Find your missing frequency: podcasting is much simpler (and more strategic) than you think

Podcasting has become one of the most effective channels for connection, thought leadership, and member engagement. It sits comfortably alongside written content, events, and webinars, but offers something the others struggle to provide: extended, reflective, accessible 24/7 human conversation. Despite this, many membership organisations remain hesitant to embrace it. This is understandable, but the risks of delay are mounting.

The most common barrier is over-engineering. Some organisations seem to have a habit of making simple things complicated and podcasting seems to fall victim to this instinct. Committees explore studio specifications. Full production programmes are scoped before the first episode is even planned. Project documents balloon. Equipment lists grow. The scale expands long before anything is recorded.

The result is paralysis. Organisations are so busy designing the perfect system that they never start.

The irony is that podcasting succeeds through consistency, not perfection. Members want to hear insight, not orchestration. A credible microphone, a laptop, and a structured conversation are enough to begin. The polish develops over time.

Over-engineering also distorts cost. When an organisation scopes a podcast like a broadcast studio, the budget reflects that ambition. Internal teams then understandably conclude that podcasting is expensive, risky, and resource-intensive. In reality, those costs arise from the scale of the specification, not from the medium itself.

This mirrors the dynamic we see in web projects. If you scope the whole mountain, you shouldn’t be surprised by the height. It also creates the perception that podcasting is a “luxury project”. Once that view forms, it becomes difficult to defend the investment. Boards hesitate, risk committees ask searching questions, and the project becomes vulnerable to cutback or cancellation.

At the same time, an entire ecosystem of podcast production providers is emerging. Many do exceptional work and add real value. They can help polish, elevate, and advance a podcast series once the fundamentals are in place. The challenge is not the agencies themselves, but when organisations outsource before they understand what they actually need, and that is how unnecessary complexity creeps in.

It is not malicious but a product of misaligned expectations. If a brief asks for high-production values, full-end editing, and dedicated studio capture, that is precisely what a responsible supplier will propose. The problem is that these expectations are often premature. The organisation hasn’t yet proven the concept, found its voice, or established its rhythm. Sophisticated structures appear before the podcast has earned them which is a major sequencing issue.

A recent example illustrates the point. A client told me recently “we tried podcasting, and it just doesn’t work.” Curious, I probed them for answers and it transpires that they'd installed a recording studio at their offices, invited guests to travel in, sit physically around a table, and record on-site. It looked highly professional; but it was grossly over-engineered and it asked far too much of everyone involved. Guests agreed in principle, but then cancelled when schedules shifted. All-day travel for a 45-minute conversation simply didn’t make sense. The podcast didn't fail for lack of interest. It failed because the model was impractical. It asked more of people than they could reasonably give.

Podcasting works when it is frictionless. When guests can join from wherever they are. When participation is easy to say yes to. Simplicity is not a compromise, it is a strategy, and Elisa Pratt, MA, CAE, CVF and I have proven that principle. In nearly six years, for our podcast Association Transformation we've recorded 160+ episodes with 100+ guests from across North America, Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa. All through Zoom and from the comfort of our respective desks in the UK, the US, and many cities across the globe. 

The deeper issue, however, is organisations misunderstanding their opportunity.

Many people evaluate podcasting in basic terms, i.e., only as a mass-audience entertainment product. They look at download numbers. They compare themselves to commercial shows. They worry about scale rather than substance. That is not how membership podcasts should be judged and the value lies elsewhere. A podcast is long-form content that can:

• Humanise the organisation;

• Amplify member voices;

• Deepen trust and accessibility;

• Position leaders as knowledgeable and relatable;

• Explore policy and practice with nuance;

• Extend the life of existing content; and

• Create new sponsorship assets.

The channel delivers intimacy that email cannot, depth that social media does not encourage, and continuity that events struggle to maintain. It also compounds over time. Ten episodes show commitment. Fifty build credibility. One hundred define leadership.

There is also a content efficiency advantage that is rarely recognised. A single recording can produce multiple outputs: short clips, long-form episodes, highlight quotes, articles, member stories, newsletters, training segments, and CPD bite-sizes. One conversation can feed a month of content. Few mediums deliver that leverage.

The strategic risk of inaction is real. As more commercial providers, independent commentators, and suppliers develop their own podcasts, they begin shaping the conversation themselves. If associations do not occupy the space, others will. The expertise of the sector becomes externalised. Influence migrates outward.

It is worth remembering that silence also communicates something and in 2025, not having a voice is still a voice.

The answer is not to throw budget an opportunity. Nor is it to build complex infrastructure before the need is proven. Instead, organisations should begin modestly and intentionally. Establish a format. Record regularly. Learn openly. Improve steadily. Build capability before building architecture.

Momentum should come before magnificence, and if a membership body can record a credible conversation using the tools already on its desks (and it absolutely can) then the question is no longer technical or financial but strategic. Does the organisation want to lead conversation in its community, or observe it from the sidelines?

Podcasting is accessible. The audience is ready. The opportunity is significant. What is missing, in many cases, is the decision to start.