When I was at Paramount, there was a line we used a lot inside the audio group: no one is coming to save us. It was a reminder of where we sat in the food chain. We were an audio business inside a video-first ecosystem. If we didn't build our own opportunities, no one was going to walk down from corporate, tap us on the shoulder, and hand us a fully funded growth plan.
That feeling is back.
The whole industry is in one long paroxysm. M&A rumors, hostile bids, layoffs, pivots to video, consolidation (and more consolidation). Trying to time the end of this cycle is a fool's errand and, more importantly, not a real strategy for the next 12-24 months.
So instead of guessing who buys whom, it is time to act like no one is coming to save you and build accordingly. To me, a real "No One Is Coming To Save Us" strategy has four parts.
1. SHARPEN THE TIP OF YOUR SPEAR
If you are launching or relaunching a podcast that you would not personally listen to, stop. The space is crowded and will stay crowded. The shows that cut through either solve a very specific need or hit a very specific nerve. "Smart conversation about interesting topics" is no longer a valid strategy.
This is the part most teams rush. They land on something that sounds fine in the meeting, write a deck, and move straight into booking guests. A "No One Is Coming To Save Us" strategy forces a pause. When you think the concept is sharp enough, you take another pass and sharpen it again.
2. REDEFINE WHAT "BIG" NEEDS TO BE
You do not need a mass hit to have a meaningful podcast. This is the modern version of the "1,000 true fans" idea. There is still room for large, top-of-funnel shows that drive awareness for a major brand or franchise. But for a lot of companies, the opportunity is in tight, well-defined niches with a small high-affinity audience who is dialed into the topic and the host.
Those shows can be incredibly valuable on both sides of the equation. On the audience side, they can be built as a true community of like-minded individuals. And as we know, real community is key. On the advertiser side, they are the opposite of a low-value programmatic buy. You move away from transactional "add this to a media plan" thinking and toward long-term partnerships where brands actually grow with the audience and host.
Be intellectual about which game you are playing. If you are not realistically in the "top of the charts every week" business, stop pretending you are and build for depth and value per customer instead.
3. CONSUMERS DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR ORG CHART
They do not separate linear, digital, social or podcasting in their heads. They see a world of tiles and feeds. They encounter your work through whatever surface the algorithm or their friend happens to throw in front of them that day.
If you are still building audio in a separate lane from video, events, newsletters, or social, you are making your audience work too hard to be part of what you are doing. Instead, take the time to think about how each of these content lanes can work holistically. Each can (and often should) serve a different purpose but the unlock is how they do so synergistically.
4. BUILD AND OWN YOUR OWN FUNNEL
As AI, algorithms, and formats continue to blur into each other, it has never been easier to simultaneously reach (and lose) audience. RSS feeds give you a certain amount of security (if you own your feed) but even they are subject to the whims of broader corporate decisions.
If you are entirely dependent on a single surface or a single platform, you are one change away from a very bad quarter. That is true whether your dependence is on a social algorithm, a single distributor, or one anchor show that carries the whole P&L on its back.
Owning your funnel does not mean turning yourself into a DTC performance marketer. It means having a clear, intentional system: how people hear about you, where they land first, what they are asked to do next, and which parts of that journey you actually control.
If you treat the funnel as "someone else's problem" and rely on the platforms, your business is effectively a leveraged bet on a product manager you are never going to meet.
I want to close with the following. "No One Is Coming To Save Us" is not meant to be fatalistic.
It is more of a clarion call in a moment of deep apprehension. Sitting around waiting for this to shake out will both drive you insane but, more importantly, it will kill momentum, growth and revenue.
Now, in the moment of chaos, is the time in audio to act. In the continued level of change that defines media this may be the one real advantage you still control.
Thanks for reading and please subscribe and share.
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