1 in 3 Podcast Creators Have Quit, Says Study

It’s rare that we get to see solid data on people who start podcasts and later quit.

Most industry research focuses either on listeners (so the survey won’t be asking questions about making shows), or on active creators (which means anyone who has already quit is unlikely to be taking the survey).

That’s why some new data from Sounds Profitable stands out. Their latest Creator Survey, based on responses from more than 5,000 people, found that around one in six podcast listeners (17%) has experience in producing a show.

And what was really interesting about this data was that a third of those folks have already quit.

So what does this data tell us about the creator landscape: Do we have a retention issue in the industry? And if so, what’s causing it?

The Creator Landscape: Low Entry, High Churn

The main thing to take from this data, first of all, is that the barrier to entry remains low in podcasting, which is great news. If this were a survey on book or film consumers instead of podcast listeners, you certainly wouldn’t see 17% of respondents saying they shoot their own films or have published a book too.

Podcasting remains accessible to creators in a way that other mediums just aren’t.

In our own Independent Podcaster Survey 2025, the majority of podcaster respondents (47%) told us they produce their podcast for less than $50/month. 17% said they even manage to run their show for free. 

This low barrier keeps podcasting interesting and diverse, and means people can make content they want without worrying about whether it’s marketable in the mainstream.

But while entry is easy, staying in the game can be hard. If Sounds Profitable’s data is anything to go by, and 1 in 3 shows are dying off, why is it that so many podcasters quit?

Why Do Podcasters Quit? 

Of course, there are a whole load of different reasons why creators might give up podcasting. In our survey, we learned that the biggest challenges for podcasters were struggling to grow an audience, lack of time, financial difficulties and the inability to monetise their show.

A lot of this really comes down to creators’ expectations not always matching up with the reality of podcasting. Here’s how it happens.

1. Growth struggles

People see podcasters grow huge audiences and think, “I can do that”. But once they get going, they realise there’s no quick win with building a community around a podcast. In practice, success comes with having patience to play the long game. 

And the reality is, most independent shows don’t see huge numbers. In fact, you only need 27 downloads per episode to be in the top 50% of indie shows. If you get into podcasting with the expectation that you’ll get instant gratification and achieve fame overnight, you’re in the wrong game.

This is why passion and a genuine interest in your topic is so important to ensuring longevity. If creating great content isn’t your main drive, you’ll easily slip into that group of lapsed podcasters.

2. Lack of time/burnout

It’s not unusual for creators to underestimate how much time it takes to complete a whole end-to-end podcasting workflow. It isn’t just a matter of switching on the mic and waxing lyrical – good content takes time to plan, record, edit and distribute.

Many podcasters overcommit early on, thinking they can easily run a weekly podcast alongside a full-time job, family life, and other commitments. But making good content takes time, and your processes will be slower at first as you find your groove.

But make no mistake: If a podcast sounds easy and effortless to you, it’s because a lot of time and effort has gone into the production and planning.

Another insight we gained from the indie podcaster survey was that respondents get out what they put in when it comes to hours spent. As the graph below shows, those who achieve higher-than-average downloads put more than 10 hours’ work into producing a single episode:

Of course, spending more time on a podcast doesn’t automatically make it better. Tools like Alitu make it possible to produce high-quality weekly episodes without pouring endless hours into the process.

That said, you still need to be realistic about the time commitment. Overloading your production schedule early on is one of the fastest ways to burn out and abandon the show altogether.

3. Financial or monetisation difficulties

When you see headlines about 7-figure podcast deals and hosts selling out arena tours, there’s a clear message that podcasting is a lucrative business. But while it’s easy to set up a few early podcast monetisation streams, creators often quit when they realise it’s not an instant cash cow.

You can definitely make money with your show, but it’s important to be realistic about the kind of money you’ll make and how long it will take to reach your financial goals. Otherwise, you set yourself up for disappointment, and this can impact your motivation to create.

Sustainable Podcasting Is Achievable

Growing an audience, making money, and running a podcast that fits into your schedule in a sustainable way are all totally realistic podcasting goals. But they take planning and time, and if you’re realistic about this, your show will survive.

For many creators, the moment they stop treating their show like a get-rich/famous-quick project and start treating it like a craft, the entire experience changes. The pressure drops, the content improves, and the motivation becomes about creating instead of what you’ll get in return.

As obvious as this might sound, the key to sustaining your podcast is making it work you actually want to keep doing, and it’s up to you to make that happen.

And, of course, time-saving tools that automate production busywork make a real difference. Alitu handles EQ, volume levelling, and audio cleanup automatically, and can remove filler words and long pauses at a click.

That kind of automation can cut hours from a weekly production schedule. Hours that are much better spent improving your message and actually promoting the show.