BackLeft to Right: Doug Downs, Farzana Baduel, David Gallagher
Most mornings, before the inbox floods and the day’s demands announce themselves, I’m out walking the dog in West London. I’m a working mother, a wife, and the CEO of a global communications consultancy. My phone is in my pocket, not in my hand. My eyes are on the pavement and the people passing by.
But in my ears, the world is unfolding: media analysis, leadership thinking, long-form conversations, and the kind of context you rarely get from a headline or a scroll.
That small, ordinary scene captures something bigger. In a distracted, time-poor world, podcasts have quietly become one of the most intimate, flexible, and emotionally resonant ways we exchange ideas. Audio fits into the gaps of modern life, walking, commuting, cooking, exercising, and turns “dead time” into thinking time. Far from being background noise, podcasts have become a central arena for thought leadership, public conversation, and influence.
A medium that found its moment
Podcasting didn’t arrive with the fanfare of a new social platform. It evolved in plain sight, and then, suddenly, it was everywhere.
The numbers help explain why. What began as a niche format has become mainstream, and it’s no longer confined to a single platform or geography.
North America and Western Europe still lead in penetration, but growth across Latin America and parts of Asia is accelerating quickly. The reasons are straightforward: smartphones are ubiquitous, commute times are long, and audio is an efficient alternative to sitting down to read or watch.
In other words, podcasts don’t compete for your full attention. They travel with you.
The platforming of intimacy
In the early years, Apple Podcasts shaped how podcasting worked: where shows “lived”, how they were found, and how audiences formed habits. Spotify then changed the dynamic by integrating podcasts into a broader audio ecosystem, and by pushing recommendation systems that helped listeners discover shows they didn’t already know to search for.
Now YouTube has become a podcast power player.
That matters because YouTube lowers the barrier to entry. Someone who might never open a podcast app may still encounter a long-form conversation through YouTube, widening reach and impact.
It also reflects a behavioural shift: many people no longer just listen. They “watch” podcasts, even if the visual element is secondary. For communicators, that is important. It means podcasting is no longer simply audio distribution. It is multi-format, multi-platform, and often algorithm-driven.
Why audio works: the science behind the intimacy
There’s a deeper reason podcasts resonate so powerfully, and it sits in our brains. Voices, tone, and cadence carry emotional information quickly, and emotion is a shortcut to memory.
We all know this instinctively. A single song can transport you back to a very specific moment in your life with startling clarity. A human voice, speaking with nuance and feeling, can create connection in a way that text, and even short-form video, often cannot.
When a podcast works, you don’t just consume it. You accompany it. It becomes part of your routine, your commute, your walk, your day. Over time, listeners can develop a strong sense of loyalty, where a host can feel less like a distant broadcaster and more like a trusted companion.
Who listens, and what they’re really seeking
Demographically, podcasts skew young but not narrow. Millennials make up the largest share of listeners in the United States, with Gen Z close behind. But there is also notable growth among 18–24 year olds and mid-career professionals aged 45–54.
Psychographically, podcast listeners share common traits: curiosity, a desire for depth beyond headlines, and an appetite for explanation over hot takes. They are habitual multitaskers, and they choose audio precisely because it fits into their lives rather than demanding their lives pause for it.
This is one reason podcast audiences can feel unusually high intent. People don’t tend to stumble into a 35-minute episode. They choose it, and then, crucially, they stay.
My own podcast journey: what hosting teaches you
I’ve watched this evolution from the inside.
Almost three years ago, I began hosting a podcast for the Public Relations and Communications Association. It was my first real immersion in audio storytelling, and it taught me how disciplined the medium is. Podcasting rewards clarity, pace, and respect for the listener’s time. You can’t hide behind slides, lighting, or a fast cut. The voice has to carry the story.
About a year ago, I joined Stories and Strategies, an evergreen interview podcast focused on PR and communications, partnering with Canadian podcaster and former journalist Doug Downs. Doug runs a podcast production company, and working with him was an education in craft.
One lesson stayed with me: for many listeners, around 20 minutes is an optimal length. Focused 20–30 minute episodes often perform strongly in completion and engagement.
Stories and Strategies has also demonstrated how niche, expert-led audio can build global reach. It drops every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
More recently, we launched a second weekly show, Week Unspun, which goes out live on Fridays and is then shared as a podcast. It brings together a transatlantic trio: Doug, the Canadian producer; David Gallagher, an American former journalist and senior PR leader; and me, a British PR.
Together, the two shows reflect a powerful podcasting truth: evergreen expertise and timely commentary don’t compete. They complement. One builds durable, searchable value. The other builds relevance and momentum.
Beyond the 30-second soundbite
Traditional broadcast news has long been built around compression: the 30-second soundbite, the clipped argument, the performative debate. Complex issues are reduced to slogans, and guests are rewarded for being sharp rather than being thoughtful.
Long-form podcasts offer something different. They allow for nuance, vulnerability, and intellectual risk-taking. They rehumanise experts and leaders by giving them space to think out loud.
At the same time, certain high-profile podcast appearances show how the format can become politically consequential. In a fragmented media environment, influence has shifted to wherever attention and trust can be held for longer than a scroll.
Thought leadership and strategic value
For brands, leaders, and communicators, podcasts offer a rare combination of attention and intimacy. Listeners often stay with episodes for tens of minutes, far longer than they spend on a social post or online article.
From a PR perspective, that changes the nature of thought leadership. Podcasts allow leaders to demonstrate depth rather than simply deliver a line to take. They allow a more complete expression of values and worldview, and that matters when trust is fragile and audiences are sceptical.
They also collapse geography. A listener in Sri Lanka can hear a UK-based CEO, a Canadian producer, and an American PR veteran analyse the week’s news in real time, and feel part of the conversation.
That’s what makes podcasting feel like the most human medium of our time: it doesn’t just broadcast. It connects.
And in a world where attention is scarce, connection is the advantage.
Listen and watch
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Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Originally featured in Substack
