According to the IAB Podcast Advertising Revenue Study conducted by PwC, podcasting is growing. Why? Because it offers a more personal and authentic way to engage audiences and is tailor-made for the modern listener who is on the go and eager to learn.
If you’re like the average American, you probably spend just under 4 hours each day consuming audio, and there’s a 50 percent chance you’re a fan of at least one podcast already.
With this kind of growth comes plenty of opportunity to learn and enjoy content, but it doesn’t come without a little bit of chaos. It seems like people launch new podcasts every day. How can you pick the right one for you?
That depends on what you want to learn and who you want to learn from, whether it’s the podcast host who offers inspiration or the guest who shares his or her stories, lessons, and advice.
With marketing trends consistently reshaping the landscape and growing demands for marketing leaders to be both subject matter experts and experts in leadership, CMOs and other marketing professionals are in a unique position. They need the right blend of tactical marketing advice and inspirational leadership guidance to help them do their best work.
There’s a podcast for basically everything now, but it’s important to find the right ones and create a playlist that will help you develop the top skills you need to be a successful marketer. Here are five podcasts you might want to tune into:
1. For experience, listen to “CMO Moves” with Nadine Dietz.
Recently released, this podcast promises to be a good one for everyone’s playlist. With an impressive roster of CMOs from GE, Spotify, HP, Target, Walmart, Mastercard, Verizon, and more, there’s no shortage of expert advice for marketers at any stage of their career.
What makes this podcast especially unique is its format — unscripted and authentic. It’s all about the real people behind the success, who share their failures, advice, inspirations, and personal stories of how they got to lead some of the world’s biggest brands.
2. For inspiration, listen to “TED Talks Daily” by TED.
This podcast is the audio version of the world-famous TED Talks series, and it’s packed full of inspiration and stories on a wide range of topics, from AI to healthcare to the environment to animal science and literally everything in between. If you’ve ever watched a TED Talk and wanted a way to listen to the stories and ideas without having to sit in front of your screen, then add this to your playlist.
Sure, this isn’t a marketing-specific podcast. But the diversity in topics here is awesome and will help you think about new ideas and solutions that may never have occurred to you before.
Ever wonder about the stories behind brands and organizations like BuzzFeed, Starbucks, Teach For America, or Lyft? This podcast explores the stories of leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators on their journeys to building and growing their companies, and you get to hear it directly from the people themselves.
“How I Built This” discusses how ideas are transformed into successful companies. If you’re looking to start a new initiative or grow your current company, then this podcast is for you.
Gary Vaynerchuk is one of the best-known marketing influencers out there, and he’s notoriously no-BS. If you’re looking to dive deep into media trends, tactics, and solutions to up your marketing game, then this is a good start. “GaryVee” covers a diverse mix of topics, guests, and insights to help listeners learn more about all things marketing.
5. For innovation, listen to “CIO Network” by CIO Talk Network.
Marketing leaders don’t just work within their own departments. They have to work alongside other C-suite members and experts across the company, from sales to production to IT to client service and just about every other team.
Sometimes that requires getting out of your own marketing bubble and stepping into the shoes of others in your company, and “CIO Network” is one way to do that. It includes a broad array of great innovation podcasts that are geared toward the CIO but are also helpful to marketers in understanding and engaging other decision makers.
So, if you’re a marketing leader who’s looking for a simple, engaging way to learn a little bit and tap into a growing medium that spreads thought leadership, insight, and education, you should check out these podcasts.