The Best Podcasts To Learn About AI

Since the launch of Chat GPT in November 2022, it feels like AI is everywhere. More and more of what we read online is computer-generated and it's getting harder and harder to know if what we're reading was written by a human (we promise this blog actually was!) 

Much like AI is all over the news, podcasters are also jumping into the debate. We’ve listed the podcasts that are at the forefront of the machine-learning conversation, using new formats to dive into the ethical, philosophical and business questions around the recent artificial intelligence boom. 

The Podcasters Exploring the Future of AI

Playing with reality 

We work with digital transformation experts, Sogeti, to create their podcast, Playing with Reality. From travelling back in time to exploring the depths of the Metaverse to its latest season exploring the thrilling field of artificial intelligence, Playing With Reality takes a look at technology as it happens and challenges its boundaries. 

Hosted by Menno Van Doorn, Research Director at Sogeti, as he takes a deep dive into technology with experts from the industry. This season, Menno is asking the biggest questions about AI, including discovering what effect it will have on the creative sectors, and whether there could ever be a general AI that transcends the boundaries of human intelligence.

Hard Fork 

A technology podcast from The New York Times, on Hard Fork, Hosts Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore stories from the bleeding edge of tech. What’s real? What’s hype? Hard Fork is here to help you make sense of it. 

In their most recent episode, they're exploring how a conversation with Bing AI (aka Sydney) turns romantic and bizarre. The two embark on a journey to discover why Microsoft’s AI search tool appears more powerful — and unsettling — than we thought.

Data Skeptic 

Data Skeptic is your source for a perspective of scientific skepticism on topics in statistics, machine learning, big data, artificial intelligence, and data science. Their weekly podcast and blog bring stories and tutorials to help you better understand our data-driven world.

In their episode, Ad- Tech: Debiasing GPT-3 Job Ads, we hear about the impeccable achievements of GPT-3 models, but with such accomplishments such large generative models come with their bias as well. On the show, Conrad Borchers, a Ph.D. student in Human-Computer Interaction, discusses the bias in GPT-3 for job ads and how such large models can be de-biased. 

Eye on AI 

Eye on AI tracks new development in artificial intelligence research, hosted by longtime New York Times journalist Craig S. Smith. In each episode, Craig discusses aspects of AI with some of the people making a difference in the space, putting incremental advances into a broader context. This podcast knows that AI is going to change the world, and they are paying attention.

In the most recent episode Yann LeCun talks about what’s missing in large language models and about how new joint embedding predictive architecture may be a step toward filling that gap. 

Talking to Machines: LISP and the Origins… 

Creating a machine that thinks may have seemed like science fiction in the 1950s. But John McCarthy decided to make it a reality. And he started with a language he called LISP. Colin Garvey describes how McCarthy created his first language for AI. Sam Williams covers how early interest in thinking machines spread from academia to the business world, and how- after certain projects didn’t deliver on their promises- a long AI winter eventually set in.

Ulrich Drepper explains that the dreams of AI went beyond what the hardware could deliver at the time. This podcast episode covers much more, as well, including discussion of the processing power to handle the resource requirements of AI, and the language of AI beyond LISP- evidence of the different kinds of tasks AI is now being prepared to do. 

The Times Radio: Stories of our Time 

One remarkable story, told in depth, each day. Their daily news podcast takes you to the heart of the stories that matter, with exclusive access and reporting. Published for the start of your day and hosted by Manveen Rana and David Aronovitch. The episode “Artificial intelligence: Bright new future or the end of humanity?” aired on February 22, 2023.

The episode explores what experts are now describing as a golden age of AI. If machines could be our surgeons, our judges, our artists, what would it then mean to be human? This episode talks with philosophers trying to save humanity from the matrix.

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Are you looking to make waves in your industry? Find out how branded podcasts can help you reach your business goals.

The Best Pop Culture Podcasts

While there’s definitely no shortage of pop culture podcasts in the world, not all of them are created equal. From book reviews to analysis of mental health moments in film and tv, here’s a rundown of some of our personal favourite pop culture podcasts.

The Best Pop Culture Podcasts

Celebrity Memoir Book Club

Celebrity Memoir Book Club has hosts Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton reviewing memoirs and books written by celebrities. The pair read excerpts from each book, with recent reads including Jeanette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died and Matthew Perry’s anticipated Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. Episodes are released every Tuesday and are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Pop Culture Universitea

Pop Culture Universitea is the brainchild of a TikTok star @PattyPopCulture and is a continuation of his TikTok series of the same name. The podcast currently has a whopping 111 episodes so far, with releases every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Recent episodes have focused on Taylor Swift’s Midnights album release coinciding with Kanye West’s worst week and toxic and questionable age gaps in celebrity relationships.

