Is Podcasting Oversaturated? Why There’s Still Room for Your Show

My husband and I arrived at the airport two hours early like a pair of exemplary travelers.

We had the necessary sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches from Shake Shack, accompanied by an Oatmilk Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso (me), and a joyless plain latte (my husband).

After fueling up for the journey ahead, we walked to the gate next to ours (because ours was full) and settled in to wait for boarding time — my husband on his phone wearing headphones and me with my laptop sneaking in some work. I switched on Toggl as I usually do and lost myself in my to-do list.

The next time I looked at the clock, it was 20 minutes past boarding.

I opened the Jet Blue app and the words DOORS CLOSING in red all caps entered my eyeballs and strangled my amygdala.

I glanced at our gate, and it was 100% empty.

So I yelled at Chris.

And we jumped to our feet.

And we ran the short distance to the counter.

The lady scanning our boarding passes was like, “You’re the last ones!”

While I was absolutely petrified in the moment, in reality, we had tickets. There was still room for us, and the plane was still on the ground.

You might have noticed a ton of people around you seem to be starting podcasts.

You might be feeling like it’s too late to jump on the bandwagon, but I promise you there’s still plenty of room for you too.

So what if everyone is starting a podcast?

Maybe it’s because podcasting is a newish medium that’s now becoming super popular, but many people perceive podcasting as “saturated.” That everybody and their grandmother have started a podcast.

If the idea that podcasting is oversaturated has been a mind block for you, keeping you from starting your dream podcast, well, have no fear because I’m about to demolish it for you.

Here are my counterarguments:

1. Nobody says that about other mediums.

Are there too many books in the world? Too many songs? Too many paintings?

Podcasts are a medium of communication and expression like any other. As long as humans are roaming the Earth, there will never be a cap on how many pieces of expression are allowed.

2. Most existing podcasts are dead.

Sure, a lot of people have started podcasts, but 90% of podcasts don’t get past episode 3. And of the few that continue, another 90% will quit after 20 episodes.

So while it might seem like everyone is starting a podcast, most people start and give up!

3. There are many podcasts, but not many that connect with your specific audience.

Even if hundreds of podcasts exist on the same topic, most aren’t reaching your ideal listener in the way you can. It’s why you’ve already built an audience in your business, even when hundreds of other people with your same job exist!

Listeners are looking for podcast hosts they feel connected to. If they already feel connected with you in another platform (Instagram, Threads, Substack, etc.) chances are they will feel connected with you in a podcast as well!

Remember that your podcast doesn’t have to “beat” every other podcast to be successful; it just has to work for your specific goal — community building, client attraction, creative outlet, networking, or whatever it may be!

So the amount of existing podcasts in the world truly has nothing to do with you.

People are looking for podcasts they feel aligned with, and no one else can bring what you can bring to the table.

“But my podcast idea has already been taken!”

You might’ve Googled your podcast idea by typing in something like “podcast about financial education for women,” found 47 similar shows, and felt deflated.

You’re afraid your podcast has zero chance of standing out and that you should probably give up on the whole thing altogether.

But while your basic idea might’ve been taken already, I assure you, your unique perspective has not.

There are tons of business podcasts, but only one Point of the Story (a podcast about business, ADHD, marketing, mom life, and everything in between by a successful online business owner who talks at 2x speed, lives in Cape Cod, and calls her listeners Squirrels).

There are a bunch of food policy podcasts, but only one American Dish (a podcast that navigates the messy state of food policy issues in the US and beyond, by a top food policy reporter with years of experience and the most-read food policy newsletter in the US).

There are a ton of career podcasts, but only one Social Work to Wealth (a podcast by two social workers who firmly believe social workers shouldn’t live in poverty, and that that whole notion is tied to issues of gender; they interview social workers who’ve reinvented their careers to show their audience what’s possible).

Imagine if these hosts had thought their idea wasn’t worth pursuing because somebody else took it???

As the brilliant host of your future show, YOU are what’s gonna make your idea stand out, you and your unique blend of knowledge and experiences.

Plus, if you’re reading this, there’s a 75% chance you’re a business owner. And if you are, you’ve built a client base of people who trust you and wouldn’t work with anyone else but you. This is despite thousands of other people doing the same work you do!

People hire you because they connect with you, and the same goes for your podcast.

Listeners want a show that feels made for them, hosted by someone they trust. That someone is you!

Instead of worrying about whether podcasting is oversaturated, think about this:

1. Do you have a clear and unique concept that will stand out?

Not a podcast category (”I want to start a business podcast”) or a vague idea of what your podcast will be about (”a podcast about cats”), but an actual, specific-as-hell concept.

If you have no idea how to approach this, my freebie The Podcast Starter will show you how!

2. Do you have the capacity for a podcast right now?

So many people give up on their podcast precisely because of this. They launched their show thinking it would be way less time-consuming than it actually is. If you’re not sure what goes into maintaining a podcast, check out my blog post “How Much Does It Cost to Start a Podcast? (FREE – $13K!).”

3. What’s your WHY for starting a podcast?

And is your WHY enough to keep you going when things get frustrating?

For instance, if you want to start a podcast to build a huge audience or get tons of downloads, you’ll give up on week 3.

But if your reason is deeper than that, something like, “I want to…

…practice and get better at speaking.”

…be an authority in my niche.”

…build an evergreen library of educational content I can repurpose.”

…network with interesting people and grow my community.”

Theeeen, you have something worth persevering for when you encounter the inevitable challenges that come with podcasting.

The plane is still on the ground

This is the silly moment I connect the plane metaphor I used at the beginning of this blog post to my point:

THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR YOU AND YOUR FUTURE PODCAST.

Stop staring at the gate wondering if it’s too late, and get on that damn plane!

Download The Podcast Starter!

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