Personal Branding Through Podcast Interviews

The podcast revolution is in full swing: not a day goes by when I don't get another e-mail or social media message informing me that this or that person was featured as a guest on some podcast or is starting his or her own podcast show.

And little wonder! The pandemic changed our media consumption habits, with many of us stuck inside for days, quite frankly, bored of our minds and looking for any external sources – not just of information, but also connection, positivity, and encouragement. The podcast, perhaps the most personal medium there is, has all that in spades.

According to a recent NPR/Edison Research "Spoken Word Audio” report, 127 million of the 13+ US population listened to spoken word audio daily in 2021, and 22% of those daily listeners listened to a podcast! In general, a full 57% of the US population has listened to a podcast episode in 2021. Podcasts have taken a huge market share from AM/FM Radio; see chart below.?

Distribution of Spoken Word Audio Listening by Platform

Source: Edison Research/ NPR “The Spoke Word Audio Report 2021”. “AM/FM” includes over the air and radio streams. “Other” includes streaming audio, satellite radio, audiobooks (2014-2016)

Now that there are so many more listeners, creators are responding to the skyrocketing demand by putting out more, and more diverse content. We can currently choose among over 3 million podcasts worldwide, which in aggregate provide us with over 100 million episodes of audio content.

USER FEEDBACK ON PODCAST INTERVIEWS

As this explosion of both content and listenership is underway, somehow there is still a perception out there that podcast listening and, especially, creation is somehow “niche.” What’s more, even the staunchest believers in the medium are often confused about ways to leverage the enormous opportunity it opens. Below is a paraphrased sampling of some of the most common feedback I have received from users since launching Padverb.

(1) “Podcasts? Nice! However, I do not have time to listen to podcasts. I am focused on building out my business 24 hours a day…”

(2) “My wife (or husband) is already an influencer on YouTube (or Instagram, TikTok, etc). Video is THE Medium to build out influence.”

(3) “I have written 2 (or 5,10) books and am well-known in my sector in the offline. How do I approach podcast interviews? How do I even look for a host? PR agencies charge thousands to book me on shows!”

(4) "I would love to be a podcast creator. However, I do not have time to produce a regular podcast.”

EFFECTIVE PODCAST INTERVIEW STRATEGIES

As I pondered all of these, one message from Gary Vaynerchuk's 2018 Book "Crushing it” rang especially true. In this book, Gary regrets a lack of "original, creative ways to build a personal brand within the podcast platform".

Padverb, a podcast interview platform I am Co-Founder and CEO of, is about to change that! We have just launched a free upload product that will allow everyone to share their interviews online.

By creating and uploading an interview podcast on Padverb, you are positioning yourself as a thought leader with ideas to share, products to discuss, and projects to introduce to the world.         

You are a pioneer, interviewing other people to learn about their ideas. Or perhaps it is you who is being interviewed – by a friend, colleague, or professional host – thus leaving your “idea footprint” on the world.

So, to my user 1 above, I would say: "Instead of listening, create your own podcast interview, and use it to explain to people, customers, and partners what your product is all about. Use a podcast interview as part of your marketing strategy!”

To user 2, my message is: "Digital spoken word – including the podcast interview – should be part of every creative influencer's strategy. If you are already in video, create a video podcast interview, then separate the voice for easy distribution (in audio) via RSS.”

To user 3, I would say: " The podcast interview format is a great way to build out your digital presence and become an online influencer – especially if you are already known in the offline world.”

And to user number 4, I would respond with the following statistics:

According to Chartable.com, in 2020 there were about 885 thousand US podcasts, up sharply from 319 thousand in 2019. And 30% of the new ones were just 1-2 episodes. That means that 170,000+ new podcast hosts tried the medium in 2020.

Well… do likewise, number 4! There is no need to have a regular interview podcast. If you’re not sure you have the time and resources for a full-fledged regular show, then launch a casual, intermittent one! You can start interviewing interesting people who surround you today – right from your phone, using free software such as Zoom – and thus begin building out your personal branding strategy as an interview host.

My message to everyone else who has something to say: If you are interested in getting booked as a guest or being a host on a podcast interview, please contact me directly on LinkedIn for information on how to get started. I will also be putting out a more specific “Training manual”- type tutorials on how to do it.

Finally, you can start by creating your profile and uploading your interview podcast content on Padverb today. Let’s get the conversation started!