A $4B industry: Local podcasters talk about why they started, how they are growing their audience

So many of us listen to podcasts when we’re driving in the car, exercising, or maybe cleaning. Boston 25 talked to a couple of local podcasters with big followings for their tips on getting started and turning an income.

There weren’t too many podcasts when Jackie Zuk recorded her first episode of Next On Scene nine years ago—and much like the industry—she was still learning and growing.

“I did research on YouTube,” said Jackie Zuk of Next On Scene Media. “I set up a little station, like a mixer in my guest room closet in my bedroom, and I would promote people’s businesses on my show.”

Jackie began with a modest 100 downloads a month and has since grown it to 16,000. She now teaches others how to start their own podcasts---and for good reason. Data from Edison Research shows that on-demand podcasts and streaming music have surpassed radio.

“They can listen whether they’re commuting, whether they miss their episode, they can listen to it when they have a free like half hour, you know, and I think that that makes a huge difference,” said Zuk.

Jackie says consistency and authenticity have been the key to her success.

“It was like one a week for a while, and then it really like grew into bigger things that were like, we’re getting attention,” said Zuk. “So they would be on my show, I would interview them and then I would promote it on social media. And they were like, we’re getting a lot of attention. And that’s how it grew into, like the other avenues of other things I do now.”

Kevin Cooney started the Cooneys Show with his wife after building a large presence on social media during the pandemic. With over a million followers on TikTok, he launched the podcast a year and a half ago to compliment his business.

“I love the podcasting game, but I call it the content circle,” said Kevin Cooney, a prominent digital creator in the Boston market. “Like it’s our way to have this never-ending loop of content circulating for short-form content TikTok, Instagram, Facebook reels, Snapchat Spotlight.”

Podcasting is popular. The average listener spends about 7 hours a week on podcasts. By the end of 2024, DemandSage.com predicts more than 500 million people worldwide will listen to podcasts and it could be a $4 billion industry.

In such a saturated and fast-growing market, Kevin says it’s never been more important to diversify himself and his business.

“Mr. Beast the biggest YouTuber in the world has a feast of all these chocolate bars,” said Cooney. “Now he’s outselling Hershey. Logan with Prime is outselling Gatorade. All these old legacy companies are being taken over by, you know, the new wave of creators.”

For these local creators, the platform provides an opportunity to make extra income and interview some high-profile people.

“It’s insane when it goes from the interview to then these guys, you know, texting you and keeping in touch, and you’re starting to build, like, a little bit more of a relationship,” said Cooney.

“The relationships I’ve made, like, have just been so rewarding and beneficial and help you grow on a professional and personal level,” said Zuk. “And so for that, that’s why I’m like, everyone needs to do it. I think there’s so much value there.”

To build and keep a following the podcasters say they release their podcasts on the same day, same time. According to research, comedy is the top genre for podcasts in the US, followed by news and society, and culture. True crime and sports round out the top five.

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