🇮🇪 Éire Podcasting: All About the Irish Podcast Market, with Conor Reid
Eurowaves #15 Interview
Conor Reid is a podcaster, producer and writer, and the Head of Podcasts at HeadStuff & The Podcast Studios, where he has worked on hundreds of podcasts over the last seven years.
Since 2017 he has hosted and produced his own award-winning fiction podcast, Words To That Effect, and in 2024 he launched the audiodrama The Greatest Matter, a Victorian gothic crime tale.
You can connect with Conor on LinkedIn here.
Share with us a general view of the Irish podcasting landscape at the moment and where you think it's headed.
I think the Irish podcast landscape is very healthy right now in terms of creativity and originality. There are lots of exciting new shows coming out, and plenty of old reliables going strong. I think a lot of shows are upping their game, in terms of the quality of what they are doing, whether that’s with better audio quality and editing, the use of video, or spending more time on planning and marketing. This is partly to do with there being more sponsorship available in recent years for the bigger shows, and partly due to the need to stand out in a busy space.
Right now I think Irish podcasting is particularly strong on comedy, with plenty of true crime and sport too. Ireland is certainly following the international trend of seeing a huge rise in chat podcasts fronted by well-known personalities, with lots of video and an “always on” schedule. Audio-first shows, particularly the more highly produced, narrative storytelling series, tend to chart less frequently but there have been some really top-class podcasts in recent years, such as The Witness or The Real Carrie Jade.
Podcast live shows have really taken off in Ireland, with shows such as Young Hot Guys, The 2 Johnnies, My Therapist Ghosted Me, I’m Grand Mam, and others bringing in audiences of thousands and selling out large venues for multiple nights, which is great to see.
In terms of the future, it will be interesting to see what develops at RTÉ, the Irish state broadcaster. In the UK, the podcast landscape is hugely influenced by BBC, but nothing similar has ever really happened in Ireland. A Head of Podcasting role was just created last month at RTÉ, so I’ll be very intrigued to see what happens next there.
Ultimately, so many of the great Irish shows are indie productions, run on tiny budgets, and as someone who started out and continues to make my own indie shows, I’m always heartened to see the support for these podcasts. From incredibly long-running shows like An Irishman Abroad, The Irish History Podcast or Second Captains, to podcasts using the Irish language, like How To Gael, right through to great indie audiodramas like Petrified, Last Dance or This House Will Devour You.
What are some opportunities for Irish podcasters when it comes to connecting locally, as well as reaching out across Europe?
Honestly, the Irish podcast community is quite disconnected, with very few opportunities to meet other podcasters. Myself and a few colleagues were over at The Podcast Show in London a few weeks ago, and it was great, but it’s an international industry event. Closer to home, it was fantastic to see the Irish Podcast Awards get started in 2022—both as recognition for the medium and as a chance to meet other Irish podcasters—but it lasted only two years before being wound down (Editor’s Note: It looks like they might be back this year!).
At The Podcast Studios, we have run workshops, live shows, and events over the years, and it’s something we’re hoping to do more of, as a way for Irish podcasters and fans to meet and connect.
In terms of collaborating across Europe, online groups (like Eurosounds!) or communities on Reddit, Facebook, and elsewhere are usually the best bet. As an English-speaking country, we so often look first to the UK and the US in all aspects of media and culture, and can ignore what’s going on on our doorstep in France, Spain, Italy, or elsewhere. The Doc on One team at RTÉ have done some international collaborations (The Nobody Zone is a good example) with versions available in multiple languages, and I would hope to see more of that in the future.
At HeadStuff, how do you find working with branded content compares to non-branded projects?
I think ultimately branded shows should be as insightful, engaging, entertaining (or whatever you are aiming to be!) as non-branded shows. Nobody wants to listen to a 30-minute ad, so the best branded shows should take something that both the brand and their customer is interested in, and build out a great show from there.
In terms of how we work, the big difference is that with our HeadStuff network shows, we are looking to appeal to Irish and international audiences, with something that we can make sustainable over the long term. With branded shows, they will often be seasonal or limited-run, typically only for Irish audiences and in some cases quite niche (which can be very effective in many cases). Shows like this tend to work best when we work with the brand from the beginning to design the podcast to complement other marketing, events, or campaigns that are happening in the company.
What would you say are the top monetization strategies in the Irish market?
Having a show that is putting out regular (at least weekly), consistent content is key to building an audience of a size that will start attracting sponsors. Having other channels, such as a good-size social media following, will always help too, and building a community around a show by interacting regularly with fans. Having said that, a show doesn’t have to be huge to monetize either. Some of the shows we have on the network have slightly smaller audiences, but they are a very specific category of people (new parents, say, or tech enthusiasts). They can be very attractive to sponsors who can’t reach those audiences in other ways.
How did the idea of launching The Podcast Studios come about and what does it add for creators and listeners of your content that wasn’t part of HeadStuff before?
HeadStuff started in 2014, initially as an arts and culture website, and shortly afterwards as a podcast network. The Podcast Studios was launched in 2019 to start making podcasts beyond just the network shows. This has really grown since then, and we now have 10 people on staff, 5 studios, and we make hundreds of podcasts every year from hobbyists, small businesses, and celebrities, to work for international brands and government organisations. I love it, you never know what you are going to be making next!
Bonus: What’s one podcast you always recommend or love going back to? And one of your favorite podcasts you've worked on at HeadStuff?
My all-time favourite show, for its originality, beautifully weird humour, and amazing production values, has to be the Beef & Dairy Network Podcast
There are lots of great shows on the HeadStuff Podcasts right now but I’m a very big fan of The Lovely Show.