Pop Culture Therapists

Pop Culture Therapists examines mental health moments and representation in film and television. The hosts of this podcast are actual mental health professionals, only adding to the credibility and allure of this show. The show has episodes from June 2018 to March 2020, but it is unclear whether or not it will return. Episodes have focused on A24’s 2018 horror film Midsommar, and Channel 4’s The End of the F****** World.

Twenty Twenty: A Pop Culture Podcast

Our very own Twenty Twenty podcast expertly combines storytelling and commentary, revisiting major pop culture moments from the early 2000s. The podcast has ten episodes, with subjects including Destiny’s Child, High Fidelity and Gilmore Girls. The podcast description says the show “explores these moments with the added benefit of twenty years’ hindsight”. Listen to it here.

Pop Culture Junkie

Pop Culture Junkie releases episodes on a weekly basis. Hosts Hayley, Nicole, Montae, and Shauna debrief what’s coming up in music, cinema, and television. Recent releases have been deep dives into the careers of Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, and Samuel L Jackson.

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The Rewatchables

The Rewatchables comes from the team at Ringer, with each instalment focusing on a new film. Each episode provides commentary on the film of the week, behind the scenes info, fun facts, and general film trivia. Recent episodes have included Pitch Perfect, 90s nostalgia-filled Singles, and war epic Saving Private Ryan. Commentary guests have included praised filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Aaron Sorkin.

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

This podcast featuring employees at NPR are formatted as roundtable discussions of recent movies and TV shows that help listeners catch up–and get recommendations–for the newest in must-watch media. The episodes are 30 minutes long, keeping them bite-sized enough if you don’t want to miss out but are short on time!

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Night Call

Pop culture writers Molly Lambert, Tess Lynch and Emily Yoshida discuss the interests currently dominating the internet, including weird celebrity conspiracy theories and inexplicable Internet rabbit holes. The show also covers TV, movies, music, Instagram trends, and whatever else is brought up in their weekly "night call" from real listeners.

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Looking for more podcast recommendations? Check out our shows!

Podcasts That Were Turned Into TV Shows

With streaming services requiring a never-ending stream of content, it’s no surprise that giants Netflix and Disney Plus are increasingly turning to podcasts for new show ideas. But why are so many podcasts being turned into TV shows? And which podcasts have already been adapted for the silver screen?

Why are so many podcasts being turned into TV shows?

Like books, podcasts provide TV executives with great storylines many of which have been largely ignored by the popular press. But as well as providing plotlines, podcasts also come with another set of benefits. Many have their own fanbase who are likely to follow the concept from one medium to another. Chief Content Officer at Wondery, Marshall Lewy, also notes that podcasts also provide a ‘proof of concept’ for television, proving the concept will work over a series of episodes.

Podcasts that have been turned into TV shows

Joe vs Carole/ Tiger King 

We all remember the unbelievable story of Joe Exotic and his bizarre rivalry with Carole Baskin, but did you know that a podcast predated the viral Netflix hit? Wondery actually released their podcast Joe vs Carole one month prior to the hit show and the podcast became the source material for the fictional adaptation starring Kate McKinnon. 

Fake Heiress/ Inventing Anna

Julia Garner’s performance as faux-heiress Anna Delvey soon became the most meme-worthy character of 2022. But before it was snapped up by the iconic TV producer Shonda Rhimes (Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder), the story was a serialised podcast produced by BBC4 under the title Fake Heiress.

Song Exploder

In the Song Exploder podcast, Hrishikesh Hirway sat down with artists to understand the components behind their work. It might be surprising that a theme that revolved so neatly around audio would work for TV. But in the Netflix show of the same name, released in 2020, Hrishi conducts a filmed interview with the artist and recreates the magic of the studio sessions in which the songs were created.

The Dropout

Scam podcasts have been having their moment in the past two years, and perhaps one of the most popular of these was The Dropout hosted by Rebecca Jarvis and produced by ABC News. The show told the story of Elizabeth Holmes and the rise and fall of her fraudulent blood-testing company, ‘Theranos.’ The TV adaptation starred Amanda Seyfried who received rave reviews for her awkward interpretation of the fallen entrepreneur.

Sweet Bobby

Sweet Bobby is an investigation into a prolific catfisher that took the podcasting world by storm in 2021. The series is soon to be adapted for TV and the show’s creators, Tortoise Media, have signed a ‘first-look’ deal with Sky Studios to adapt their audio content into series and features. 

2 Dope Queens 

2 Dope Queens was a comedy podcast by Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson that aired between April  2016 and November 2018. The show was taped live at Union Hall in Brooklyn and featured a range of female comedians, comedians of color, and LGBT comedians. The podcast landed the hosts two HBO specials of the same name.

