Insights

  November 11, 2025

In today’s newsletter, we’re diving into a topic we all know well: podcasts. They’ve become part of how we learn, lead and stay connected, shifting from background noise to a strategic channel for influence and engagement. In this issue, we explore how organizations are using podcasts to connect with niche audiences, deliver compelling stories, and build leader and brand visibility.

ICYMI: Our last newsletter examined why crisis readiness is non-negotiable and how cybersecurity and brand reputation now go hand in hand. As AI innovation accelerates and attackers grow more sophisticated, organizations can expect more frequent, fast-moving incidents that test their technical defenses and their public responses. Read it here 

Assessing how to strengthen your crisis readiness? Get in touch at crisis@gga.nyc for a consultation.

Finding your voice in the podcast era

Podcasts have evolved far beyond entertainment; they’re a powerful communications channel where organizations and thought leaders can reach engaged, niche audiences through earned placements, bespoke sponsorships, and authentic storytelling. And brands are taking note: Podcast ad spend was up 26% in Q3 year over year, according to Magellan AI, a podcast analytics and intelligence platform. 

Global Gateway Advisors spoke with Emily Rudder, VP at Acast Creative Studios, about how leaders and subject matter experts can use earned podcast placements to reach the right audiences and shape their core narratives. 

Podcasting at a glance:

• Over 200 million Americans have listened to a podcast.
  
• The core audience skews 20s-40s, and Gen Z, the generation every brand wants to reach, is listening more than ever.
  
• YouTube surpassed Apple Podcasts and Spotify as the top listening platform, signaling a real-time shift in the medium itself. Rudder noted that it feels similar to the Facebook/BuzzFeed video era, when everything moved toward visual formats to match audiences’ habits. Even audio-only shows now upload episodes to YouTube with static podcast art so they can be discovered and consumed where listeners are already spending time.

First things first: Before jumping in, every brand should ask one simple question: What are we trying to achieve? As Rudder suggests, many clients “don’t know what they want” when they enter the podcast space, and that matters because there are so many different ways to work within it.

Ways to engage
Whether the goal is to reach new audiences, reinforce thought leadership, or tell deeper brand stories, podcasts offer flexible modes of engagement. 

Earned interview appearances

• Feature executives or experts as guests on existing shows that align with your audience. With so many podcasts out there, Rudder says “it’s actually not that hard to book people.”
  • In action: OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella appeared on the “BG2Pod” with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley, while Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol sat down with Bob Safian on “Rapid Response” and PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi went on “The Knowledge Project.”

• The opportunity lies in targeting. There are endless niches to choose from, and even though a show may only have 3,000 listeners, if those individuals are the right sector-specific or geographic audience you want to reach, it can be far more valuable than chasing a large, general show.
• Pitch them the same way you would a traditional journalist. When pitching, share details that show you’re genuinely familiar with the content and why it’s a good fit. In most cases, you’re trying to reach the person who books guests, typically the producer, editor or even the host for smaller shows.

Paid sponsorships 

• For brands seeking scale, podcast advertising offers multiple levels of investment and control. The most common format is the 30-60 second ad — easy to produce, but not always effective. Let’s be honest: When was the last time you didn’t skip one?
• Host-read sponsorships are typically more effective, giving the brand an authentic endorsement directly from the host, who has already built trust with their audience.
  • In action: Have you heard of the online therapy platform BetterHelp? Chances are you encountered it during one of their host-read ads on a podcast. The company was the biggest podcast advertiser in Q3, with estimated spending of more than $18 million.
• Bespoke partnerships: In this approach, a well-known host or influencer serves as a brand ambassador, creating personalized spots that run across multiple shows. These are more expensive and higher touch, but can pay off when the fit is right.
  • In action: Acast worked with hosts Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner of the “Giggly Squad” podcast on a multi-platform campaign for Dunkin’ throughout the summer and fall. This included regular product placements, original merch mailed to fans nationwide, bonus episodes and social extensions which “outperformed every metric that everyone was expecting because it was such a good alignment.”

Branded content

• Some brands take storytelling further by creating custom audio, from several-minute segments within an existing show to full branded episodes or standalone series — an approach that’s more creative and resource-intensive but can be highly effective.
  • In action: Pfizer’s “The Antigen” won a Webby Award for Best Branded Podcast. Other popular owned podcasts include “The OpenAI Podcast,” “Inside Trader Joe’s,” Microsoft’s “WorkLab” and Goldman Sachs’ “Exchanges.”

The bottom line: From earned placements to full-scale branded series, there are multiple levels of investment, reach, and return. When aligned with your strategic communications objectives, each can offer a smart, tailored way to reach key audiences.

To explore how podcasts can elevate your thought leadership, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at info@gga.nyc and let’s start the conversation.

