Digital PR agency gives five top reasons why podcasts should be a PR priority

PODCASTS. Where do we start?

It’s a massive market: there are around one million podcasts online, with over 30 million episodes covering every single topic you could ever imagine. There’s a home for everything from current affairs to crime, comedy and culture.

With more than seven million people in the UK listening to podcasts every week, a guest feature on a podcast provides a massive PR opportunity for clients that can often sail under the radar.

It’s one of many reasons Spotify acquired podcast giant Gimlet, and podcast apps and software companies Anchor and Soundtrap, for a massive $200+ million last year – podcasts are now an extremely valuable medium.

They’re the perfect place to tell your story directly to your target audiences, so yes, they should absolutely be a part of your PR campaign.

Here are our five top reasons why:

1. They’re the perfect storytelling medium

We love to tell a good story here, in fact it’s one of our favourite parts of the job. It’s one of the main reasons we’re such big fans of podcasts, they allow you to tell your story, your way, with all of the focus on you. Being more conversational in informal than traditional radio or TV interviews, they tend to show a really nice, authentic side to big brands and names that followers might not have seen before.

1. Podcasts are an easy way to reach niche audiences

Podcasts can be a great way to reach a specific target audience, especially for B2B clients. For instance, a client in the start-up space will want their story to reach a particular audience of potential investors, industry influencers, and other start-ups. A targeted podcast like The Cereal Entrepreneur by Startups Magazine UK, is a great place to reach all of those people.

Listeners make the choice to tune into a podcast because it’s an area or topic they’re interested in and willing to invest their time in, meaning they well could be your next customer, fan, or follower.

2. They engage your listeners

With interviews often being 10 to 60 minutes long, podcasts provide a lengthy opportunity to get right into the ears of your audiences. Listeners are captive audiences who spend that half an hour or hour listening to you and taking in your story, making you more memorable – unlike radio and TV interviews, which can be as short as ten or fifteen seconds.

3. Audiences are large (and loyal)

Many podcasts have a comparable or even greater reach than TV or radio segments. Take the pop culture phenomenon The High Low for example – since its launch in 2017 it’s taken a regular slot as iTunes No.1 for weekly pop culture and current affairs, with a staggering 1.2 million downloads every month (250,000+ listeners tune in every Wednesday).

4. Podcasts establish thought leaders

When audiences spend more time listening to you, they internalise and remember you and your message. Alongside blogs, comment pieces and videos, podcasts are an excellent springboard for you to expand your horizons as a thought leader.

5. The gift that keeps on giving

Unlike other forms of interview, which can often get lost in the weeks after broadcast, anyone can go back and listen to a podcast interview at any time. This means every single day will bring a new opportunity for you to reach a new listener.

Podcasts are so valuable because they’re easy to listen to, portable, and on-demand. They’re an ideal accompaniment to driving, cooking, and commuting, and a nice companion for your daily walk.

Many shows are actively looking for experts with an interesting opinion or story to tell – the majority rely on the interviewee to bring something different each episode, creating endless opportunities for you to tell your stories to the world.

In case you’re interested in what we tune into every week, I’ve rounded up a couple of Holyrood PR’s favourite podcasts below:

Kelly: Inside Politics, The Daily, Table Manners

Emma: Sh**ged Married Annoyed, The Michelle Obama Podcast 

Chris: TRAINED and PR Moment

Find out how an integrated public relations campaign can benefit your business

It’s never been more important for your business to have a clear and compelling footprint across print, digital and social. Simply give us a call on 0131 561 2244 or take a few seconds to fill in the contact form below and one of the team will get straight back to you: