Thinking of starting a branded podcast? Don't worry if you feel late to the game. The good news is that you donât need to arrive with a podcast idea. You do need to know who you want to reach and what you hope will change.
The work involves audience research, format development, finding the right talent, production and a plan for discovery. Before booking a studio, the job is to find something your customers would choose to spend time with.
At Podomedy, we help brands work through those decisions: shaping the idea, developing the format and planning how to get it made. You can start with a scoped, paid development project before committing to a series.
Why should a consumer brand invest in a podcast?
There is a substantial potential audience. Edison Researchâs The UK Podcast Consumer 2025 found that 51% of people aged 16+ consumed a podcast in the previous month. Among 35â54-year-olds, the figure was 56%.
That's a potential audience but your show still needs to earn its place in their day.
There is evidence of interest in brand-funded content, too. In its 2025 Power of Branded Podcasts publication, Sounds Profitable reported that 43% of US adults said they would be likely to listen to a podcast about a favourite brand or product.
This measures stated interest in a favourite brand among US consumers, rather than guaranteed listening.
More directly, Signal Hill Insightsâ 2025 branded podcast benchmark report drew on over 15,000 listener survey responses. Across the episodes tested, 61% said listening made them feel somewhat or much more favourable towards the brand.
That's a useful consumer outcome when it comes to starting a branded podcast - a more positive opinion of the business behind the entertainment. It measures reported sentiment, rather than verified purchases, across branded podcasts generally.
What would your customers actually enjoy?
Starting a branded podcast means identifying a recognisable part of customers' lives.
A food brand might explore the small disasters of feeding a family. A travel brand could build a show around holidays that went spectacularly wrong. A pet brand might find comedy in the extraordinary things owners do for their animals.
These are starting points to test. The useful connection is between the consumerâs experience and a subject the brand has a reason to support.
âParents who finally get twenty minutes to themselves after bedtimeâ gives you more to work with than an age bracket alone.
Ask what those people already watch or listen to, what they find funny and when your show might fit into their day.
Need help starting a branded podcast? Chat about your podcast project with Podomedy
Copyright: PinPep Credit: Joe Newman/PinPep Creator: Joe Newman/PinPep
What does this look like in practice?
Waitroseâs Dish brings Nick Grimshaw, Angela Hartnett and their guests together around food and conversation. Listeners can then find the recipes on Waitroseâs website, giving the entertainment a natural connection to something they can cook themselves.
Eve Sleep took a different approach with Refuse to Snooze: five short morning episodes with Andi Peters and celebrity guests. A mattress brand had a reason to help people start their day feeling brighter.
Both offer a useful creative lesson: Comedy podcasts for brands should start with a part of the customerâs life that your brand understands, then build something enjoyable around it.
What makes a comedy podcast work?
A repeatable format gives the humour somewhere to come from.
That might be two hosts disagreeing, guests confessing embarrassing mistakes, a ridiculous challenge or listeners submitting stories. The format should make it reasonably clear what will happen next week, while leaving room for surprise.
âTwo funny people chattingâ still needs decisions about their relationship, the subject and what gives each episode momentum.
When we supported the launch of the award-nominated Jane Austen podcast Austen After Dark we worked with the talent on the core proposition, artwork and promotional opportunities. That is part of podcast development: helping the idea make sense both in the recording and when someone first encounters it.
For a brand, development also needs to establish how prominently the business appears and what role it plays in the entertainment.
Do you need a famous comedian?
Yes and no. You need someone who makes the format work.
A recognisable name can bring an existing audience and promotional opportunities. But chemistry, curiosity, preparation and the ability to make someone else funny deserve attention too.
Test prospective hosts together with a sample segment. Listen for the moments you want more of.
Agree what talent fees cover, including preparation, recording, promotional activity and usage of clips. A famous hostâs involvement should not be mistaken for a complete distribution plan.
What does podcast development include?
Podcast development turns the ambition into a show you can assess before committing to full production.
Podomedy can scope a paid development project around your brief, with agreed outputs such as:
A clear audience proposition and recommended format.
Episode outlines and a host or talent approach.
A production budget and launch plan.
Pilot production can be quoted separately, giving you a practical way to test the concept.
Share the pilot with people who resemble your intended audience. Ask where their attention wandered, what they remember, whether they would choose another episode and which brand they associate with it.
What does the brand team need to do?
Bring a clear brief, access to relevant audience knowledge and someone who can make decisions.
Agree the approval process early: who signs off the concept, what needs checking, how feedback is consolidated and how many revision rounds are included.
Comedy also needs agreed boundaries. Discuss sensitive subjects and brand expectations before recording, so hosts know where they have room to play.
Budget for development, talent, production, distribution and measurement. Video, extra clips, music rights and paid promotion can change the scope considerably. A useful quote explains those choices.
Ready to start a comedy podcast for your brand?
Podomedy is an independent podcast network and production company specialising in comedy and entertainment. Our original work is recognised by the podcast industry at both the British Podcast Awards and Independent Podcast Awards.
Tell us who you want to reach, what you want to achieve and your timings and we'll help you work out the idea.