Podcasts as a Marketing-Learning Medium

Marketers are happier and more productive when they’re learning. That’s a fact: In the recently published Marketer Happiness Study from MarketingProfs, we found that marketers who actively seek out learning opportunities are more likely to feel happier and more fulfilled in both their personal and their professional lives.

Another recent study, conducted by LinkedIn, found that “employees who spend time at work learning are 39% more likely to feel productive and successful and 21% more likely to feel confident and happy.”

But how to make time for all this learning when we’re already having trouble keeping our head above water with our day-to-day responsibilities?

Podcasts are one of the most efficient ways to learn. They’re a learning medium that’s easy to access (you don’t need any special tools), portable (all you need is your phone), and economical (yeah, free).

A podcast not only allows you to learn on the go but also gives you the opportunity to do some of your most efficient multitasking. You can learn while you’re driving to work, going for a walk, riding the train, mowing the lawn, exercising, or folding laundry. (Plus, research has shown that exercising immediately after learning something helps improve the long-term retention of those skills.) It’s a win-win all around.

But where to even start? With the thousands of podcasts available, figuring out where to start can feel a little overwhelming.

So I took an extremely formal poll of the MarketingProfs staff (meaning, I sent out an all-staff email) to determine their favorite podcasts. I’ve compiled a shortlist of some of the most popular podcasts.

But don’t think that it’s all work, work, work. There are plenty of nonwork-related podcasts out there that just make for good old-fashioned listening. I’ve divided the list of 18 podcast into three sections:

1. One for professional-type podcasts
2. One for interesting and fun podcasts
3. One for fiction (the modern-day equivalent of old-timey audio dramas)

Marketing and Professional Podcasts

Marketing Smarts: our flagship podcast in which Kerry O’Shea Gorgone interviews a new guest each episode for their unique take on a hot marketing topic.

Marketing Over Coffee: a perennial in the “best marketing podcast” category; Chris Penn and John Wall bring you an interesting look into the world of marketing and tech.

Marketing Companion: Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster bring you “The world’s most entertaining marketing podcast.”

Making the Brand: Chris Brogan showcases companies that are doing interesting work in the realms of brand building and customer experience.

Craft of Marketing: Seth Price helps listeners get their “MBA with a podcast” as he dives into building your brand and growing your tribe.

Clear and Vivid: Alan Alda (yes, that Alan Alda) shows us how to make better connections and communicate more effectively.

UnPodcast: Scott and Allison Stratten have created the business podcast for the fed-up; they share tips about what you definitely shouldn’t be doing in marketing.

Fun and Interesting Podcasts

Serial: telling one (true) story a week at a time.

S-Town: the gripping true story about the problems of a small Alabama town and the one man trying to do something about them.

Armchair Expert: actor Dax Shepard explores stories of the famous (and not-so famous), seeking out the challenges and setbacks that ultimately lead to growth and betterment.

Freakonomics: a closer look into the hidden side of everything.; Stephen Dubner, author of the book Freakonomics, tells you about things you thought you knew (but didn’t).

Lore: true-life scary stories, exposing the darker side of history and exploring the places of our wildest nightmares.

Stuff You Should Know: Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark tell you things you should know about, well, everything! A fascinating look into common things and how they work.

Fiction Podcasts

Limetown: Over 300 men, women, and children have disappeared from a small town in Tennessee, never to be heard from again.

Homecoming: starring some A-List talent (Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac, David Schwimmer) and dealing with the difficulties of soldiers returning home from war to a home they don’t recognize and which doesn’t recognize them.

Tanis: a serialized podcast that chases a myth handed down for hundreds (maybe thousands) of years.

The Message: The first podcast from the GE Podcast Theater (yes, that GE) tells of a group trying to decode a possible extraterrestrial message.

LifeAfter: GE Podcast Theater’s sophomore offering, this podcast tackles the subjects of AI, chatbots, cults, and the ability to survive after death.

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And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Whatever your topic of choice, I can almost guarantee there’s a podcast out there devoted to it.

So charge up your favorite listening device, pop in your earbuds, and hit the play button. Let’s get listening!