The Average Podcaster Covers 5 Different Jobs at Once, Muck Rack Survey Finds

Muck Rack’s first-ever State of Podcasting reveals how podcasters measure success, source content and prefer to be pitched

Podcasters are masters of multitasking. According to a survey of more than 500 podcasters published by Muck Rack, the leading Public Relations Management (PRM) platform, the average podcaster covers five roles, including hosting, writing/editing, producing, promotions and booking guests.

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“While this is a newer market for many in the industry, our study shows that the fundamental principles of PR success still apply: Do your research, personalize your approach and make sure your pitches are concise and on target.”

The report covers how podcasters measure success, source original content and prefer to be pitched by PR professionals. In addition to juggling several roles, more than half (52%) of respondents say they work on multiple podcasts at once.

When it comes to goal-setting, only 22% said that driving revenue was a goal. Awareness and education (42%) and enjoyment and passion (28%) were the most popular reasons for podcasting.

When it comes to PR pitches, the vast majority of podcasters (91%) said they want to be pitched via 1:1 email. Many (42%) want PR professionals to get familiar with their show by listening to multiple episodes before they pitch. Lack of personalization (47%) and bad timing (42%) are the primary reasons podcasters will reject a pitch.

“PR professionals need to treat podcasters as seriously as they do journalists. This medium drives the public conversation,” says Muck Rack CEO Greg Galant. “While this is a newer market for many in the industry, our study shows that the fundamental principles of PR success still apply: Do your research, personalize your approach and make sure your pitches are concise and on target.”

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Additional key findings from the study include:

• Most podcasters are responsible for sourcing their own content (80%) and booking their own guests (80%)
• Current events in news, media and culture (61%) are the leading source of inspiration, followed by ongoing areas of research/study (41%)
• Most podcasters use downloads (78%) to measure success
• Twitter is the most popular platform where podcasters reach their audience (41%)
• Around 100-200 words is the most popular email length when receiving a pitch, with over 50% of podcasters preferring this length
• The majority of respondents publish new episodes on a weekly cadence (48%)