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Podcast Strategy: 5 Compelling Use Cases for Business

In this post, we’ll discuss podcast strategy and five inspiring use cases for business. We’ll also share examples of how brands can do podcast ads, guest podcast appearances, and launch their own branded podcasts. So let’s explore the opportunities and see how a podcast strategy can seamlessly fit into your holistic campaigns or your specific business scenario.

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5 Podcast Use Cases for Business

Only 22% of US adults knew what podcasting was in 2006. Fast forward to 2021, that number grew to 78%. Podcast advertising spend is on a meteoric rise, predicted to sail past $6 billion in 2026. But what can businesses do to take advantage of this fast-growing medium?

From product launches to startup stories, there are so many brilliant and highly-effective applications for podcasts.

So let’s dig into podcast strategy and a few use cases.

1. Product Launch Promotion

Businesspeople analyzing management documents discussing company strategy while brainstorming ideas for business project in startup office. Laptop computer with marketing data chart on screen

The all too familiar scenario…

Your team has been working tirelessly on a new product or feature. The feature is amazing and will be a game-changer for your business, but only if people know about it!

Your job is to get the word out.

But how can you reach a wide audience with a message that raises awareness and inspires action?

Enter podcasts.

Why Podcasts Are Your Secret Weapon

The easiest way to spread the word about a new product or feature is to run podcast ads. With just a small overhead cost, and a few button clicks, you can advertise your product to dedicated podcast listeners across the world.

This gets your feature or product in front of receptive audiences. Unlike streaming, radio, or video consumers, podcast listeners are less prone to distractions or channel surfing.

The Guardian reports that people developed a parasocial intimacy with podcast hosts. In isolation, hosts felt like friends. Now, new research shows that how we listen to podcasts via headphones or speakers can enhance that perceived intimacy further.

So, listeners are less likely to be interrupted by competing offers or switch podcasts.

Hypothetical Product Scenario

TallDoggos is a subscription business that sends you a new pair of stilts every month to turn your short dog into a tall dog.

After lots of customer feedback ,research, development, and production, TallDoggos is finally ready to introduce their new product: RollerDog™ stilts with wheels – for the doggo on the go. TallDoggos is confident that once people learn about their new product, they’ll sell out in minutes, so their goal is to create a massive awareness campaign.

With their $5,000 budget in mind, they decide to buy all the ad inventory they can on small-to-mid-sized podcasts specifically dedicated to dog owners. Shows like “Can I Pet Your Dog?” and “Pure Dog Talk.”

TallDoggos contacts each podcast, negotiates pricing, writes the ad scripts for host read ads, and launches the campaign to begin the day the RollerDog™ website goes live. They use a vanity URL to track traffic and see thousands of pre-orders in the first week of the ad campaign.

2. Recruitment

Blond-haired recruitment manager standing in front of interracial job applicants sitting in row and explaining job interview process

Finding qualified candidates is time-consuming and expensive. Not everyone has a giant HR department or the budget to invest in external talent acquisition services.

So let’s explore how podcasts can help with multiple recruitment areas.

Student recruitment

You are competing for the best and brightest, but have been struggling to sway top candidates to apply to your academic institution. Alternatively, your school has a new major, research facility, or other appealing offering you are certain will entice a niche group of specialized students – if only they knew about it!

No matter your exact scenario, podcasts are your ticket to connect with prospective students.

Military recruitment

You’re looking for new recruits and have tried traditional recruiting methods that have yielded good results. Podcasts are popular amongst people of all ages, especially younger demographics. You can use podcasts as a vehicle to attract young and bright talent to the armed forces.

Employee recruitment

The competition for top talent is fierce. Offering benefits and a great salary are no longer enough for in-demand talent. Today’s job seekers want employers to reflect their values.

Having your leaders gueston podcasts to highlight the interesting work you’re doing gives you a chance to own the narrative around your company and brand.

Ads can also work in this scenario. Your business can drive more job applications by running ads on podcasts their target demographic tunes into.

Volunteer recruitment

Make volunteer opportunities stand out by placing ads on podcasts or showcasing the work your nonprofit is doing on podcasts. A podcast guest appearance gives you the opportunity to share your mission, successes, and upcoming initiatives with a wide and receptive audience – ultimately helping you recruit volunteers for your next event.

Faculty recruitment

Prestigious faculty members have a big draw to students and sponsors. However, getting these faculty members to join your university roster isn’t easy. Having a school with a great reputation is not enough to draw top-shelf academics.

