Business Growth Hacks: The Strategic Power of Branding for Design Professionals


IN THIS EDITION

  • Tangible Remnants Gets a Makeover: New Year, New Look, Same Powerful Mission!
  • Business Growth Hacks: The Strategic Power of Podcasting for Design Professionals
  • The Seasonality Conundrum: Set the Pace of Your Podcast's Storytelling and Keep Your Audience Coming Back for More

INSIDE GĀBL

A Bold New Look for a Critical Mission

As we step into a new year, Tangible Remnants is evolving—with a refreshed brand that reflects the urgency and importance of their work. This podcast has always been about more than buildings. It’s about the people, policies, and projects driving change at the intersection of climate action and social equity.

At the helm of this vital conversation is Nakita Reed, an architect, sustainable preservationist, and connector of allied worlds. As a Black woman in architecture, Nakita brings a unique and essential perspective to the challenges and opportunities within the built environment. She works at the intersection of preservation, sustainability, and architecture, helping architects navigate historic approvals and encouraging preservationists to embrace sustainability. Through Tangible Remnants, she creates a space to explore how these fields overlap—and how they can work together to drive lasting change.

Buildings account for 40% of global CO2 emissions, and their impact on both the environment and communities is profound. The connection between sustainability and social justice is undeniable, and every renovation, restoration, and reuse project is an opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint while addressing systemic inequalities. Tangible Remnants continues to amplify the voices of those working to rethink how we use and value our Built environment, from architects and preservationists to policymakers and community advocates.

This brand refresh isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about reinforcing our commitment to meaningful conversations, expert insights, and real solutions. We’re highlighting the critical role of the Built environment in shaping a more sustainable and just future, shedding light on innovative projects that push us forward.

If you’re passionate about how buildings tell stories, shape communities, and drive change, now is the perfect time to tune in, engage, and be part of the conversation.

The Strategic Power of Podcasting for Design Professionals

by Randy Wilburn

As a consultant who has worked with engineers and architects since 1997, I've seen communication technologies transform our industry. Today, podcasting stands out as a remarkably powerful platform for design professionals—and the data proves it.

The Numbers Tell a Compelling Story

Consider these striking statistics: Digital audio listenership has doubled in the past decade, reaching over 200 million weekly listeners, with podcast audiences growing an impressive 325%. But it's not just about quantity—it's about quality and impact.

Podcasts drive exceptional engagement, delivering 56% more attentive seconds per thousand impressions compared to social media or video. For design professionals seeking to cut through the noise, this medium offers an unprecedented opportunity to connect deeply with your audience.

Who's Listening? A Profile of Podcast Audiences

The demographics are particularly intriguing for professionals:

  • 48% of podcast listeners are likely to earn over $250,000 annually
  • 59% have children
  • Listeners are typically younger and more educated

Moreover, podcast content is 6.6 times more trusted than streaming video and a remarkable 23 times more trusted than social media. In an industry where credibility is paramount, this trust factor is golden.

Strategic Benefits for Design Professionals

Podcasting isn't just about broadcasting—it's a strategic tool for:

  • Reaching niche audiences interested in great projects and design trends
  • Diving deep into complex topics like sustainable design
  • Networking with industry leaders
  • Building a robust professional brand

A Powerful Tool for Talent Acquisition and Retention

In today's competitive design landscape, podcasting offers a unique avenue for talent management. For design firms, a well-crafted podcast can be a sophisticated recruitment and retention strategy that goes beyond traditional hiring methods.

By showcasing your firm's culture, expertise, and innovative approaches, podcasts can:

  • Attract top-tier talent by demonstrating thought leadership
  • Provide insights into your firm's professional environment
  • Create a platform for internal experts to share their career journeys
  • Highlight unique projects and problem-solving approaches
  • Differentiate your firm in a crowded job market

Younger professionals, who make up a significant portion of the design workforce, are particularly drawn to multimedia content that offers authentic, behind-the-scenes glimpses into professional environments. A podcast can humanize your organization, showcasing the personalities, challenges, and achievements that define your team.

Moreover, the process of creating a podcast can itself be a retention tool. Giving team members opportunities to participate as guests, share their expertise, or contribute to content creation fosters a sense of engagement and professional development. It demonstrates investment in your employees' voices and professional growth.