Upcoming events on our radar

• Forbes Healthcare Summit (New York City + virtual, Dec. 4) A forum for healthcare executives across providers, payers, pharma and technology to discuss regulatory challenges, workforce strain and investment uncertainty while charting a path toward sustainable growth and improved patient outcomes. Speakers include Judy Faulkner, founder and CEO of Epic; Marianne De Backer, CEO and director of Vir Biotechnology; and Stephen Gillett, chairman and CEO of Verily. More here
• X Factor Healthcare Innovation Summit (New York City, Nov. 11-13) A curated, outcome-driven program featuring behind-the-scenes keynotes, advanced panel discussions and practical workshops that move ideas into execution. Speakers include Robert Green, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School; Janice Chang, CEO of TransCelerate BioPharma Inc.; and Daniella Foster, SVP and global head of public affairs, market access and sustainability at Bayer. More here
• Financial Times Global Pharma and Biotech Summit (London + virtual, Nov. 13) Top innovators, investors and C-suite leaders convene to unpack breakthrough trends in drug discovery, clinical trials, market access and patient engagement against a backdrop of rapid scientific advances and rising industry pressures. Speakers include Teresa Graham, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals; Daphne Koller, CEO and founder of insitro; and Prashant Yadav, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. More here.  
• CNBC CFO Council Summit (Washington, D.C., Dec. 2-3) As global markets adjust to shifting monetary policy, geopolitical tension and emerging technologies, the gathering will bring together top policymakers and private-sector leaders to discuss the evolving risks and rewards shaping corporate strategy. Speakers include Robert Rubin, former U.S. Treasury Secretary; Glenn Hutchins, North Island chairman and Silver Lake Partners co-founder; and Yuval Atsmon, senior partner and CFO at McKinsey & Company. More here
• WSJ Tech Live Qatar (Doha, Qatar, Dec. 2-4) The Wall Street Journal’s flagship technology event comes to the Middle East for the first time, bringing together global executives, investors and innovators to explore the future of technology across AI, fintech, media, sports and space. Speakers include Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard Entertainment; Michael Rubin, founder and CEO of Fanatics; and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, artist, actor, and entrepreneur. More here
• NYT DealBook Summit (New York City, Dec. 3) Hosted by DealBook founder Andrew Ross Sorkin, this year’s summit will feature candid conversations with some of the world’s most influential leaders across business, politics and culture. More here
  
• Reuters NEXT (New York City, Dec. 3-4) Join global policymakers, business leaders and forward thinkers to examine the challenges and opportunities shaping the world’s political and economic future. Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia; Carla Vernón, CEO of The Honest Company; and Kathleen Quirk, CEO of Freeport-McMoRan. More here
• Axios Communicators Live (New York City, Dec. 4) Join communications leaders to discuss how the role is evolving as companies navigate AI disruption, workplace shifts, cultural complexity and deepening polarization. Speakers include Nairi Hourdajian, chief communications officer at Figma; Sasha de Marigny, head of brand and communications at Anthropic; and Meridith Webster, chief communications and public affairs officer at Estée Lauder Companies. More here
  
• Axios AI + San Francisco (San Francisco, Dec. 4) Expect timely conversations on enterprise adoption, agentic tools, automation and the ethical imperative to build trustworthy, human-centered AI. Speakers include Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Futures and former CEO of Google; Fei-Fei Li, co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI; and New York Governor Kathy Hochul. More here

Bookmark Global Gateway Advisors’ event tracker, updated weekly.

Media news + moves

• Axios cuts: Those affected include 19 employees spanning product, tech, and design. “This is a difficult, but necessary, move to meet our evolving tech strategy,” co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei wrote. This comes a year after the organization laid off 50 staffers. More here
  
• The Financial Times x MIT Technology Review: The two outlets have formed a strategic editorial partnership that will cover how AI is reshaping global power, with a six-part newsletter. More here
• What’s it like to eat at Travis Kelce’s new steakhouse? Inquiring minds can find the answer in a recent Business Insider article. This type of content has left staff and readers confused, after BI cut 21% of its staff earlier this year and announced plans to refocus on business, tech, and innovation journalism, while expressing desire to pivot away from SEO content. More here
  
• The inside tech scoop: That’s what readers of journalist Sage Lazzaro’s new newsletter, “Sage Loves Tech,” can expect. Subscribe here
• Trouble at Substack? The newsletter world is buzzing about writers jumping ship: Several have departed for Medium, including Culture Study’s Anne Helen Petersen (“I didn’t want to be on a platform that had been steadily — and not so stealthily — enshittified”). Alison Roman left to build her own website powered by Ghost (“same newsletter, same me, just a new spot that feels a little more like, well, mine”). There have long been complaints about Substack’s unwillingness to moderate hate speech, and media insiders are now reporting that Medium is offering writers significant financial incentives to make the move. More here
• What’s your name again? Dotdash Meredith became People Inc., MSNBC is going by MS NOW, and last week, Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., said it will now be known as USA Today Co. More here

Media moves:

• Politico hired Cheyenne Haslett to cover health care and tech policy.
• Senior reporter Jake Lahut departed from WIRED, as did Evelyn Kwong, who is joining tech news site 404 Media as a contributor.
• Aria Alamalhodaei and Max Zeff have left TechCrunch.
• The Wall Street Journal hired Elias Schisgall to cover breaking corporate news. 
• Ann-Marie Alcantara will be expanding her coverage at The Wall Street Journal into tech culture.
• Jaimy Lee left Endpoints News to return to MarketWatch as health editor.
• Dylan Matthews, a senior correspondent at Vox, is departing.
• Yahoo Finance hired Sean Mills as head of content.
• Washington Post reporter Kevin Schaul is now covering artificial intelligence.
• CBS Evening News co-anchor John Dickerson is leaving the network.