It’s 2025. Everyone knows someone who has or is thinking about launching a podcast.
Truthfully, it’s not a bad idea.
According to recent studies, over 548 million people listen to podcasts regularly worldwide, with ad spending expected to hit 4.46 billion by the end of the year. With the rise of advanced and convenient technology, podcasting is no longer a specialized niche as mostly anyone can launch and grow a show.
Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Technically, anyone can do mostly anything, but to do it well? That’s another story. If you want to capitalize on the popularity of podcasting, continue reading to avoid the top mistakes brands make when first starting out.
Mistake to Avoid: Don’t Wing It.
You may be an expert in your field and may have a great personality. You may even have a great network of potential guests and a witty name for your show. All that is great in theory, but it’s not enough. Don’t think that just because you have a few ideas, the rest will fall into place.
It won’t.
In order for your podcast to be successful, it’s imperative that you have a concrete strategy that is detailed and fleshed out. The “boring” stuff is what will make the show grow. Get creative, but most importantly, get organized.
In a nutshell, here’s a brief outline of what you’ll need:
- A long-term content calendar with guest names and contact information, interview questions, and topic ideas.
- A solid recording platform, such as Squadcast, and audio equipment including a quality mic and headphones.
- A marketing and social media strategy – we’ll get to that later.
- Branding guidelines including a logo, tagline, cover art, and intro music.
- A media kit or pitch deck to send to potential guests or for cross promoting with brands.
Remember, this is just a starting point, and each show should be customized based on your audience and your goals.
Don’t treat your show like an ad for your company, product, or services.
Your company, product, or idea may be interesting but don’t overdo it. At The Pollack Group, we have successfully managed our podcast imPRessions for three seasons. Would we love to talk about all the wonderful campaigns our agency has produced? Of course. Do we? Very rarely.
Instead, we focus on different areas of marketing and PR that are both educational and entertaining for our listeners. We invite prominent professionals to discuss their experiences and insights into the industry instead of us talking about our agency. In doing so, we have built a following that trusts the content we publish. Our listeners know the point of our show is not to flaunt our work but rather to dissect the emerging trends in PR with a variety of notable guests. Since our value proposition from the beginning was so strong, we have been able to lock in thousands of episode downloads and have reached a global audience with listeners spanning across the world.
Don’t underestimate the power of promotion.
To build a following, you’ll need a strong marketing strategy, including paid ads. After all, you need to spend money to make money, right?
Don’t be alarmed; basic paid ad promotion is enough as long as you have a compelling organic strategy. The perfect guest lineup, interesting topics, and a strong idea won’t be enough to push the needle. In fact, the first few weeks of your podcast are the most important, as platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts will heavily monitor your show’s engagement to consider whether to feature your show or bury it. Strategic promotion will help you find and build a loyal fanbase that will trigger the algorithm to showcase your podcast to new audiences, which means more likes, more listens, and more downloads.
So, to reiterate, once you have the idea planted, start building out your marketing content strategy asap. Without marketing, you may as well just yell your thoughts into a busy intersection and hope someone listens.
Don’t underestimate the work involved.
I’m going to be honest; this is going to be hard. If you treat your podcast as an easy and quick side hustle, it will be incredibly difficult to maintain. It may be fun and worthwhile, but it’s going to require massive effort and time to ensure the podcast builds momentum and grows. In fact, it may be beneficial to hire a small team to help with the creation of your show. From editing episodes to engineering a compelling marketing plan, it may be difficult to handle solo, so consider bringing in additional help to ensure your show obtains the recognition and following it deserves.
Don’t give up.
Okay, my point has been made.
Starting and growing a successful podcast can be difficult, but it can also be rewarding. Yes, there will be work involved, but what successful endeavor doesn’t have its fair share of obstacles? The mistakes shape us and tell us valuable lessons, so don’t be afraid of the work ahead. You have an idea, so go for it.
And when you really need some extra guidance, our agency is just a phone call away.
