The majority of people trust podcasters over social media influencers
According to Spotify’s inaugural Global Podcast Trends Tour, there’s a new type of influencer on the scene.
The report, which explores the latest trends in podcasting, found that 63% of people globally trust their favourite podcast host more than their favourite social media influencers.
Coined the ‘podfluencer’, the trend was seen across generations, but particularly in Gen Z. 55% of the younger generation said they enjoy podcast content more when they follow the person online and trust their judgement, compared to when they just listen to the podcast.
Nearly half of Gen Z and Millennials (48%) are more likely to be interested in ads or products when promoted by their favourite podcasters, while 45% will trust the ads or products because of the trust they have with the podcasters.
On the creator side, over half (52%) said they feel more authentic and true to themselves on Spotify than on social media platforms, as 46% view Spotify as their “home” platform.
70% of the surveyed creators said they use social media platforms to boost awareness, and Spotify to deepen connections.
Locally, Australians are listening to comedy, health & fitness, society & culture, true crime and sports podcasts more than any other categories.
However, the fastest-growing categories included religion & spirituality (75.2%), business & technology (70.7%), and science (60%). Australia is the only country among those analysed that had the latter in its fastest-growing categories.
62% of podcast listeners in Australia took action after hearing an ad during a show, like searching for the product, purchasing the product, or talking about the product.
“Podcasts continue to be one of the best ways for brands to reach audiences, mixing scale with high trust scores,” said Sam Moles, Spotify AU/NZ podcast account director.
“Our first Global Podcast Trends tour breaks down how Spotify’s uniquely engaged audience – reaching over half of all podcast listeners in Australia – generates conversion rates above industry benchmarks. This provides brands with a window in which to align themselves with culture and ‘podfluencers’, who are now more trusted than social media influencers by 63% of people globally.
“Significantly, our latest report also shows that podcast listeners are becoming podcast watchers on Spotify,” Moles continued.
“Podcasts with video episodes have seen a +39% increase in average daily streams, and Gen Z are 18% more likely to engage with video podcasts. Ultimately, podcast ads have grown in popularity and become a proven, effective format to drive business results.”
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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