The Shrink Next Door

The story of a ‘cult of one,’ The Shrink Next Door from Wondery and journalist Joe Nocera tells the story of Isaac Herschkopf, a psychiatrist who abused his relationship with his patients for personal gain. After topping the Apple Podcasts charts for three weeks straight, the show was soon picked up by Apple TV and turned into a limited series in 2021.

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Looking for more podcasts to add to your listening rotation? Check out our shows. 

When Should I Upload My Podcast?

Much like with social media, coming up with a consistent posting schedule is crucial to gaining and maintaining an audience for your podcast. But when is the best time to release new episodes and what else should you consider to make your show a success?

What day should I release my podcast?

Research suggests that Wednesday, Tuesdays, and Thursdays (in that specific order) are the best days for podcast episodes to be released. However, it all depends on your personal schedule and that of your target audience’s.

If you’re a branded podcast creator aiming to target young professionals, consider when they’re most likely to listen to your show (perhaps their commute or their lunch hour). If your podcast is aimed at new parents, they may be more likely to listen to your show in the evenings (once their kids have gone to bed).

What time should I release my podcast?

When it comes to a specific time to publish a new podcast episode, early mornings (and we mean early) are the most effective. Posting between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM increases the chances your podcast will be the first shown in your listener’s daily feed on their app of choice. It’s also a good idea to post on social media to remind your listeners that a new episode is up (and also direct your listeners to follow you on social at the end of each episode).

Marketing is everything here! You can make sure you’re doing everything to promote your show with our ultimate marketing checklist.

How long should my podcast be?

The average podcast has a runtime of about 36 minutes, although the suggested runtime from industry experts is anywhere between 20 and 40. Shorter podcast episodes, understandably, have higher consumption rates. For longer episodes, consumption tends to drop off at around 70%.

However, it’s important to remember to tailor your podcast length to your audience’s needs. Complex narrative shows may require longer episodes than daily news podcasts. Podcasts for kids and teenagers may need to be shorter than podcasts aimed at adults. Our fictional children’s podcast, The Old Man in the Boat, has episodes of around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, Conflicted, our long-standing Middle-eastern history show, has episodes that last up to 90 minutes.

Not all podcasts are created equal, and not all shows are alike. It’s important that regardless of each episode's runtime, your show remains engaging and fun for you and your audience. 

How often should I release podcast episodes?

Broadly speaking, once per week is what listeners tend to expect. However, as is the case with everything related to podcasting, this is not a hard and fast rule, nor does it apply to every show.  Depending on how long production and distribution takes, you may space episodes out to be released every two weeks, or even once a month.

All of this is up to personal preference and capabilities. Podcast production is a long process and a big undertaking, so it depends on how much time you have to put in.

Should I release my podcast in seasons?

Podcast seasons are a great way to make sure you have enough time to plan and market upcoming episodes. they also provide you with time to take a break from your show if you’re finding your regular release schedule too demanding. Podcast seasons also give you the opportunity to:

• Source guests and plan interviews for upcoming episodes.

• Create a PR strategy around your show’s next season.

• Create additional assets like videos, audiograms and social media graphics.

• Pitch your show to Apple and Spotify.

While there’s definitely value in keeping your podcast ‘always on,’ seasons definitely give you a wide range of marketing opportunities.

We recommend giving yourself more time than you need for the first few episodes in case you can’t keep up with a schedule. As always, consistency is key!

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Are you ready to get started on your own brand’s podcast with MessageHeard? Get in touch today. We are here to get your message heard and we can help with many aspects of your next great podcast project.

The Best Podcasts of 2022

2022 has been a bumper year for podcasts. From sharing juicy everyday gossip to investigating a prolific social media stalker, there’s been a show for every taste. So we decided to ask the Message Heard team, what was your favourite thing you listened to this year?

The 12 Best Podcasts of 2022

Normal Gossip

Normal Gossip

“Making use of some most masterful storytelling, you’ll want to talk about Normal Gossip with literally everyone you meet. This was the first podcast in a long time that made me devour its back catalogue like it was a full time job - perfect for all you messy gossip lovers out there wanting to scratch the itch. Truly proving that water cooler moments need not be reserved for the big narrative blockbusters!”

Bea Duncan, Producer

Can I tell you a secret?

Can I tell you a secret?

“This podcast totally gripped me with how easily someone can destroy a total stranger’s life using only social media.”

Louise Clarke, Operations Manager

Shamelesss Acquisition Target

Shameless Acquisition Target

“A great balance between irreverance and informative.”

Jake Warren, CEO

Scam Goddess

Scam Goddess

“I love that this is a true crime show that’s on the side of the scammer. It might sound morally dubious but Laci Mosely makes the case for using scams to make your way in an unjust world without being disrespectful to fraud victims. It’s also one of the only podcasts that makes me laugh out loud on the tube.”

