Mic Drop: Brands Don’t Just Need a Voice. They Need a Presence.
Why Podcasting Should Be on Every CMO’s Radar
If you’re a CMO today, your job isn’t just to sell. It’s to signal.
Signal relevance. Signal values. Signal that you’re paying attention—to the world, to your customers, to the things that matter. And yet, for all the energy being poured into social, short-form video, and the next micro-platform, one of the most powerful and underused signals sits quietly in the background: the humble podcast.
Not as an influencer playground. Not as a B2B content afterthought. But as a brand practice, it is a living, breathing touchpoint that builds trust, authority, and community over time.
Because podcasting isn’t just a content format. It’s a listening device.
And right now, too many brands are talking past the very people they should be connecting with.
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CMOs: You’re Missing a Strategic Channel
Here’s what we know: the fastest-growing segment of the consumer population isn’t Gen Z. It’s the experienced, the people in midlife and beyond. The ones with money to spend, transitions to navigate, and deep, unmet needs that aren’t showing up in your segmentation models. They’re also among the most loyal podcast listeners, especially when the content feels smart, relatable, and not overly polished.
But this isn’t just about age. It’s about tone.
Podcasting, by its nature, creates intimacy. It builds a narrative over time. It rewards depth. It gives a brand not just a voice, but a presence.
Ask yourself:
- Where in your brand ecosystem are you saying: We see you. We hear you?
- Where are you allowing your customers to spend time with your values, not just your value proposition?
- Where can you move beyond the CTA and into something more human?
Podcasting answers all of those when it’s done right.
It’s a chance to create space instead of noise. To be invited into someone’s routine, not pushed into their feed. And when hosted by the right voice - a senior exec, a respected creator, a client partner - it creates what few other channels can: a relationship.
A good podcast says: We’re more than what we sell. Here’s how we think. Here’s who we respect. Here’s what we’re learning.
And a great one? It makes you feel like you’re in the room. That the brand, in some way, gets you. And in a world where loyalty is harder to earn than ever, that moment - that you’re speaking to me feeling - is everything.
From Personal Curiosity to Strategic Imperative
CMOs don’t need more content. They need more connection. And podcasting, if you let it, might be your brand’s clearest voice.
I don’t have a podcast. (Yes, I know, many of you have told me I should.) But my brother, Michael Smith Jr. does. He and his co-host Raz Kotler run The Generalists Podcast - smart, insight filled conversations that have found a loyal following. They record at Singapore’s Poddster, the brainchild of Borko Kovacevic, who’s built a studio and support system that’s as welcoming to first-time hosts as it is to veteran storytellers.
(I’m working on some workshop ideas that bridge CMOs, brands, and agencies into the podcast ecosystem. Because the opportunity isn’t just creative. It’s strategic. So watch this space.)
The Growing Influence of the Epilogue Economy™
If you need another reason to reconsider podcasts as a brand tool, consider who’s listening.
As of 2025, the global number of podcast listeners reached 584.1 million, a 6.83% increase year-over-year. In the U.S., 27% of adults aged 55 and older are monthly podcast listeners (Edison Research). They’re not the majority, but they are consistent, engaged, and growing.
And they’re listening with purpose.
According to Pew Research, 61% of podcast listeners aged 65 and older tune in to learn something new. They use podcasts not as background noise but as enrichment - meaningful media that meets them where they are.
For brands hoping to reach the Epilogue Economy, those in midlife and beyond who are navigating transitions, reinventing their identities, or simply looking for thoughtful content, this is a wide-open lane.
CMOs and Senior Leaders as Authentic Voices
It’s not just the audience that’s ready. The voices are, too.
A study by Signal Hill Insights found that 83% of senior executives listened to a podcast in the past week. Many are “power listeners,” clocking in over five hours a week. And yet very few have stepped behind the mic themselves.
When senior leaders host, they don’t just deliver insights. They:
- Share wisdom earned from lived experience.
- Foster trust through consistency and openness.
- Humanize leadership, showing not just what they think, but how they think.
Brand Strategy with a Pulse
Branded podcasts don’t need to be long or elaborate. But they do need to be real.
They can:
- Anchor a campaign.
- Support employer branding.
- Extend thought leadership into a conversational space.
- Create a sense of continuity in a fragmented media environment.
And listeners notice.
Research shows that podcast listeners are significantly more likely to trust, remember, and recommend brands they encounter through podcasts versus traditional ads (NPR & Edison). Not because the ad is better, but because the medium is.
You’re in their ear. You’ve been invited in. The only question is: what are you going to say?
Getting Started
If you’re ready to explore podcasting, either as a brand asset or a leadership platform, start small but smart:
- Identify the perspective that only you can offer.
- Match the voice to the message. This could be a founder, CMO, customer, or collaborator.
- Invest in production. Poddster is a great place to start. (I don't get paid for that recommendation. But I have seen an amazing growth in the podcast community, as well as quality, since it opened.)
- Treat it like a channel, not a campaign. Consistency builds trust.
The best branded podcasts aren’t trying to be media companies. They’re just being present, thoughtful, and generous with what they know.
And in a world oversaturated with noise, that’s a strategy worth listening to.
Let’s Talk.
If you’re a CMO thinking about how to build trust, presence, and real audience connection through podcasting, I can help you shape a strategy that fits. And if you’re trying to understand the shifting needs of midlife consumers—what I call the Epilogue Economy™ , I’d love to share what I’m seeing.
Two conversations. One inbox.
