What inhouse marketing and communications professionals need to know about the UK podcast market in comparison to the USA.
US podcasting has had a long run to mature. Years of experimentation, established production houses, hosts who've had time to find their voice and build a format that works. It shows in the numbers because 55% of the US population over 12 years of age now listens to a podcast monthly and they have produced around half the world’s podcasts around 2.2 million. That’s a lot of podcasts.
Credit: Unsplash, Vitaly Gariev
The UK is earlier in that journey. UK listenership has been growing fast, with around 25 million people now listening to or watching podcasts every month, according to Edison Research’s The UK Podcast Consumer 2025, so the appetite is clearly there. But appetite and maturity aren’t the same thing. UK production is still developing, hosts are often still finding their format, and there’s less of the bold creative experimentation that a more established industry has had time to build confidence in.
This matters for anyone thinking about podcast guesting in the UK. It isn’t a downside. It just means expectations should match where the medium actually is. The UK isn’t necessarily a smaller version of the US market, but it is at an earlier stage and their best podcasts are still growing in reach.
Lots of fantastic podcasts in the UK and in fact the vast majority, do not take place in professional podcast studios. It’s often in a dedicated room of a host’s home or office. For many, this feels genuine, authentic and natural for listening to an interesting conversation with a trusted host.
British podcast MAN ALIVE with Dr Jeff Foster forms it own style in showcasing inspirational people on YouTube.
For the podcasts in professional studios, they’re working extremely hard too. Not having massive numbers is proof that a podcast is building genuine followers and listeners organically. Great podcasts should be judged on great guests, excellent quality production, superb preparation and a fantastic conversation.
None of this means UK podcasts aren't worth pursuing — quite the opposite. Early-stage markets are often where the most interesting things happen, precisely because the rules aren't fully written yet. Regardless of size, plenty of smaller podcasts who may not seem as polished, can have highly engaged audiences and people willing to buy or subscribe to what a guest is sharing.
The take away is not to go into podcasts looking for US-sized expectations. Chasing reach and editorial style perfection will only bring disappointment for the wrong reasons. Instead, the right call is to support the UK podcast industry. Subscribe, follow, engage and produce as much as you can.