Triton Digital‘s Australian Podcast Ranker has been released for May, giving insight into the top 100 podcasts in the country. Taking the title of top publisher this survey is ARN, making it the 25th survey in a row that the company has landed on top.
Mediaweek spoke to ARN head of digital, Corey Layton, about the success of the company’s podcast arm and what comes next.
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“Since we launched the Podcast Network two and a half years ago, this is our 25th time in the top spot in a row. It just shows the strength of the shows that we have, which then provides both our listeners and brands a really exciting opportunity to be a part of it.”
Wearing the crown for that many rankers in a row is no small feat, especially in a market that is becoming more and more competitive by the day.
“If you look at the Triton podcast ranker, the last page has a great big growth chart of downloads since the Ranker began. It just keeps going up and up and up and up and up,” says Layton.
“Australians are consuming podcasts more than they ever have before, and to see it continue to grow is really exciting. The shows that we have on our slate are largely the ones that people are engaging in, and to have half of the top 10 shows sitting with us is something that I think is pretty exciting.”
For ARN, Layton says that the podcasting arm is massively important to the business, and there is one project in particular that highlights this.
“Where you can really see how important podcasting is is our podcast-to-broadcast strategy. We’re really intertwining the two mediums wherever we can.
“By bringing podcasts like Life Uncut and She’s On The Money into radio, then back again, we are doing our best to ensure that we are growing the podcast industry and growing those shows at the helm of it.”
In a sea of May Podcast Raker success stories for ARN, Layton says there are a few standout highlights.
“The Imperfects with Hugh van Cuylenburg and Ryan Shelton is a podcast that has continued to grow rapidly over the last few months, that was at number 15 this time around.
“Outspoken is one of the new podcasts to our network, which just joined and debuted on the ranker at number 61.
“Of the other shows that we’ve recently launched, there’s one called Five Minute Food Fix with Yumi Stynes that has also done incredibly well, and has landed straight on the ranker when it’s only been live for a few weeks.
“There are just so many incredible ones. I think it just goes to show the breadth of different shows that appeal to different people.”
With the podcast landscape growing with no signs of slowing down, Layton says there are a number of things that ARN can do to help brands become a part of the podcast experience – including providing detailed metrics.
“I’ve spoken ad nauseam in the past about the fact that it’s a myth that you can’t measure podcasts. Since we began, we have been really laser focused on breaking that myth and demonstrating that the work we do is highly measurable for brands. They can track attribution, and they can track the age and demographics of different listeners and make sure they’re a part of the right show.
“That’s something that we continue to strive to deliver. Every brand we work with gets their own dashboard where they can track the impressions and the conversion of those impressions.”
With the halfway point of 2022 upon us, Layton says that the second half of the year is looking bright.
“We have got some very exciting new formats that are currently in production. We want to find clear air – we don’t want to create copycat podcasts.
“We want to ensure that we continue to support the great shows that we have and find new reasons to draw people into the medium. I believe some of the formats that we have on the way will very much do that.”