Beth Watson, Marketing Lead

Case 63

Case 63

“This is the first fictional podcast I’ve listened to and had me gripped from start to finish. The short episodes and sound design were very clever, and drew me in in a way no other podcast has done before.”

Will Thompson, Business Development Manager

Who killed Daphne?

Who killed Daphne?

“This podcast is both an incredible piece of investigative journalism and a well-stylised narrative. A rare treat!”

Sandra Ferrari, Head of Production

The Superhero Complex

The Superhero Complex

“Really compelling character study where the reveals could only work in an audio-only format.”

Lincoln Van der Westhuizen

Cities and Memory: Remixing the World

Cities and Memory

“Wonderful hybrid of real field recordings from around the world, and artists’ interpretations of these recordings through remixing them into musical pieces and soundtracks.”

Ivan Eastley, Sound Engineer

Revisionist History

Revisionist History

“Another top notch series of Malcolm Gladwell’s investigative anthology podcast that always seems to uncover the most obscure but consequential events of the last century. Special mention to the three parter on the Minnesota Starvation Experiment which recounts one of the most extraordinarily bizarre and harrowing stories of medical manipulation I’ve ever heard.”

Harry Stott, Producer

Bad Friends

Bad Friends

“The chaotic dynamic Bobby and Santino have gets me through every Monday.”

Hannah Southern, Content Strategist

The 11th

The 11th

“An ode to slow audio, I love that you never know what to expect with this show. It’s obvious it was made with a lot of love and care.”

Talia Augustidis, Junior Producer

All About Sound

All About Sound

“I think the world is beginning to appreciate sound more and more and this series does an amazing job at driving that interest further. Had no idea there was a sound collection at the British Library so that’s an extra treat!”

Tom Biddle, Sound Lead

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Want more podcast recommendations? You can find even more of our favourite shows in the Message Heard blog. Or check out our podcasts here.

The 10 Best Investigative Journalism Podcasts

We all know the feeling. You’ve found an investigative journalism podcast with endless twists and turns. You’re so caught up in the surprising tale that you end up bingeing the whole show in just a few days. What are you going to listen to now?

Luckily we’re here to help! We’ve selected our favourite investigative journalism podcasts so you never get caught short again.

The Best Investigate Journalism Podcasts

Untold Legends: Ora

While everyone knows the story of Venus and Serena Williams, not everyone knows Ora Washington, an African-American athlete who excelled in tennis and basketball and won 201 trophies and titles throughout her career. However, Washington managed to fade into obscurity due to her race.

In this podcast from the BBC, former basketball player Renee Montgomery seeks to tell Washington’s previously untold story. Each instalment fuses research and narrative storytelling to tell Ora Washington’s incredible story that has unfortunately been forgotten.

The Catch

One of our very own productions, The Catch is Presented by Raphael Rowe, a journalist who himself spent 12 years locked up for a crime he didn’t commit.

This series delves into the story of a group of fishermen living on the Isle of Wight who were convicted of one of the largest, most audacious drug-smuggling plots in British history. Now fighting to clear their names, this show delves into both sides of the case, exploring each twist and turn, to piece together the real Freshwater Five story. 

Listen now on Audible.

Finding Natasha

In the early 1970s, a promising young British ballerina was chosen to study at Russia’s prestigious ballet academy. A dream come true quickly became a nightmare that led to the teenage dancer having to escape the country, thanks to a woman she’d never see again. Finding Natasha seeks to reunite the ballerina and her unlikely hero across six riveting episodes.

The Trojan Horse Affair

In 2014, an inexplicable and confusing letter appeared on a city councillor’s desk in Birmingham, England, detailing an elaborate plan by Islamic extremists to infiltrate the city’s schools. The story soon blows up in the news and kicks off a national panic, leading to multiple investigations, revamped schools, and extra counterterrorism efforts.

In this podcast, hosts Brian Reed and Hamza Syed team up to investigate: Who wrote the Trojan Horse letter? They quickly discover that it’s a question those in power do not want them asking or answering.

Harsh Reality: The Story Of Miriam Rivera

The series is hosted by transgender actress Trace Lysette and focuses on the show There's Something About Miriam, a British reality show, and the life of Mexican transgender model Miriam Rivera.

The show examines Miriam’s early life in Mexico to her years in the US, and her experience on a dating show who’s premise was to hide her trans identity.​​ The podcast dissects gender, sexuality, and the decision to make this TV show in the first place. This is a must listen podcast for anyone interested in the ethics of reality TV.

Sweet Bobby

Sweet Bobby is a multi-part investigation story in search of one of the world’s most sophisticated and notorious catfishers. It’s a story about who we act as online, and how social media can easily be weaponised as a tool of abuse and coercion.

