Emerging Trends in Podcast Production for Inbound Content

Video platforms have gained more and more space among internet users. However, audio content is an efficient way for people to have fun or get informed while doing other activities. A clear example of this is the growth of podcasts.

In this post, we will explain some trends for podcast production for the next few years, a revolution that made YouTube videos have to adapt to this new way of consuming content.

Podcast production trends in practice

Podcast production is growing as audio becomes a key way to consume content while people do other activities. This text highlights the main trends for the next few years: a stronger focus on user experience, rising competition between platforms, higher expectations for content quality, the growth of live streams and video podcasts, and the importance of voice search and search engine optimization. With these insights, you can adapt your strategy, improve distribution across platforms and use inbound marketing to position your podcast as a reference in its niche.

• • Understand why user experience is crucial for long podcast episodes.

  • See how stronger platform competition affects distribution and innovation.

  • Learn best practices to create relevant, well-structured podcast episodes.

  • Discover the role of live streams and video podcasts in audience connection.

  • Know how to optimize podcasts for SEO, voice search and inbound marketing.

What you will see in today’s content

• Why user experience is central in long-form podcasts.

• How to adjust format, CTAs and feedback to improve the listener journey.

• How stronger competition between platforms affects podcast distribution.

• Best practices to plan and produce relevant podcast content.

• The impact of live streams and video podcasts on audience connection.

• How to optimize podcasts for search engines, voice search and inbound marketing.

Enjoy your reading!

User Experience Optimization

The first and one of the most important trends for podcasts producers is' focus on user experience. Currently, it is possible to acquire a series of information about listeners, so they should be put to good use by content creators, to direct their productions to the needs and desires of these people.

It is interesting that this care is taken, since the content created for podcasts is usually very long. Invest in measures that make users able to listen to the episode until the end.

How to improve podcast users experience

Adapt the user experience according to the podcast model you use. Many creators only produce audio content, while others are also betting on audiovisual content and live broadcasts, which is another trend that we will talk about throughout the post.

You can start optimizing the user experience on your podcasts by limiting yourself to adding just one CTA per episode, preventing them from getting confused and having a better direction on what to do.

Always seek to gather feedback from your audience to identify the problems they are facing and solve them as quickly as possible. In this way, you will ensure a good relationship with users and a better experience.

Greater competition

When podcasts started to become popular in Brazil, it was only possible to consume this type of content on specific platforms, such as Spotify or Apple Music. Currently, there is a greater variety of platforms that offer this type of service, in fact, some focused on video content, such as YouTube and Twitch.

According to research carried out by Globo, in 2020, Brazil was the country with the highest growth in the production of content in this format. In addition, around 57% of users claimed to listen to podcasts.

In more recent studies, the 2024/2025 PodPesquisa by the Brazilian Podcasters Association (ABPod) estimates that Brazil has around 31.9 million podcast listeners, with very frequent consumption: most people listen at least weekly and a significant share listens daily. This highlights how mature and competitive the podcast market has become in the country.

How to innovate with podcasts?

The best way to stay in the podcast market is through innovation. To do this, it is important to explore the different possibilities that this type of content can offer you: creation of daily newsletters, debates, structuring an internal radio station for your company, among others.

Since Google Podcasts was shut down and migrated to YouTube Music, your priority should be to distribute your RSS feed across major listening platforms such as Spotify, YouTube/YouTube Music, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music. This broadens your reach, diversifies your audience and avoids over-reliance on a single platform.

Recent surveys, like the 2024/2025 PodPesquisa by the Brazilian Podcasters Association (ABPod), show Spotify and YouTube as the top choices among Brazilian listeners, so it’s essential to optimize metadata, cover art and descriptions on these services to support your inbound strategy.

Investing in engagement is also a great tool for those who want to innovate and grow in the podcast business. Having a close relationship with your audience will make them remember your brand more often during the day.

Read too:

• 4 tips for audiovisual production of digital content
• Build a successful digital marketing strategy for your Educational institution
  
• Responsive website: its importance in the competitive market
• Marketing 5.0: get closer to your potential customers

 Podcast production with quality content

As important as making your podcast heard is investing in creating quality content that really adds value to users' lives. As we said, podcasts are usually long and users don't waste time on something they don't find interesting.

Recent research on podcast listeners in Brazil, such as the 2024/2025 PodPesquisa by ABPod, indicates that most of the audience is concentrated between 25 and 44 years old and has high levels of education and income. These findings are consistent with market studies from Globo/Kantar on podcast consumption and with academic analyses such as the article “Characterization of the Brazilian podcast audience”, published by UDESC, which all point to a predominantly adult, educated and economically active audience.