Crafting Your Podcast Strategy

Before you hit record, consider:

  • Your unique value proposition or USP.
  • Target audience (fellow professionals, current or potential clients, design enthusiasts)
  • Content that offers genuine insights and storytelling

Technical Considerations – Don't let technical challenges intimidate you. Modern podcasting tools are user-friendly:

  • Invest in basic audio equipment
  • Use accessible recording software
  • Choose a reliable hosting platform

Maximizing Your Impact

Podcasts seamlessly integrate into daily routines—commutes, workouts, personal time—allowing you to connect with audiences during high-engagement moments.

The financial metrics are equally compelling. Businesses see an average return of $4-$6 for every $1 spent on podcast content, with significant lifts in brand awareness and favorability.

The Time is Now

With minimal initial investment and growing consumer trust, podcasting represents an extraordinary opportunity for design professionals to showcase expertise, build community, and establish thought leadership.

Whether you're an architect, engineer, construction manager, or design consultant, your unique perspective deserves to be heard. The podcast microphone is waiting—are you ready to amplify your professional voice?

CREATIVE EDGE

The Seasons: Set the Pace of Your Podcast's Storytelling

Episodic or Serial?!

What's next? Now that you have your cadence, you also have to decide whether you want your podcast to be compartmentalized and published as "seasons" or not. Seasons can be useful for sports podcasts where you won't have much to talk about during the off-season.

BREAK IT UP!

The reason we chose the cadence BEFORE we decided on seasons or not, is because choosing your cadence is really dependent on understanding your level of and availability to commit.

You might have guessed that in deciding your episode publishing frequency, you have stumbled upon the answer to this next section. The truth is cadence and whether or not your shows are episodic, seasonal, etc. go hand in hand.

However, if I put them in the same step, I think it's easy to overlook the importance of one or the other. As you can see this isn't a surface-level workbook. Okay, so back to the step...

Episodic basically means each episode can be listened to on its own without needing to listen to another episode. Serial means that the episodes go in order and each one builds onto a story.

This might remind you of how TV series are set up and that is exactly right! Think of your podcast as your own type of television series. You can see how complex this topic can get now, right?

Are you a sitcom? Are you a slow-burn drama? Are you a fast-paced comedic-toned show? Are you a serious, high-value educational series? Are you an up-to-the-minute news show?

Each one of those types I mentioned (obviously, there are more!) will have its own publishing schedule, each will either be in a season or not, and each will be episodic or serial. That's a high-level structure breakdown.

Most podcasts, especially sports podcasts are episodic. Dramatic storytelling podcasts tend to be serial.

BE YOU BE NEW

Think outside of the normal comfort level of modern pop culture storytelling.

What about dropping several 12-episode seasons over the course of a year? Say, 4 - one for each quarter? And then, you publish one episode per week over the year? That actually spans almost an entire year!

So, if you take off a week or two on some holiday when your listenership would be down anyway, you've created a template for your show that offers the flexibility of a storytelling structure that is unique to your brand, voice, and topic, as well as providing almost the exact same number of episodes as a "typical" weekly year-round, non- season podcast.

A benefit of seasons is that you can really dig into one story, idea, or theme, which allows you to beta-test different storytelling styles, cast members or characters, tones, lengths, cadences, story arcs, audience interest or engagement, imaging, music, and much more.

Of course, you can do all that with non-season podcasts as well, seasons just offer clear breaks that hold the audience's hand through those changes. Remember, humans take comfort in patterns and familiarity and they don't generally enjoy change.

Please be aware that to some people, change can be triggering, so be careful about that depending on your audience. A mental health show may have to be much more cautious when fine-tuning things because their audience might be more sensitive.

💡STORYTELLING IDEAS THAT WORK💡

Choosing Your Seasonality Action Steps:

Check out the All-Star Tip below and do some research. Then, take a deep breath and commit to a season aesthetic...or not. Make all the final choices about your storytelling blueprint in this step. – Don't leave any rock unturned!

NOTE: Be confident that you can pull off the episode templates that you have created, but, don't get into the nitty-gritty of the scripts yet, because that will come in a much later step.

All-Star Tip: Watch some of your favorite shows, and movies, or brush up on some of your favorite books or comics. Even books that are not in a series can offer some valuable insight into the storytelling process. Think of a how-to guide; the way that the author chooses to narrate a simple process-driven practical instructional non-fiction book can be eye-opening.

Written by ​Mark LePage, ​Dimitrius Lynch​, Randy Wilburn and Alayna Messer

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