With seven episodes (six plus a bonus one!), the story of Kirat Assi, the British woman at the centre of a web of lies that controlled and destroyed 10 years of her life is told for the first time. The show is hosted by investigative journalist Alexi Mostrous and dives into the fifty aliases created to abuse, coerce, and gaslight Assi for a decade.

The Dropout

The Dropout tells the story of the infamous Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and how she managed to fool the entire world into believing in her medical technology company.

This compelling show is hosted by Rebecca Jarvis, a correspondent for ABC News, who interviews people who knew Elizabeth Holmes and follows her story from childhood to her recent trial. The podcast serves as the inspiration for, and shares a name with the 2022 Hulu miniseries of the same name, starring Amanda Seyfried as Holmes.

Pieces of Britney

Pieces of Britney from BBC Radio 4 is hosted by Pandora Sykes and seeks to dissect the treatment of women in the public eye through a case study on Britney Spears, who’s life and struggles have been at the forefront of the public eye.

This eight part series chronicles Spears’ life and conservatorship and includes interviews with psychologists and cultural historians. While there have been dozens of podcasts about Spears and her conservatorship, Pieces of Britney serves as an analytical edition that does not sensationalise the details of her abuse.

Dark House

Dark House serves as the incredibly niche cross section of interior design, the paranormal, and true crime. In each episode, hosts Hadley Mendelsohn and Alyssa Fiorentino, a twisted backstory of an infamous American home is explored, including The Watcher House in New Jersey and the Boise Murder House of Idaho. While the podcast can be incredibly dark at times, this show is a fun dive into the paranormal homes we’ve always wondered about.

The Walker’s Switch

The final podcast on our list is something a little different. Describing itself as ‘Serial, but for crisps,’ The Walker’s Switch is an investigation into whether Walkers switched the colours of their Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar crisp packets. 2 out of 3 people are convinced they changed. But Walkers deny it ever happened. Over six episodes, Lauren Peters and Augustine Cerf try to discover the truth.

Want more captivating podcasts?

Whether you’re a lover of history podcasts, investigative journalism, current affairs or more, discover more shows from Message Heard.

The Best Digital Marketing Podcasts

Digital marketing can be a tricky space to navigate, with trends, best practice and even whole channels changing in an instant (think Twitter and Elon Musk). However, podcasts can help you stay on top of an ever-changing market with insights from experts and sneak-peeks into viral campaigns. Here’s a list of some of our favourites.

The Best Digital Marketing Podcasts

Social Pros Podcast

Social Pros interviews experts and professionals in the social media industry in typically under-50 minute long instalments. The hosts, Jay Baer and Adam Brown, have been praised for their discussions of social media strategies that listeners call in-depth and actionable. Case studies also appear on this podcast’s roster, with subjects including ride-sharing app Lyft, indie cosmetic brand Glossier, and American restaurant chain Chili’s.

Social Creatures

On our very own Social Creatures Head of Marketing at Sprout Social, Cat Anderson, sits down with some of the most innovative minds in the social space to find out how they achieve success. Favourites include the TikTok viral Black Country Living Museum and an in-depth interview with the PR agency behind the controversial Heinz Baked Beans and Weetabix campaign.

The Science of Social Media

The Science of Social Media was developed by Buffer, a social media toolkit designed for small businesses. Their excellent library of content that they transfer into podcast form. While they may gear their own work towards small businesses, we think anyone can learn from their podcast that helps explore what exactly works on social media.

Casual Fridays

Casual Fridays target those in entertainment, tourism, and hospitality industries. Episodes are conversational and always include a discussion on current trends, strategy moves, and useful tactics. With over 200 episodes available, there’s no shortage of tips and tricks from host Tyler Anderson.

Everyone Hates Marketers

In this cheekily named podcast hosted by Louis Greiner, marketing isn’t put on a pedestal. Greiner understands the honest truth that people don’t want to be marketed to, which is why Greiner’s goal with the podcast is to discuss and share ethical marketing tips and tricks that are in good taste and no-nonsense. Episodes are released on a weekly basis, with interviews or Greiner’s own opinion sharing their thoughts on the sometimes “shady” marketing tips.

Duct Tape Marketing

Duct Tape Marketing is the marketing podcast made for small businesses specifically. Since 2005, host John Jantsch has interviewed thought leaders, experts, and authors to share their stories and secrets to make it in the business world. Recent episodes have explored data usage, communication tips from the world’s greatest salesman, and ways to double sales.

The Agents of Change

Through fascinating and engaging interviews with expert marketers, The Agents of Change podcast promises to help increase your brand’s online visibility, drive more qualified traffic to your site and convert that traffic into consumers. Host Rich Brooks talks to internationally known marketers to get their inside insights that cover tips and tricks on SEO, social media, and mobile marketing. There are over 400 episodes, and they’re available weekly, with each episode running about 30-45 minutes, so there’s plenty of content for you to binge!

