Muck Rack’s State of Podcasting 2022 survey found that while fewer podcasters started their own show this year (68% in 2021 vs. 41% in 2022), there has been a significant uptick (16%) in podcasters who say they were hired by a media company, a 13% increase in those working on an offshoot of a previous podcast, and a 5% increase of those hired by an existing podcast team. This data, states Muck Rack, “could indicate that more media companies are starting podcasts, and that existing podcast teams are growing.

“Podcasters are still busier than ever. While there are 5% more part-time podcasters compared to last year, 53% work on two or more podcasts and more than half publish new episodes once a week or more.

“Regarding content ideas, 81% of podcasters surveyed are responsible for sourcing their own. The majority of episode ideas come from current events (45%), with less than a quarter coming from pitches.

“More than half of podcasters record videos of their show and 70% rely on social media for promotion.”

“The growing popularity of podcasts is no surprise, and they continue to serve as a core component to any earned media strategy, particularly for reaching niche audiences” said Greg Galant, cofounder and CEO of Muck Rack. “Our survey showcases that while podcasters feel podcasts will be even more popular in the future, there is a consensus that there are too many podcasts. Over the next few years, it will be interesting to see how the medium matures, and how podcast publishers consider monetization as the space becomes more and more crowded.”

You can check out the survey here.