You post blogs on a regular basis. You create videos and you’re active on social media. What else can you do to reach your customers?
Have you thought about podcast marketing? Most businesses think of content marketing as written articles, but a podcast can be the next great addition to your strategy. According to Edison Research’s Infinite Dial 2026, 58% of Americans age 12 and older (about 167 million people) listened to or watched a podcast in the last month. That’s a large audience of potential customers.
Below, we’ll cover what podcast marketing is, the benefits of adding a podcast to your marketing, what you need to get started, and a 5-step plan for turning every episode into a waterfall of content.
Table of Contents
- What Is Podcast Marketing?
- 10 Benefits of Adding a Podcast to Your Marketing Strategy
- What You Need to Start a Podcast
- What Is a Waterfall Content Marketing Strategy?
- 5 Steps to Build a Waterfall Strategy With Your Podcast
- How to Grow Your Podcast Audience
- Podcast Marketing Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
What Is Podcast Marketing?
A podcast is an on-demand audio or video show that people can stream or download whenever they want. The word “podcast” was first coined by Ben Hammersley in a 2004 article for The Guardian.
Podcast marketing is using a podcast to promote your business. Instead of a sales pitch, you share helpful, interesting conversations about your industry, and listeners get to know your brand along the way.
The genius of the format is that it’s on demand. Listeners don’t have to rely on a radio or TV schedule. They tune in on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and other apps whenever it’s convenient for them.
Podcasts can also be as broad or as narrow as you’d like. That makes it easy to create content that’s relevant to the exact people you want to reach, whether that’s homeowners in your city or other professionals in your industry.
10 Benefits of Adding a Podcast to Your Marketing Strategy
If you’re looking for a way to stand out, consider these benefits of adding a podcast to your content marketing.
1. Customers View You as an Expert
A podcast conveys authority, and it’s a great way to build your reputation. Customers won’t see you as “just another mechanic.” You’re now “the mechanic who has all those great tips on his podcast.”
2. Convenient for Customers
As great as blogs are, they demand a lot of focus from readers. A large portion of your target audience may not be able to set aside twenty minutes to read a long blog post.
Podcasts, on the other hand, are far more convenient. Your audience can listen on their commute, at the gym or while doing chores. Many people also find it more relaxing to listen to content than to read it.
3. Reach Customers Where They Are
Podcasts have major momentum. The Infinite Dial 2026 found that 80% of Americans age 12 and older have listened to or watched a podcast, and 45% (about 130 million people) do so every week.
Those listeners are on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube searching for new shows. By being available on these platforms, you give customers one more way to find you.
4. Inexpensive to Produce
There’s no shortage of great marketing ideas out there, but the challenge is finding ones that fit your budget. Podcasting is one of the most affordable options you’ll find.
It’s possible to record a podcast with nothing more than free software and an entry-level microphone. We recommend investing a bit more so you get quality audio, since that contributes to your image as a professional.
Even with better equipment, an audio podcast is usually far less expensive and time-consuming to produce than a polished video.
5. Built for a Mobile-First World
Smartphones used to be extensions of people’s home computers. Today, many people use their phones as their primary device for almost everything. In fact, mobile devices account for about 59% of worldwide web traffic, according to StatCounter.
People want entertainment and information they can take with them, and that’s exactly what podcasts provide. Your episodes go wherever your customers go: in the car, on a walk or on a smart speaker at home.
6. Widen Your Reach
Content marketing as a whole is a great way to reach customers, but different people are drawn to different formats. Not everyone enjoys reading blogs, especially long ones.
Some people simply prefer listening, and audio is also more accessible for people with visual impairments or reading difficulties. By adding a podcast to your content marketing strategy, you reach people your blog may never connect with.
7. An Excuse to Network
One of the fringe benefits of podcasting is networking. You can interview professionals in your industry or community with unique specialties or experiences. This adds meaningful content for your listeners, and it gives you a chance to build relationships with your guests.
8. Room to Stand Out
Every marketer talks about the virtues of video marketing. Videos are an essential part of a well-rounded marketing strategy, but so many businesses produce them now that it’s hard to get noticed.
Podcasting has grown too, but there’s still plenty of room. Podcast Index lists about 4.72 million podcast feeds, yet only around 478,000 of them have published an episode in the last 90 days, according to Libsyn. And in most local markets, very few businesses have a podcast at all. Chances are your competitors don’t, which gives you a leg up.
9. Gives Personality to Your Brand
In a competitive industry, the best way to win customers is to form a connection with them. People want to do business with someone who understands them and their needs.
Podcasts are a great way to create that connection. Unlike a blog, your podcast features your actual voice (and your face, if you record video). Listeners will feel like they know you better than competitors who rely on written content alone.
Podcasts are also a more casual format where your personality can shine through. It’s yet another way for customers to feel like they know you before they buy from you.
10. You Can Use the Content Beyond the Podcast
The time and money you put into your podcast can go further than you think. Beyond Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, you can add topic-specific episodes to related pages on your website, turn episodes into blog posts and share clips on social media. That’s the heart of a waterfall content marketing strategy, which we’ll walk through below.
What You Need to Start a Podcast
When starting a podcast, it’s important to know that it can be as simple or as complex as you want.
