Podcasting as marketing: How podcasts help startups attract, grow, and foster their audience

In the dynamic landscape of digital marketing, entrepreneurs and startups are constantly seeking ways to gain audiences, build brand awareness, and drive growth. Maybe unsurprisingly, one of the most effective ways to do this is through podcasting. 

Podcasts offer a unique opportunity to forge genuine connections with new and existing audiences, while also helping convert current listeners into loyal customers. With just a microphone and a computer, hours of evergreen content can be created for a low cost. 

We’re diving into how podcasts help startups form connections with their listeners, tap into other people’s audiences, and create organic growth through consistent communication. And, you’ll get informal member podcast recommendations, along with a sneak peek at a new podcast, Trade-Offs.

Photo credit:
My Podcast Set I by Patrick Breitenbach (Flickr)

Create listener intimacy

It’s no secret that social media has exploded over the last decade, and with it has come a shift in how customers interact with brands, products, and companies. Gone are the days of customers blindly trusting brands without knowing who’s working behind the scenes. People want to see the nitty-gritty details of the team running a company before they invest in a product or service. They want their trust in your brand to be earned through authentic connection and content. By knowing who you are and what you stand for, consumers will decide if they should trust you, and therefore, your brand. 

If creating reels or filming TikTok videos makes your palms sweat, podcasts may be a great solution for you. They offer a platform for entrepreneurs to speak directly to their followers and share personal stories, insights, and expertise in a conversational format. When a listener pops in their earbuds, they feel like they’re “in” on the conversation  taking place. This unfiltered communication creates a sense of trust and relatability, allowing entrepreneurs to resonate with their audience on a deeper level. For startups at the beginning of their journey, creating this bond is crucial to growing their business and getting their name out there. 

Looking to see this in action? Give a listen to Levels: Inside the Company. Sean McBeath, who is part of the informal network, appreciates that it follows one startup longitudinally.

Tap into other audiences

Leveraging podcasts as a means to tap into other people’s audiences is another way for entrepreneurs to expand their reach and visibility. By appearing as guests on established podcasts within their niche or related industries, entrepreneurs gain access to pre-existing audiences that are already engaged and interested in the topics being discussed. They can showcase their knowledge and promote their brand to a new, targeted audience. This is a strategic, and fairly low-lift way for startups to expand their reach and gain traction in the digital space. 

Additionally, working with other podcast hosts and fellow guests can foster valuable connections within the industry, opening doors to new opportunities for partnerships, collaborations, and cross-promotion. Just as consumers want to buy from people they trust, founders often want to highlight other brands that they trust. 

Makelab’s podcast, Talking Design and Engineering, comes recommended by informal marketing expert, Lindsey Gideon. Have a listen to episode 04, where Makelab’s founder, Christina Perla, interviews informal’s co-founder and CEO, Nate Padgett, about building a hardware freelance collective. 

Grow organically

One of the pillars of online marketing is to show up consistently. And, lucky for startups, you don’t need to have hundreds of thousands of viewers or have hyper-polished digital content to build momentum. 

By releasing podcasts on a set schedule and consistently delivering valuable content to your audience, you can gradually build a dedicated following that actively engages with your podcast. The more value that listeners find in the episodes, the more word-of-mouth promotion happens, attracting new listeners. This organic growth is a way to attract new listeners to the podcast, who’ll hopefully one day become loyalists to your brand. 

Heath Raftery recommends How I Built This with Guy Raz. Heath likes that this interview-style podcast looks at the entrepreneur as a whole person, navigating life and business.  The podcast gets deep into the psychology, decision making, and luck involved with being an entrepreneur.

If you’re looking for ways to gain more customers for your startup, give podcasting a shot. Take the leap and start a podcast of your own, or dip your toes in by being a guest on another. 

And be sure to catch a sneak peek into a new podcast, Trade-Offs, where Chris Rill and informal co-founder & CEO Nate Padgett join in conversation with hardware industry leaders, founders, and early team members. The pilot episode is out now!