This reinforces the need to produce episodes that feature experts, reliable data and practical applications for listeners’ professional and personal lives, rather than superficial or generic conversations. Relevant, well-structured content tends to generate higher retention and more recurring listenership.

How to create quality content?

The first step to creating a quality podcast is investing in good planning. Through it, you will know what your audience's needs are regarding the niche you want to work on, in addition to defining very well the themes and topics that will be addressed in that conversation.

It is also very interesting that you bet on quality equipment, especially audio. Remember that sound is the protagonist of this type of content.

Live Streams Live

streams are also becoming a trend among internet users. While most podcasts can be listened to anytime and anywhere, many prefer to watch live streams of conversations as they can participate by asking questions to interviewees or presenters.

In some cases, this is also an opportunity for the podcast to earn extra income from producing this type of content, as some platforms, such as YouTube, allow users to make cash donations to customers.

What is a video podcast?

It is important that you understand what a video podcast is, as it is an innovation that is emerging in this area. Known as vodcasts, they are podcasts that can also be watched as a video, as the recording takes place from the studio in which the conversation is taking place.

Often these podcasts are recorded live, with offline versions made available later for audiences who were not able to watch them at the time. With vodcasts, it is possible for listeners to be closer to the interviewees, being able to interact with the content more easily, through questions and cash donations.

Image: Host in a studio during podcast production, illustrating the creation of audio and video content.

Optimization for Voice Searches

In a Google Mobile Voice Study on smartphone voice search usage, published in 2014, 55% of US teens and 41% of adults reported using voice search at least once a day. Even though this data is old, it already showed how naturally people would adopt voice interactions with their phones.

Since then, the voice ecosystem has expanded quickly, with billions of voice assistants and smart speakers in use worldwide. For brands that want to stand out online, this highlights the importance of optimizing content for voice search and audio-driven experiences.

That way, your podcast will not depend on a specific platform to gain reach and engagement with your audience, so bet on search engines to make your episodes more easily found by users who are already interested in that particular topic

Podcasts for voice search?

Since the standalone app was retired and YouTube Music has become Google’s official destination for podcasts, SEO efforts should now focus on your RSS feed and the platforms that concentrate listener attention, such as Spotify, YouTube/YouTube Music and Apple Podcasts. Make sure titles, descriptions, categories and keywords are well-optimized on each service.

You should also favor tools and platforms that provide automatic transcripts and publish those transcripts or detailed show notes on your website. This improves indexing, increases your chances of appearing in traditional search results and strengthens visibility in voice-driven searches related to each episode’s topic.

Another tip is to create specific pages for each published podcast episode. On these pages, you must list a main keyword that must also be present in the episode title and in a description of about 300 words that better explains the topic.

To further boost organic visibility, you can add structured data to each episode page by following the Google Search Central structured data guide. This helps search engines better understand the topic, audio format and key elements of each episode, increasing your chances of showing up in rich results and voice-driven answers.

Thus, by better understanding how to use inbound marketing through trends in podcast production, in addition to receiving tips on how to implement these novelties in your own content strategy, you will be better prepared to enter this market and become a great reference in your area. .

And to help you in this mission, read this other post on our blog in which we give you some tips on how to make audiovisual production of digital content for your brand. Check out!

Frequently asked questions about podcast production

Why are podcasts such a popular content format right now?

Podcasts are popular because they allow people to be entertained or informed while doing other activities. Instead of relying only on video platforms, the audience can consume audio content at different moments of the day. In recent years, production and consumption of this format have grown fast in Brazil, with millions of listeners and frequent listening, often weekly or even daily. This scenario reveals a mature and competitive market with strong potential for brands that want to strengthen their presence through digital content.

Why is user experience so important in long-form podcasts?

User experience is crucial because podcasts are usually long-form content and listeners will not stay in something they do not find relevant or pleasant. Today it is possible to gather several types of information about the audience, and this data should guide decisions about format, language and structure. By adapting the content to the needs and interests of listeners, you increase the chances that episodes will be played until the end. A well-designed experience also reinforces the relationship with users and encourages them to come back for new episodes.

How can I improve the listening experience in my podcast?

To improve the experience, start by adapting the format to the model you use, whether it is audio only, audiovisual versions or live broadcasts. A simple practice is to limit yourself to a single CTA per episode, avoiding confusion and making clear what listeners should do after consuming the content. It is also essential to collect frequent feedback in order to identify problems, adjust pace, themes and approach and correct them quickly. In this way, you build a closer relationship and offer a smoother journey for your audience.

