The biggest marketing opportunity of 2025?
Call me crazy but this is what I'm seeing...
What’s up guys.
Hope you’re rocking it!
Last week I was asked “What’s the biggest marketing opportunity of 2025?”
It made me think.
Has marketing fundamentally changed forever?
If we look at Podcasts.
I think it has.
For years paid advertising and cold outreach have dominated as the ways to win business.
But look around.
Every major influencer has a podcast:
• Steven Bartlett
• Andrew Huberman
• Alex Cooper
They can endorse any product and it will sell.
Major brands are crushing it with Podcasts:
They position themselves as the no 1 brands in their industry.
It’s controversial but some argue…
Even presidential elections are being won through podcasting.
What’s going on here?
For me, it comes down to 3 things…
1/ Attention
Think about it:
• An Instagram Reel = 30 seconds of attention
• A YouTube video = 10 minutes if you're lucky
• A Podcast = 1 to 2 hours of dedicated listening time
The level of trust and connection in podcasting is unmatched.
The trust transfer is phenomenal.
But here's where it gets really interesting…
2/ Speed to Brand affinity
The marketing world we live in is driven by “brand”.
Why do we ask for a “Coke” instead of a Pepsi?
Why do we buy ‘Redbull’ over the next energy drink?
It’s because we have an affinity with the brand.
We’ve spent time interacting with their ads, we follow their sponsored athletes and ambassadors.
Over many years we have built that affinity.
We like them.
We buy their products.
Podcasts do the same thing.
But 10x quicker.
I can binge a Podcast in a weekend.
I don’t need months or years of advertising interactions.
The hosts and guests act as brand ambassadors.
But our connection with them is 10x deeper.
Brand affinity is accelerated.
3/ Change to Organic interaction versus Paid
Podcasts provide multiple touch points where we can interact with the brand in a week.
Long form.
Audio.
Video.
Clips.
Photos. Quotes. Carousels.
But this all happens on our own terms.
As organic content in our social feeds.
Not as paid ads we rush to skip.
Audiences are actively seeking out your content.
Not trying to escape it.
But maybe the BIGGEST difference with Podcasting versus traditional Advertising?
It’s pretty crazy...
You don’t have to pay for reach.
4/ The platforms pay you!
YouTube is prioritising Podcasts
Spotify is prioritising Podcasts
Linkedin wants expert content
Instagram is made for clips
You don’t pay for any of it.
Let’s look at my own Podcast.
Episodes are reaching 300,000+ people.
A year after publication, the platforms are serving old episodes to new people.
Working for me while I sleep.
And paying me for this:
That’s not counting the actions of my audience who like what I’m talking about.
Sending 100s of leads to my business:
A thriving agency
Consulting clients
Speaking gigs
Over $1 million in revenue
I never even pitch these services on the Podcast.
People just asked for them.
Even better?
There is this crazy flywheel effect with Podcasting:
You record an episode with a guest
Post and the platforms will find you an audience for free
Audience learns something valuable
Some convert to customers
Then…
That revenue helps level up production
Better production attracts bigger guests
Bigger guests bring larger audiences
Larger audiences bring more leads
Repeat.
It's got to the point where I'm actually scared to release episodes. The opportunity flow is overwhelming.
Here's the thing…
I'm not special.
This isn't some magic formula that only works for me.
I’ve run it with multiple brands, creators and entrepreneurs.
A lot of my clients run 8 figure revenue companies.
They’re consistently shocked by the lead flow from their Podcasts.
Bigger than that?
I think we’re seeing this fundamental shift in marketing.
where Brands and Personalities create their own platforms.
Podcasts are a place where they control the narrative.
They speak directly to the audience.
If I have a choice between two products:
A brand I’ve never heard of who serves me a Facebook ad
A brand I listen to every week and provide me immense value
Who am I going to buy from?
Ok.
Hope you guys got some value here.
Sorry if I rambled!
Have a great week!
Callum
By the way…
I’m opening up 1x Podcast Coaching Slot and 1x Podcast Production slot in March.
The point you make about podcasts is absolutely true: "The level of trust and connection in podcasting is unmatched."
People choose to listen to a 2-hour podcast because they either (1) love the creator, or (2) trust the creator. Trust that they will get some value from the conversation.
It's key to create that trust through consistency.