U.S. podcast creator revenues are set to reach nearly $1 billion in 2025, marking a 27.3% year-over-year increase, according to EMARKETER’s latest forecast. This growth rate outpaces social media creator revenues, which are predicted to increase 15.8% to $17.76 billion this year.
Despite this rise, podcasting still represents just 5% of what creators generate from social media platforms. However, EMARKETER notes that podcasts are becoming increasingly important for creators seeking to build audiences outside traditional social media, especially with uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future.
Image credit: EMARKETER
Rising Consumption Drives Revenue Growth
Time spent with podcasts continues to increase, helping to fuel creator revenues. U.S. adult podcast listeners now spend approximately 51 minutes per day consuming podcast content, including via video platforms—exceeding the 47 minutes U.S. adult users spend on TikTok daily.
This upward trend in podcast consumption aligns with broader industry data. Audacy reports that podcast listening has increased fivefold over the past decade, accounting for about 20% of daily audio consumption time. According to Triton Digital research, nearly one-third of audiences who began listening more than four years ago now qualify as heavy podcast consumers.
Video Format Gains Momentum
Any revenues creators earn on YouTube Podcasts count as social media revenues rather than podcast creator revenues, a distinction that continues to fade as more creators embrace video podcasting.
WARC Media reports that video podcast watch time reached 40% of U.S. users in 2024, up 12% from 2022, while audio-only podcast consumption decreased to 31% from 43% during the same period. YouTube reported more than 400 million hours of monthly podcast viewing time on television in 2024.
Podcast “super listeners” who consume more than eight hours of content weekly demonstrate particularly high engagement with advertisers. Nielsen Scarborough Research data shows these dedicated listeners are 60% more likely than average to purchase advertised products online and 71% more likely to make in-store purchases of brands featured in their favorite shows.
Podcast advertising spending increased 22% year-over-year in Q2 2024 (this period last year), according to Magellan AI. Their Quarterly Benchmark Report noted 1,516 brands advertising on podcasts for the first time, with top advertisers like BetterHelp, Amazon, and Shopify spending an estimated $94 million combined.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
U.S. podcast creator revenues are set to reach nearly $1 billion in 2025, marking a 27.3% year-over-year increase, according to EMARKETER’s latest forecast. This growth rate outpaces social media creator revenues, which are predicted to increase 15.8% to $17.76 billion this year.
Despite this rise, podcasting still represents just 5% of what creators generate from social media platforms. However, EMARKETER notes that podcasts are becoming increasingly important for creators seeking to build audiences outside traditional social media, especially with uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future.
Image credit: EMARKETER
Rising Consumption Drives Revenue Growth
Time spent with podcasts continues to increase, helping to fuel creator revenues. U.S. adult podcast listeners now spend approximately 51 minutes per day consuming podcast content, including via video platforms—exceeding the 47 minutes U.S. adult users spend on TikTok daily.
This upward trend in podcast consumption aligns with broader industry data. Audacy reports that podcast listening has increased fivefold over the past decade, accounting for about 20% of daily audio consumption time. According to Triton Digital research, nearly one-third of audiences who began listening more than four years ago now qualify as heavy podcast consumers.
Video Format Gains Momentum
Any revenues creators earn on YouTube Podcasts count as social media revenues rather than podcast creator revenues, a distinction that continues to fade as more creators embrace video podcasting.
WARC Media reports that video podcast watch time reached 40% of U.S. users in 2024, up 12% from 2022, while audio-only podcast consumption decreased to 31% from 43% during the same period. YouTube reported more than 400 million hours of monthly podcast viewing time on television in 2024.
Advertising Effectiveness
Over half of daily podcast listeners worldwide have made a purchase after hearing a podcast advertisement, according to Acast’s global study of 2,600 weekly podcast listeners across 13 countries.
Podcast “super listeners” who consume more than eight hours of content weekly demonstrate particularly high engagement with advertisers. Nielsen Scarborough Research data shows these dedicated listeners are 60% more likely than average to purchase advertised products online and 71% more likely to make in-store purchases of brands featured in their favorite shows.
Podcast advertising spending increased 22% year-over-year in Q2 2024 (this period last year), according to Magellan AI. Their Quarterly Benchmark Report noted 1,516 brands advertising on podcasts for the first time, with top advertisers like BetterHelp, Amazon, and Shopify spending an estimated $94 million combined.