5 Podcasting Tips From Two Of Spotify’s Top Shows

Last year closed out with a good amount of uncertainty surrounding the business of podcasting. However, generally, both the number of new podcasts coming out and the amount of time listeners are dedicating to them does keep on growing. According to Spotify, creators produced over 760 million minutes of content in 2023 alone, with audience consumption of that content having grown over 1,400% since Spotify entered the space in 2019.

So, given these trends, it’s possible, despite the many challenges, that you’re now thinking it’s time to start your own podcast. Or maybe you already have, and are wondering how to get a piece of this performance. Well, a great place to start might be learning from some of the people who are already doing it.

Recently, I checked in with the co-hosts behind two of Spotify’s popular podcasts, The BCC Club and Acquired, to learn from these experienced communicators how to succeed in the world of this still-growing medium. Below are five tips summarized from our conversations.

Tip #1: Include Your Listener.

The BCC Club, co-hosted by comedians Sarah Schauer and Kendahl Landreth, takes on topics from the infinitely fascinating world of the internet. And as you listen to these two dive into online subgroups, trends, or bits of news, the show feels like it’s actively inviting you into a conversation among friends.

And this welcoming dynamic is a very intentional part of the hosts’ strategy.

“[A] piece of advice I would give is talk to the audience as if you’re on FaceTime with them,” Schauer told me.

While Schauer acknowledges that listeners are not able to respond immediately in the way one would in regular conversation, she emphasizes the importance of picturing the audience’s presence, asking questions, and making every effort to create the space for their input. That way, while listeners might not be in the room to speak, they will feel more comfortable to reach out, engage, and be otherwise welcome in the conversation.

“We’ve all been part of a conversation where two people are just only in their own world. And you have to, like— if you don’t make the effort to invite the third person in, then why would I want to listen to this?” Schauer said.

But this podcast’s fans do want to listen, as the inviting atmosphere of the show has earned it a place among Spotify’s Breakout Podcasts in the platform’s most recent Spotify Wrapped.

Tip #2: Just Do It.

When programmer Ben Gilbert met investor David Rosenthal in 2014, the podcasting space was a niche area with none of the fancy development it’s since seen. But after these two friends hit it off and Gilbert floated the idea of launching an audio show where they discussed the latest in company acquisitions, the two decided to dive in nonetheless. And even now, a decade later, Rosenthal emphasizes the importance of, as they did, just going for it.

“If you think you might want to do a podcast, either alone or with friends or whatever, just do it. Literally just do it. It costs nothing,” Rosenthal told me.

He describes the existence of an opportunity like this, for anyone who wants to dive into it, as miraculous. And, as was the case with Gilbert and Rosenthal who really began this as an excuse to spend more time together nerding out on a topic they loved, at first the output may be rough and unrefined. But, as Rosenthal explains, with time the dedicated creator will learn, build relationships, and grow this into something more meaningful.

“Even if zero people listen, you will get a ton out of the experience. Like you will learn so much,” Rosenthal said.

And if you pick a topic you’re passionate about, and pick people you like to talk about it with, that sort of growth can be a reward in itself even before an audience starts to gather.

For Gilbert and Rosenthal though, a decade of practice led not only to refined skills and a dedicated audience, but a brand that stands taller than ever today, charting among Spotify’s top technology podcasts.

Tip #3: Be Weird. Be Different. Be You.

For those struggling to decide what topic area their podcast should center around, Sarah Schauer recommends starting with what you find most interesting in life. Because, chances are, many people would agree with you.

“Everything is interesting,” Schauer told me.

And to explain, she points out how, on TikTok, there are viral videos of people mowing lawns or people just packing their children’s lunch, things that might not sound outwardly interesting. And yet, these are topic areas somehow finding large audiences online. Which is evidence to back Schauer’s point, that if there is something you find interesting enough to center content around, an audience will exist who also find it interesting enough to listen.

“There’s a lot of pressure to be like, what is gonna go viral? What do people want? And I feel like oftentimes, when you’re coming from that place, you’re gonna create something that’s already probably been created,” Kendahl Landreth said.

So it might be tempting to make content around what is already a trending or hot button issue, and these experts do note how doing that is one part of the strategy. But the key to building a loyal audience, really, is to be unique in the way that only you can as a creator. And this is a piece of advice that Spotify echoes as well given the increasingly competitive environment of podcast creation.

“I recommend that creators start by turning inwards to keep developing their voice, and finding their niche. With more podcasts out there than ever before, it’s increasingly important to ensure your audience knows what makes you unique,” Jordan Newman said, who serves as Head of Content Partnerships for Spotify.

Ben Gilbert puts it more succinctly.

“Go be weird on the internet. And the more differentiated you are, the better,” he said.

Tip #4: Edit Ruthlessly.

Ben Gilbert believes the job of a podcast producer isn’t simply to just put out minutes of content that are good or passable. He argues that his job is to, strictly, only release the minutes of content that are exceptional.

“When you ship, you should feel like there was good stuff on the cutting room floor. Because that means that you cut deep enough,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert tells me that loading a podcast and listening to an entire episode is, unlike watching a video clip or reading a text article, a very large commitment from the audience. And so, aware of how much he is asking of his listeners, he views every minute of content he provides them as a potential risk for churn. That is, in his view, every minute he pushes out for his audience is either actively convincing them to stay engaged, or steadily encouraging them to click away. And so, he maintains a high standard to keep the loyal listeners happy.

Gilbert acknowledges that this might be a pessimistic mindset, but he believes it encourages him and Rosenthal to be ruthless in maintaining their output. It might mean that, yes, the two spend 100 hours in research and nine hours in recording only to edit most of it away. But, it keeps the episodes up to the quality their listeners have come to expect.

Tip #5: Audience Growth Can Be Slow, But Meaningful.

With so much competition in the space, it’s unlikely your podcast will take off with a dedicated audience immediately. However, with the audience that you do slowly build, Gilbert believes this medium creates a unique closeness with the listener that other methods of delivery might not allow.

“I think there’s something really special, and always have, about the intimacy of an audio medium,” Gilbert said.

He describes how, unlike when people sit down to give a video their full attention, with podcasts people may be listening while running, doing dishes, taking a shower, or during countless other everyday activities. This method of consumption, then, effortlessly embeds the content into the listener’s everyday life, in a way that more organically invites the creators and podcasters into the audience’s world, and thereby encourages a deeper and more meaningful relationship.

Kendahl Landreth echoes this take, emphasizing how, unlike with the short-form video success she is more used to, podcast growth can be slow and steady. However, she points out how this slower growth encourages a level of quality and audience connection that sets her followers here apart from all the others.

“I definitely feel most connected to, maybe, the podcast viewers that I have because it does feel like they know a very different side of me than most people would know, but that takes time,” Landreth said.

According to Spotify, over half a billion people have listened to a podcast on the platform since 2019. And so, albeit with some recent large shifts in strategy, the company aims to keep encouraging that growth by focusing on creators and providing them whatever resources and support they can to push this area of creativity on towards its next stage.

“Looking ahead, I’m really excited to see how the medium continues to evolve and expand as the definition of ‘podcast’ grows,” Jordan Newman said.

So, if you are at all considering it, now isn’t a bad time to jump in and start recording.

Both The BCC Club by Sarah Schauer and Kendahl Landreth and Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

For more on the creator economy, movies, and TV, follow my page on Forbes. You can also find me on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat.