Each episode of our podcast sparked authentic conversations, driving deeper community engagement and growing our brand’s reach.
In 2018–19, competition among coding bootcamps was growing quickly. Traditional digital marketing, like paid ads and blogs, was getting expensive and less effective. At the same time, podcasting was becoming popular and offered a fresh way for educational brands to connect with students.
As Director of Marketing at LEARN academy, I led the launch and growth of our podcast. I handled everything from the initial concept, branding, and production, to distribution, analytics, and team coordination.
The goal was simple: use the podcast to increase brand awareness, engage prospective students through real and useful content, and establish LEARN academy as a trusted voice in tech education.
When we started, LEARN academy had no podcast and mostly relied on blogs, emails, and paid social ads. By late 2018, these methods stopped growing our audience, and engagement slowed down. We needed a new approach, shifting from written content to podcasts and audio storytelling.
But there were some challenges. No one on the team knew how to produce podcasts, so we had to quickly learn from scratch. Our budget was tight, meaning we had to get creative with tools and equipment. It was also important to make sure the podcast matched our existing brand. Finally, podcasting doesn’t always show immediate results, so we had to find ways to measure and prove its value over time.
We began by analyzing our customers’ interests and listening habits. We knew we had an advantage as subject matter experts in coding education and access to smart, talented people whose stories we wanted to share—ranging from our own students to industry professionals. This gave us clear direction on the type of content that would resonate with listeners.
Next, we built a clear podcast plan: deciding on the name, visual style, and overall feel. We selected reliable tools like Fireside for hosting, Adobe Audition for audio editing, Adobe Creative Suite for visuals, HubSpot for tracking listener engagement, and Agora Pulse for social media. We also hired a skilled videographer to assist with filming and editing, and secured a local studio for high-quality audio and video recording. Additionally, we created an editorial calendar to manage episodes effectively and set clear goals to measure success.
We officially launched in July 2019 with a pilot episode followed by five more. I handled booking guests, scripting, recording, and editing each episode. I created eye-catching cover art and shared episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, and YouTube. To reach more people, I repurposed full episodes into short clips for social media and emails.
After launching, we closely tracked listener numbers, episode downloads, website visits, and leads. Based on listener feedback, we adjusted episode formats to include shorter segments and Q&A sessions. We also fine-tuned our posting schedule and automated content sharing using HubSpot and Agora Pulse. Regular A/B testing helped us pick the best thumbnails, social media posts, and email headlines to boost engagement.
The podcast initiative yielded tangible, measurable success, achieving significant growth in listener engagement over the course of three years. From its launch in mid-2019 through the end of 2022, the podcast accrued over 8,000 total downloads, demonstrating steady annual growth and sustained audience interest. The following table illustrates year-over-year performance clearly:
Beyond raw download numbers, the podcast significantly enhanced LEARN academy’s digital presence and contributed to stronger brand recognition. The consistent upward trajectory highlights both the quality and relevance of the content, as well as the effectiveness of our distribution strategy in reaching and retaining a targeted audience.
The podcast positioned LEARN academy as a trusted voice in tech education. It helped us consistently attract qualified leads who were seriously considering coding bootcamps. Because we shared real, helpful stories, the podcast improved how people saw our brand, showing us as modern, innovative, and student-focused.
Repurposing episodes into shorter clips for social media saved us about 30% of the time we’d normally spend making new content. That meant we could reach more people with less effort.
The podcast also strengthened our industry network. Featuring partner companies gave them visibility, deepened those relationships, and helped create better job opportunities for our graduates.
Launching the podcast had a few hurdles. Our team had no audio experience, so I taught myself editing with Adobe Audition. I wrote clear instructions so new team members could easily jump in later. We also had a limited budget, so we got creative—using Zoom for free recording and affordable mics until we proved the idea was worth investing in.
Staying consistent with episode releases was tricky, especially with other priorities. To fix this, I planned recordings well in advance and scheduled quarterly "content sprints" to keep us on track.
Finally, it was tough at first to clearly show how the podcast led directly to new students. I solved this by tagging podcast links with tracking codes and using HubSpot to measure exactly who came from the podcast.
Leading the LEARN academy podcast from idea to over 8,000 downloads showed me how powerful podcasts can be for building brand awareness, even with limited resources. I learned audio production quickly, managed guest schedules, and made decisions based on real listener data.
This experience reinforced how valuable storytelling and multi-channel content can be when based on real insights. It proved that creative content strategies don't need huge budgets—just a clear plan and good execution. I'm looking forward to bringing this approach to future projects.