Podcasting is an opportunity to highlight your current faculty members and their research. Not only will this attract prospective faculty, but it will also engage students across their higher education careers.

Hypothetical Podcast Use Case

Imagine a faculty member has been working on groundbreaking flu research. Their peer-reviewed breakthroughs may change how doctors treat the virus. To get more funding and media attention, the professor and leading researcher guest on podcasts to talk about the innovative work they are doing.

And if the university has its own in-house podcast, the school can use that platform to amplify their message and garner attention. The professor or researcher can also direct listeners to a custom landing page or report that highlights the work their team is doing around the flu virus.

3. Challenger Brands & Startups

If you’re a startup that wants to make a splash and challenge the status quo, podcasts are an excellent strategy to stand out.

When your budget and team are small it’s hard to get noticed and make an impact. Especially in today’s climate where attention spans are shorter than ever and big brands are dominating social feeds and news cycles.

Having your founders guest on podcasts can help you tell your story and capture potential consumers’ attention. You also have the opportunity to to place ads for your product or services on relevant podcast episodes.

Hypothetical Podcast Use Case

Imagine your brand came up with a kelp-based alternative to plastic straws. What makes your company different is that you work with local fishermen to grow and harvest kelp. The kelp improves the local ecology and provides a habitat for marine life and sustainable fishing.

A podcast guest appearance gives your brand an unmatched opportunity to tell the story around your innovative product, the journey of your company, and the work you are doing to improve the environment.

Real-world example of a podcast strategy

Mailchimp is synonymous with podcast advertising. The email newsletter company along with Squarespace and Stamps.com invested heavily in podcast ads early and saw tremendous value.

Podcasting is more saturated now, but there are incredible opportunities for brands, especially startups and D2C brands to run ads and use the platform to share the stories and people behind their businesses.

4. Mergers & Acquisitions (M&As)

businessman handshake for teamwork of business merger and acquisition.

Mergers and acquisitions can cause anxiety, speculation, and turn a positive story into a negative one, if businesses don’t earn the narratives around their brands.

Having leaders from both brands appear on podcasts can show why an M&A is happening, its upsides, and address consumer and employee fears.

For example, Adobe’s recent acquisition of Figma is a ripe opportunity for guest podcasting appearances. Beyond M&As, strategic partnerships are also a fantastic fit for podcast guest appearances or ads.

In other words, podcast appearances and ads give brands unique opportunities to tell the why behind their business decisions, ease fears, and get people excited about partnerships before media narratives spin out of control.

Real-world podcast strategy

Bloomberg Technology podcast’s Emily Chang covered the Adobe Figma Acquisition and Ethereum Merge. Covering big M&A stories is also an opportunity for media brands who want to go deeper inside a story, set the tone for reporting, and increase eyeballs to their digital properties.

5. Social Good Initiatives

young volunteers planting trees in green park together

Brands investing in philanthropy, launching a fundraiser, or working to make sustainability a foundation of their business can use podcasting to spread the word about their social good initiatives.

Another great podcasting use case is highlighting the steps a business is taking to be more diverse and inclusive. Podcast guest appearances are an ideal and intimate platform for telling inspiring stories of change and triumph.

Hypothetical podcast use case

Let’s say you’re a nonprofit working on eliminating childhood poverty. You’re hosting a big fundraiser gala to raise money for underprivileged children. You can use podcasts to promote your fundraiser, share incredible stories about the people working behind the scenes of your foundation and the children you’ve helped.

You can also use podcast ads to drive donations to your cause outside of events like fundraisers to create a steady and reliable source of funding for your worthwhile initiatives.

Final thoughts on podcast strategy and use cases

Podcast listeners have a deep connection to the hosts and shows they listen to. In other words, they are a trusting and receptive audience. However, finding the right podcast for your message is a challenge.

At face value, you may think a university podcast is the right fit for student recruitment or an entrepreneur podcast is the right fit for your startup, but that’s not always the case. For instance, if you are a math professor, don’t only go for math podcasts, but also engineering podcasts that might talk about math. Niche is important, but there is an opportunity to blend between niches.

Learn how Podchaser Connect can help you.

Podchaser Connect is a full-service podcast booking agency. We analyze your unique business use case and work with you on your podcast strategy. In addition, our podcasting experts can match you with the right podcasts and turns your guest appearance into a high-impact evergreen content.

Get started on your podcast strategy with Podchaser Connect now.

Additional Resources on Podcast Strategy

Dig into media buying and podcast ads, plus resources on how to maximize your podcast guest appearance.

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