A Dozen Ways Podcasts Are Like Donuts
Friday, June 6th is National Donut Day. So let's celebrate by comparing two popular treats - donuts and podcasts.
Happy National Donut Day!
It’s not a federal holiday here in the U.S., but it should be.
As the legend goes, National Donut Day has its origins in Chicago during the late 1930s. The Salvation Army started the tradition as a way to honor veterans of the First World War.
Now, years later, your podcast has much in common with that sprinkle-covered treat.
Let’s count the ways donuts and podcasts are alike:
Donuts and podcasts are both widely popular with consumers.
Donuts and podcasts both require production, sometimes at ungodly hours.
Donuts and podcasts both go well with your morning coffee.
Like donuts, podcasts come in many flavors.
Some podcasts are traditional and straightforward like plain cake donuts (e.g. The Headlines from The New York Times.)
Some podcasts ooze sugary goodness like jelly donuts (e.g. Giggly Squad.)
Some podcasts are tart inside like the lemon-filled donuts at Krispy Kreme (e.g. The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway.)
Some podcasts are bite-sized like Donut Holes, Munchkins and Timbits (e.g. WSJ Minute Briefing.)
Some podcasts are made fresh daily like glazed donuts at Krispy Kreme (e.g. the Toast.) Nothing better than seeing that HOT NOW sign in the window at my local shop.
Like donuts, podcasts can provide comfort. They’re a treat as you soothe your mind, body or soul (e.g. Date Yourself Instead.)
Donuts and podcasts both have The Big Three. The donut world has Dunkin, Krispy Kreme, and Tim Hortons. And podcasting has Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
And podcasts, like donuts, are international. (Hello my friends to the north at Bumper, Transistor and Quill…) Canadian Maple is one of my favorite donuts at Tim Hortons. I snapped this photo at a Timmies in Bangor, Maine.
Finally…
Donuts and podcasts have much in common, but donuts take the cake when it comes to revenue. Fortune Business Insights says donuts were a $11.2 billion global industry last year, dwarfing a recent estimate by Owl & Company that podcasts brought in $7.3 billion in 2024. And Allied Market Research says donuts could rise to almost $19 billion within the next eight years.
Now, that’s a lot of sprinkles!
MY RECOMMENDATION If you want to enjoy a tasty treat with your morning coffee, listen to Vox Media’s Gastropod podcast. The episode Raised and Glazed from October 10, 2023 is all about the history of donuts. Or is that doughnuts? And why is nut in the name?
John Wordock runs his own podcast and media consulting firm John Wordock Media. He served as Executive Editor and SVP for Podcasting at Westwood One from 2019 to 2024, helping build Cumulus Podcast Network into a top ten network and top channel on Apple. He also served as Executive Producer for Podcasts at The Wall Street Journal until 2019. He started podcasting back in 2006. Wanna talk? Email John@JohnWordockMedia.com.