Copyblogger

Copyblogger is the ultimate copywriting, content marketing, freelance writing, and social media marketing podcast. Quality copywriting is at the centre of quality marketing, so this podcast has you covered on all the tips and tricks to write the catchiest of content. In each episode, ​​a variety of experts analyse copywriting, content marketing, conversion optimization, and more. Start listening here.

We hope that’s helped you find a digital marketing podcast to keep you on top of the trends, in the meantime make sure to check out Social Creatures for more insights into the bizarre world of viral marketing. Or contact us to find out how to use a podcast to grow your brand!

Podcasts and PR: The New Way of Controlling Your Message

Public relations serves as one of the most important factors for a brand to focus on when trying to maintain their brand image and identity. However, the realm of PR is rapidly changing and evolving, with the lines that separate PR from marketing and thought leadership becoming increasingly blurry and vague. 

Podcasts can, (and in our opinion should!), serve as the new form of PR delivery for your brand. By creating a branded podcast, you’ll create a space for your followers to learn more about you as a brand as well as using the content you already have to generate press interest. 

Here’s why podcasts need to become a part of your PR strategy.

Podcasts increase brand awareness

More and more brands are turning to podcasts to reach their target audiences in an innovative and creative way. The House of Commons’ Committee Corridor, Sephora’s #LipStories, Red Bull’s Basement Sessions, and Gatorade’s The Secret to Victory all fall into this category of popular organisations with equally popular podcasts. Each of these shows get directly into their audiences ears through storytelling that finds creative ways to engage with their consumers. 

Podcasts allow you to cut out the PR middleman

Podcasts also give brands complete control of their messaging without the need for sending out mass press releases. With a podcast, you’re in control of the content and messaging of each episode. You can also release them on their own if you have the resources to do so (and if they need a little help, Message Heard is here to provide a helping hand!) 

Podcasts are flexible

The podcast for your brand doesn’t need to always run for a specific number of episodes, and the running time can be as long or as short as you’d like. The Secret to Victory was a six-part series,while #LipStories ran for two seasons. There is a lot of flexibility in podcasting, making it one of the easier ways of accessing your current and new customers, while also keeping it interesting and engaging for the people working on it.

Podcasts go hand in hand with traditional PR methods

We’re all familiar with those viral clips of celebrities on shows such as ‘Diary of a CEO’ and there’s no reason why you can’t use your branded podcast to make a splash online. Taking key quotes from prominent guests and turning them into press releases is a sure fire way to make sure both your brand and your podcast make the news.

Podcasts maintain your brand’s image

The aforementioned branded podcasts are all viewed as podcasts that serve as reflections of the brand's image, which is an important need for brands who want to get into the podcasting space: your brand must correlate and align with the podcast in every way possible. This consistency is a critical part in customer acquisition and retention. 

Uniformity isn’t always a good thing, but in this case, it definitely is worth paying attention to for the sake of your brand. Keeping things on-brand for your podcast will help maintain the brand image through the podcast.

Podcasts can humanise your brand

A voice associated with an organisation can become the brand’s public image through the use of podcasts as well. This can make an individual feel more connected to a brand, and will most likely inspire them to engage with the brand if they feel this form of connection and personal tie. 

Ultimately, a podcast can humanise your brand and make your brand feel more personal and serves as an extension of your brand’s identity. Podcasts have the incredible power to elevate a brand’s status and position them as something other than just a company that's working to make a profit. 

Are you convinced yet and want to get started on your own brand’s podcast with MessageHeard? Get in touch today. We are here to get your message heard and we can help with many aspects of your next great podcast project.

How to Market Your Podcast: Your Perfect Launch Checklist

It’s not a secret that we think podcasts can elevate you and your brand to the next level. Starting a podcast is an exciting way to tell a story. But telling your story isn’t done once you’ve finalised your edits or posted the podcast to the world. You then have to tell the world that your story exists! Marketing gets your story out there, and will help drive the benefits of starting a podcast in the first place.  

So, how can you start pulling together your ideal marketing plan for your new podcast? Let’s explore. 

How to launch your podcast

Align your podcast content with your wider marketing strategy  

A podcast can form a powerful part of a larger marketing strategy. And if you have a larger marketing plan, then your podcast should aim to align with your overall goals. Your podcast content is the first thing to consider – how do the guests or themes align with your wider audience? Communicate this with your producer. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to ensure that you attract the biggest audience possible with your marketing efforts: 

• Is my podcast catering to the right demographic? Does the content meet their need? 

• Are my guests influential in the space I’m in (industry, subject area, etc)? 

• Does my content offer something new in the space? 

• Can I reuse the content I share by creating other content and sharing it online? 

