If one were to start a podcast today, what subject matter should they choose to increase their chance of success? Certainly, with over 400,000 podcast titles in existence and 1,000 more being added weekly, the world isn’t craving another comedy or sports podcast. Or is it?

It is hard to determine whether we are in the first inning of podcasting, or at “peak” audio with a cornucopia of choice including AM/FM radio, satellite, owned music, streaming, and of course podcasts. The impediments of discovery and limits of personal time are the enemies of so much choice.

The impediments of discovery and limits of personal time are the enemies of so much choice.

We know from history, a myriad of factors lead to success in content - execution and timing top the list. We also know that certain content genres tend to perform better than others. Just look at TV and its ability to constantly reinvent medical drama shows over the years from Marcus Welby, M.D. to Grey's Anatomy. Some story areas are durable and rich.

When we approached the idea of delving in and examining podcast content by genre, we had no ideology other than being pretty sure no one ever needs another podcast about podcasts – rather we simply wanted to see what is currently “printing” in podcasting as a matter of interest and general direction.

We confined ourselves to Apple’s 16 major podcast categories as delineated in iTunes. Some are pretty logical and clear, while others are a bit of a hodge-podge. None-the-less, it is a good place to start.

We took a look at the Top 200 podcast chart from iTunes on a random day in October to see what categories dominate and in what proportion.

We took a look at the Top 200 podcast chart from iTunes on a random day in October to see what categories dominate and in what proportion.