And how to know if they’re worth budgeting for
‘Tis the season! 🥳 No, not that season. Planning season 😉. Otherwise known as the time of year when every comms, HR, and marketing team opens their calendar, spreadsheet, and browser tabs all at once then immediately needs a lie down.
I’m putting fingers to keyboard this autumnal day to unashamedly make the case for the mighty podcast to proudly take up a line within your 2026 comms masterplan. And not just because it’s trendy, or cheaper than video, or everyone else is doing one.
It’s because podcasts, when done right, can act as:
- A leadership visibility tool
- An internal engagement driver
- A brand-building content hub
- A learning and development asset
- A multi-platform content generator / storytelling engine
- An ‘always on’ content provider
To help make its case, let’s break down how and why this would work for you, tackle the thorny issue of what it might cost, and how to give you the biggest bang for your branded buck.
1. First, match it to a real, precise goal
Don’t podcast because you’ve been told to or because everyone else is doing it.
Podcast because it will:
- Replace a clunky email newsletter that few to no one reads
- Reach those hard-to-reach people (off-screeners, off-siters, shift workers, travellers)
- Humanise your leadership during culture change
- Give your brand credibility with a niche audience
- Turn one story into many content pieces
- Create training content you don’t have to repeat live
Check out “Everyday Trust” by Interac. It builds brand equity and customer loyalty by bringing human stories to a financial tech space. It’s absolutely not the flashiest podcast you’ll ever stumble across (and I don’t mean that in a bad way), but it really does what it needs to, providing super high-value to listeners.
2. Pick a format that intrigues your audience
Make sure you really think about, or even ask, your intended audience what they are currently enjoying listening to so you can create something that they want to hear. This is soooo important because you want to make content that your listeners will embrace and want to interact with, not something that has been ‘killed by committee’.
I’ve popped together a little crib sheet as a quick guide:
| Style | Can Be Used For… | Frequency | Budget (ballpark) |
| Leadership ‘Fireside Chat’ | Internal morale, trust | Monthly | £5k–£10k for 6 eps |
| Project Deep-Dive | Culture change, transformation comms | 3-6 part mini series | £5k–£15k |
| External Branded Show | Thought leadership, SEO, brand visibility | Regular: Weekly / Fortnightly or monthly | £30k–£60k+ |
| Learning & Development Podcasts | Staff training, onboarding | Ad hoc or evergreen | £2k–£10k per series |
| Repurposed Digest | Wrapping existing content into audio | Weekly/monthly | £1k–£6k |
You don’t have to start big. A 3-episode pilot is absolutely fine. Record in-house, remotely or in a studio, or let us do it for you. It helps you test the waters and build your case.
3. Build repurposing into your plan from the off
You don’t want a podcast that just sits there all on its lonesome when you could make it work so hard for you. Every episode allows you to produce so many pieces of content from it. Just think…
- A blog post
- Quote cards
- Video clips / Audiograms for socials
- YouTube shorts
- A staff bulletin / update
- Slides for training
From one lowly episode, that’s at least six additional assets, streamlining yours and your team’s workload, making all your comms channels look well-connected and giving you way more value for money.
4. Measure like a grown-up
You’re probably not aiming for blockbuster numbers (unless of course, you’re making an entertainment podcast!), but you can track meaningful podcast ROI if you set the right metrics:
| Type of Podcast | Key Metrics |
| Internal | Listen-through rate, feedback, replays, team participation, questionnaires, asking for anecdotal feedback from your audience. |
| External | Listen-through rate, downloads, referrals, site visits, pipeline influence, LinkedIn engagement, request for media appearances, press / digital coverage, request for information, new client conversations, likes, reviews, subscribes, etc. |
| Training | Completion rate, quiz scores, feedback forms |
Building your metrics in right from the start is imperative. Without them, you won’t know what’s good, needs improving or be able to build of case for success.
5. Don’t wait for perfection
Because, to put it ever so kindly, it will never come. The simple truth is, your podcast doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful. Just make sure you have a clear vision about what you’re doing and who it’s for, an engaging presenter, a good mic and an editor and crack on.
Final thought
Your 2026 comms strategy should include a few things that cut through. Something warm. Something human. Something re-usable. Something that doesn’t rely on people reading a 12-bullet newsletter or showing up live. A podcast can be all that, if you give it a seat at your comms planning table.
Need some help deciding if it’s time to podcast?
We’ve created a one page decision tree to help you figure it out. Click here to get it sent to you. Or get in touch to talk about how we can help you map things out, from coming up with a strategy to workshopping an idea, to making your podcast.
