The art of podcasting has evolved massively since the medium’s early years.
The charts are no longer populated by friends chirping into cheap mics around a kitchen table. In their place are productions which often rival radio or even television for professionalism.
The resources needed to create, record and promote a show has grown in tandem – and given rise to dedicated hosting platforms which can distribute a show across multiple apps and devices.
Auddy was founded in 2020 by four senior media executives with backgrounds spanning Netflix, Universal, National Geographic, Virgin, EMI and Warner Music to bring the creative, commercial and technical sides of podcasting together.
“Creating a show was only part of the job. It also needed to reach the right audience, give people a reason to return, and have a workable commercial model. Auddy started by helping creators and brands address those problems through production, distribution and monetisation,” explains Andrew Craissati, CEO and one of the co-founders of the business.
“That experience also revealed a wider opportunity.”
Private audiences
Andrew was previously CEO and Asia Pacific chairman of both Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Universal Studios – with a background spanning media, investment banking and fund management.
The opportunity he identified was that companies had stories worth telling to employees, investors and customers – but often lacked the resources to turn them into content people would choose to spend time with.
“Some wanted a public branded show. Others needed to communicate with a defined audience and understand how that audience engaged,” he says.
“It was an evolution. Private audiences were not the founding plan, and public podcasting remains part of what we do. But we launched Campfire in 2022 as clients asked for more control over who could access their content and more insight into how people consumed it.”
Campfire is a turnkey solution which handles the entire podcast operation: editorial strategy, episode ideation, guest booking, recording, editing, executive coaching, cadence management and analytics interpretation. A dedicated executive producer acts as an extension of the client’s team.
“A public show, a private investor update and an advertising campaign solve different problems. Having creative, distribution and commercial expertise in the same company lets us start with the client’s objective and choose an approach that fits it,” says Andrew.
Internal podcasts typically earn 3–5x more attention than email, with completion rates of 65–80%, and audio holds attention for around 28 minutes on average versus roughly two minutes for video, according to Auddy.
Big-name clients
The London firm now handles over 250 million monthly audio impressions across the UK and EU markets. And a year ago, it joined the London Stock Exchange (LSEG) Issuer Services Marketplace as their official podcast partner for listed-company communications.
Other clients have included LinkedIn, Vodafone, Shopify, Canva, Deutsche Telekom, Warner Music, BT and Greenpeace.
It also offers media buying services – helping advertisers reach relevant audiences through established podcasts and creator channels, with planning, campaign execution and reporting.
“Our founders’ backgrounds cover content, technology, commercial media and business leadership. My own career has included Virgin Group, Universal Studios, National Geographic and founding Virgin Radio International,” says Andrew.
“That sits alongside a production team that can take a project from an initial idea through research, recording, editing and publication, and a media team that understands podcast audiences and advertising.
“For a client, that means the conversation can start with what they want to achieve. We can help shape the format, support the people appearing in it, manage the production and plan how it will reach its audience. The technology supports that work, but editorial judgement and consistent execution are just as important.”
Auddy’s department leads are distributed across the US, the UK and Germany, with the wider team working remotely.
London is a centre for production and the advertising business, while its German presence – strengthened by the acquisition of Radio Wolfgang acquisition in 2021 – supports the DACH market.
“Working across time zones lets us support clients and contributors in different locations, with recording arranged in a studio, at the client’s location or remotely according to the project,” says Andrew.
Dos and don’ts
So what should a business get right before launching a podcast with Auddy?
“We provide consultation to support your strategy from the outset, but firms should start by identifying their audience and the purpose. Who is it for, why would they spend time with it, and what do you want it to achieve?” he answers.
“An investor update needs a different approach from a branded entertainment show or an employee series. That affects the guests, the length, the tone, the choice of audio or video, and whether distribution should be public or restricted to a defined group.
“The next question is whether you can sustain it. A strong first episode is useful, but a series needs a repeatable way to develop ideas, book contributors, record, approve and publish. Agree that process before launch, along with how you will get the content in front of people and assess its performance.
“That gives the creative work a clear brief and the team a realistic commitment to deliver against.”
He adds that businesses tend to underestimate “everything that happens around the recording”, adding: “Pressing record is one step in a much longer process.”