• Is the podcast host an advocate for the podcast online? (Do they share the podcast, and get excited about telling people about it?) 

• Are there potential events that could be generated or joined in alignment with the podcast’s subject area?  

Key takeaway? Keep your podcast on target with your wider business goals and allow this to help your podcast strategy unfold. A podcast can elevate every other part of your existing marketing. 

Leverage social media  

Social media is always going to form a really important part of your podcast marketing strategy. We always encourage the use of audiograms, to provide potential listeners with a taste of your podcast – creating short teasers in this way can be really powerful for reshares too. We recommend: 

• Try multiple formats and platforms for sharing the news about your podcast. This should align with the demographic target of your podcast – many younger users are more commonly found on TikTok than Facebook, for instance. If you’re targeting other businesses or professionals, LinkedIn is a great platform to try. So it makes sense to use the platforms that make the most sense for your podcast.  

• Sending out the audiograms to your podcast guests ahead of pushing the podcast live, and asking them to share social media posts when they do go live. You might consider creating a template for them with an example post and any relevant links, to make it easier for them to spread the word on your behalf.  

• Make sure you always tag the relevant guests, companies and/or organizations who are featured in the particular episode you are releasing.  

• Schedule your promotion at appropriate times when you know your audience is the most active and engaged. 

• Make sure to engage with your audiences if anyone does comment, shares or likes the post you put out.  

• Always use a universal link for the podcast, so that listeners can open the episode in their favourite app or browser. You can use a tool like PodFollow or PodLink to generate this.   

Key takeaway? Sharing podcast content and audiograms can provide great content for your social presence – and do a lot to help your podcast get discovered by a wider and more varied audience.  

If you’re looking for tailor-made insight into how to market your podcast, get in touch with us today to find out more.

Start fostering a community 

Forming a community around your podcast can do a lot to help encourage engagement. Though you can form this around a more general social media presence if you have the capacity, a Discord group, Patreon or dedicated Facebook group can do a lot to help build a more active community around your show. Here are the potential benefits: 

• Giving your audience a place they can discuss the show 

• Opportunities to put forward questions or polls to help get audience input or feedback on episodes 

• Greater insight into who is listening  

• Greater insight into what gaps you could fill with upcoming episodes of your content 

Key takeaway? Community fosters engagement. By dedicating space to your listeners, they can feel part of the process – and give you important feedback to make your podcast even better! They also become podcast advocates.   

Use paid advertising 

If you have some budget behind your podcast, paid ads can provide a real push. Our audio ad promotion plans can help ensure that listeners are directed to your series courtesy of some of the world’s most loved shows from around the world. We send you a list of shows that are curated to align with your podcast and its audience, and together we would decide on the ideal places to advertise your show.  

Audio ads that we create are made with our in-house team of expert podcast producers who can reach your perfect audience via podcast distributors. We usually run campaigns to deliver between 388,888 to a million impressions. After the campaign, we provide detailed analytics to review the impact of your ads. To give you a feel for what our audio ads are like as well, you can have a listen to previous campaigns and possibilities.   

• Sponsored ads: For these, we provide a list of podcasts within the same space as your podcast, and organise with the hosts of popular podcasts to give your podcast a recommendation during their airtime!  It’s a great way to build trust with a new audience, growing your following by leveraging the established trust these hosts have with their own audience. It’s like getting a recommendation from a friend.  
   
  
  

Key takeaway? Ads can provide a solid push in the right direction – but they have to be done thoughtfully and with expert understanding to be really effective. Learn more about how we can help you with this here.  

With a well-rounded marketing plan dedicated to your podcast, you can ensure that your story is heard by the right people. Discover your future fan base today and maximise the power of a story well told. And remember: We’re here to help your story find its fans! Get in touch with us today to find out more about how you can take your podcasting marketing a step further towards success.   

How to Repurpose Your Podcast Content

Podcasting is a powerful part of any content strategy. But not just because of the added storytelling capacity that audio provides – but because it can provide a boost to all your other content creation efforts! In this blog, we unpack how to repurpose your podcast content so that your entire content strategy benefits.

What does it mean to repurpose podcast content?

Repurposing is, in essence, recycling. It’s taking a piece of content you’ve already created and finding creative new ways to reuse it. The key is in the transformation: it’s about being aware of the format the content originally appeared in, and the new format it might take, transforming the mode of storytelling so that it is appropriate and authentic in its new form.

Why reuse your podcast content?

There are a lot of good reasons to repurpose. Here are just three of them:

More bang for your buck

Making a podcast takes time, effort, and money, of course! So why not get more from your hard work? It’s all about working smarter, not harder. The first big benefit to repurposing your podcast content is this: you get a lot more great content out of your one production effort. It works in all directions: your existing podcast can augment your general content offering, and your existing content offering can be expanded upon through podcasting! We’ve also written all about how you can take that blog on your website and turn it into a great podcast, so you can get some ideas for your future podcast there.

