PODCASTS

ABOUT

DOT DOT DOT is a multi-award winning podcast production company, created by Joel Porter. We have produced and edited some of the most loved and listened to podcasts in the UK over the past 8 years.

Our podcasts include - Dear Joan & Jericha, The Magic Sponge, Alex Horne Breaks the News, Babysitting Trevor, Mr Gameshow and A Stab in the Dark.

We have also produced, videos and digital campaigns for brands, broadcasters and individuals - UKTV, Avalon, Dave, Watch, Alibi, Gold, Immerse, Taskmaster, BBC Radio One - biut our main love will always be podcasts.

Our podcasts have been downloaded over 10 million times and topped the iTunes chart many times over. We believe in making podcasts the best they can be and take the time to develop and improve our content every day.

CONTACT

Email: joel@dotdotdot.productions

Twitter: @DotDotDotPods

ARTICLES

PODCASTS: THE SAVIOUR OF SMALL BUSINESSES?

Podcasts are going to be big in 2022.

 You heard it here first. You probably also heard it back in 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013… Maybe not 2012 thanks to "OLYMPICS FEVER!"… but basically every year apart from that, there’s been this collective belief that podcasts are going to finally emerge from “cult following” into mainstream media stardom.

They are the media equivalent of Richard Jenkins. Always the bridesmaid never the bride.

But what if Richard doesn’t want to be the bride?

What if stardom isn’t the pinnacle for him. What if being talented, interesting, broad ranging and loved by those that know him is more important. The same goes for podcasts. What if podcasts aren’t meant to be the lead role. Would that be so bad? They are already highly interesting forms of media to millions, not to mention pioneers of a number of genres. Why do we want them to change?

Podcasts already reach hundreds of millions of ears every week (possibly every day) and they are all appreciated on a very personal level. They are made by talented individuals that speak candidly to their often adoring audience. Just listen to Adam ‘Buckles’ Buxton as he walks his little Rosie and try not to be filled with joy.  

They are made out of love and passion rather than greed and necessity. For a great many this is creative nirvana and the reason why they are already exactly where they should be. Maybe the key is to embrace them as they are and work with this glorious medium rather than trying to make them something they are not.

Let’s bring it back to businesses. Why should they invest in podcasts?

...Because even Dr Buckles has to feed his family.

And the answer is (probably) that maybe not all brands should. It would likely be a waste of time and resource for a Nike or Coke to invest in this form of media when their scale is global and their desired reach is in the billions. Yes there are ways to plough money into adverts that sit within every podcast in the land so that their message is heard by every man and his dog, but it probably doesn’t work financially to do that nor does the creative reasoning.

But to some brands podcasts could be seen as the holy grail of opportunity.

They are a form of media that really resonate with their audience and are much more personal than say TV or film. They also have a major advantage to both of these forms of media in that their creators are approachable (desperate even) as well as having the ability to incorporate brand messages into their shows.

This isn’t new thinking, Squarespace and Leesa mattresses have been utilising this resource for a number of years, but podcasts can be much more to brands than one or two medium sized businesses. There are so many small to medium sized businesses out there struggling to break through under the weight of the superpowers of Google, Facebook and Amazon.

Online, TV and billboard advertising are all expensive and highly impersonal. All it would take is for brands to show a little more love for their products and make the effort to seek out the right audience and the right podcast rather than just playing a mass numbers game. Target podcasts that they feel have a high degree of commonality with their own target market and outlook. Yes it requires effort for businesses to look for partners rather than advertising fodder but such appreciation and love could reap huge benefits, rather than engrain contempt and opportunity everytime a pop-up stares at you.

Wouldn’t a deeper enriched form of marketing be a more potent form of advertising anyway?

For instance, let’s say a small independent craft beer manufacturer was to contact a small independent comedy podcast. I’d say that there would be a great chance for a deal to be struck that would benefit everyone. The podcaster would feel appreciated and the beer brand would benefit from a genuine brand ambassadors who would willingly talk positively about their product. In a world where small businesses are struggling more and more, podcasts feel like the perfect opportunity to fight back.