2022: THE YEAR OF THE PODCAST
It’s hard to find someone who isn’t plugged into at least one podcast. And the numbers support that. Podcast listeners have been steadily climbing, increasing by around 20 million each year. And according to Statista, forecasters are projecting podcast listeners will surpass 160 million in 2023. This rise in podcast listening is a significant opportunity for advertisers to reach listeners through the voices they know and trust.
So we decided to look within, probing AMPers to share their all-time favorite podcasts. If you’re in need of fresh, easy listening material or simply want to dive into the world of podcasts, here’s a lineup of AMP’s top picks of 2022:
- The A-List Podcast: Origin stories about how some of your favorite ad campaigns came to life and how the people that made them got to making them.
- This American Life: A weekly podcast around the American experience. Each week they choose a theme and gather different stories around that theme.
What AMPers are saying: Love the storytelling. Sometimes delightful, and sometimes devastating. They always tell diverse and unique stories, doing their due diligence to research and interview a range of memorable characters. - The Experiment: A show about people navigating our country’s contradictions. Hosted by the Atlantic.
What AMPers are saying: Love their unbiased and bite-sized deep dives into different fascinating and relevant topics about our ever-evolving country - Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness: Curious about everything under the sun? JVN chats with experts in their respective fields to create awareness about topics that we may not have ever thought of digging into.
What AMPers are saying: Super open-minded and interesting topics from pop culture, animals, history, and events that have shaped the world as we know it. - HBR Ideacast: A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management.
What AMPers are saying: I like how it’s a quick podcast that covers some innovative ideas that often challenge the norms in modern business. - Hidden Brain: A conversation about life’s hidden patterns.
What AMPers are saying: I like the interesting psychological insights, plus they can be relevant to our work in marketing. - The Huberman Lab: Stanford professor and neurobiologist Andrew Huberman discusses science and science-based tools for everyday life.
What AMPers are saying: I like how they explain how different parts of the nervous system affect our bodies and everyday life and provide tips to improve things like sleep, skill learning, and more in a digestible format. - In Search of Hope Podcast: Inspiring interviews with people from all walks of life that endured and overcame hardships. The host, Ugo, and the people he interviews shed light on specific topics that can bring insight and hope to people that need it during dark times.
What AMPers are saying: I like hearing how others go through things and hold their heads up high. It’s helpful when I think I’m alone in hardships, and it’s very open-minded and explorative. Ugo’s also a great orator and storyteller! - LORE: Frightening history on some good ol’ folklore.
What AMPers are saying: All the spooks are great for long car rides. Constantly on the edge of my seat. - National Park After Dark: Their tagline is “A podcast for the morbid outdoor enthusiast,” but it’s more than that. It’s terrific storytelling about crazy things that have happened in National Parks, and it’s also educational, with a lot of great historical and safety content.
What AMPers are saying: Some of the episodes are pretty dark, but overall I’ve learned so much about nature, indigenous communities, animals, etc. It’s such an interesting listen! - The Secret Room: Interviews with guests about the deepest and darkest secrets they keep.
- Smartless: Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes interview surprise celebrities guests. Hilarity ensues.
What AMPers are saying: The dynamic between the hosts is very entertaining, and they get great guests. - Song Exploder: A podcast where musicians take apart their songs and, piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made.
What AMPers are saying: Learning different musicians’ creative processes and how they think and play is fascinating. - Stuff You Should Know: Josh and Chuck, two writers from How Stuff Works, cover a different topic each episode. If you’ve ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Niño, true crime, or Rosa Parks, then look no further.
What AMPers are saying: You learn something new each episode, and the hosts have a knack for making complicated ideas easy to understand. Even the most random topics (history of the ballpoint pen) are interesting. The hosts have great chemistry and banter. - Unlocking Us with Brené Brown: Brené Brown is a researcher and storyteller who’s spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy.
While many things remain uncertain, one thing is for sure, we love Podcasts here at AMP. Stay tuned for more of what AMPers are listening to in the coming future.
