It has been said it is better to be trusted than to be loved. When consumers highly trust a brand, they reward them with loyalty, engagement, and advocacy. In a world where consumers are less trusting than ever, having a podcast is a creative way for you to build trust. Let’s explore how this works.
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Podcasts Build Authenticity
Consumers want authentic content but brands aren’t delivering. 51% of consumers say that create content that resonates as authentic.
You can meet consumers’ need for authentic content by having a podcast that talks about new ideas, reveals your brand DNA, or explores timely topics through honest conversations that align with your brand. Behind Closed Doors, a podcast run by UK retailer, Pretty Little Thing, is known for keeping it real with its audience by having no subject off limits discussions with influencers.
Consumers love to hear about people who have persevered. So have high-impact interviews with people who have done incredible things to incorporate authenticity into your podcast. Just be sure those achievements relate back to your brand in some way, whether it’s centered around the same industry, your brand’s values, or another commonality. REI’s Wild Ideas Worth Living podcast interviews individuals about how they’ve taken their wild ideas and made them a reality.
Authenticity is about being genuine. So stay away from blatant marketing, deliver podcast topics around your area of specialization and remain authentic to your brand’s narrative and feel.
Podcasts Build Transparency
Podcasts allow you to build trust by transparently showing aspects of your business to consumers. With a podcast, you can take customers behind the scenes and inform them about how your products are made. For instance, Marks and Spencer’s podcast delved into the brand’s Plan A program and sustainability plan for 2025.
Another way to build transparency is by highlighting your high-achieving employees or having employees appear on your podcasts. IKEA’s Australia has a mini-podcast series called Co-workers of IKEA, where employees talk about their jobs, careers and values.
While consumers want to know more about brands, they don’t want to dig around to find information. With podcasts, you can easily create a series to inform consumers about what you’re doing inside the company in an easy-to-understand and accessible format.
When using podcasts to promote transparency, avoid technical terms, and back up claims with simple explanations or data, and offer several different perspectives.
Make an Emotional Connection
Podcasts allow brands to get intimate with listeners and build an emotional connection with them. Strike an emotional chord with your audience by aligning with their motivations, desires, and giving them a sense of belonging.
Start by telling stories. Stories are believable , persuasive and help build a connection with customers. The Jack Daniel’s
When searching for stories, take note of themes that speak to human conditions such as love, loyalty, and friendship, and build them into your story to pull heartstrings.
Introduce empathy into your podcast by producing content that recognizes customers’ pains and joins the fight to solve the issue. This will make your audience feel recognized and eager to support your brand.
When building emotion into your podcast, remember to be human in your communication and language to create a strong bond with your audience.
Podcasts Help Build Community
Podcasts enable brands to bring together groups with a shared interest. Harrods, through its podcast-True Tales of Luxury, built a community for luxury shoppers.
To build a vibrant and sustainable community, produce content around the needs and interests of your audience. Identify what is important to your target audience, and focus on a theme that resonates with their interests. For instance, Red Bull’s How to Be Superhuman podcast which features stories from super human people, has a theme of extremism.
This narrow focus resonates with its audience’s interest in exploring the limits of their physical and mental potential.
Podcasts can be a platform for building a community around your values. You can promote individuals doing outstanding work or show that you’re not sitting on the sidelines of social issues or controversial issues. For example, the topics discussed on Ben & Jerry’s podcast reflects its values of supporting social and economic justice for marginalized communities.
To forge meaningful connections, ensure the values you promote are central to your core and that you actively practice them.
No doubt, podcasts are a fun and creative way to build trust with consumers. To build trust with podcasts successfully, focus on putting interesting content that your audience will love and don’t be too brand-focused.