Podcasts aren’t new. In fact, some of the most popular shows today have been running for more than 20 years, but recently something has shifted.

As with anything new that gets introduced to the world, there is an adoption curve where we start off with the Innovators, then move through to the Early Adopters before it breaks into the Majority, and then finally the Laggards come around.

I believe that podcasts have made the leap into the majority and should be taken seriously as one of the primary ways that people get their news and entertainment today. If I’m right, that has huge implications and opportunities for just about everything we do as marketers.

Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the numbers.

First, roughly 546 million people now regularly listen to podcasts, with 135 million in the US. That’s 47% of Americans aged 12 and above. This month alone, 1 billion people will watch or listen to a podcast on YouTube.

That lines up pretty closely with other major media where people get their news and entertainment:

Then, we need to consider how people are consuming that information. Social media mostly consists of scrolling until we find something that grabs our attention, and even most of the time we’re “watching” TV, we’re also scrolling our feeds.

Podcasts are often able to capture our attention in one place, for an extended period, in a way that other mediums haven’t. Not only is the volume of attention comparable to the largest platforms in the world, but the quality of that attention may be higher on podcasts than anywhere else.

And yet, marketers are still lagging behind. Sure, brands like AG1, Mint Mobile, BetterHelp, and Shopify seem to be advertising on every other episode we listen to, but across the board, we’re simply not elevating podcasts to the status that they deserve.

Here’s a comparison of the amount of marketing money spent in the US in 2024, across the major media channels:

A major part of marketing is simply identifying where the attention is, and then finding a way to get the maximum impact for the minimum cost. In this case, Podcasting has roughly the same number of eyes and ears, greater quality of attention, and less than 10% of the amount of competition.

In this case, we’re using advertising dollars to represent how much other brands are taking these channels seriously — which I believe is a pretty good indicator — but the ways that we can use that to our advantage go far beyond just ads.

Here are a few ways I think we can all be leaning into the podcast opportunity:

Influencer Marketing

Podcasters are influencers — it’s kind of the whole point of listening to a podcast. Their audiences may trust them even more than the creators they follow on social media, yet nearly every brand has social influencer strategies while very few consider podcasts. Partnering with them for endorsements, interviews, or collaborations can bring major credibility to your brand without the over-polished, over-scripted feel of traditional influencer campaigns.

Public Relations

Earning media is tough these days. Traditional journalists are overwhelmed, and online news sites typically kick PR pitches over to the advertising department. Meanwhile, podcasts are actively seeking out interesting stories and high quality guests to have on their shows. Of course, the biggest podcasts may be just as tough to crack as the New York Times (who also has a series of great podcasts), but there’s a show for just about every niche, with an audience that cares deeply about their specific topic.

Thought Leadership

Modern marketing has evolved to focus so much on the founders’ stories and the people behind the brand that thought leadership has become a major pillar of what we do. So many executives are spending a ton of time and resources writing long-form blog posts, creating social media content, and trying to get featured in Fortune or Inc. magazine — why not podcasts? Many leaders have chosen to create their own, but when that’s not possible, others have simply become a go-to resource for existing shows where they can offer thoughts, opinions, or ideas on the news of the day.

Advertising

I mentioned that it’s not all about ads, but advertising is certainly one major opportunity when it comes to podcasting. Traditional ads are getting skipped, ignored, or blocked. Podcast ad rates are typically much lower than what we see in other major channels, with low or no minimum spends. Sponsoring a podcast (even a niche one) can put your brand in front of highly targeted audiences who actually care. Now, these ads may not come with the same direct-click attribution as a Google ad, so we have to get creative with our reporting, but it’s for that very reason that I believe so many brands are hesitant to adapt. And their hesitation is our opportunity.