Let’s not dance around it: Dull is expensive.
According to the Cost of Dull project (a collaboration between consultancy eatbigfish and marketing effectiveness expert Peter Field), UK brands relying on dull advertising need to throw in £13 billion in extra media spend — that’s £10 million per campaign — just to match the impact of emotionally engaging, creatively ambitious work.
And here in North America?
We’re looking at an eye-watering $189 billion in additional investment just to make boring ads visible.
Playing it safe is no longer safe. Especially in the world of branded podcasting.
The podcasting trap: Another talking heads show
Too many branded podcasts fall into the same, tired formula:
- A couple of subject-matter experts or execs chatting
- Zero immersive sound design, no narrative arc, no attention to audience experience
- No clear editorial why
And the result?
Another talking heads podcast that fades into the background.
You end up paying the cost of dull — needing extra promotion, extra media spend, extra push — just to compete for attention.
Now look at brands doing it right.
Take Genome BC’s podcast Nice Genes!.
Instead of dry, scientific recitations, they crafted a playful, smart, highly produced show designed to spark curiosity about genomics in younger audiences.
It’s engaging.
It’s sticky.
It’s winning awards – and its audience is growing organically because it’s a gift, not a sales pitch.
YouTube podcasts: Haven’t we seen enough manspreading on couches?
Here’s the truth:
Unless you’re Joe Rogan — who got his break when podcasting was fresh powder, wide open, no tracks cut yet — the reality today is brutally different.
You’re stepping into a crowded, hyper-competitive space where lazy, static YouTube podcasts just won’t fly.
How many times have you scrolled past a show where a bunch of dudes are manspreading across a couch, barely moving, mumbling into poor-quality mics for over an hour?
We’ve seen that show.
We’re done with that show.
If you’re focusing on YouTube, you must lean into the visual medium’s creative potential:
- Dynamic pacing: Accelerate, pause, cut sharply to emphasize and punctuate.
- Visual aids: Animations, on-screen text, or graphics to explain or reinforce points.
- Music and sound design: Not filler, but flow, driving the viewer through the story.
And here’s a good reminder from Kendall Breitman at Riverside about YouTube titles:
“Why are there 96 million black balls in this reservoir?”
That video got 106 million views on YouTube.
But they just as easily could’ve called it “How LA protects its water” — and gotten, well, a lot fewer views.” Word.
Packaging matters. Focus on:
- Snappy, eye-catching thumbnails
- Timecoded show notes
- Headlines that tease and spark curiosity
- Engage with comments
On YouTube, if you want people to stay, you can’t just dump your audio feed on a static screen and walk away. You don’t need to be Scorsese… it’s ok to be casual, to be authentic, to be “podcast-y”… but you do need to respect the platform. Respect the audience.
Otherwise, you’ll pay (again) the cost of dull.
Engaging branded podcasts: It’s more than a channel — It’s pollen for your brand
When done right, your podcast becomes:
- The pollen attracting investors, partners, and curious audiences.
- A top-of-funnel experience boosting brand awareness and emotional connection.
- A relationship-builder that engages people before you ever pitch them anything.
But that only works if you:
- Start with deep audience insight: What do they want, need, love?
- Deliver a crafted, high-quality experience: Not just talk, but story, sound, and (if applicable) visual engagement
- Offer true value: Leave people smarter, happier, or more emotionally enriched after listening or watching
Bottom line
In today’s noisy, competitive content world, you can’t afford to be boring.
If you want to stand tall, be heard, and actually matter, don’t just launch a podcast. Launch a damn good one.
Jen Moss is the Co-Founder and and Chief Creative Officer of JAR Audio. As JAR’s podcast “doula”, collaborating with enterprise brands to bring great podcasts into the world. With a background spanning CBC Radio, Canada’s National Film Board Digital Studio, Vancouver’s Roundhouse Radio and the University of British Columbia, she guides the creation of captivating podcasts at JAR.
