Top 10
- 76% of top-ranked U.S. podcasts brought on at least one guest in 2022, in Pew Research Center's study of 434 shows from the Apple Podcasts and Spotify charts.
- In a random sample of 490 active podcasts, 267 (54.5%) had a guest in at least one of their latest 10 episodes.
- 22% of top-ranked podcasts featured guests regularly in 2022, and 5% had a guest in almost every episode (90% or more of episodes).
- A guest appeared in about one third of the roughly 24,000 episodes that top-ranked podcasts released in 2022.
- Of 4,839 recent episodes from the same 490 podcasts, 1,148 (23.7%) featured a guest.
- 78% of guests on top-ranked podcasts appeared just once in 2022.
- The 22% of guests who appeared on two or more episodes of top-ranked podcasts accounted for 49% of all guest appearances in 2022.
- The median podcast guest pitch acceptance rate is 5%, about 1 in 20 pitches, in Podchaser's 2026 survey of producers and booking agencies.
- Podcasts in guest format average about 6,500 estimated weekly listeners, against just over 5,000 for all podcasts, by Rephonic's estimates.
- Only 5 of the 490 sampled podcast feeds (1.0%) name guests with the Podcasting 2.0 podcast:person guest tag.
How many podcasts have guests
- 1
76% of top-ranked U.S. podcasts brought on at least one guest in 2022, in Pew Research Center's study of 434 shows from the Apple Podcasts and Spotify charts.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 2
22% of top-ranked podcasts featured guests regularly in 2022, and 5% had a guest in almost every episode (90% or more of episodes).
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 3
A guest appeared in about one third of the roughly 24,000 episodes that top-ranked podcasts released in 2022.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 4
In a random sample of 490 active podcasts, 267 (54.5%) had a guest in at least one of their latest 10 episodes.
Source: PodcastPlacer · latest 10 episodes as of 2026-09-24 · 490 shows · method
- 5
119 of those 490 podcasts (24.3%) had a guest in at least half of their latest 10 episodes, and 18 (3.7%) had one in every episode.
Source: PodcastPlacer · latest 10 episodes as of 2026-09-24 · 490 shows · method
- 6
Of 4,839 recent episodes from the same 490 podcasts, 1,148 (23.7%) featured a guest.
Source: PodcastPlacer · latest 10 episodes as of 2026-09-24 · 4,839 episodes · method
- 7
23% of top-ranked podcasts use an interview format, in which the host interviews a guest or group of guests every episode.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2023 [2]
- 8
Rephonic classifies 350,000 of the more than 2.5 million podcasts in its database as using a guest format.
Source: Rephonic, 2024 [3]
- 9
31% of independent podcasters with a launched show run an interview podcast, the same share as solo shows (31%), in Alitu's 2025 survey.
Source: Alitu, 2025 [4]
- 10
Among independent podcasters who had not launched yet, 53% planned a solo show and 28% an interview show.
Source: Alitu, 2025 [4]
- 11
65% of businesses in a Databox survey make interview-style podcasts, while 76% say their main goal is brand awareness or thought leadership.
Source: Sweetfish Media, 2025 [5]
- 12
112 of 116 U.S. political podcasts (96.5%) had guests between January 2021 and August 2023, in a study published in the journal Social Networks.
Source: Social Networks, 2025 [6]
- 13
116 U.S. political podcasts released 40,400 episodes between January 2021 and August 2023, and 20,841 of them had at least one guest, in a study published in the journal Social Networks.
Source: Social Networks, 2025 [6]
- 14
1,805 of the 163,466 podcasts in PodcastPlacer's database (1.1%) have "interview" or "conversation" in the show title.
