It is interesting to note that much of the buzz around Kamala Harris’s media blitz this week centered on her Call Her Daddy podcast appearance.
Why was this angle so hot, and what does it say about the state of the media? My go to news “splainers” Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher of The Pivot podcast had this to say on Tuesday’s episode:
Kara: With a month to go before the election, Vice President Kamala Harris is embarking on a media blitz this week. She kicked things off with an interview on the podcast Call Her Daddy, and is set to appear on 60 Minutes, The View, Stephen Colbert, and the Howard Stern over the next few days.
Most of these will be light and friendly interviews. Some will be more hard-hitting. Is this a good idea or is it too little, too late, or what’s the strategy here?”
Scott: Well, the thing that struck me about it is just that how much the world has changed in four years, where the presidential candidates’ big news event… is not that they’re going on 60 Minutes tonight, it’s that they’re going on this podcast. It really speaks to how podcasts have become such an important medium…
Kara: But will it matter for her? Because no matter how many she does, it’s not enough for the press. And the fact that she’s not doing a big New York Times interview, I think is really interesting. That to me is the most interesting is that what they’re not doing, offense.
They went on to discuss other implications of podcasting, e.g. when an author with a new book comes on The Pivot, there is a noticeable jump in book sales. They thought it would be a great idea for Kamala to go on the Joe Rogan show. Kara implied that traditional media, like the New York Times, feel sidelined and frustrated in their efforts to interview the most sought after sources.
And it is not just politicans. In fact, Mike Isaac of the Times wrote about tech CEOs favoring podcasts, citing Mark Zuckerberg’s appearance on the Acquired podcast.
If it sounds strange that a podcast managed to land some of the world’s highest-profile business leaders, you may not have been paying attention. In recent years, billionaires and top executives in Silicon Valley…. have started to opt out of sitting only for traditional media interviews.
Mike Isaacs, NY Times
Instead, they increasingly prefer to tell their own stories in the friendly spaces of podcasts and YouTube streams, where they often have more leeway to expound… on their pursuits and passions. Many of the interviews are like fireside chats…
The article quoted Jules Terpak, a digital culture analyst and podcaster:
“The democratization of media has allowed everyone to have a personal talk show, and now, those in powerful positions have a wide array of options to choose from when they want to get the word out to the public.”
Jules Terpak, Digital Culture Analyst
The takeaways for PR are to work pdocasts and other forms of democratized media into the mix (if you haven’t already; most in our field have, I believe).
You might also want to consider launching a CEO podcast for your employer or client. That might sound expensive, complicated and scary, but it really isn’t. Check out our podcast, PR, Done and Doner, on the topic, where Saul Marquez of marketing firm Outcomes Rocket broke it down pretty well.
