--- title: WHAT TYPE OF GUEST BRINGS THE STRONGEST AUDIENCE NUMBERS? description: What type of guest returns the strongest audience figures? Here at Sport Social, we ran the numbers on our official football podcasts and found out. image: https://content.sport-social.co.uk/hubfs/ROGERS%20VILLA%20POD.png --- [![Sport Social Podcast Network](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/hubfs/SSPN_August2024%20Theme/SSPN-logo-white-2.svg "Sport Social Podcast Network")](https://sport-social.co.uk) [![Sport Social Podcast Network](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/hubfs/SSPN_August2024%20Theme/SSPN-logo-white-2.svg "Sport Social Podcast Network")](https://sport-social.co.uk) - [For Rights Holders](https://sport-social.co.uk/for-rights-holders/) - [For Podcasters](https://sport-social.co.uk/for-podcasters/) - [For Advertisers](https://sport-social.co.uk/for-advertisers/) - [News](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog) - [Academy](https://sport-social.co.uk/academy/) - [About](https://sport-social.co.uk/about/) - [Talk to us](https://sport-social.co.uk/talk-to-us/) [Listen Now](https://app.sport-social.co.uk) [Listen Now](https://app.sport-social.co.uk) ![WHAT TYPE OF GUEST BRINGS THE STRONGEST AUDIENCE NUMBERS?](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/hubfs/ROGERS%20VILLA%20POD.png) # WHAT TYPE OF GUEST BRINGS THE STRONGEST AUDIENCE NUMBERS? - Home - [Sport Social Podcast Network](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog) - WHAT TYPE OF GUEST BRINGS THE STRONGEST AUDIENCE NUMBERS? [Jim Salveson](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/author/jim-salveson) 09/24/2025 [0 Comments](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/what-type-of-guest-brings-the-strongest-audience-numbers#postComment) 2 Minutes When it comes to creating a successful football podcast, understanding which types of guests resonate with audiences is just as crucial as selecting the right hosts or format.   At Sport Social Podcast Network, we conducted an internal analysis of our suite of official football club podcasts to examine which guest profiles consistently drive higher engagement. The results reaffirm a core belief: **insight and access** are the defining strengths, and unique selling points, of official football podcasts.  ![ROGERS VILLA POD](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/ROGERS%20VILLA%20POD.png?width=1000&height=563&name=ROGERS%20VILLA%20POD.png) We categorised the guests featured across our official shows and calculated the average audience size for each category. The data revealed a clear trend: **current first-team players** and **club insiders**, such coaches, managers, and chairpersons, tend to attract significantly higher average listenership than other guest types.  This trend can be attributed to two main factors: ### **1. Access** No one offers more direct access to professional footballers and club personnel than the clubs themselves. Podcasting enables long-form storytelling; something rarely afforded in other media formats. It provides a platform where players and staff can share personal stories and insights in a more relaxed, authentic setting, making for compelling, humanised content that fans rarely get elsewhere.  ### 2. Insight While football dominates mainstream media, few platforms offer the level of depth and specificity that official club podcasts can. These shows are tailored to superfans, delivering exclusive perspectives on the inner workings of the club. From a chairman outlining strategic ambitions to a kitman recounting behind-the-scenes moments, this kind of content offers real value, and emotional connection, for listeners.  ![RH Guest Pie Chart v2](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/RH%20Guest%20Pie%20Chart%20v2.png?width=1080&height=1080&name=RH%20Guest%20Pie%20Chart%20v2.png) #### **Additional Findings**  Our data also highlights the value of featuring **celebrity fans**; individuals with a known affiliation to the club. These guests help broaden the show's reach, tapping into their own social followings and enhancing podcast discoverability through broader search interest and algorithmic recommendations.  Another notable trend emerged around guests from the so-called **"Barclaysman" era -** players from the late 90s - 00s Premier League period. This cohort resonates particularly well with our core podcast demographic (ages 25–55), many of whom developed their football loyalties during that era. These former players combine nostalgia with recognisability, making them powerful draws for audiences.  Categories that underperformed in our analysis included **club legends** and **women’s team content**. While episodes featuring legends still draw respectable numbers, many of these figures have previously shared their stories across various media platforms. As a result, their appearances can lack the freshness and exclusivity that drive peak engagement. To maximise impact, content creators should consider how to add a unique narrative angle or previously unheard perspective when featuring such guests.  **Women's football** content, meanwhile, continues to trail behind its male counterpart in terms of audience size, a reflection of broader media trends. However, clubs adopting a unified “one club” content strategy that integrates both men’s and women’s stories are playing a crucial role in growing the women’s game. This approach not only signals institutional commitment but also helps introduce new audiences to a rapidly evolving and compelling side of the sport.    --- #### Tag: #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/what-type-of-guest-brings-the-strongest-audience-numbers) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/what-type-of-guest-brings-the-strongest-audience-numbers&text=WHAT%20TYPE%20OF%20GUEST%20BRINGS%20THE%20STRONGEST%20AUDIENCE%20NUMBERS) - [Follow us on Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/what-type-of-guest-brings-the-strongest-audience-numbers) - [Follow us on Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/what-type-of-guest-brings-the-strongest-audience-numbers&text=WHAT%20TYPE%20OF%20GUEST%20BRINGS%20THE%20STRONGEST%20AUDIENCE%20NUMBERS?description=When%20it%20comes%20to%20creating%20a%20successful%20football%20podcast,%20understanding%20which%20types%20of%20guests%20resonate%20with%20audiences%20is%20just%20as%20crucial%20as%20selecting%20the%20right[...]&media=https://3803348.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3803348/ROGERS%20VILLA%20POD.png) --- #### [SPORT SOCIAL LAUNCHES TRADING CARDS INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN WITH TOPPS Previous Post](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/sport-social-launches-trading-cards-influencer-campaign-with-topps) #### [SPORT SOCIAL DOMINATE NOMINATIONS AT 2025 FOOTBALL CONTENT AWARDS Next Post](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/sport-social-dominate-nominations-at-2025-football-content-awards) ### Leave a Reply This is a search field with an autosuggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ### Category - [Industry News and Insights (31)](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/tag/industry-news-and-insights) - [Blogs (29)](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/tag/blogs) - [Opinion (13)](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/tag/opinion) - [Podcasting Advice (12)](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/tag/podcasting-advice) - [Award (6)](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/tag/award) ### Popular Posts [Marley Anderson](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/author/marley-anderson) 09/11/2025 [2026 SPORTING CALENDAR: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MAJOR SPORT EVENTS WORLDWIDE](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/2026-sporting-calendar-major-sports-events) [Marley Anderson](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/author/marley-anderson) 01/27/2025 [Blogs](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/tag/blogs) [2025 SPORTING CALENDAR: ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MAJOR SPORTS EVENTS AROUND THE GLOBE](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/2025-sporting-calendar-ultimate-guide-to-major-sports-events-around-the-globe) [Sport Social](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/author/sport-social) 08/20/2026 [football](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/tag/football), [Industry News and Insights](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/tag/industry-news-and-insights), [Blogs](https://content.sport-social.co.uk/blog/tag/blogs) [WHICH PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM SHOULD YOU SUPPORT? 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