Source: PodcastPlacer · snapshot of 2026-08-16 · 163,466 shows · method
Which kinds of podcasts have guests
- 15
86% of top-ranked self-help podcasts, 85% of entertainment podcasts and 78% of politics podcasts had a guest at least once in 2022; every top sports podcast did.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 16
56% of top-ranked true crime podcasts had a guest in at least one 2022 episode, the lowest share of any major genre.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 17
48% of top-ranked entertainment podcasts had guests regularly (in 50% to 89% of episodes), as did 33% of sports and 32% of self-help podcasts; for true crime the figure was 4%.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 18
16% of top-ranked politics and government podcasts had a guest in nearly every episode in 2022; no other category passed 10%.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 19
89% of news-focused top-ranked podcasts hosted at least one guest in 2022, a higher share than podcasts that do not focus on news.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 20
Top-ranked politics and government podcasts split almost evenly between interview (33%), deep reporting (28%) and commentary (28%) formats.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2023 [2]
- 21
78% of top-ranked interview podcasts have a single host, compared with 35% of commentary podcasts.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2023 [2]
Who the guests are and how often they come back
- 22
More than 7,000 people made almost 11,000 guest appearances on top-ranked U.S. podcasts in 2022.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 23
78% of guests on top-ranked podcasts appeared just once in 2022.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 24
The 22% of guests who appeared on two or more episodes of top-ranked podcasts accounted for 49% of all guest appearances in 2022.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 25
12% of guests appeared on more than one top-ranked podcast in 2022.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 26
Eighteen people made 20 or more guest appearances on top-ranked podcasts in 2022.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 27
44% of the people who appeared frequently on top-ranked podcasts in 2022 went on The Joe Rogan Experience that year.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 28
52% of top-ranked podcasts (225 shows) shared at least one guest with another top-ranked podcast in 2022.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 29
49% of top-ranked podcasts had at least one repeat guest in 2022, and 23% had more than five.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 30
On a typical podcast that regularly had guests, repeat guests made up 7% of guest appearances; on shows that almost always had guests, 10%.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
- 31
Of 10,644 guests identified on U.S. political podcasts from 2021 to 2023, 3,231 were women and 6,815 were men.
Source: Social Networks, 2025 [6]
- 32
62.3% of guests on 116 U.S. political podcasts from 2021 to 2023 appeared only once, and the median guest made one appearance, in a study published in the journal Social Networks.
Source: Social Networks, 2025 [6]
- 33
Only 5 of the 490 sampled podcast feeds (1.0%) name guests with the Podcasting 2.0 podcast:person guest tag.
Source: PodcastPlacer · RSS feeds read 2026-09-24 · 490 feeds · method
Do podcasts with guests get more listeners
- 34
Podcasts in guest format average about 6,500 estimated weekly listeners, against just over 5,000 for all podcasts, by Rephonic's estimates.
Source: Rephonic, 2024 [3]
- 35
Guest-format podcasts average 44-minute episodes, 8 minutes longer than the average across all podcasts.
Source: Rephonic, 2024 [3]
- 36
The average social media reach of guest-format podcasts is 10% higher than that of podcasts in general.
Source: Rephonic, 2024 [3]
- 37
43% of independent podcasts that publish full video episodes are interview shows, compared with 25% of audio-only shows.
Source: Alitu, 2025 [4]
- 38
47% of independent podcasters who spend $100 or more a month on their show run interview shows.
Source: Alitu, 2025 [4]
- 39
29% of independent podcasters whose show makes money run an interview podcast.
Source: Alitu, 2025 [4]
- 40
PodMatch counts 10% of independent podcasters as actively established, meaning interview-show hosts with more than 100 episodes released.
Source: PodMatch [7]
- 41
PodMatch finds that independent interview podcasters take 2 years and 100 episodes on average before they see results.
Source: PodMatch [7]
How hard is it to get booked as a guest
- 42
The median podcast guest pitch acceptance rate is 5%, about 1 in 20 pitches, in Podchaser's 2026 survey of producers and booking agencies.
Source: Podchaser, 2026 [8]
- 43
The average podcast guest pitch acceptance rate is 10.6%, in Podchaser's 2026 survey of producers and booking agencies.
Source: Podchaser, 2026 [8]
- 44
The median response rate to a podcast guest pitch is 17.5%, with an average of 28%.
