Podcast growth is not happening in one place anymore.
Independent podcasters are still publishing to podcast apps, but they are also trying to grow through social media, YouTube, websites, guest appearances, word of mouth, newsletters, communities, and direct links. That creates opportunity, but it also creates friction. If a listener is interested in a show, the next step needs to be simple.
To better understand how independent creators are publishing, promoting, sharing, and monetizing their shows, RSS.com surveyed 195 respondents in Q2 2026.
The responses show a creator landscape that is active, practical, and growth-focused. Many respondents are publishing consistently. Many are experimenting with video and AI. Many are already paying for podcast-related tools. But the biggest theme across the survey is clear: podcasters are trying to grow in an increasingly fragmented discovery environment.
Key Findings
- 62% of respondents who answered the publishing cadence question publish weekly or more.
- 46% said growing an audience is their main podcasting goal right now.
- 70% selected growing their audience as one of their biggest challenges.
- 51% record video in some form. Among respondents who publish video.
- 63% said video has helped grow their audience either somewhat or significantly.
- 56% are either using AI regularly or experimenting with AI tools.
- 39% are currently monetizing their podcast.
- 72% pay for podcast-related tools or services.
When asked what link they would send to a new listener, respondents pointed to a mix of RSS.com public podcast pages, RSS feeds, websites, YouTube, Spotify, universal links, and podcast apps.
These Are Active, Consistent Creators
One important context for the survey is that many respondents are not just thinking about podcasting. They are actively publishing.
Among respondents who answered the publishing cadence question, 62% said they publish weekly or more.
Many have also built a substantial episode library. Among respondents who answered the episode-count question, 41% have published 51 or more episodes, and 27% have published 101 or more episodes.
That matters because these insights are not only coming from people who are considering starting a show. They reflect the habits, challenges, and priorities of active podcasters who are already doing the work.
Growth Is Both the Goal and the Challenge
The strongest theme in the survey is audience growth.
When asked what best describes their podcasting goal right now, 46% of respondents said growing an audience. That was the most common answer.
When asked to select their biggest podcasting challenges, respondents chose:
- Growing my audience: 70%
- Discoverability: 32%
- Monetizing my podcast: 24%
- Marketing / promotion: 18%
- Editing / time required: 13%
- Staying consistent: 10%
- Technical setup / complexity: 6%
That creates an important tension. Podcasters are focused on growth, but growth is also the hardest part.
Audience growth affects nearly every other part of podcasting. It can influence motivation, monetization potential, guest booking, collaboration opportunities, and long-term consistency. Even creators who are publishing regularly are still asking the same question: how do I get this show in front of more of the right people?
Podcast Discovery is Fragmented
When asked for their primary source of new listeners, respondents pointed to several different channels:
- Podcast apps: 31%
- Social media: 29%
- Word of mouth: 20%
- Guests / collaborations: 8%
- YouTube: 6%
- Other: 6%
No single channel dominated.
That suggests podcast growth is increasingly multi-channel. Creators are not relying on one listening app, one algorithm, or one promotional tactic. Instead, they are combining podcast directories, social clips, word of mouth, guest promotion, YouTube, websites, and communities.
But when asked which platform is most important for growing their podcast, creators placed the most emphasis on discovery channels, especially social media and YouTube:
- Social media: 35%
- YouTube: 15%
- Apple Podcasts: 14%
- Website / blog / SEO: 11%
- Spotify: 11%
- Other: 9%
- Email newsletter: 3%
- Reddit: 2%
The takeaway is not that podcast apps no longer matter. They do. But podcast discovery is no longer limited to podcast apps. Social media, YouTube, search, websites, and audience-driven sharing all play a role in helping shows reach new listeners.
How Podcasters Share Their Shows
The survey also asked an optional open-text question: If you were sharing your podcast with a new listener, what link would you send?
This is where the discovery story becomes more practical.
Among the 120 respondents who answered, the links and responses were mixed. After grouping open-text responses into directional categories, the most common sharing destinations were:
- RSS.com page or RSS feed: 39 responses, about 33%
- Own website or custom domain: 28 responses, about 23%
- YouTube: 18 responses, 15%
- Spotify: 15 responses, 13%
- Universal link or link hub: 8 responses, 7%
- Apple Podcasts: 5 responses, 4%
- Multiple links or any podcast app: 2 responses, 2%
- Other or unclear: 5 responses, 4%
This reinforces the broader discovery theme. When podcasters actively share their shows, they are not sending everyone to one destination. Some send listeners to their public podcast pages on RSS.com or RSS feeds. Others use their own website, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pod.link, Linktree, Podfollow, or another landing page.
