Joe Rogan standing in the Capitol Rotunda at Trump's inauguration while career politicians were sidelined says everything about who holds influence today. If you're in public affairs and still prioritizing traditional media over influencers, you're already behind.
A year ago I wrote that YouTube is a thoroughly under-looked option in the public affairs stack. It’s easy to get distracted by attention-grabbing platforms like TikTok and X, or newer players like Threads and Bluesky, but YouTube is a real workhorse in the campaigns world, especially since it now doubles as a podcasting platform.
I’m bullish on podcasting for its ability to facilitate a deeper relationship between influencers and their audiences. If you can get on the right podcast, you get your message in front of a captive audience. The podcast host-audience relationship is nothing like traditional broadcast media. It’s deeper. More personal. More influential.
This week, Bloomberg took a deeper look at this relationship. It analyzed a set of massively popular podcasters and streamers who cemented themselves as the new source of information for millions of young men, using their influence to rally support for Trump and the political right. The Influential Nine, as I’ve suddenly taken to calling them are:
But here’s what makes this so fascinating: none of these guys are political experts or experienced journalists. Yet, they carry tremendous political influence.
From Bloomberg:
Reporters reviewed nearly 1,300 hours of footage from their channels, mapped out the podcasters’ guest networks and quantified the frequency of key political messages that they distributed to tens of millions of subscribers each day.
To hear them tell it, America is in a desperate place, destabilized by soaring inflation, migrants streaming across the border and the beginnings of a third world war. Gender politics have gotten out of hand while schools and the medical establishment duped the public. The same messages were communicated in Trump’s inaugural address on Monday. Now that Trump is back in power, the broadcasters are well-positioned to help build support for his political agenda, transforming grievances into policy that could have lasting effects even beyond Trump’s term in office.
In the months leading up to election, hosts had more politicians and pundits on their shows and discussed the issues more frequently. Of the broadcasters’ videos that reached over 1 million views on YouTube during the time span Bloomberg reviewed, more than a third of videos mentioned voting or the US elections — often with the host explicitly calling on listeners to vote.
I assume this is newsworthy to Bloomberg because the Influential Nine are not journalists, or even, political experts. If so, then Bloomberg is on to something political campaigners have known for the better part of the last decade: the public long ago stopped turning to experts and impartial observers for political news.
And they are doing it with eyes wide open. People aren’t looking for “both sides” anymore. They want information that aligns with their values—plain and simple. They want political information presented to them with a frame that aligns with their values. There is no single source of truth in this environment. There is your truth, and there is my truth. And I only care to entertain my truth.
And that’s the real shift we’re experiencing in how political news is consumed. People are willing to consume this news if it is delivered to them from a trusted source that shares their worldview. No specific domain expertise is required. All that’s required? Empathy.
Podcast hosts need only be on the side their listeners.
That empathy makes them trustworthy.
That trustworthiness makes them accessible.
That accessibility makes them influential.
This empathy flywheel is powerful because it facilitates a feedback loop between host and audience. By reflecting their audience’s views, they gain social capital to shape opinion on topics well beyond their original expertise. The combination of mirroring their audience’s worldview and doing so empathetically, means the relationship between the two is deep. Audiences feel understood, not lectured at. It’s an emotional connection that transforms these hosts from content creators into trusted guides helping their audience on their hero’s journey.
This transformation, and the impact it is having on political discourse, demands our attention. It likely demands a pivot:
Authenticity over polish: The highly produced, corporate tone that dominates business communications is a liability because it is tone deaf. Today's influential voices succeed because they're perceived as genuine, even when discussing complex business issues.
Relationship building over reach: Rather than chasing the widest possible audience, success comes from cultivating relationships with podcasters and content creators whose audiences align with your stakeholder groups. Go niche. Very, very niche.
Sustained engagement over news cycles: The podcast format allows for deeper, more nuanced discussions that can unfold over hours rather than soundbites. This means organizations need to think beyond the news cycle and invest in long-form content strategies. Your CEO needs to get comfortable ditching your well-prepared key message document, and speak freely.
Value alignment over expertise: While technical expertise remains important, it's no longer sufficient. Organizations need spokespeople who can authentically connect with audiences by demonstrating shared values and perspectives. If nothing else, they need to demonstrate empathy for those values. That doesn’t mean being on the same page, necessarily. But it does mean making an effort to understand the world through these audience’s lenses.
Media consumption is changing fast, and so is the definition of influence. It’s a shift in how trust and authority are established between you and your audience. For public affairs professionals, the path to influence no longer runs exclusively through traditional media gatekeepers, or even aligned stakeholders. It is through the trusted guides that have built empathetic relationships with their audiences, no matter what topic these influencers specialize in.