Source: Podchaser, 2026 [8]
- 45
Guest pitch acceptance rates reported by producers range from under 1% to 40%.
Source: Podchaser, 2026 [8]
- 46
68% of podcast producers name AI-generated template pitches as the top reason for an immediate no.
Source: Podchaser, 2026 [8]
- 47
7% of active independent podcasters name finding guests as one of their biggest challenges, against 72% who name growing an audience.
Source: Alitu, 2025 [4]
- 48
2% of independent podcasters with a launched show have a guest booker or talent coordinator working on their show.
Source: Alitu, 2025 [4]
- 49
PodcastPlacer's show database holds 163,466 active podcasts with a contact address; 118,813 of them (72.7%) published an episode in the 30 days to August 16, 2026.
Source: PodcastPlacer · snapshot of 2026-08-16 · 163,466 shows · method
How many people listen to podcasts
- 50
58% of Americans age 12 and older (about 167 million people) consumed a podcast in the last month in 2026.
Source: Edison Research, 2026 [9]
- 51
45% of Americans age 12 and older (about 130 million) consumed a podcast in the last week in 2026.
Source: Edison Research, 2026 [9]
- 52
80% of Americans age 12 and older have ever listened to or watched a podcast.
Source: Edison Research, 2026 [9]
- 53
57% of Americans age 12 and older have both listened to and watched a podcast.
Source: Edison Research, 2026 [9]
- 54
49% of U.S. adults have listened to a podcast in the past year, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
Source: Pew Research Center, 2024 [1]
Frequently asked questions
How many podcasts have guests?
Most do at least sometimes. Pew Research Center found that 76% of top-ranked U.S. podcasts brought on at least one guest in 2022, but only 22% featured guests regularly and 5% had a guest in almost every episode. In our sample of 490 active podcasts, 54.5% had a guest in at least one of their latest 10 episodes.
What share of podcast episodes have a guest?
About a third of the roughly 24,000 episodes top-ranked podcasts released in 2022 had a guest, according to Pew. Across 4,839 recent episodes from our sample of active podcasts, 23.7% featured a guest by our keyword rule, which undercounts.
Which podcast genres have the most guests?
In Pew's 2022 data every top sports podcast had at least one guest, as did 86% of self-help, 85% of entertainment and 78% of politics podcasts. True crime had the fewest: 56% had any guest and 4% had guests regularly.
Do podcasts with guests get more listeners?
Rephonic estimates that podcasts in guest format average about 6,500 weekly listeners, against just over 5,000 for all podcasts, and that their episodes run 44 minutes, 8 minutes longer than average. These are Rephonic's estimates, not measured downloads.
How often do podcasts accept guest pitches?
Podchaser's 2026 survey of producers and booking agencies puts the median acceptance rate at 5%, about 1 in 20 pitches, and the median response rate at 17.5%. 68% of producers named AI-generated template pitches as the top reason for an immediate no.
How often do podcast guests appear more than once?
Most appear once. 78% of guests on top-ranked podcasts in 2022 appeared just once, but the 22% who came back accounted for 49% of all guest appearances, according to Pew.
