’s no better tool for podcast intelligence than Podchaser Pro. Unlock podcast data like reach, audience demographics, contacts, and sponsor data.

👋 See you soon!

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