The majority of people (63 %) now trust their favourite podcaster more than their favourite influencer, according to the findings of Spotify's inaugural Global Podcast Trends Tour interactive report.

Spotify is dubbing the new breed of podcast hosts as 'podfluencers', noting that 55% of Gen Zs prefer podcast content more if they follow the host on social media. Nearly half (48%) of Gen Zs and Millennials are more likely to be interested in ads/products when promoted by their favorite podcasters and 45% of Millennials and Gen Zs said that when they hear an ad during a podcast, they trust the brand/product being promoted because of the trusted relationship they have with the hosts.

In Australia, the most popular podcast categories were Comedy, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture, True Crime, and Sports. However, the fastest-growing categories are Religion & Spirituality (75.2%), Business & Technology (70.7%), Society & Culture (60.5%), and Science (60%). Streams of podcasts discussing Barbie increased by 61% the week of the Oscar nominations announcement and by 67% the following week.

"Podcasts continue to be one of the best ways for brands to reach audiences, mixing scale with high trust scores. Our first Global Podcast Trends tour breaks down how Spotify's uniquely engaged audience - reaching over half of all podcast listeners in Australia - generates conversion rates above industry benchmarks. This provides brands with a window in which to align themselves with culture and 'Podfluencers', who are now more trusted than social media influencers by 63% of people globally," said Spotify AU/NZ Podcast Account Director, Sam Moles.

Podcast advertising has grown faster than music advertising revenue over the last year, with 62% of study respondents taking action after hearing an ad during a podcast show.

"There's no denying we're in the midst of the podcast era as people turn to podcasts to be inspired, informed, educated and much more. And with that, it's only natural for a new type of influencer to emerge. Through this Podcast Trends Tour we've uncovered just how important podfluencers are for marketers looking to connect with audiences in a genuine way. With Spotify's uniquely engaged audience and innovations in the podcast space, we have made it the perfect place to do just that," said Spotify Global Brand Strategy, Thought Leadership Lead, Jenny Haggard.

Globally, 22% of podcasts have half or more of their audience made up of international streamers. In Australia, 50% of podcast streams by users aged 18-24 were users streaming from a country different from the show's origin.