The SEO landscape has fundamentally shifted, and one of the most underutilized strategies sitting right in front of us is podcast marketing. While we’re busy chasing the latest algorithm updates and stressing over AI overviews eating our lunch, we’re missing a goldmine of opportunities that podcasts create for both keyword research and brand building.
The 30,000-Word Keyword Research Session You’re Not Tracking
Here’s something that won’t show up in SEMrush or Ahrefs: a half-hour podcast generates 30,000 to 40,000 words of first-person, natural conversation between subject matter experts. Think about that for a second. That’s the equivalent of reading a short book, except it’s happening organically, covering pain points, objections, and language patterns that your target audience actually uses.
When two experts hash it out for 30 minutes, they naturally dig deeper than any keyword research tool ever could. They use industry jargon, discuss real problems, and explore nuances that traditional keyword research completely misses. It’s the ultimate expression of keyword research, happening in real-time.
Katie Wagner, president and CEO of KWSM digital marketing agency, puts it perfectly: “These days every brand has to be a content creator and they have to be journalists of their own brand and putting out their own stuff or else they’re going to get lost in the sea of content out there.”
Brand Search: The Rising Tide That Lifts All Boats
I’ve been working with Metaflex Glove, and we saw this play out in real time. They partnered with the WNBA because their gloves help with arthritis and grip strength. The result? A massive bump in brand searches that I could track directly in Google Search Console.
Here’s the thing about brand search volume – it benefits everything you’re doing. When people search for your brand name, they might hit your website, but they might also find your Amazon listing, your social media, or other properties. That brand awareness creates a rising tide effect.
But here’s what’s crucial: when you invest marketing time in podcasts, real-world events, email campaigns, or cross-marketing initiatives, those brand search spikes show up in your Google Search Console data, not just in Amazon or other third-party platforms. You own that data, and you can optimize around it.
Shane Barker from Tracefuse echoes this sentiment, noting that platforms like Amazon used to discourage outside traffic, but now they embrace it. “Why would you not? Let somebody go search something and then Amazon pops up. Like, that’s great for Amazon.”
The Content Multiplication Effect
Wagner’s team takes this a step further with what she calls a “holistic surrounding approach.” When a client does a TV spot for a minute and a half, they create three different reels from it, publish a blog post, include it in their newsletter, and use it across different funnel stages.
This isn’t just repurposing – it’s strategic content multiplication. Every podcast appearance, every interview, every piece of earned media becomes the foundation for weeks of content across multiple channels.
Sales Research Disguised as Content Creation
If you’re B2B and targeting a specific type of customer, you should be getting those people as guests on your podcast. Ask them about their pain points, their concerns, how they choose services like yours. You’re creating valuable content while conducting the most authentic market research possible.
It’s relationship building, content creation, and market research rolled into one strategic initiative. Your guests become part of your extended network, and their audiences get exposed to your expertise in the most natural way possible.
I recently discussed this concept with Keith Breseé on the Unscripted SEO podcast, where we explored how genuine relationships drive better SEO outcomes than traditional link-building tactics.
The Near-Bound Marketing Advantage
Wagner calls this “near-bound marketing” – marketing through strategic partners into audiences that already have trust. When your customer talks to their audience about how much you’ve helped them, you’re getting in front of a warm audience that already trusts the referrer.
This is why podcast appearances are so valuable. The host’s audience already trusts them, so when you appear as a guest, some of that trust transfers to you. It’s a much warmer lead than someone randomly finding your website.
This trust transfer concept was beautifully illustrated in my conversation with Mordy Oberstein about the intersection of brand and SEO, where we discussed how brand authority compounds across different channels.
Leveraging Journalist Relationships in the Digital Age
Having spent 15 years as a television anchor and journalist before starting her agency, Wagner brings a unique perspective to digital marketing. She knows that journalists need content, and if you make their job easier by providing relevant expertise and angles, they’ll feature your clients.
“If you make it easier for them, that is a welcome thing,” she explains. “They have to create a lot of content throughout the day and the week.” This creates opportunities for quotes, interviews, and features that build credibility and drive qualified traffic.
The Technical SEO Connection
Here’s where it gets interesting from a pure SEO perspective. Barker notes that Google is indexing more diverse content types effectively: “I think podcasts, think Reddit posts, we’ve seen a lot of the Reddit stuff is indexing well because obviously they’ve opened that up, Google and Reddit, you know, decided to get along.”
This means your podcast content, transcripts, and related materials have a better chance of ranking than ever before. It’s not just about the brand building – it’s about creating indexable content that search engines can understand and serve.
The Content Hub Strategy
The most successful brands are becoming content hubs – the go-to resource for all information in their particular area of expertise. Wagner emphasizes that “becoming a resource and really being the hub for all the information they need around your particular area of expertise, whatever that is that makes you the content hub, that I think is what’s winning these days.”
Podcasts naturally lend themselves to this strategy. They position you as the expert who brings other experts together, creating a central point of authority in your industry.
The Bottom Line
While we’re busy optimizing for AI overviews and chasing the latest technical SEO trends, we’re overlooking one of the most powerful tools for building brand authority, conducting market research, and creating mountains of natural, engaging content.
Podcasting isn’t just content creation – it’s a strategic business development tool that happens to generate incredible SEO benefits as a byproduct. In a world where authentic expertise and real relationships matter more than ever, isn’t it time we stopped treating podcasts as “nice to have” and started treating them as essential?
The rising tide of brand awareness lifts all boats. Make sure you’re in the water.
This is such a smart reframe of podcasting’s value! The idea that a 30-minute podcast is essentially a 30,000-word keyword research session happening in real-time really clicked for me. I’ve been thinking about podcasts purely as content marketing, but you’re right – it’s actually one of the most authentic forms of market research we can do.
The brand search spillover effect is something I hadn’t considered either. When you build that awareness through podcasts, it doesn’t just benefit your website – it lifts your entire digital presence. That’s a compelling case for treating podcast appearances as core business development, not just marketing.
Have you found certain industries or business types see this effect more dramatically than others? I’m curious if B2B services companies might see even stronger results given the relationship-building aspect you mentioned.
There’s definitely a good amount of value of being a “thought leader” for brand, given the different workflow process for B2B purchases can definitely be reinforced with Podcast content and conversations.