🎙️ ICYMI: Should You Launch a Branded Podcast?
🎙️ ICYMI: Should You Launch a Branded Podcast?3 examples of brand shows tailored to their communities
Hi — I’ll be in New York for Social Media Week on Monday and Tuesday and will report back from my panel with Lindsey Gamble — Creator Content Only Belongs on Social... Or Does It? — plus all the key takeaways from the conference. Also, I was recently invited to a LeBron James x Offball group chat on WhatsApp and I thought the format could be an interesting opportunity for brands to explore during tentpole events. So, I’m going to send out a member exclusive email on Monday to share what I learned! ⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARYA quick scroll through the biggest social and creator headlines of the week:
💻 ROADMAP📲 TikTok Updates
📲 Meta Updates
📲 LinkedIn Updates
📲 YouTube Updates
📲 Pinterest Updates
📲 Snapchat Updates
📲 Spotify Updates
📲 Substack Updates
📲 Reddit Updates
🎙️ THE PODCAST PLAYBOOK FOR BRANDSEveryone has a podcast now — including some of your favorite brands. If you haven’t heard (excuse the audio pun), podcasts — like newsletters — are becoming an emerging channel for brands looking to connect with audiences in a deeper way. Once considered niche, podcasting is now mainstream. By 2025, global podcast listeners are expected to surpass 584M, and ad revenue is projected to top $4B by 2026. Last year, podcasts made headlines for their role in the “podcast elections” with hosts like Joe Rogan, Theo Von, and Alex Cooper being credited (in part) for shaping public discourse. Now, Vox Media just announced a new pop culture podcast and monthly advice column from comedian Tefi Pessoa (2M followers across TikTok and Instagram). Ask Tefi drops May 23. And even Hollywood is leaning in — Amy Poehler recently cracked the top 10 with her new podcast Good Hang. But podcasts aren’t just for creators, celebrities or media companies. More brands are entering the chat with B2B, interview-style and entertainment shows tailored to their communities:
Even as Spotify and YouTube compete for Gen Z’s attention, no single format or platform is winning. But one thing is clear: brands are thinking beyond 30-second videos. So, as you think about how to reach people, don’t just look at podcasts as ad space — consider what it might look like to launch a show of your own. 🧐 THEMES OF THE WEEKThese topics kept showing up in my feed this week: 👋🏼 Hello, Substack: American Eagle, Madewell and New York Magazine are just some of the latest brands to join the newsletter-turned-social-platform. You might remember last month, I dug into Rare Beauty’s newsletter launch. And I don’t think we’ve seen the end of brands launching newsletters. A common theme that’s expressed across these brands is the desire to tell different types of stories. Recurring descriptions of this format include: immersive, creating a dialog, storytelling, old-school blogging, community and personality. 👀 The Google SEO Article Every Creator Is Reading: Tomiko Harvey is a blogger, travel creator and SEO pro who was one of 7 creators invited to a Google Creator Summit in DC. She wrote an extensive recap of what she learned about search results, web traffic and the impact of AI. I highly recommend reading the whole thing — but a few key takeaways are:
📺 Tech’s Taking Over TV: Building on last week’s newsletter theme — See the creators and brands launching social shows — the format is still gaining speed. TechCrunch covered three TikTok series getting millions of views. Meanwhile Business Insider reported that Google is quietly launching a film and TV production initiative called 100 Zeros to help find projects they can fund or produce. 💡 Gen Z Insights: Social media and YouTube are the starting point of discovery for Gen Z, according to EMarketer — and that’s not necessarily bad news. 60% of Gen Z and Millennials say social media influencers inspire them to make positive life changes, according to a new Mintel report. And a New York Times feature revealed that friendships, analog experiences (like drawing) and small tokens (rubber ducks) are some of the things that bring Gen Z joy. The world isn’t suddenly a less stressful place but I love these outlets for Gen Z. 🛍️ Shopping Evolution: The Bachelor partnered with LTK to launch a new shopping experience for Bachelor Nation fans who want to shop the fashion, beauty, and home products they’ve seen on TV. Meanwhile, Instacart announced it would launch a Gen Z party-focused delivery app called Fizz that lets friends split the bill. 👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
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