Is Podcasting Still a Smart Marketing Investment?
The number of podcast listeners continues to grow, as does the popularity of branded podcasts. So in short, yes, podcasting is still a smart marketing investment for companies focused on thought leadership.
As an audio engineer who owns a podcast production company, I’m biased. Of course I think putting marketing dollars towards a high-quality corporate podcast is a great investment.
In the interest of fairness, I decided to do some research to confirm my conviction. Here’s what I learned.
Yes, podcasting is still a smart marketing investment
People love listening to podcasts
In 2025, 600 million people around the world listened to podcasts. Here in the US, more than half of all adults (158 million) listen to podcasts monthly.
And they stick with them. Listeners have high episode completion rates, showing they are truly tuned in and paying attention.
There are a lot of podcasts, but most are not active
If you define a podcast as having more than three episodes, each of which is more than three minutes in length, there are more than 4.5 million podcasts globally. (In the industry, these are referred to as “registered” podcasts.)
That sounds like a tremendous amount of competition, but the number of active podcasts that produce new episodes regularly is much smaller - just under 441,000.
Branded podcasts are increasingly popular
Companies continue to jump on the podcasting wagon. In 2025, the number of branded podcasts increased, and business podcasts are now the fourth most popular podcast genre (behind comedy, news, and true crime).
Their top three podcasting goals are to increase thought leadership, connect with customers/clients, and increase brand awareness. (These are the same goals as our clients at Volubility Podcasting.)
Audio-first podcasts are still the norm, but more and more brands are recording video (publishing on YouTube helps brands greatly expand their reach) and distributing on numerous platforms (like social media).
What to keep in mind if you’re starting a podcast this year
Picking a name and host for your podcast is one small piece of the puzzle. There are numerous technical and creative elements that need to be in place before you record your first episode.
Create your podcast brand
This is the fun part! Once you pick your name and host, choose the format (interviews or roundtables are the most popular for corporate podcasts), publication frequency (whatever works best for you but monthly tends to be the most manageable option), and topic(s).
You will also need to decide:
If you want to embed your podcast into your website or blog for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. (We can help set this up.)
What audio file you want to launch your podcast with. Most of our clients launch with the first episode, but some ask us to create a brief one-to-two minute promotional trailer.
Set up your corporate account on podcast distribution platforms
This is a little more work than you might realize, and not just because you need to set up accounts on a number of platforms (Apple, Spotify, etc.)
You’ll need:
A dedicated email for your podcast
The company credit card
An Apple ID for the organization (don’t use your personal one!)
A Google account for the organization so you can publish episodes on YouTube
You can find more detailed information about the technical set up here, but we also provide a more comprehensive to-do list to all new clients.
Focus on recording the best audio you can
High-quality audio is a must for corporate communications podcasts. Of course you want to sound professional and polished, but importantly, quality audio allows you to deliver your message with maximum impact so you can truly engage your audience.
Audio drop-outs, echoes, static, background noise, and volume fluctuations are distracting for listeners. It could also turn off listeners - permanently.
Can you record high-quality audio on a mobile device? No. It will sound like it was recorded on a phone.
Can you record high-quality audio on Zoom? Technically, yes. However, you and your guest will need to adjust Zoom’s internal exhaustive settings (and then hope you adjusted them correctly).
You know the saying, “Garbage in, garbage out?” That’s true with audio. Even the audio engineers cannot fix poorly recorded audio.
(You can find more FAQs about podcast production here.)
Make the most of your investment by working with professional podcast producers
Our team of podcast production experts will ensure every podcast episode recording runs smoothly and each episode sounds professional. Contact us today to learn more about our production process.
