
Why 80% of Branded Podcasts Fail
And how to make your podcast the 20% that drives ROI
You don’t need another content experiment.
You need a branded asset that earns its budget.
If you’re a senior marketer, you’ve likely tried podcasting—or you’re staring it down on this year’s content plan. Either way, the question haunts you: Is this even working?
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Most branded podcasts don’t. They don’t move metrics. They don’t build loyalty. They don’t justify their existence. They underdeliver because they were never built to deliver.
At JAR Audio, we’re often brought in when podcasts stall or strategy gets murky. We’ve helped turn things around for brands like Amazon, RBC, American Express, and Staffbase—transforming nice-sounding shows into high-performing marketing channels.
Here’s how the top 20% actually win.
1.
It’s Not the Medium, It’s the Strategy

Podcasting is a high-potential, low-margin-for-error channel. Over 5 million podcasts exist. But fewer than 17% are still active. Most branded shows burn out before they ever deliver.
And it’s not because podcasting doesn’t work.
It’s because these shows:
- Launch with no strategic backbone
- Lack audience clarity
- Misunderstand podcasting’s job in the funnel
- Chase downloads over brand outcomes
- Ignore distribution
- Fail to define success
If you’re spending $50K–$250K annually on a podcast, you need that show to carry its weight across the funnel — from awareness to conversion. Not in theory. In metrics.
2.
Six Reasons Your Show Might Be Underperforming

- Inconsistent cadence = lost confidence.
Publishing “when it’s ready” signals unreliability. Audiences—especially execs—won’t wait around. Set a schedule. Stick to it. Or risk becoming digital tumbleweed.
- You cast the net too wide.
“Senior decision-makers” isn’t an audience. Neither is “entrepreneurs.” It’s marketing white noise. Niche down until you find people who say, “This show feels like it’s made for me.”
- Low-quality audio = low brand perception.
Listeners equate audio quality with your company’s credibility. Want to sound premium? Sound like it.
- You buried your show.
No SEO? No YouTube presence? No paid amplification? No internal enablement? No cross-promo? Then your show isn’t content—it’s a cost center.
- You’re measuring lagging, shallow indicators.
Downloads alone don’t tell you anything. Your north stars should be:
- Brand search volume
- Direct traffic
- CRM-tagged listener behavior
- Deal acceleration or influenced pipeline
- The podcast exists to please someone inside the organization
Let’s be blunt: internal vanity is a death sentence. If you’re not obsessed with your audience, your audience won’t be obsessed with you.
3.
What the Top 20% Do Differently

1. They reverse-engineer from audience obsession.
Amazon’s This Is Small Business started wide. We helped them tighten focus to first-time founders. Result: 30% increase in season-over-season consumption. 2+ hours/month spent with the brand.
2. They build once, deploy everywhere.
One podcast episode should turn into:
- Blog articles
- YouTube videos
- Sales enablement clips
- LinkedIn posts
- Newsletter content
- Thought leadership briefs
TIP: If it’s not repurposable, it’s not strategic content.
3. They hold their shows to the same standards as paid media.
RBC’s Disruptors tracks:
- Sentiment shift via listener surveys
- Audience segment breakdowns
- Funnel behavior of listeners
- Attribution to KPIs tied to innovation strategy
TIP: Create a benchmark deck. Use it quarterly. Treat it like a media plan.
4. They run their shows like editorial brands.
Think less “episodes as deliverables” and more “show as a platform.” They test, adapt, optimize, and kill what doesn’t work.
TIP: Run a content audit. Kill your weakest episode. Then use that energy to try something riskier.

1. They reverse-engineer from audience obsession.
Amazon’s This Is Small Business started wide. We helped them tighten focus to first-time founders. Result: 30% increase in season-over-season consumption. 2+ hours/month spent with the brand.
TIP: Ask yourself, Would someone in my audience send this episode to a colleague?
2. They build once, deploy everywhere.
One podcast episode should turn into:
- Blog articles
- YouTube videos
- Sales enablement clips
- LinkedIn posts
- Newsletter content
- Thought leadership briefs
TIP: If it’s not repurposable, it’s not strategic content.


3. They hold their shows to the same standards as paid media.
RBC’s Disruptors tracks:
- Sentiment shift via listener surveys
- Audience segment breakdowns
- Funnel behavior of listeners
- Attribution to KPIs tied to innovation strategy
TIP: Create a benchmark deck. Use it quarterly. Treat it like a media plan.
4. They run their shows like editorial brands.
Think less “episodes as deliverables” and more “show as a platform.” They test, adapt, optimize, and kill what doesn’t work.
TIP: Run a content audit. Kill your weakest episode. Then use that energy to try something riskier.

