The podcast waves are gaining new air to echo, gaining an increasingly larger audience around the world, this cycle only tends to be beneficial for all parties involved, after all, they are produced because there are more and more people consuming, the result is to still have more audience.

Would you venture to give a guess as to what the future of podcasting will be? Around here we are very curious to know how things are going towards the future and with podcasts it would be no different. Therefore, we had a chat with the founder and director of Agência Sapiê and podcast specialist, Paulo Baeta Neves. To find out a little more about his projections for this content that has become popular with Brazilians.

1) Is it correct to say that the trend for podcasts is to grow even more in the coming years?

For sure. Despite being a format that has existed for a long time, there has recently been an explosion in the consumption of podcasts and the trend, which can be seen both through market movements and new habits in consumer behavior, is one of accelerated growth in the coming years.

The innovation and creativity of content creators, the entry of new participants into this market, including large traditional media outlets, confirm this trend.

Furthermore, there is a very interesting movement, already established in Brazil, in which content creators combine the traditional audio-only podcast format with a YouTube format, transforming podcasts into video programs and gaining more audience and relevance.

2) For many podcasters, projects may have started as a hobby, is this likely to change in the future and people will start to see a podcast as a business?

I understand that this is already reality. Podcasts are already a profitable business in many cases. Of course, it's a super democratic and simple format to create, meaning anyone can have a program, but the days when a podcast was just a hobby are gone.

3) Currently there are many platforms that host podcasts, some have even launched exclusive programs, is it possible that there will soon be “THE platform” to listen to podcasts?

First, it is important to make a distinction between platforms that host podcasts and services that offer the public the possibility of consuming this content. Hosting platforms distribute the content to audio streaming services that present the content to the public. We still have YouTube, which has a different dynamic.

Currently, we can say that "The platform" for listening to podcast programs, in the traditional audio-only format, is Spotify, mainly in Brazil, with the largest market share. But we now also have the programs on YouTube, which has a much larger audience than Spotify.

The truth is that we will have a lot of competition.

4) What might be the next challenges for engaging podcast audiences in the future?

The quality of content, in terms of creativity and innovation, will be increasingly important in the face of an audience that is becoming increasingly demanding. Likewise, technical quality is of utmost importance as the bar is rising and listeners are becoming accustomed to quality productions.

This combination with YouTube I also see as essential, especially in relation to entertainment programs. 

Finally, with competition between content creators becoming increasingly fierce, good and innovative content dissemination and communication strategies will be necessary.

And if you already swim in the Podcast waves, don't miss the opportunity to get your project off the ground! The Podcaster Challenge - Voices that Echo is here to make your voice echo around, but hurry because registration closes on 08/25. If I were you, I wouldn't let this chance pass, after all, we just saw that the podcast has a promising future 💜