Hi, Reader.

Welcome to Podcasting in Professional Services—the newsletter that delivers three things each week:

1. Perspective from other business podcasters
2. Research or news about podcasting
3. A small, actionable challenge to help grow your show

This week, we're digging into a key part of every podcaster's journey: evolution.

But before we dive in, can you do me a favor? It would mean the world to me if you left a rating or review of my podcast on Apple or Spotify 🙏🏼

Podcast Example: Amplify, by AAM

​Katie Tolin was among the first volunteers to host the Association for Accounting Marketing's Amplify podcast when it was first released in 2017.

“Way back then, [podcasting] wasn't popular. Finding members who actually knew what a podcast was, how you produced it, and what it looked like was a challenge.”

As new shows entered the arena and more listeners tuned in, the podcast's branding and positioning become critical. To stay relevant, Amplify went through some major changes.

“For marketers to be successful in their organization, they need to buy in at a higher level from the firm leadership. They have to understand that marketing is important, and part of our job is to educate them and give credibility.”

“Our podcast used to be very much AAM-centered. It was all about us. And when we rebranded it, part of it was like, how do we make this apply to the wider accounting profession? One, because they need to hear marketing. Two, it's going to add credibility to what each and every one of our members are doing.”

In the beginning, Katie and her team found it challenging to publish regularly with volunteer hosts. "We had some turnover on our committees, and then our host was gone. We needed to rethink our strategy if we want to have any sort of good hosting.”

In 2022, the podcast was transformed. Episodes were released in batches of 6-7 episodes at a time. These “seasons” of content focused on a particular theme like employer branding, business development, or digital marketing.

“By moving to a season [format], we would have five, six, seven episodes around a general theme,” said Katie. “You can listen to any one of those and walk away with lots of great insights.”

B2B Decision-Makers Listen to Podcasts

Podcasts have been around for decades. Many Gen-X and Millennials who've listened to podcasts for years have now moved into business decision-making roles in their careers.

According to Edison Research's Infinite Dial 2023 report, 40% of U.S. population between 12 and 55 listen to podcast content every week.

These podcasts aren't just true-crime dramas or sports-related podcasts, either. In fact, "business" podcasts are the 4th post popular genre. According to a survey of over 2,700 users by LinkedIn, 44% of department heads, VPs, owners, and C-suites listen to podcasts.

Podcast Challenge: Experiment With a New Wrinkle

The other day, Mark, my co-host on Breaking BizDev, challenged me to cut out more filler words in the audio editing process. That made me totally re-think my podcast editing workflow. In the end, it saved time enough for me to focus on growing the show.

So, now I'm challenging you.

Maybe it doesn't have to be production, or even operations-focused. Here are a few ideas for new ways you can experiment with your show:

1. Test out a new episode format, structure, type, or length
2. Re-imagine your show/episode artwork or marketing graphics
3. Ask someone new to guest host an episode

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Podcasting in Professional Services. Thank you so much for reading. If you have any questions or feedback, please reply to this email.

Cheers,
- John

P.S.—Want to grow your show? Book some time with me to learn more about our podcast strategy, production, and marketing services.