TALKING PODCASTS 2

Most podcast growth conversations default to distribution channels. “Be seen everywhere!” they say. More clips and yet another app you have to monitor.
But that’s rarely where the problem sits. When a show stalls, it’s usually a breakdown across the whole system. A mismatch between who it’s for, what it’s saying, how awareness is built, and how it’s surfaced on platforms.
This panel brings together Christina Moore, Katy Howell and Sophie Herdman to unpack where audience alignment fails, the role of social and paid in amplifying or masking problems and best practices of high-performing shows.

How do you create a successful podcast from prison?

This session will give delegates the opportunity to understand the complexities, challenges and rewards of running a podcast project from inside a prison: From navigating the mindblowing constraints of the prison regime, to the forensic attention to detail required to develop editorial guidelines that safeguard podcast participants as well as listeners.

This session explores how narrative podcasts can become discoverable in a video-first ecosystem without turning them into documentaries or talk shows. As the industry shifts toward video formats and conversational shows, narrative storytelling is increasingly being left behind. Drawing from one of the first explorations by the BBC for narrative journalism, the session shares early lessons from adapting narrative audio into video and examines practical ways visual structure, pacing, and packaging can allow narrative storytelling to travel into YouTube.

 When you create a formula from the elements of hard work, coaxing, influencing and persuasion, how do you ensure that the person in front of the mic fulfils their potential and realises your ambitions?

In this session we speak to some of the UK’s leading podcast talent managers, and get behind the scenes insights into what makes their talents tick, how to deal with issues and how to make sure you come out on top. It’s about the good times, the bad times, and all the points in-between.

Awards signal excellence but do they actually drive outcomes? This panel unpacks the economics of recognition in podcasting, exploring whether awards translate into audience growth, revenue, deal flow, and long-term brand equity. From creators to platforms to industry institutions, we’ll examine what winning really changes.

Explore how M&A is reshaping the creator and podcasting landscape and hear a
founder’s perspective on inside an M&A process. Investment banker Yale Yee
from Telos Advisors (advised TeamCoco, Simplecast, QCode, Pineapple Street
Media, Chartable, Podchaser, Wonder Media Network and Advertisecast) shares
key trends and what’s driving deal activity today - including what buyers are
actually looking for and what founders get wrong - while Jeanine Wright, current
Co-founder/CEO of Inception Point AI and previously exited founder, offers a
firsthand perspective on navigating the acquisition process and what founders
should do before, during and after an acquisition.

Why go it alone when you can join forces for greater impact? But what are the pitfalls to avoid? In 2026, a great partnership can be the best way to find great IP and talent, share costs and grow audiences, but it can also be a major headache if you don’t get it right. Stories from the frontlines that will leave you with tips on how to partner smartly and avoid the common pitfalls.

The audio industry still operates as if radio, podcasts, and AI are separate categories. In reality, the technological infrastructure has already dissolved these boundaries. We are entering the Programmable Audio Era — a landscape where linear broadcasts become on-demand assets, where AI extends the lifecycle and format of content, and where monetization is dynamically layered across distribution channels. This session explores how the collapse of format boundaries is reshaping the global economics of audio — and what it means for those building the next generation of infrastructure, content, and brand engagement.

Great podcasts don't grow on content alone. They grow through strategic visibility. In today's fragmented media landscape, PR has become one of the most powerful tools for expanding audience reach, shaping narrative, and turning podcasts into platforms for influence.

Moderated by Molly DeMellier (Head of Communications, Sounds Profitable), this session brings together Joni Deutsch, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Audience Development at The Podglomerate; Randi P'Pool, Founder of P'Pool Media; and Farzana Baduel, CEO of Curzon PR and President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, to explore how smart publicity fuels both podcast growth and brand impact.

Some of the most powerful podcasts are completely invisible. They’re not competing for downloads. They’re not trying to trend and you’ll never hear them.
Inside organisations, podcasting is being used to connect leaders and employees, simplify complexity, and build cultures people actually feel part of.

In this session, Ruth Barnes (Sonoloom) brings together three podcasting experts; Rachel Mallender (4am Creative), Jake Warren (Message Heard) and Michaela Hallam (Fresh Air) to lift the lid on this hidden world.

Through real examples and practical insight, we’ll explore what creators and producers can learn from a space that is quietly excelling at building trust, habit and human connection.

Because the future of podcasting might not be louder. It might be closer.

