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For those of us of a certain generation, this scene will be familiar: You fell asleep on the couch with the TV on and woke up to the blasting sounds of an infomercial for blenders at 2 a.m. Or maybe you got up in the night, unable to sleep, and started mindlessly flicking through channels, leaving an infomercial on in the background as you try to drift off.
Either way, infomercials were just about the only thing on at that time of night, and they seemed to be designed specifically for the kind of passive viewing that happens in those late hours.
Fast-forward to today. Fall asleep on the couch, and you’re likely to wake up to Netflix’s “Are you still watching?” screen. Wake up in the middle of the night, and you’ll likely reach your phone immediately.
We don’t passively consume content anymore—we have on-demand streaming, social media, and podcasts at our fingertips, offering us a world of choices. It’s hard to imagine a world where you’d be left with no other option but infomercials to drift off to.
And that’s why turning your branded podcast into an infomercial doesn’t work.
Unlike those olden days of TV, where you were stuck with whatever was on, podcasts are an opt-in medium. Unlike short-form ads, you can’t pay to force consumption of your podcast. People have to choose to click play and commit to listening to an entire episode.
If the content isn’t compelling or feels too sales-heavy, they’ll hit "skip" or unsubscribe without a second thought. We have choices now–why would we choose to listen to your long-form ad?
Get that halo effect
When people choose to click play on a podcast, they’re looking for something that entertains, informs, or inspires them. They want to learn something new or escape into a compelling story.
Don’t forget, your podcast isn’t just competing with other branded podcasts– you’re competing with all the podcasts out there!
That’s why you need to create a real show, one that prioritizes storytelling and delivers engaging content.
Many brands dive into podcasting focusing on what they want to achieve (a chance to talk about a new product, an interview with clients, a platform for their CEO). But to truly find success, brands should start by thinking about what their target audience will get out of listening.
Your podcast needs to provide something genuinely valuable– whether that’s entertainment, education, or something else entirely. But by providing a show that is purely valuable to your audience, you’ll create a halo effect for your brand.
You don’t need to shove your brand down your audience’s throat. Simply letting them know the content comes from your company is enough to increase brand affinity, brand awareness, and eventually, purchase intent.
When you prioritize storytelling and create engaging content, you build a relationship with your audience and keep them coming back week after week.
What does a subtle brand touch look like?
It may seem counterintuitive for many brands, but the truth is that keeping the brand touch light will actually increase brand reach, recall, and affinity.
You don’t have to use internal talent to host the show (especially if they lack podcast hosting experience), drop in product mentions, or feature your customer stories. There are ways to let your audience know that this great content comes from your brand, without negatively impacting podcast engagement.
A great example of this is Red Hat's Command Line Heroes.
This narrative storytelling podcast showcases the inspiring stories of hackers, developers, and programmers who are changing the tech landscape. It’s produced with Red Hat’s full creative control–Red Hat owns the podcast, vets all stories and scripts, and makes final creative decisions.
However, Red Hat’s brand is only mentioned in ad spots at the beginning and end of each episode
The rest of the content is dedicated to authentic storytelling, with no mention of Red Hat. This subtle brand touch is enough to signal to listeners that these incredible stories are coming from Red Hat, reinforcing the idea that the brand understands its audience and building brand affinity.
Moving down the funnel
Now, while this works for most brands, there are times when a podcast needs to sit a little lower in the funnel.
If the goal is not just brand affinity but also elevating team members to thought leaders, the content might need a slightly heavier brand mention. But even then, the focus should remain on creating engaging and entertaining content.
For example, Atlassian first launched Teamistry, a top-of-funnel storytelling podcast intended to reach a broad audience. The show’s brand touch is light, with only a 15-second mention at the start of each episode letting listeners know the podcast is brought to you by Atlassian. The show shares stories of teamwork, positioning Atlassian’s brand alongside these narratives of collaboration.
But Atlassian also wanted to create another show that was a little further down the funnel, targeting a more niche audience. They created Work Check, a podcast designed specifically to appeal to business decision-makers and potential clients.
This show dives into workplace topics with a debate-style format, with two guests facing off on key workplace-related issues. In this case, Atlassian decided to feature internal talent, inviting them to participate as debaters and showcase their expertise.
While this elevates Atlassian’s thought leadership, the focus of the show remains on providing engaging content, rather than pushing Atlassian products. Their talent is featured in an organic, authentic way, rather than shoehorned in for brand mentions.
The most important thing to remember is the listeners’ experience. The show needs to feel authentic and provide real value to the audience. You need to avoid creating something that feels too salesy, becomes a product manual, or spends too much time talking about the brand. Focus on storytelling and engagement, or else you won’t have any listeners to hear all of your brand mentions at all!
How to track the impact of your branded podcast
When it comes to tracking the success of your branded podcast, there are several key metrics to keep an eye on.
These metrics not only help you understand how well your podcast is reaching and engaging your audience but also give insight into how it’s impacting your brand's reputation and influence.
Below are the main metrics you should be measuring to gauge the effectiveness of your podcast:
- Reach: While reach isn't always the most important metric in branded podcasting, it’s still worth considering. Before fixating on reach, think about your target audience— how large is the potential audience you want to engage? Do you really need to reach millions, or is your goal focused on a smaller, niche group? Downloads have traditionally been the go-to metric for reach. But it’s important to approach this with caution: the download metric can be flawed (apps have historically enabled auto-downloads, which don’t necessarily indicate actual listening). A more reliable measure of reach might be to combine download data with streaming data from platforms like Apple and Spotify, where you can capture a clearer picture of how many people have actually listened to the show.
- Engagement: It’s one thing to get a lot of people to click play on your podcast. It’s another thing to keep their attention. Completion rates—how much of each episode people are listening to—offers insight into how compelling your content is. Ratings and reviews can also provide good feedback on how engaged listeners are with the podcast. If people feel compelled to leave a five-star review, we can assume they’re enjoying the content! We can also keep track of whether listeners subscribe to the podcast, or return to listen to multiple episodes.
- Audience Targeting: Even if you're reaching a large audience, and they love your content, it's crucial to ensure you’re actually reaching the right audience. Some demographic data is available from Spotify, which can give you a general sense of who’s listening. But for more detailed insights, listener surveys can be very valuable. They can help you gauge whether you're effectively reaching your target audience, and whether those who are engaging with your podcast align with your desired customer base.
- Brand Lift: There are a few different ways you can measure the impact of the podcast on your brand. To start, you could add a few questions to your listener survey to gauge how the podcast influenced perceptions of your brand. ("Were you a customer before? Are you now?" or "How would you describe our brand?") But listener surveys are self-reported, and lack any control group. To overcome this, consider a brand lift study conducted by a third-party research firm. This study can compare the responses of listeners who have heard the podcast with a control group who haven’t, offering valuable insights into shifts in brand awareness, affinity, and purchase intent. It can also show whether the podcast creates new associations between the brand and specific values, like trust or social responsibility.
Storytelling over brand mentions
When it comes to branded podcasts, success lies in finding the balance between your brand goals, and what your audience actually wants to hear. If the show isn’t compelling, there won’t be any listeners around to hear your brand message! Keep the brand touch subtle, prioritize storytelling, and always put your target audience first.
The result? A podcast that not only entertains and informs, but also builds your brand’s reputation and fosters long-term loyalty—without turning listeners off with constant brand promotions.
