Share Over the past few years, podcasts have seen a meteoric rise. A lot of it has to do with convenience and accessibility: listeners can easily access podcasts on pretty much any device.
Even as video podcasts become more popular, podcasts still remain predominantly in the audio format, making it fairly easy for the listener to absorb information while doing something else (think folding the laundry, think going on a run, think getting your s*it together.)
If you want to do absolutely nothing and just immerse yourself in what your listening, then podcasts are perfect for that, too.
Podcasting In Numbers
The COVID-19 pandemic has further propelled the rise of podcasts. In 2021, over 55% of the US population listened to one or more podcast(s). That’s more than 150 million people!
In the US alone, there are more than 700,000 active podcasts with about 29 million episodes available to the public.
25 to 44-year-olds are the biggest audience of the US podcasting industry, making up 49 percent of total listeners.
Spotify has overtaken Apple as the largest host of podcasts in the US, cornering 25 percent of the total share. Apple Podcasts hosts 20 percent of US podcasts.
On the global scale, the numbers are obviously much larger. The latest data shows that there are over two million podcasts across the world, with more than 48 million episodes available.
Why are Podcasts Popular and How Can They Help Budding Creators?
Podcasts present new information or entertainment (or both!) in bite-size chunks. The audio format allows a deeper dive into an array of subjects — from crime to music, from history to social issues — and to the passion and creator economies.
Let’s admit it: most people don’t have the patience or the time to sit down and read a lengthy written article. Podcasts might very well be the best way to consume long articles and lots of information in easily consumable chunks. The presentation — which very often sports an entertaining and engaging narrative — is just a bonus to the power of the podcast.
We can then say that podcasts do not only entertain, but also educate and help listeners learn more about topics that pique their interests. On top of that, listeners can also pick up valuable insights and information related to their industries. Ultimately, this helps podcast listeners learn new skills.
Just like any other form of digital media, podcasts utilize the good old “personal touch” which helps create a niche community between the podcaster and their listeners. Podcasts gather together like-minded people who share common passions and interests.
That’s precisely why podcasts play an important part in the passion and creator economy marketplaces. Listening to podcasts is a win-win for both the creators of the passion economy, and also their followers. While creators get to nurture and grow their budding endeavors by learning from the best in the business, followers and other enthusiasts can sit back and simply enjoy insightful conversations.
Top 5 Creator Economy Podcasts of 2021
There are A LOT of great creator economy podcasts out there, but here are so.fa.dog’s top five best podcasts for this year.
5. Creator Upload
Creator Upload covers the latest insights from top social media platforms. The podcast’s catchphrase is, very fittingly, “YouTube vs. Instagram vs. Tiktok vs. Facebook”.
In one of its most recent episodes, Creator Upload discussed in detail how Facebook is seemingly struggling to cope with a barrage of issues — from a whistleblower about misinformation and the global outage that hit Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giants recently. In the 25-minute episode, the show’s contributors Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen also discussed how YouTube continues to rake in so much money and why Snap still gives away money.
4. The Future Belongs to Creators
The podcast’s name itself tells exactly what the narrative is all about. This is a show for creators, by creators.
Every Wednesday on Spotify, hosts Charli Prangley, Miguel Pou, and Haley Janicek explore the creator economy, discussing the topics and questions facing creators and creative hopefuls alike.
The Future Belongs to Creators also maintains a YouTube page where they upload their hot takes on the creator and passion economy trends, including the 1,000 True Fans Model.
3. The Upload: The Rise of the Creator Economy
This podcast is hosted by Brittany Louise and explores how creators earn money, how YouTube works, and everything related to the creative economy.
YouTube also hosts this podcast, where episodes discuss why the creator economy venture is a real career and why it continues to rise.
2. Beyond Influential
“Every industry has its influencers — why shouldn’t it be you?”, writes host Brittany Krsytle. Beyond Influential takes a deeper look at the power of influence by talking to thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives who exercise that power. Every episode presents a lesson to budding creators and influencers — on how they can grow their influence which they can use in their creator economy ventures.
1. The a16Z Podcast
We have talked about a16Z in some of our earlier blog posts, and well, we can say that we can definitely vouch for this one.
Produced by Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z, the podcast discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future — especially as ‘software eats the world’.
The a16Z Podcast features industry experts, business leaders, and other relevant thinkers and voices from around the world.
It has featured big names such as US Vice President Kamala Harris, Tony Blair, and Shonda Rhimes among others.
Top 5 Passion Economy Podcasts of 2021
Let’s now look at the quick rundown of the top passion economy podcasts for the year.
5. The Passion People Podcast
This Spotify-hosted podcast helps listeners be more introspective. Aspiring passion economy creators may find this very helpful as it features passionate people engaged in deep conversations.
Topics on The Passion People Podcast revolve around the best ways to deal with listening to your heart, following your passion, and manifesting these passions.
Ultimately, the show can guide passion economy creators on making content that matters — by following the desires of your heart, your passion and unique skill set.
4. The Hustle Sold Separately
Some of the episodes of The Hustle Sold Separately may be explicit, but this weekly show on Apple Podcasts looks into the emerging creative entrepreneurial class, new economy doers, and the global non-conformists.
Remember our blog post where we discussed how the passion economy has the potential to disrupt conventions? Well, this podcast also has a take on that, as it pledges to motivate and inspire its listeners through interviews from global creators and peers who are fully embracing the hustle, building their brands, and growing their companies while disrupting industries.
The podcast says it’s not just a show, but also a movement. Wise words.
3. From 1 to 100
Remember our blog post where we said an aspiring passion economy creator needs just 1,000 true fans for them to make a living? Well, in that post, we also said that the number can actually be reduced to 100!
In this podcast on YouTube, host Heather Ramirez talks about how to use YouTube to make a living off what you love, and how to attract your first 100 fans.
On the show, there are plenty of tips, tools, and tidbits about building a business as a YouTuber in the passion economy marketplace.
2. Beyond the Feed
This podcast posits a very important question for passion economy creators: What fuels and inspires the imagination and impact of creative success?
This Apple Podcasts-hosted audio show goes beyond the feed to better understand the nature of the passion economy.
Beyond the Feed uncovers what leading creative minds, innovators, community builders, and industry leaders have learned from their experience and how they’ve harnessed it to achieve great things.
1. The Passion Economy
This 24-episode series extensively tackles the nitty-gritty of the passion economy, based on the book bearing the same title that’s written by Adam Davidson.
Davidson, a The New Yorker writer, longtime contributor to This American Life, and the creator of NPR’s Planet Money, unearths stories from regular people — people who have cracked the code to success in our new economic reality.