Broadcast Revolution’s Head of Content, Sarah Cann sat down with Global’s Head of Comedy and Entertainment Podcasts, Chris Lander and Senior Podcast Producer Emily Sandford to discuss the ins and outs of all things podcasts, and why comedy continues to prove one of the most popular genres for listeners.

Setting the scene 

According to Chris, the podcast scene is a far cry from what it was 20 years ago – initial podcasters were ambitious hobbyists with nothing but a dodgy backdrop and a dream, and there was no monetization or major platforms to download podcasts from. Today, we’re in the “podcast 3.0” era – characterised by huge, loyal audiences and sold-out live shows. From a business perspective, brands far and wide are now discovering the value of advertising with podcasts because of the dedication of the fans. Podcasts benefit from one of the lowest click-through rates on adverts for example, due to the intimate and personal nature of them, and the fact that listeners are often cooking, driving, or walking as they listen. 

An oversaturated landscape

With over 4 million podcast episodes uploaded every week, competition for listeners’ ears is high. The question is, how can one stand out? Emily shared with us that it’s essential to be a chameleon as a podcaster – a passion for getting to know each guest a must to bring a degree of exclusiveness to each episode. 

For producers, a high level of passion is essential too – with a critical eye for how artwork and sound can be maintained at a high level of excellence. 

To host or not to host? 

A host can make or break a show. According to Emily, for brands, one question is critical – who’s going to best align with the brand? It’s crucial that the host is authentic, engaging, and can make a show their own. Podcasts provide an intimate listening experience for most audiences – so a lot of charisma on and off the camera, and an ability to bond with the audience is essential. 

It’s not just all about who has the biggest name either – audiences can tell when a host only cares about the paycheque and isn’t interested in what they’re talking about. When in doubt, consider: “who would make a dream dinner guest?” 

A great reputation within the industry also makes the difference – a person that is known to be easy or pleasant to work with will garner better results when booking guests. 

Top tips for booking the best guests

For PRs looking to pitch guests for shows, a short snappy email detailing why the talent would be great for the podcast and how they are relevant is best. Also include detail on how many followers the guest has – as much as guests are trying to build their own profile, it’s important to remember that producers are also trying to bring in a high number of listeners per episode – so a strong social presence is very advantageous.  

It’s equally important that the guest is charming, pleasant to work with, and happy to engage in banter too. The audience can sense when there’s good chemistry between the host and guest which all adds up to a great listening experience.  

The rise of comedy podcasts 

Global’s 2023 white paper titled “Show me the Funny” showed that there is a boom in popularity in comedy podcasts – with the data showing that audiences love the light-hearted nature of them. Brands seeking for more ways to advertise are in luck too – 99.2% of listeners expect to hear adverts in podcasts and aren’t annoyed by them, and in fact regularly engage with the ads. 

The increasing occurrence of live podcast shows has also emerged as the unlikely answer to the future of comedy. Chris and Emily shed light on several new-age comics like Dan Nightingale and Vittorio Angelone who have never been on TV shows such as “Live at the Apollo” are selling out arenas nationwide and ushering in the next generation of talent. 

The future of podcasts – AI 

Will AI be a friend or foe for podcasts? Emily shared that AI editing software helps to make the editing process smoother – with websites like Descript removing “Ummms” and “ahhhhs”, and software emerging that can mimic voices in case there’s a need to re-record portions of an episode. 

ChatGPT is helpful for bios, and looking forward, they expect to see more apps for better sound and graphic design. 

As far as other future trends, Emily and Chris are also adamant that podcasts, TV and radio will remain separate entities as some people will always have a preference for “always on” content, and within the industry we’ll see brands embedding themselves in the on-demand content space as time goes on, with more money being invested into podcasts.   

Conclusion 

As much as podcasting is an art rather than a science, there are several considerations to be kept in mind for best-in-class content. Firstly, a passionate, engaging host is a must to bring an authentic feel to a show, and it’s equally important that guests are charismatic and interesting too. This will help to create an intimate listening experience that will keep guests hooked and yearning for more. 

From an advertising perspective, brands can benefit from loyal audiences as Global’s data has shown that listeners don’t mind ads, and in fact engage with them more through podcasts. 

Looking forward, we expect the popularity of comedy podcasts to soar even higher as guests look for light-hearted entertaining options. We also expect that comedy podcasts and live shows will continue to be used as springboards to launch careers in comedy and usher in new talent.

Finally, with artificial intelligence on the rise, it’s proven to already be a helpful aide for editing content and producing written bios, but it will be interesting to see how the technology evolves, and more importantly how we adapt to the changes.