The Rest is Podcasts: Why comms professionals need to grasp the biggest growing sector of the media
Podcasts are booming - partly because they are unlike anything else in the mainstream media. Conversational, niche and community-based - but a goldmine for PRs
The media landscape is changing at pace – and keeping up with the latest developments and moves will give every comms expert an advantage over their rivals. Every week we will take a look at the media business from mainstream and ‘legacy’ media to cutting edge tech and the latest trends and developments – and how you can use that know-how.
The march of the podcast is showing no signs of slowing.
Last week Politico announced it had expanded its Playbook audio offering and that podcasts and video was a “big part” of the business’s strategy in 2026 and beyond.
It comes after Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger podcast company - creator of the hugely successful The Rest is… series - hit 250,000 paying subscribers (at an average of £60-a-year). Goalhanger claims it is “the world’s fastest growing media and production company”.
The sector is becoming big business – and a sign of its growth can be seen in Goalhanger’s recent appointments – former Sunday Times journalist Emily Kent Smith to the new role of editorial director, Uber executive Andy Hodgson as chief financial officer and Chloe Straw, formerly chief executive of Audio UK, as director of operations.
Globally, the podcast audience is over 500 million with the average US adult now spending around 50 minutes a day listening to podcasts. Industry revenue topped $40 billion last year. It’s a market every PR should be considering, even if it feels a bit out of the comfort zone.
Last month saw the latest Business Podcast Summit in snowy New York, with participants from across the world attending. Some key takeaways are worth noting.
One is that audio is nearly always going to need video these days. Because Youtube is such a crucial driver of revenue for podcast publishers, it needs footage to go with the audio.
And increasingly, that means more than just filming the participants. Instead, animations, maps, graphics, physical files all help engage viewers and consequently stay on the podcast longer which means the YouTube algorithms push it to more people.
The influence of YouTube (and its financial potential) is such that the summit heard that publishers are edging away from paywalls. They instead want to reach more people and are keen on shows and presenters who can pull a community together with their podcast.
This should all be good news for the comms industry. And with around a third of UK adults listening to podcasts every month (and the number is growing), engaging with the world of podcasts isn’t really optional now if you want a coherent, wide-ranging media presence.
So, here are a few thoughts on how to get your clients and causes on the digital airwaves.