The Basics
Technically, there are only a couple of things you really need:
- A microphone
- A recording program (such as Audacity or GarageBand, both free)
That’s it! You could record an episode at your desk with a basic USB microphone and have it online the same day.
Don’t Skimp on Audio Quality
You may be inclined to save a buck wherever you can, but it’s well worth investing in good recording equipment. Buy a quality microphone, add a pop filter, get a comfortable pair of headphones and pay for good editing software if you need it.
Part of creating a good podcast is building your audience, and a big part of building that audience is good sound. It’s not just about good content. You also want to present it well.
Most listeners have heard enough professional podcasts to tell when something sounds amateur. They may give a new show the benefit of the doubt for a few episodes, but that goodwill only lasts so long.
Consider Recording Video
Podcasts aren’t just audio anymore. The Infinite Dial 2026 found that 57% of Americans age 12 and older have both listened to and watched a podcast. A simple camera or webcam setup lets you publish full episodes on YouTube and create short clips for social media.
What Is a Waterfall Content Marketing Strategy?
To put it simply, a waterfall content marketing strategy takes one piece of core content and cascades it into many smaller pieces, pushing it out to as many places as possible so it makes the biggest impact.
Think of it like an actual waterfall. One source of water cascades down and makes a big splash when it hits the pool at the base. Your podcast episode is the source, and the blog posts, clips, social posts and emails you create from it are the splash.
Here’s how to build your own podcast marketing strategy, step by step.
5 Steps to Build a Waterfall Strategy With Your Podcast
Follow these steps for every episode to get the most out of your work.
1. Settle on Your Source Material
Before you hit record, decide exactly what kind of content you want to create. Audio works the same as text or visual campaigns. You need a strategy and a clear plan for execution.
As a business owner, you’ll most likely want content based on your industry, or at least closely related to it. Brainstorm topics with other experts in your field or with your employees to find out what matters most to your customers.
Even better, ask your audience directly. An easy social media strategy is to post polls on Facebook, Instagram or X asking your followers which topics interest them. Then you’ll know you’re creating episodes people are already looking for.
2. Invite Guests for Discussion
Inviting guests onto your podcast has several benefits. You get a second opinion, which balances your own voice and keeps the conversation interesting. An expert opinion or outside perspective on your topic is invaluable.
Guests also help you grow. When you bring on people your audience recognizes, and they share the episode with their own followers, new listeners will tune in. Impress them and they’ll subscribe and become regulars.
3. Record and Edit the Podcast
Recording a podcast sounds easy. You just hit record. However, you need to go a little further than that.
Recording a great episode means planning upfront. Outline your discussion points so you know what to say and when. After recording, edit out long pauses and mistakes, and add your intro, outro, music and any ad reads.
For a successful waterfall content marketing strategy, it may be wise to hire a professional editor. The polished result is usually worth the cost.
4. Publish and Nail Your Copywriting
All your hard work is wasted if no one can find your podcast. To publish, you’ll need a podcast hosting service. Your host stores your episodes and creates an RSS feed that sends them to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other apps. Popular options include:
- Buzzsprout
- Libsyn
- Podbean
- Captivate
- Spotify for Creators (free)
Compare each option carefully and make sure it offers every feature you expect to need, such as analytics, video support and a podcast website.
Next, invest some time in the copywriting so each episode hits the ground running. Write clear episode descriptions and show notes with a call to action, and gather links so listeners can dive deeper into anything you discussed.
Don’t forget your episode titles. They’re what draw people in, so make them specific and use the words your audience would search for.
5. Repurpose Every Episode
Once an episode goes live, it’s tempting to move straight to the next one. But for a real waterfall content marketing strategy, you need to make sure each episode makes the maximum impact. Once it’s published, you should:
- Write a blog post on the episode’s topic
- Upload a transcript of the show
- Post the full episode on YouTube
- Cut short clips for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube Shorts
- Share the episode in your email newsletter
- Embed the episode on related pages of your website
By doing this, you extend the reach of every show and make sure your waterfall creates the big impact you’re aiming for.
How to Grow Your Podcast Audience
Here’s the part some business owners don’t like to hear: it takes time to grow a podcast audience.
Most people want results right away, but podcasts usually grow organically. Engaged listeners tell their friends, guests share their episodes and word of mouth spreads from there. Publishing on a consistent schedule helps listeners build a habit around your show.
As with any marketing strategy, you can also speed things up by paying for ads on other podcasts. If you go that route, choose shows with an audience similar to your own.
Podcast Marketing Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
The benefits of adding a podcast to your marketing are clear: more authority, a deeper connection with customers and a steady stream of content for every channel you use. Podcasting is easy to start, but a valuable podcast marketing stream doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and work, but when it’s done right with the correct structure, the payoff can be huge.
Is it time to bring your marketing strategy up to speed? Check out our other posts to see more ways to boost your marketing and grow your business.
Robert & Liz, RebelFish Local CoFounders, doing local volunteer work.We are RebelFish Local and are here to help you with all your SEO needs. Download our free resource for 5 Hacks That Will Get You On Page 1 Of Google today, and start climbing to the top of Google!