Written by: Hebah Fisher, CEO

If you remember the heyday of blogging where everyone and their mothers created (still create) a blog, the same is happening for podcasts. There are over 4 million podcasts in existence (Source: Podnews). That’s a lot of podcasts. That’s why, in this sea of shows, we’re here to tell you that, while podcasting is cool, it should not be for every brand. 

If your brand wants to own a certain topic or thought leadership domain, then it makes sense to create a dedicated show. 

However, if that same themed content already exists, then it actually makes more sense for your brand to sponsor an existing podcast. Because, it’s one thing to create the show. That’s the easy part. It’s another thing to get audiences to tune in and actually listen. And there are far too many shows that generate less than 50 downloads per episode, at best. 

Whereas if an audience already exists with another podcast, consider sponsoring a season and integrating your messaging within that show. Brand integration can be a :30s ad placement, a longer form 3-5 minute ad slot, or an entire dedicated episode (or episodes). Creatively, the podcast should curate the listening experience such that you can easily achieve your content marketing objectives and still feel natural to the listener. This will generate far more return on your investment because you don’t have to work so hard to build an audience from scratch, like you would have to if you created your own show. 

Now, if it makes more sense for your brand to create its own show, then make sure you’re putting as much effort (and cash investment) into marketing the show, too. This includes paying for cross-promo ads on other similar shows, influencer-led marketing, a social media budget, alongside your organic promotion efforts. Brands who only focus on the content creation and not the marketing piece are unfortunately only doing half the job. 

Next time your marketing team is thinking about podcasts, ask yourself: do we actually need to create this ourselves? Or can we partner with an existing network, leverage their existing audience, and maximise our impact?