💡How New Podcast Markets Get Noticed, with Acast's Joanna Aveillan
Eurowaves #30 Interview
In her role as International Director of Content and Partnerships for Acast’s International Creator Network team, Joanna Aveillan is focused on bringing Acast’s Creator Network offerings to the best podcast talent around the world, focusing strategically on Acast’s key new markets. In her role, she works alongside Acast’s wider international team to develop content strategies to meet the demand that the advertising team are seeing and investigate new market trends in order to grow a successful international network of shows.
You can connect with Joanna on LinkedIn here.
What’s your podcasting origin story?
This is going to be quite a classic story! Like a lot of other people, I first got into podcasts through Serial and it quickly became a passion! I’ve always loved stories whether through books, movies or TV shows. Podcasts allowed me to get these stories while on the go so it was a dream. Some of the first podcasts I started listening to were Tranfert, Pop Culture Happy Hour and the High Low (I still wish it would come back!).
I had started my career in the music industry (licensing, supervision of film & TV music), working in various countries: the US, France and The Netherlands. When I decided to move to Stockholm, in 2019, I interviewed with Acast when they were looking for someone with international experience in the audio space to help them launch their activity in new markets. I’ve been with the company for 6 years now, in different jobs and have loved seeing the industry and Acast grow at the same time!
At Acast, you’ve been responsible for launching in entirely new markets. When you enter a new country, what are the three key elements you look for to decide if a market is ready?
There are many factors that come into play when launching a new market but I think the most important ones are the following:
Diversity in content: One sign of a developed market is seeing podcasts in many different genres hosted by diverse hosts. This is essential to capturing vast audiences and sustaining a thriving local industry.
Dynamic advertising industry: At Acast, we connect advertisers to podcasters and audiences so it’s essential that any market we get involved in has a solid demand for audio advertising. We work with them extensively to show the value of podcast audiences but it’s always great if they are already involved in the medium.
Audience engagement: We usually look at survey data around the percentage of the population who is familiar with podcasts and who regularly listen to them. The more listeners, the better!
We’ve been seeing more European network collaborations. What do you think is the biggest challenge European creators face when trying to migrate their content to other markets, and how can they overcome it?
I think this is one of the hardest things to get right in podcasting because I believe there’s a lot to be said about knowing your audience well which is much easier to do if it’s your own market. Many people have tried and failed to do it successfully, but I believe great stories can and should travel from one country to another, just as books do. I would probably advise starting with a scripted show, finding a very good translator, having locals listen to the content and then becoming well-acquainted with local platforms, newsletters etc. to get the word out there when you launch the show. Also, I always advise podcasters to get help from their audiences as we know listeners tend to feel close to podcast hosts. If all your listeners tell one friend about the show, that brings in many new listeners. I think networks organizing themselves across countries is a great way to bypass a lot of the challenges!
What’s your 2026 podcast prediction for the European market?
I expect European podcasting to increasingly carve out its own space within the broader creator economy as a form of influence narrative, offering content that is deeper and more story-driven than short-form social media. Audiences are choosing when and how they listen or watch, and while video can enhance discovery and engagement, audio remains central and true to what makes podcasting unique. This shift means creators with strong voices and compelling stories will have the greatest impact, with resonance valued more than sheer reach.
Share with us 2-3 recommendations of European podcasts you’ve been loving!
Keeping it to 2 or 3 is an impossible task so apologies in advance for not respecting the brief! I listen to podcasts in French and English mostly so here are some in both languages.
AMIES: This podcast was originally done by two friends who would show each other a film or a TV show they didn’t know. The format has recently evolved but it’s one of my favourite shows as I love listening to both of their opinions and finding out about new films and TV shows.
Table Manners: It’s been going on for years and I still love it. I love the format of it, the banter between the hosts and the food talk!
Sentimental Garbage: I love the way this show takes elements of culture that aren’t usually necessarily regarded as the most high brow but dissects it to a point where it feels so much smarter and well thought out than you originally thought.
Last but not least, I’ll say anything produced by Arte Radio is amazing and I’ll listen to anything they put out!
Thank you, Joanna!