I have a podcast. You have a podcast. Snoop Dogg has a podcast. Carole Baskin has a podcast. I’d say “everyone and their mama” has a podcast, but it’s more like everyone, and their mama, and their third cousin, and their hairdresser, and my first-grade teacher, and the mailman.

There’s some exaggeration there, but podcasting has seriously been climbing the popularity ranks during the past decade and even more rapidly in the past couple of years. In 2006, 22% of adults in America knew the definition of a podcast. Today, 3 out of 4 adults know of, or actively listen to a podcast. The number of podcast listeners from 2019 to 2023 is expected to grow by 72 million. Yes, 72 million new people will pick up a podcast within the next few years.

Podcasting has glowed up, is still evolving, and has truly been a savior for some companies.

Here’s the tea: In 2018, iHeartRadio filed for bankruptcy. They went back to the drawing board, had a few discussions, and poured a lot of their time, energy, and money into investing in digital media, especially podcasting. The year following their bankruptcy claim, they earned 3.68 billion dollars thanks to focusing on podcasting.

Talk about a 21st-century superhero.

Why Does Everyone Have a Podcast?

Besides the obvious, “people like podcasts,” there are a number of other reasons people create them. Podcasting has been especially popular with digital marketers, as they implement podcast digital marketing strategies to create new areas for businesses to thrive.

What Does a Podcast Do for a Brand or Business?

A podcast can help to solidify your brand voice. With branding, everything serves its purpose, from the way things are marketed on social media, to the colors of a logo, fonts, and web layout. All of these things contribute to a cohesive picture of a brand.

In the same vein, a podcast contributes to the overall voice of a brand the way blog posts have for so long. Podcasts give potential followers a better understanding of a brand’s personality, what they are like to work with, and their level of knowledge.

Asserting Brand Authority. Speaking of knowledge, podcasts give business owners the golden opportunity to create authority for their brand. By giving their listeners something useful that can’t be found elsewhere, brands can assert themselves as leaders in their area of expertise.

The Podcast Secrets You’ll Want to Know.

• It’s about consistency. Like radio shows or television programs, knowing that listeners can come back at a specific time every week helps build some reputability for your brand.

• Sharing is caring. Throughout your podcast, don’t shy away from sharing the methods and products that work for you. Let your listeners in on a little bit of that insider knowledge you have. Encourage guests of your podcasts to do the same. Think about what you can share with your audience that can’t be easily found elsewhere. Share laughter. Share insight. Share value.

• Podcast bonds are friendships. Think of your podcast listeners as your friends. You want to create bonds through your podcast that make your friends want to come back, hang out, and have a good conversation with you.

• Small business owners need a podcast. Podcasts are an excellent way for small brands to gain exposure. Through a podcast, small business owners can expand their network via organic listenership as well as through partnerships with other small brands.

• The marketing world thrives off podcasts. Podcasts contribute to the marketing world often. Not only do they give brands a great platform to establish authority and share info, but they’re a great way to make connections and cross-promote content.

• Shownotes up your podcast SEO value. We all know search engines love that SEO value, and having a podcast gives you a whole new opportunity to add more written content that gives you a leg up. Do your keyword research, and tap into some of those topics for your podcast. Not only are you creating valuable content, but you’re also boosting your ranks and growing your viewership.

• Podcasts are one of the most efficient ways to create a whole lot of content. Podcasts are audio files that you can transcribe into a blog post. You can video your podcast and upload it to Youtube. You can grab golden quotes from that video content and upload it to Insta Reels or even TikTok. You can turn conversations from your podcast into infographics. If a podcast does anything, it congregates a lot of information that can be utilized the hell out of.

• Your favorite podcasts have a strong “why” value. Information is a massive driver of podcasts. 74% of podcast listeners shared that they listen to podcasts to learn new things. But closely following that at 71% is entertainment. This is why sharing information with a purpose is the key to a successful podcast. Having a drive beyond being informative makes a podcast entertaining and allows people to create long-term bonds.

• Anyone can start with a weekly podcast. Podcasting is one of the most easily accessible media forms. Not everyone can write. Not everyone likes to be on video. But people want to talk. And people especially like to tell stories. It doesn’t take much courage or technical knowledge to get a podcast started, making it one of the easiest forms of media to add to your content marketing plan. Start with a weekly podcast. From there, you can find your format and tailor the show to the frequency of episodes you find fitting.

• Communities are built on the backs of podcasts. Since podcasts’ popularity has gone through the roof in recent years, it’s only natural that communities would be formed around them. Whether it’s through Patreon, Discord, or Facebook Groups, podcast hosts and fans attempt to engage with one another. This interaction is a golden road to promoting your podcast and creating a sense of community, encouraging further conversations about the things you’re already discussing. Not only does it give you the chance to make connections but understand further what your listeners want to hear.

Some of Our Favorite Podcasts

TED Radio Hour (@ted)

TED Talks are Youtube famous. There is so much good insight from those who grace the TED stage. The TED Radio Hour takes this a step further, each episode expanding on topics thoroughly through the lens of several professionals per episode. The TED Radio Hour is hosted by NPR, the world’s leader in podcasting.

TED Radio Hour is great example of a podcast with varying subject matter tied together by format.

True Crime Obsessed (@truecrimeobsessedpodcast)

True Crime Obsessed, with hosts Gillian Pensavalle and Patrick Hinds, is pure entertainment mixed with some of the most thorough, heartfelt information you can find about one of the most popular podcast genres: true crime.

TCO is an excellent example of a podcast that has created a community, provided entertainment, and made itself prominent in a genre flooded with content. They have done this through one of the key ingredients to a successful podcast: personality.

H3 Podcast (@h3h3productions)

The H3 Podcast has had one of the most successful runs for podcasts from Youtubers Ethan and Hila Kline. The H3 Podcast covers several topics, brings in many guests, and entertains a live audience nearly every week. After building a large following on Youtube, H3H3 decided to switch their focus on just the H3 Podcast for a couple of years. Now H3H3 has several different podcasts, including H3 After Dark, Frenemies, Content Court, and a popular H3 Podcast Highlights channel.

The H3 Podcast also often uses Hila Kline’s streetwear brand, Teddy Fresh, to sponsor the show, creating a smart marketing strategy that brings people to interact with every part of their business.

The H3 Podcast is a great example of a podcast with diversified content and a very involved community that supports the show, regardless of the subject matter. It is also a perfect example of a show that has branched out into different shows under the same parent company.

Social Media Marketing School (@themarketingethan)

Ethan Bridge, Instagram marketing coach, hosts one of our favorite podcasts about social media marketing. Not only is Ethan an Instagram expert, but he’s also great at explaining some complex ideas in super simple ways.

This is an excellent example of a podcast with consistent subject matter, one host, and a plethora of information, all under the same umbrella.

Ask Yourself These 6 Questions Before Starting Your Podcast

1. What information am I providing?
2. Is my current audience open to connection?
3. What would interest my ideal listener?
4. What other podcasts already exist in your area of expertise?
5. How can you stand out while playing in the same field?
6. Who are some people you can connect with on your show?

How Gravity Junction Can Help

Gravity Junction helps brands across the nation create the best marketing plan for their businesses. This includes everything from web development to content creation. Not only is Gravity Junction a leader in marketing, we take one of the most human approaches to digital marketing. Part of this human approach is finding and utilizing the best outlets for our brands. To set up a call to see how we can help boost your brand, contact us today.