Spotify is launching its first Global Podcast Trends Tour, an interactive exploration of the latest trends in podcasting. The Trends Tour showcases fresh insights and gives a free VIP pass to explore how people are engaging with podcasts.

Most notably, we found that there’s a new type of influencer on the scene – 63% of people said they trust their favorite podcast host more than their favorite social media influencer.* Just call them podfluencers. And Spotify users aren’t just listening to podcasts; they’re watching them, too: globally, average daily streams of video podcasts are up 39% on Spotify.**

“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,” says Jenny Haggard, Global Brand Strategy, Thought Leadership Lead, Spotify. “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..”

While the Podfluencer trend is happening across generations, it’s picking up particular steam with Gen Z: 55% of Gen Zs told us that if they follow someone on social media and listen to their podcast, they like their podcast content more than if they only listened.