How does stronger competition between platforms affect podcast production?

Competition has increased because, in the past, podcasts were consumed only on specific apps, and now they are present on several platforms, including services focused on video. This expansion has raised both the audience’s expectations and the need to stand out. Producers must think about creative formats, consistent language and distribution across multiple channels, instead of depending on a single player. The discontinuation of specific apps and their migration to other solutions reinforces the importance of having a well-distributed feed and taking care of metadata, covers and descriptions to differentiate the show.

How can I innovate in podcast production to stand out?

To innovate, you need to explore the different possibilities the format offers. You can create daily news bulletins, host debates, structure an internal “radio” for your company or combine recorded content with live streams. It is also important to distribute the podcast on the main platforms so that the feed reaches different audiences. Another key point is to invest in engagement: maintaining a close relationship with listeners, encouraging interaction and answering comments makes your brand more present in their daily lives and strengthens the perceived value of your podcast.

Why is it essential to invest in high-quality podcast content?

High-quality content is essential because the podcast audience tends to be adult, with high education levels and income, and therefore more demanding. This profile looks for episodes that truly add value, with experts, reliable data and practical applications for professional and personal life. When episodes are superficial or generic, listeners abandon them quickly. On the other hand, well-planned content aligned with the needs of the niche and structured around clear themes increases retention, encourages recurring listening and helps the podcast become a reference in its field.

How can I create higher-quality podcast content?

To create quality content, start with solid planning. Identify your audience’s needs in the niche you want to address and define themes and topics that answer those demands directly. Structure the conversation so there is a logical sequence, avoiding excessive digressions. In addition, invest in audio equipment, since sound is the main element of a podcast. Clean and pleasant audio makes comprehension easier, gives a more professional impression and increases the chances that listeners will follow the episode until the end.

What are vodcasts and live podcast broadcasts?

Vodcasts are podcasts in video format, in which, besides the audio, there is a recording of the studio where the conversation takes place. Often, these contents are streamed live and later made available in offline versions for those who could not watch them at the time. Live broadcasts allow the audience to follow in real time, interact with questions and feel closer to hosts and guests. The vodcast format combines the practicality of audio with visual resources, which makes the experience more immersive and can boost audience engagement.

How can live streams generate more engagement and even revenue?

Live streams generate more engagement because the audience can participate actively, sending questions and comments during the conversation. This creates a sense of proximity and community around the podcast. In some cases, this format also opens room for new revenue sources: certain platforms allow users to send money donations during the live session. Therefore, live content not only strengthens the relationship with the audience but can also complement the monetization model, as long as it is well planned and aligned with the show’s proposal.

Why is it important to optimize podcasts for voice search?

Optimizing for voice search matters because the habit of talking to smartphones and voice assistants has become stronger over time. With the growth of smart devices, many users look for information using voice commands, especially in audio contexts. For brands that want to stand out in the digital environment, this means content must be easy to find when someone asks a question out loud. By thinking about titles, descriptions and pages that answer specific questions, you increase the chances of appearing in results triggered by voice searches.

How can I optimize my podcast for search engines and voice searches?

To optimize, you should focus on your RSS feed and on the platforms that concentrate most of the audience. It is important to take care of titles, descriptions, categories and keywords in every environment where the podcast is distributed. Another step is to use tools that generate episode transcriptions and publish these transcriptions or detailed summaries on your website. In addition, create specific pages for each episode, choosing a main keyword, aligning the episode title with it and writing a description of about 300 words. Marking these pages with structured data according to search engine guidelines further reinforces visibility.

What role do episode pages and structured data play in podcast SEO?

Episode pages act as individual hubs for each piece of content, allowing search engines to better understand the topic, audio format and main elements of each recording. By defining a main keyword, repeating it in the title and producing a more detailed description, you make indexing easier and increase the chances that the episode will appear in traditional searches and voice queries. When these pages are marked with structured data following the guidelines of the Search Central documentation, search engines interpret the content more accurately and may display it in rich results.

How can I integrate podcast trends into my inbound marketing strategy?

To integrate trends into your inbound marketing strategy, you must first see the podcast as part of your overall content ecosystem. This involves understanding your audience, planning themes that answer their main questions and distributing the show on the most relevant platforms. By optimizing metadata, titles and descriptions and creating specific pages for each episode, you expand organic reach and make it easier for people already searching for a topic to find your content. This way, you will be better prepared to enter the market, strengthen your authority and become a reference in your field.