New Podcast Research: The 2026 State of Podcasting in Professional Services
What makes a business podcast successful? Why do listeners tune into business genres at all? How can emerging podcasts position their shows for growth? This new podcast research report answers all of these questions and more.
Podcast Research Study Sample & Methodology
Responses were collected in Q4 2025. First, the Red Cedar Marketing team pre-qualified more than 400 podcasts that fit the description of a podcast in the professional services space. We then tailored direct outreach to verified hosts to invite them to participate. In the survey, podcast hosts submitted a link to verify their show, and were asked a series of questions about their experience podcasting; show format, benefits, challenges, and opportunities.
Simultaneously, we promoted the survey to listeners through partnerships, direct outreach, social media, and email marketing efforts. Within the survey, listeners were asked a different series of questions focused on their podcast consumption habits; how many shows they follow, how frequently they listen, what other genres they tune into besides business, and which activities they are more—or less—likely to tune in.
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Ultimately, this podcast research study included perspectives from a combined 147 business podcast hosts and listeners. This resulted in two distinct viewpoints on business podcasting, offering both peer and listener perspective to help you benchmark your show and inspire new ideas.
A special thanks to Perryn Olson and Ryan Kovach from AltCMO who helped promote the survey to their network, Fedor Šimić from Own The Narrative for his thoughtful feedback on the survey design and outreach methods, and the Spiraling Up team at Hinge for use of their likeness on the cover of this report.
A range of professional services industries were represented in the sample of business podcast hosts; marketing agencies, engineering firms, consulting groups, financial service providers, technology companies, legal firms, government contractors, and more.
Key Findings From *Hosts* in This Podcast Research Study
More than 90% of business podcasters in this study were actively recording new episode content at the time of this survey. Most (nearly 75%) of these active business podcasters publish multiple episodes per month.
There are many benefits of podcasting in professional services. This podcast research study showed some of the top benefits to be lead generation, trust-building with prospects, and increased overall visibility of their respective firms.
Most business podcasters in the study weren’t challenged with operational workflows. Rather, they were challenged with audience-building, measurement, and ROI. There is opportunity on the horizon for hosts to be guests on other podcasts, repurpose content in new and creative ways, and distribute more clips on social media.
Key Findings From *Listeners* In This Podcast Research Study
This podcast research study focused on *active* business podcast listeners. Listeners in this sample were active, with more than 70% tuning in at least once per week.
But why listen to business podcasts? One of the top reasons cited by respondents was to hear industry news and perspective from experts. However, reasons for listening to business podcast content varied by organizational seniority. Younger professionals were more likely to gravitate toward tactical topics and career-growth oriented shows, while older professionals tended to want to listen to industry news and hear from subject matter experts.
Listeners discovered shows in three broad ways. The most common was to search for new shows. Interestingly, listeners were far more likely to use the search bar on podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify to find new shows compared to Google, YouTube, or ChatGPT.
The second most common discovery method was finding new shows based on the recommendation of others; friends, colleagues, podcast guests. Finally, the third most common discovery method was to be exposed to short video clips on social media.
While some listeners tuned into short <15 minute episodes, most listeners said the shows they regularly listen to are 40+ minutes, suggesting a preference for long-form content.
Listeners were also 3x more likely to consume podcast content while driving than at a computer. While video may be important for new listener discovery, long-term engagement happens over the speakers, not the screen. Invest in video, sure, but not at the expense of the audio experience.
Take This Podcast Research To The Next Level
This podcast research is part of a broader mission of Red Cedar Marketing; to amplify the voices of experts and help existing business podcasters grow their shows in seven key areas:
Foundation — how does the podcast connect to your marketing objectives and firm growth goals?
Positioning — how can your show stand apart from others in your niche?
Production —how can you build your studio and workflow to balance production quality with efficiency?
Launch — how can you bring new shows and spinoffs to market with momentum?
Growth — how can you expand your reach and acquire new listeners and subscribers?
Measurement — based on your goals, what does good look like and how do you measure it?
Monetization — how can you structure your podcast to generate revenue?
Want to learn more about applying this research to your business podcast? Contact us today or apply to join the Business Podcaster Collective.