4.
Case Studies
Branded Podcasts That Deliver

Amazon: This Is Small Business
- 73% lift in brand favorability among SBOs
- 650K+ unique listeners
- 2+ hours/month of engagement
- Signal Awards (Silver + Bronze)
- Tight format with 70% founder stories, 15% mentorship, 10% tools
Takeaway: The podcast reframed Amazon as an ally—not a platform.


Royal Bank of Canada: Disruptors
- 2M+ downloads
- 500% audience growth
- 85% listen-through rate
- Top #1 in Entrepreneurship on Apple Podcasts Canada
- Deep engagement from senior business leaders and policymakers
Takeaway: A finance podcast doesn’t have to be dry. It just has to be relevant.
Genome BC: Nice Genes!
- 90%+ episode completion rate
- 75% season-over-season follower growth
- Award-winning (Shorty, Signal, Gold Quill)
- 4,200+ hours listened on Apple alone
- Strong engagement from Gen Z and science-curious adults
Takeaway: Making science fun is serious business. Playfulness + clarity = retention.


Staffbase: Infernal Communication
- 90% listen-through rate
- 8,000 downloads/episode
- Top 1% in global management podcasts
- Combines narrative, humor, fiction, and journalism
- Hermes Platinum Award + Apple “New Shows for Business” feature
Takeaway: Internal comms can be entertaining and smart. That’s rare—and sticky.
American Express: Build It Braver
- 90% listen-through rate
- 6% lift in brand category awareness
- Promoted via Smartless
- Featured on the first page of Apple Podcasts
- Hosted by entrepreneur Vivian Kaye, focusing on SMB resilience
Takeaway: Mentorship storytelling + trusted brand = higher consideration and action.


Avison Young: Changing Places
- 85% listen-through rate
- Reached 60+ countries
- Now used as onboarding material for all new global hires
- Strong engagement from female professionals, 23–59
- Created community and brand warmth in a traditionally “cold” industry
Takeaway: This is top-of-funnel content that keeps paying dividends.
5.
What We’d Do in the First 30 Days

Strategy Reboot
Reclarify the podcast’s business role. Align it to a specific funnel stage or job to be done.
Strategy Reboot
Reclarify the podcast’s business role. Align it to a specific funnel stage or job to be done.
Audience Repositioning
Refine your listener persona. Are they a buyer? A referrer? A future talent pipeline?
Audience Repositioning
Refine your listener persona. Are they a buyer? A referrer? A future talent pipeline?
Content & Format Audit
Assess tone, pace, structure, and editorial voice. Drop what doesn’t matter.
Content & Format Audit
Assess tone, pace, structure, and editorial voice. Drop what doesn’t deliver.
Attribution Framework Setup
Integrate CRM tagging, brand lift tracking, and pixel-based traffic insights.
Attribution Framework Setup
Integrate CRM tagging, brand lift tracking, and pixel-based traffic insights.
Distribution Rebuild
Refactor your YouTube, SEO, LinkedIn, podcast platform, and email strategy. Layer in podcast-to-podcast promo.
Distribution Rebuild
Refactor your YouTube, SEO, LinkedIn, podcast platform, and email strategy. Layer in podcast-to-podcast promo.
6.
BONUS
How to Pressure-Test Your Podcast Right Now

Ask your team (or yourself):
- Can you articulate the podcast’s role in your marketing funnel in one sentence?
- Do you know which 3 episodes performed best, and why?
- Is your show repurposed into at least 4 other content formats?
- Are you running paid promotion or podcast cross-promo to grow your audience?
- Have you killed a weak format, topic, or series in the last 6 months?
- Can you connect your show to qualified leads, brand lift, or funnel metrics?
If the answer to any of these is “no,” you’ve got upside on the table.
Don’t Just Launch. Lead.
Branded podcasts are high-effort, high-reward.
But only when you:
- Start with strategy
- Build with audience clarity
- Execute with creative rigor
- And measure like your job depends on it (because it might)
Want to be in the 20% that get it right?
Don’t Just Launch. Lead.
Branded podcasts are high-effort, high-reward.
But only when you:
- Start with strategy
- Build with audience clarity
- Execute with creative rigor
- And measure like your job depends on it (because it might)
Want to be in the 20% that get it right?
Storytelling isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are.
Meet the JAR Audio team
Storytelling is in our DNA. Driven by curiosity, empathy, and a commitment to quality, our team crafts authentic, high-impact podcasts that spark creativity, ignite meaningful conversations and deliver exceptional, ROI-driven outcomes for brands.