Over the past few years, podcasts have evolved from small productions catering to a niche market to one of the best tools available to reach a wide audience. As of now, there are over five million podcasts on Spotify, and some of the most popular ones, like The Joe Rogan Experience, have earned their creators deals that are said to be worth over $200 million.

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Podcasts as PR, and why they matter

From a PR standpoint, podcasts offer tremendous value.

There is an increasingly growing number of listeners. It is reported that 62% of Americans aged 12 and older listened to a podcast in 2022, and that, on average, Americans tune into eight different shows per week.

Participating in a podcast effectively establishes an emotional and conceptual connection with the listeners, one that, if leveraged correctly, has the power to transform an audience into a loyal and supportive community.

At Mindset Consulting, we are very aware of this, which is why we actively place our clients into different podcasts that cater to their audience of interest. This is a critical element of our holistic PR strategy, and one at which we have been very successful. Some of our clients have been featured in some of the top podcasts out there, like TechCrunch Live and Entrepreneur’s Problem Solvers.

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The Top 10 Podcasts You Need To Know

Having said that, here are our favorite 10 podcasts, the ones that, from our experience, are a must for startup founders and tech leaders.

1. Problem Solvers: Produced by leading media outlet Entrepreneur and hosted by its Editor-in-Chief, Jason Feifer, this podcast features business owners and CEOs who share their experiences solving seemingly insurmountable challenges. We at Mindset were successful in helping Bronislav Gorbachev, CEO and Founder of Amadei, an online platform that connects the different players in the music industry, as a guest on the podcast.
2. Masters of Scale: Hosted by Reid Hoffman, former COO of PayPal, co-founder of LinkedIn, and venture capitalist at Greylock Partners, this podcast explores the growth strategies employed by successful entrepreneurs to scale up their startups and harness their full potential.
3. TechCrunch Live: A virtual event and interview series that features live conversations and panel discussions with prominent figures in the technology and business sectors. The series covers topics like venture capital and emerging technologies. At Mindset, we helped Sergey Gribov, Partner at VC fund Flint Capital, and Romi Gubes, CEO of Sensi.AI, to be featured on the podcast.
4. Tech Talks Daily: Hosted by Neil C. Hughes, a technology industry veteran, this podcast features conversations with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators from various technological sectors. Hughes and his guests dive deep into the latest trends that are shaping the tech landscape.
5. This Week in Startups: This podcast is hosted by renowned Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Jason Calacanis, and it features candid conversations with founders, investors, and technology executives, providing a comprehensive view of the startup world and a wide array of topics from fundraising to product development.
6. Startup Europe - The Sifted Podcast: Sifted’s editor Amy Lewin and deputy editor Eleanor Warnock dive deep into Europe’s startup scene, covering everything from exciting tech developments and notorious controversies to funding news. The podcast also features insightful interviews with industry leaders.
7. How I Built This: Produced by NPR (National Public Radio), this podcast has featured prominent founders like Richard Branson, Sara Blakely, and James Dyson. Hosted by Guy Raz, the series uncovers the behind-the-scenes stories of some of the world’s most iconic companies, and the pivotal moments that made them what they are today.
8. Startup Savants: This podcast features interviews with startup founders and experts, with the purpose of helping the audience understand what it is like to grow a business first-hand, and to learn actionable strategies from people who have been there and done that. At Mindset, our client, Andrew Gershfeld, Partner at VC fund Flint Capital, was featured in this podcast.
9. Entrepreneur on Fire: Hosted by John Lee Dumas and boasting over 100 million listens, this podcast features successful entrepreneurs and leaders, who engage in wholehearted conversations to provide actionable advice and share the most memorable moments of their journeys.
10. The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: Josh Elledge hosts a daily show featuring founders and CEOs of B2B companies between six to nine figures, who share advice for aspiring founders and provide proven strategies for business success. Our client, Pavel Shynkarenko, Founder and CEO of Solar Staff, was featured here in a compelling interview.

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How to get featured in a podcast?

After helping our clients secure their participation in cutting-edge podcasts, here are some tips that can maximize your chances to, as a founder, build your brand as a thought leader by being featured in the most important podcasts in your industry or field.

• Identify your key areas of expertise: What are those subjects that you can talk about with confidence?
• Listen to at least three or four episodes of the shows you are considering. Pay attention to the host’s questions, their tone of voice, and to the overall dynamics. Also, find something in the podcast’s previous episodes that relates to you. The host will really value that you are aware of the show.
• Ensure that the hosts are still recording new episodes.
• Write a compelling pitch that outlines why you are a good fit for the podcast. You can leverage your experience, relevance in the podcast’s industry, or unique insights surrounding a particular issue.
• Prepare for the recording: This is especially important if this is the first time that you are being featured in a podcast. Make sure to be fully in the loop regarding technical requirements, visuals–in case the podcast recording includes video–and that you are aware of the topics that will be discussed.
• Be patient: Usually, it takes up to two or three months for the whole process to take place, from the moment a pitch is sent to when the episode is published. Therefore, plan in advance, and set reasonable expectations.