RAIN Notes: May 6

"Podchaser 25 is the monthly ranking of the 25 most successful and fastest-growing new podcasts, created by global podcast search engine Podchaser. The distinguishing aspect is the measurement of young shows, launched within the past 90 days. In the newly released ranker, representing April releases, we see The Book Club, published by Goalhanger and released by Megaphone, a history and culture podcast ranked #1."

"Five of the top 10 ranked shows represent the True Crime category, not surprisingly. Society/Culture shows also excel in this ranker. As a roundup of (presumably) high-quality shows, this ranker is an excellent provider of fresh listens. See the April edition HERE."

"“What does it mean to be a ‘hit’ podcast?” So wonders Paul Riismandel, President of audio research firm Signal Hill Insights. “And is this even a useful concept?” Musing upon these subjects, Riismandel sources the Demos+ survey produced by his company with Triton Digital's US Ranker sourcing data. One surprise output: Only 20% of respondents said they watched or listened to The Joe Rogan Podcast, which is universally (and possibly in alternate universes) acknowledged to be the most successful example of the genre."

"“It's easy to understand how these characterizations give the impression that a sizable majority of podcast listeners must be tuning in,” Riismandel says, but the actual statistic is 20%. That is still a massive 150 million listeners. What follows is a rumination on popularity metrics, with this bottom line: “Ultimately, a 'hit' podcast is what you make of it. If it hits the right audience, serving up what they want and need from a podcast, then it's a 'hit.'”"

Podchaser 25 ranks the 25 most successful and fastest-growing new podcasts, focusing on shows launched within the past 90 days. In the April releases ranking, The Book Club is listed at #1, and five of the top 10 shows are in the True Crime category. Society/Culture shows also perform strongly in the ranking. The concept of a “hit” podcast is questioned through survey data from Demos+ and US Ranker sourcing. Only 20% of respondents reported listening to The Joe Rogan Podcast, despite its widespread reputation as the genre’s most successful example. A “hit” is framed as a podcast that reaches the right audience by delivering what listeners want and need.

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