Sources
- [1]Pew Research Center. 2024.↑1 ↑2 ↑3 ↑15 ↑16 ↑17 ↑18 ↑19 ↑22 ↑23 ↑24 ↑25 ↑26 ↑27 ↑28 ↑29 ↑30 ↑54
- [2]Pew Research Center. 2023.↑7 ↑20 ↑21
- [3]Rephonic. 2024.↑8 ↑34 ↑35 ↑36
- [4]Alitu. 2025.↑9 ↑10 ↑37 ↑38 ↑39 ↑47 ↑48
- [5]Sweetfish Media. 2025.↑11
- [6]Social Networks. “Podcasts in the periphery: Tracing guest trajectories in political podcasts”. 2025.↑12 ↑13 ↑31 ↑32
- [7]PodMatch.↑40 ↑41
- [8]Podchaser. 2026.↑42 ↑43 ↑44 ↑45 ↑46
- [9]Edison Research. 2026.↑50 ↑51 ↑52 ↑53
Method
We searched Google for podcast guest statistics, podcast guesting statistics and how many podcasts have guests, read about 30 pages that ranked, and counted how many of them repeat each number. Each outside number was traced to the organisation that produced it and checked against that page on September 24, 2026. Pew Research Center's 2024 study of 434 top-ranked podcasts is the largest source; Pew identified guests from episode descriptions with a GPT-3.5 model. Rephonic's listener numbers are its own estimates, not measured downloads. The Podchaser and Alitu figures come from surveys of producers and podcasters. We searched OpenAlex for journal papers on podcast guests and found one with guest counts (Social Networks, 2025, on U.S. political podcasts); the others were small surveys of guests without counts we could use. The Databox figure is quoted from Sweetfish Media because the survey page does not show the numbers without a script. PodcastPlacer's own numbers come from the show database it searches when it picks podcasts to pitch and from a random sample of 490 of those shows' RSS feeds; the guest rule is a keyword match and undercounts, as described next to each number.
PodcastPlacer numbers new on this page:
- PodcastPlacer's show database holds 163,466 active podcasts with a contact address; 118,813 of them (72.7%) published an episode in the 30 days to August 16, 2026. Count of the podcastindex_podcasts collection PodcastPlacer searches when it picks shows to pitch (built from the Podcast Index); 30-day count uses each show's newest episode date.
- In a random sample of 490 active podcasts, 267 (54.5%) had a guest in at least one of their latest 10 episodes. Random sample of 500 shows from PodcastPlacer's database with an episode between 2026-05-18 and 2026-08-16; RSS feeds read on 2026-09-24; 490 feeds returned 5 or more episodes. An episode counts as a guest episode when its title or description contains a phrase hosts use to introduce a guest ("my guest", "joins us", "sits down with", "interview with", "ft.", "talks with <Name>" and similar). A hand check of 40 random episodes found the rule missed more guest episodes than it wrongly counted, so these shares are low estimates.
- 119 of those 490 podcasts (24.3%) had a guest in at least half of their latest 10 episodes, and 18 (3.7%) had one in every episode. Random sample of 500 shows from PodcastPlacer's database with an episode between 2026-05-18 and 2026-08-16; RSS feeds read on 2026-09-24; 490 feeds returned 5 or more episodes. An episode counts as a guest episode when its title or description contains a phrase hosts use to introduce a guest ("my guest", "joins us", "sits down with", "interview with", "ft.", "talks with <Name>" and similar). A hand check of 40 random episodes found the rule missed more guest episodes than it wrongly counted, so these shares are low estimates.
- Of 4,839 recent episodes from the same 490 podcasts, 1,148 (23.7%) featured a guest. Random sample of 500 shows from PodcastPlacer's database with an episode between 2026-05-18 and 2026-08-16; RSS feeds read on 2026-09-24; 490 feeds returned 5 or more episodes. An episode counts as a guest episode when its title or description contains a phrase hosts use to introduce a guest ("my guest", "joins us", "sits down with", "interview with", "ft.", "talks with <Name>" and similar). A hand check of 40 random episodes found the rule missed more guest episodes than it wrongly counted, so these shares are low estimates.
- Only 5 of the 490 sampled podcast feeds (1.0%) name guests with the Podcasting 2.0 podcast:person guest tag. Same sample; a feed counts when it contains a <podcast:person> element with role="guest".
- 1,805 of the 163,466 podcasts in PodcastPlacer's database (1.1%) have "interview" or "conversation" in the show title. Case-insensitive whole-word match on interview(s), conversation(s) or "in conversation" in the show title.
All 54 statistics as a CSV: podcast-guest-statistics.csv.
Cite this page
PodcastPlacer, “Podcast Guest 2026 Statistics (Updated September)”, updated September 2026, https://podcastplacer.com/research/podcast-guest-statistics
To cite one number, link its anchor: each statistic has one, for example https://podcastplacer.com/research/podcast-guest-statistics#stat-1.