It’s so important for companies investing in a branded company podcast to be ready to make a long-term commitment to figuring out the right model for their show and for building the audience over time. It is really tough to build a branded podcast audience, and just as hard to get the concept right. I applaud companies that have stuck with it not just over time but over multiple show iterations, like Zendesk, as shown with their new show:

Conversations with Zendesk

The concept is a simple, solid fit with the company as a leading provider of customer service software. They interview leaders in customer service / customer experience, and do a good job of taking an expansive perspective on that definition. Guests are mostly from peer technology companies, but have also featured internal experts and industry and academic thought leaders.

I’d be happy recommending the show if it was the standalone first podcast by the company. What I’m extra impressed by is how Zendesk has returned to the branded podcast game after two other earlier initiatives. They published “Relate” in 2017, and “Repeat Customer” in 2018-2019, both with Pacific Content, and both great shows that had clever takes on storytelling that tied into “customer relationships” without just talking about software.

I don’t know to what extent those earlier shows have overlap in the production team or historical context for the new, interview based show. Either way, I’m always happy to celebrate brands that are taking a multi-year and evolving swing at branded podcasting.