Nearly 50% of Americans consume podcasts every week 🎧

Hi, Reader.

Welcome to Podcasting in Professional Services. Each week, you'll get podcasting research, trends, and examples. This week, we're going to look at some macro trends in podcasting, and I share some recent examples of shows from the Red Cedar portfolio.

Let's dive in 👇

45% of the Americans consume podcasts every single week

The 2026 Infinite Dial report by Edison Research showed an estimated 130 million (45%) of the U.S. population age 12+ consume podcast content every single week—that's nearly twice as many weekly listeners compared to 2020.

YouTube is no longer an optional for business podcasters

In 2022, Google pivoted its YouTube product into the podcasting arena, allowing for dedicated 'Podcast Playlists' to be consumed and curated onto a dedicated YouTube podcast page.

The major difference? It's not connected to your RSS feed. You can have completely separate audio and video versions of each podcast episode.

The report also showed that YouTube has eclipsed Apple and Spotify as the leading platform for podcasting, dominating nearly one-third of daily podcast consumption time in Q4 2025.

In the Business Genre, Think of Podcasts As Media Brands

YouTube has changed the game for podcasting. Once viewed as an audio-only platform, the term 'podcasting' is changing.

Perhaps a better way to describe this change, in the business world, is to refer to podcasts as 'media brands' — branded entities in and of themselves, but related to your parent company brand. They exist on podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify), video platforms (YouTube, TikTok), social media (LinkedIn, Meta), and can even be brought to life at live, in-person events.

Ok, now let's take a look at some recent episodes from the Red Cedar portfolio of shows:

Business Podcasts in 2026 (Do These Tactics Today)

If you’re running—or thinking about launching—a business podcast, this episode breaks down what’s actually working in 2026.

In this episode, I unpack the executive summary of the 2026 State of Podcasting in Professional Services research, based on insights from 147 podcast hosts and listeners across industries like marketing, consulting, AEC, accounting, and technology.

Is your referral process broken?

You’ve built great relationships. So why aren’t they sending you business? Your referral process might be broken—and you probably don’t even realize it.

In this episode of Breaking BizDev, Mark and John diagnose one of the most overlooked (and underperforming) growth channels in professional services: referrals.

Waymo's Behaving Badly: Reactions to Dash Cam Videos of Emerging AV Technology

The combination of AVs and AI has created an inflection point in passenger transportation.

In this episode, Ken Lucci and James Blain take a candid (and entertaining) look at Waymo self-driving cars behaving badly—breaking down real-world incidents, viral videos, and what they reveal about the future of autonomous technology.

From vehicles driving onto light rail tracks to freezing in traffic and creating unexpected hazards, this episode dives into the growing pains of AI-powered transportation.