That matters because growth is not only about getting attention. It is also about reducing friction once someone is interested.
If a creator sends every potential listener to one platform, they may be making the next step harder for people who prefer a different listening app. A listener who prefers Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket Casts, or another app should not have to work to find the version they want.
A flexible podcast page or universal listening link helps meet listeners where they already are. It gives people a choice, supports different listening habits, and makes it easier for interest to turn into a play.
For RSS.com users, public podcast pages can also serve as flexible sharing destinations, giving listeners multiple ways to subscribe or listen without forcing them into one app.
Video Podcasting Is Becoming a Growth Layer
Audio remains central to podcasting, but video is now part of the workflow for many creators.
When asked how they create their podcast content:
- 49% said they create audio-only content.
- 35% said they record video and publish both audio and video.
- 15% said they record video but only publish the audio.
That means 51% of respondents record video in some form.
Among respondents who publish video, 63% said publishing video has helped grow their audience either somewhat or significantly. YouTube was the most common video destination, followed by social platforms, Spotify, and creator websites.
Video is not replacing podcasting, but it is becoming a growth layer. For many podcasters, video creates additional discovery opportunities through YouTube search, short-form clips, social feeds, and audience engagement.
Industry-wide data shows the same shift: YouTube has overtaken Spotify and Apple Podcasts as the dominant platform for weekly podcast listeners in the US.
AI Is Becoming Part of the Podcast Workflow
AI tools are already showing up in how podcasters plan, produce, and promote their shows.
Overall, 28% of respondents said they use AI regularly, and another 28% said they are experimenting with AI. Combined, that means 56% are using or testing AI tools for their podcast.
The most common AI use cases were:
- Transcripts: 35%
- Show notes / descriptions: 33%
- Research / brainstorming: 32%
- Cover or episode art: 24%
- Editing / production: 22%
- Social clips / repurposing: 21%
This points to a practical trend: podcasters are not necessarily trying to automate the creative heart of their show. They are using AI to reduce the friction around the show: writing descriptions, repurposing episodes, creating transcripts, brainstorming topics, and speeding up production tasks.
Monetization Is Happening, but Many Creators Are Focused on Growth First
In the survey, 39% of current podcasters said they are currently monetizing their podcast, while 61% said they are not.
Among those who are monetizing, the most common primary revenue source was programmatic ads, selected by 48% of monetizing respondents. Listener support, sponsorships, products and services, affiliate marketing, and memberships also appeared in the responses.
For respondents who are not currently monetizing, the most common barrier was audience size. 48% of non-monetizing respondents selected my audience is too small. Other common reasons included being focused on growth first, not knowing how to monetize, being unsure which options are available, and feeling that the content is not a fit for monetization.
This shows a gap that podcast platforms, educators, agencies, and creator tools can help solve. Podcasters need more than monetization features. They need a clearer path from publishing to growth to revenue.
Podcasters Are Paying for Tools, but They Want Simpler Workflows
Most respondents are already investing money into their shows. 72% said they currently pay for tools or services related to their podcast.
The most common paid categories were podcast hosting, website / domain costs, editing or production, AI tools, marketing / promotion, music or assets, and transcription.
Creators are clearly willing to invest in their shows. But open-ended responses repeatedly pointed toward a desire for easier workflows: better marketing support, easier social sharing, more AI-assisted repurposing, richer analytics, easier video publishing, and tools that reduce the time required to produce and promote each episode.
The opportunity is not just to give podcasters more tools. It is to make the full publishing workflow easier.
What This Means for the Future of Independent Podcasting
The RSS.com Podcaster Insights Survey shows that independent podcasters are not standing still.
They are publishing consistently. They are trying to grow across multiple channels. They are experimenting with video. They are using AI to speed up production and promotion. Some are already monetizing, while many others are waiting until their audience is larger.
The biggest theme is not that podcasters lack ideas. It is that they need more help turning consistent publishing into sustainable growth.
For creators, the takeaway is clear: growth is increasingly multi-channel, video can expand discoverability, AI can reduce production friction, and monetization usually becomes easier when audience development is treated as an ongoing system.
For the podcast industry, the message is just as clear: independent podcasters need practical growth tools, better education, simpler workflows, and platforms that help them do more with every episode they publish.
Methodology
RSS.com surveyed 195 RSS.com podcasters in Q2 2026. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number, and sample sizes vary by question. Because participation was voluntary, the findings should be interpreted as directional insights from RSS.com podcasters, not as a representative survey of the entire podcast industry.
