We sat down with some of the biggest names in podcasting like Spencer Brown (Founder and CEO of Cadence13) and podcaster Andrew Jenks, to see how content, channels, agencies and advertisers are helping move the industry forward at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.
See the infographic below on the current podcast landscape and how each piece of the ecosystem is critical in reaching over 90M monthly listeners and fueling almost a $1 billion global industry by 2021.
CONTENT CREATORS:
“In podcasting you don’t need to be a brilliant technician or have The Rock’s voice. You really just need solid, hard-working people around you. Making sure you find the right people can make a big difference in something like a podcast. More than anything, you must love doing this, because it’s very rare that you’re going to come out with a hit podcast within a week. It takes months or years. Even if you love it, it’s not to be successful or continue in popularity forever, which makes it easy to just give up. Stand out shows have hosts that are genuinely passionate about the work.” – Andrew Jenks
AGENCIES:
“In radio, you’re typically leaving the program to hear an ad, then coming back to the program. In podcasting, if it’s done well, you’re never really leaving the program. The ads are native, baked into the program, so it feels like part of the host’s narrative. Listeners don’t feel like the host is leaving, but still in touch with the content throughout the entire show. Podcasts are listened to on-demand which the listener being in control of the content they choose. If a listener is really connected with a show, advertising just adds another element to the storytelling. If it’s done well, it’s another part of the program.” – Spencer Brown
ADVERTISERS:
“Audio is a very emotionally transparent medium, so you can tell if hosts are engaged and excited. We can certainly tell in our ads when a host really loves and embraces a product. It’s such a different experience when hosts create content that they’re just genuinely passionate about and can turn an ad into a personal and vulnerable narrative. There’s honestly a market out there for almost any type of content in this space that is easy to produce. Plus, the barrier to entry is very low with dedicated audiences, making it the perfect platform for brands to enter.” – Marshall Williams
- Kurt Kaufer
