As we close out 2025, I've been reflecting on the organizations I've worked with this year. They all started podcasting with similar goals in mind: better member engagement and staying top-of-mind. And yes, those things happened. But what surprised me—and what surprised them—were the benefits nobody planned for.

On the global stage, the audience has topped half a billion listeners. This is an increase of nearly 9% since last year. One in ten people spends more than 10 hours a week listening to podcasts. The market is now worth $30 billion in 2024 and is projected to quadruple by 2030.