Some podcasts just feel different, more immersive, more professional, more alive. The secret is often sound design. Join a panel of award winning audio producers/sound designers - Phil Smith exec producer at Reduced Listening, Hana Walker-Brown a multi-award-winning interdisciplinary storyteller and sound artist whose work spans radio, film, podcasting, narrative nonfiction, and installation (Audible, the BBC, The Guardian, National Geographic, Sony, Warner Bros) and Arlie Adlington - Producer and sound designer of the much acclaimed A Positive Life and many BBC Radio productions, hosted by Lucia Scazzocchio - director of Social Broadcasts and producer and sound designer of indie hit podcast Lowlines. They pull back the curtain on the invisible craft shaping those magical sound rich shows. Learn what sound design is, why it matters, and how to start using it to give your podcast its own distinct voice and world. 

 

The big-budget networks have the money, but the indies have the communities. We’re looking at how to move those nice audiences beyond the mic and expand your podcast brand. How do you pivot from a 40-minute episode to a 7-day retreat or a multi-outlet coffee chain or a TV show? How do you turn listeners into members of a running club? Join us as we explore innovative ways to take your podcasts beyond the studio - and turn them into sustainable businesses.

Music can add an extra dimension to your podcast and can often seem like a quick and easy fix to elevate your sound design. However, using music without the appropriate licensing or knowledge can land you in serious legal hot water. In this session, DJ and Producer, Emily Dust, interviews Cliff Fluet, Partner at Lewis Silkin Chair of Music Minds Matter, about what creators at any level need to know about using music in podcasts - without getting sued!

Award-winning podcasters Tash Walker and Adam Zmith share how they transformed The Log Books into a published book while building their community. Learn how to identify podcast material with book potential, restructure audio for print, navigate publishing deals, and grow both audiences simultaneously. Real talk on what actually works for small indie producers.

This session explores how purpose-driven organisations can use podcasting to communicate their impact through human stories, grow engaged audiences, and turn listeners into advocates, donors and supporters.

The roadmap to podcasting is clear: discipline meets action, mixed with human connection. 
1. Reframe creative ambition 
2. Understand how human ROI fits into your existing AI strategy
3. Mission and goal alignment 
4. Building a strong personal brand as a creative 
 

For 25 years podcasting was fairly simple. Podcasters uploaded their audio content to hosts who downloaded it via RSS to a variety of listening apps. Today podcasting is much more complex. Creators are using audio, video, blogs, events and merch to build community portals and monetise fandom. Many proprietary platforms now offer these portal and monetisation services which traditional hosts and apps need to adopt or die.

In this presentation, Sam will demonstrate the latest podcasting 3.0 features TrueFans are delivering.
 

Podcasting is no longer just a creative medium. It's an ecosystem with real career pathways across platform teams, community, marketing, production, strategy, and business development. Yet many professionals still don't have a clear playbook for how opportunity actually moves through the industry or how to build a network that compounds over time.
 

Winning an award isn't about luck, vanity metrics, or chasing trends — it's about clarity of voice, audience connection, strategic positioning, and knowing how to tell your story powerfully. In this candid and practical panel discussion, award-winning podcast host Nicole Goodman — who is also a judge and advisor on the board at the Independent Podcast Awards — joins award-winning podcaster Lauren Mishcon and Emma Turner, Founder of the Independent Podcast Awards, to break down what actually makes an award-winning podcast stand out.
Drawing from their combined experience as creators, judges and industry leaders, the panel will unpack what judges are really listening for, common mistakes creators make when submitting, and how to build a show that is award-worthy long before you fill in an entry form. The session will include practical takeaways, real examples, and interactive moments where the audience can reflect on their own positioning and pitch. Ideal for independent creators, emerging podcasters, and established hosts looking to elevate their show.

We preview five new audio pilots in a timely conversation about building a stronger pipeline for original UK audio IP.

Since its launch in 2023, Pilot Season has supported new formats, fresh voices and bold creative teams, helping ideas progress from concept to market-tested pilot. This panel explores what the campaign has demonstrated so far, what success looks like now, and how public-facing pilots can reduce risk for brands, broadcasters, platforms and investors.

With a growing slate of award-winning and industry-recognised projects, Pilot Season has demonstrated how audio can serve as a development engine for talent, storytelling and scalable IP. This year’s theme, Pipeline, looks beyond one-off commissions and closer at collaborations and partnerships, including Content Is Queen Micro-grants and Spotify’s Sound Up. It asks how the industry can create clearer paths from discovery to production, from pilot to series, and from a promising idea to a practical, long-term creative business.

Join us for a frank discussion on access, ownership, audience insights and the future of podcast development.

The last word in podcasting news: live, at the last session at The Podcast Show. Join James Cridland, the Editor of Podnews, and Sam Sethi, the CEO of Truefans, for a look at the week’s podcast news, with a special guest - you, the audience. Expect the biggest news of the week, a bit of tech stuff, and a look inside the inbox. The room always fills up for this, so be early and get ready to take part and have your say.