Over the last few years, seemingly everyone and every company started a podcast. While you’re probably well aware of this, with 100s of saved episodes filling your phone storage, here’s the data to prove it:
Even though new podcaster growth normalized to pre-pandemic rates in 2023, podcasting isn't going anywhere. Investments in content represent a major shift in how the B2B world consumes media, builds community, and grows businesses.
This edition of Human Capitalist explores:
The data on the last five years of podcast mania
Why the B2B world is doubling down on content
Top podcasters’ views on the value of podcasts
Explore the data and “show notes” from top podcast voices below. Plus, as always, read to the bottom for three quick hits of the best human capital insights and the opportunity to submit your human capital questions.
Does ear share = market share?
“The revenue streams that come from owning a 6, 7, or even 8-figure audience are massive.”
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| Dash MediaModern marketing is content-driven and the buzzwordy tactic of “building a media company” is now a core strategy. Whether through podcasts or other content, the goal is to forge direct, owned relationships with an audience (vs rented audiences through traditional paid channels).
Podcasting, in particular, serves as a key channel for content repurposing and a tool for staying top of mind with your audience. It's a strategic play for brand awareness and relationship-building with your target audience and industry leaders (as guests).
Become a relied-on source for entertainment or education – the sales will come later.
Even with top podcasts generating millions in pipeline for their respective companies, B2B “media is under-monetized”.
and recently explored how the B2B world can continue to squeeze more value out of content.From audience-building to pipeline generation to data and insights, we are in the early days of both creators and companies unlocking the full value of content.
Why podcast?
To add color to the data on the explosion of podcasting, I asked a few top podcasters to shed light on the value of podcasts for them, their audience, and their business.
1) Education + Entertainment = Loyalty
"Directionally Correct has invested in having educational and entertaining conversations about people analytics. This has paid dividends by creating a loyal audience who's had rapid growth. It pays to have fun!" – Cole Napper | Directionally Correct
2) Build an Audience, Build a Network
“I started podcasting in 2020 as an excuse to learn from interesting people. Four years and almost 300 guests later, podcasting is now an integral part of what I do. Many of my guests and listeners have become mentors, investors in my fund, and even founders of companies we have invested in. It has allowed me to reach hundreds of thousands of listeners in 175 countries.” –
| Fintech Leaders3) Quality Connections Lead to Quality Opportunities
"I started the podcast initially as a way to connect with high-quality people and guests and learn from them, so in a way, it was initially very selfish and not built with a specific audience in mind - but myself. Since its launch in March 2020, the podcast and my social media activity compounded… it unlocked a lot of opportunities, free speaking engagements, clients, etc. Overall it paid off 100X compared to the investment. B2B podcasts are becoming more crowded, so quality has increased, and it will keep increasing." –
| The Modern Recruiter4) Finding Inspiration in Community
“We’ve seen exponential growth in both the supply and demand for content. Founders want to learn from other founders who have raised money and that is why TheTop.VC exists. Podcasting for me is a way to give back to the community and have conversations with inspiring people!" – Adam O’Donnell | TheTop.VC
Host a podcast? Comment below stories about the value you’ve created for yourself, your audience, or your business.
Listen to a podcast that provides great value? Drop the link in the comments.
Three quick hits
1) C.R.E.A.M.?
Staying on theme for this edition, content jobs are up 54% versus all other marketing jobs over the last 5 years. Plus, for two editions in a row, I get to reference the Wu.
2) Do AI companies need media training?
Many GenAI companies are facing lawsuits from top media outlets. While he means it from a content creation standpoint (instead for legal reasons or media relations),
thinks AI companies need more media talent.Currently, less than half of the Forbes AI 50 companies have hired talent from top media and content companies.
3) Is an MBA worth it?
Newly minted M.B.A.s can't find jobs but... it's not their fault!
Explore the real reason that MBAs are struggling to find their next job here.
What questions would you ask?
To put context around the “big numbers” of real-time human capital and job change data — specifically, 30k+ daily changes across 90M+ people at 4M+ companies — I started asking questions of our data.
For every question, there are answers, insights, and… more questions.
I’m constantly thinking about the next batch of questions and insights to dig into. If there is a human capital data question you’re interested in exploring, leave a comment below or reach out directly via LinkedIn.
The reason I created Good Morning, HR was to personally connect to trusted advisors who might refer their own clients to my company (a high-end background investigations company).
In interviewing HR-related influencers about their areas of expertise, I gain credibility with them (and their audience when they share the episode.) We stay in contact with them via social media and direct communications from me.
That was the whole goal of the podcast: delivering trusted advisors a high-quality product that allows them to share their expertise.
And it has worked. I am getting referrals from guests who had no idea who we were before they were on the podcast.
And while building listenership hasn't been a big priority, that number has grown. And we've seen prospective clients come to us just because they heard our 30-second commercial on the podcast.