Organizations that understand and adapt to this new landscape - prioritizing genuine connection over polished messaging, embracing long-form dialogue over soundbites, and demonstrating real empathy for their audiences - will be better positioned to shape public discourse in meaningful ways.
We’ve seen this in Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s effective communications approach. Long-form videos that break down complex issues in a way that exudes extreme empathy. There’s a reason this communications approach resonates: It screams, “I’m on your side.”
How should communicators respond to this shift? Consider adopting the EMPATHY Framework:
Engage Empathically: Before sharing any message, reflect the audience’s values, worldview, and lived realities.
Practical Tip: In prep calls or research, identify the top emotional triggers, hopes, and fears you think your target audience is wrestling with. Tailor your language to demonstrate that you genuinely “get it,” rather than reciting corporate talking points.
Meet People Where They Are: Go beyond traditional media; find the podcasters and niche content creators already trusted by your audience.
Practical Tip: Start small. Instead of scrambling for the big name podcasters and creators, pinpoint an industry- or community-specific podcast where your message can resonate deeply (even if the audience is smaller). And look for niche-adjacent niches.
Prioritize Authenticity Over Polish: Polished soundbites are less effective in an environment that values raw, relatable conversation.
Practical Tip: Coach spokespeople to share real stories and experiences. It’s okay if the delivery isn’t “perfect”—imperfections can come across as honest and genuine.
Adopt Long-Form Storytelling: Think beyond the 30-second clip. Podcasts, YouTube streams, and live conversations allow hours of in-depth dialogue where trust can be built.
Practical Tip: Prepare to go off-script. Encourage your CEO or spokesperson to speak freely (within reason) and address follow-up questions head-on.
Track Empathy Flywheel Metrics: Traditional metrics (impressions, hits, reach) only show part of the picture. What you really need is a sense of how well your audience feels “heard.”
Practical Tip: Move to engagement-based KPIs, such as sentiment in comments, hours listened, and quality of questions from the audience. Gauge how often your key points are repeated in the host’s own words.
Harness Alignment of Values: Expertise alone is no longer enough. Align with the audience’s worldview and demonstrate you’re willing to see the issue through their eyes.
Practical Tip: Explicitly connect your message to shared values (e.g., fairness, safety, freedom). Show you respect differences if you can’t fully agree, but make it clear you understand why these values matter.
Yield to Two-Way Conversations: The new influencers thrive on dialogue, not monologue. They reflect their audience, and their audience reciprocates with deeper trust.
Practical Tip: Leave space for listeners to contribute questions or comments—whether it’s through live Q&A segments or social media follow-ups. Demonstrate that communication is not just a one-way broadcast.
Ready to pivot? Here’s how to start putting this into action:
Develop an Internal Empathy Audit:
Action: Conduct an internal audit of current messaging, content, and spokesperson training to identify gaps where empathy can be strengthened.
Practical Tip: Ask yourself, “Are we speaking at our audience or with them? Are we addressing their concerns, or just pushing our agenda?”
Map the New Influence Ecosystem:
Action: Identify the key digital influencers, podcasters, and creators who resonate most with your stakeholders. Build a database of potential engagement opportunities.
Practical Tip: Use tools like SparkToro, BuzzSumo, or manual engagement tracking to find influential voices that might not be on your radar.
Invest in ‘Test and Learn’ Pilots:
Action: Instead of overhauling your media approach overnight, pilot podcast or YouTube appearances to gauge effectiveness and adjust messaging accordingly.
Practical Tip: Work with a mid-tier influencer first, track engagement and audience sentiment, then scale up.
Redefine Stakeholder Engagement Models:
Action: Shift from one-way communication (press releases, corporate statements) to interactive, two-way engagement platforms like Twitter Spaces, LinkedIn Live, or AMA-style podcast sessions.
Practical Tip: Plan quarterly interactive sessions where stakeholders can ask questions directly and receive honest, unscripted responses.
Leverage Employee Advocacy Programs:
Action: Train employees at all levels to become authentic storytellers and micro-influencers within their networks.
Practical Tip: Encourage employees to share their perspectives on industry challenges via LinkedIn posts, guest podcast appearances, or blog content.
Create Episodic Content:
Action: Develop recurring content formats (e.g., “State of the Industry” podcast episodes) to create familiarity and establish thought leadership within key audiences.
Practical Tip: A monthly CEO Q&A podcast where leadership answers top industry questions could provide an ongoing, authentic engagement touchpoint.
Crisis Preparedness in the New Media Landscape:
Action: Update your crisis communication playbook to account for the rapid spread of narratives through influencer channels and podcasts.
Practical Tip: Identify and pre-engage trusted voices who can advocate on your behalf during times of crisis.
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