Further your reach

It’s not enough to share your message just once – and often, this means you never quite reach the people you might want to target! Repurposing creates an important opportunity for furthering your reach and audience, not only by attracting more people to engage with your podcast (further validating the time and effort you’ve put into creating it), but also by boosting your overall engagement on other owned platforms – whether it’s your website, social media presence or email. It’s all about taking one great source and maximising it to create omnichannel content that works at scale. Don’t forget, that you might also be tapping into people who struggle to listen to audio, ensuring that your podcast content is as accessible as possible.

Build authority

Making a podcast often means having a chance to showcase your knowledge or the knowledge of key people in your brand, as well as the impact or contribution your brand makes in a specific sector. This is the beginning of proving your authority on a subject – and by repurposing this across channels, you have a chance to expand that trust into new areas, so more people know just how important you and your brand are to a specific topic area.

What could your podcast content be used for?

Okay, so we can see there are good motives behind repurposing! But to what end? Let’s explore what more your podcast could do for your content strategy:

Audiograms

Have you heard of an audiogram? If not, here’s the deal: YouTube is the biggest podcast platform in the world. You read that right! With social media platforms like Instagram placing a big emphasis on video moving forward, and YouTube one of the most popular places to discover podcasts online, audiograms represent the way forward for many podcasters hoping to be discovered on YouTube and beyond. It’s simple: you take either the whole or a section of your audio and pair it with a still image of graphic, often accompanied by an animated waveform. This way, your entire episode has a place to live on socials, even if you aren’t creating video footage to accompany your podcasting efforts.

But they can also be used in short-format ways, by taking a specific clip from your longer podcast content in order to hook followers from your social media platforms. It’s a quick teaser, but might also represent interesting and valuable content all on its own – delivering what your audience needs without hearing the entire episode.

Blogging

Want to expand on a story within one of your podcast episodes? A blog might just be the perfect way to dig in deeper. Alternatively, you might want to summarise key insights from your episodes in an easy-to-access format. Again, a blog can deliver.

Take the example of the very popular Tim Ferriss podcast. Tim’s blog has a section dedicated to highlighting key points from the episode, interesting notes and further resources, as well as housing the audio file itself. This way, Tim’s site is updated using the expertise and knowledge gained from each episode he releases. It’s a good example of how to use this strategy effectively.

Just be aware that a good blog is not the same as a straight transcription of your podcast content. It’s a medium all of its own and needs to be respected. Think about how the structure of the information you want to share can be used in a way that serves as a blog post. With a few edits and careful structuring, you can take a wealth of raw material from a podcast and transform it into valuable blog content!

Website content

Beyond blogging, podcasting provides great material that can be transcribed and shared to boost your overall website content. Transcripts are some work to generate, but they are a great way of making sure that every element of your podcast makes it onto another content platform.

This is huge for Search Engine Optimization. Why? Because, while Google has been working hard to make it possible to analyse audio, this isn’t totally accurate yet. Once you’ve got a text format alongside your audio offering, you’re golden – all of that great content now serves to boost your search presence and the overall value delivered by your website. There’s space to add keywords, backlinks, internal links, and more, to boost the overall content.

Newsletters

Looking for new ways to bring in your audience via email? Sharing your podcasts can be a great alternative to linking in long reads. If you already have some followers eager for your podcast content, this is a great way to keep them engaged in between episodes, or a great marketing tool to draw them back in when a new episode is released.

You might also offer insights into the behind the scenes of your podcast creation or use the email space to provide more interesting information that supports a particular episode. Build your authority and your relatability at the same time.

Infographics

We’re visual creatures, and infographics are great for demonstrating your knowledge in an eye-catching way. An infographic is a simple set of explanatory images with minimal text, which help to give you an overview of a topic in an easy-to-digest way. With an infographic, the key takeaways from your podcast can be shared easily and quickly.  

Can I repurpose any audio in this way?

Yes, you absolutely can! We provide audio ads services to our clients, helping to further their marketing efforts by advertising products and services in other people’s podcasts. And you can repurpose these ads as well! Just the same as any podcast, this audio can be reused on social media, for instance, furthering the power of a single advertisement.

What if I don’t have a podcast yet?

Then hopefully this blog has shown you just how impactful it can be to get started! If you’ve been debating about the bigger value of having a podcast, repurposing proves just how much can be made to improve your overall marketing strategy and its delivery. Contact us if you need help producing your own content catalyst.

Time to repurpose your podcast!

Your creativity is the only limit on how you repurpose your podcast. We hope this blog inspired you to start thinking about the value of creating a rich content source that can feed into all your wider marketing strategies and goals!