Healthcare marketing strategy: Why you should be podcasting
Podcasting is no longer a hobby for tech geeks and entertainers. It has quietly become one of the most powerful healthcare marketing tools for business owners and healthcare providers who want to educate, build trust, and grow their organizations. It's also one of the major ways to spread their voice and drown out the misinformation and disinformation that has become prevalent these days.
There's no way around it: patients are actively searching for healthcare providers online, and your practice needs to be visible, credible, and engaging to stand out. In this conversation from an episode of All Things LOCS with Tyas Frantz, owner of Origin Podcast Studios in Las Vegas and a veteran podcaster who launched his first show over 20 years ago, we unpack why podcasting is such a strategic asset for clinics and healthcare services, what holds most leaders back, and how to do it in a way that actually connects with patients and clients along their healthcare journey.
If you are a doctor, practice owner, or healthcare executive who has thought, “I do not know if podcasting is for me” or “I do not have time for digital marketing,” this is for you.
Why Podcasting Belongs In Your Healthcare Business Strategy
From One Conversation To A Week Of Content
Effective healthcare marketing improves patient outcomes by encouraging proactive health behaviors like scheduling screenings and adhering to medication. So why podcasting?
Most leaders still think of a podcast as “just audio.” Tyas pushes back on that. He sees podcasting as a content engine; one that supports sustainable growth, consistent branding, and modern marketing techniques across digital platforms.
“They think of the podcast as one piece of media, but it ends up being a lot of things, from blog posts, to shorts, to audio, to video, all those things in between.”
With a single one hour episode recorded through a podcast hosting service, a clinic or business can create:
Multiple short video clips for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts
A long form YouTube episode or video podcast
A polished blog post (like this one)
Quote graphics for LinkedIn and Facebook
Email newsletter content for patients or referral partners
Visual assets like podcast cover art that strengthen consistent branding
Tyas puts it simply:
“Given technology and now the fact that we have LLMs that can transcribe a podcast and use that for other forms, doing a one hour recorded episode, you can create all of the rest of your week's content in one hour.”
For busy clinicians and owners who say they do not have time for marketing, podcasting can actually be the most time efficient digital marketing effort they can make to drive growth.
Owning Attention In A Distracted, Distrustful Media World
Traditional media is losing trust and attention. People are tuning out cable news and heavily scripted broadcasts.
“Mainstream media is not trusted anymore. People do not trust people reading off teleprompters. Viewership is going down. They know that they are bought.”
Podcasting sits in the category of “alternative media.” It feels more real, more conversational, and more human. That matters in health systems and mental health contexts, where patient loyalty and trust are everything. Not only that, but podcast listening is growing rapidly: More than 584 million people listened to podcasts in 2025, with numbers expected to reach 619 million by 2026.
Short form content (5 to 30 seconds) will almost always win on pure views. But long form wins on relationship and podcast listening retention.
“An eight minute video will beat a one hour podcast. But if you are talking about creating a relationship with a client, the hour will always win.”
Patients may find you from short clips floating around digital platforms, but they will decide to trust you after listening to 30 to 60 minutes of you explain how you think, how you practice, and what you believe about care; beginning with your podcast intro and continuing through consistent episodes that bring in returning podcast listeners. Patients are searching online for everything these days, including the medical provider they see. Your digital footprint matters.
The Mindset Shift Leaders Need Before Starting A Podcast
Treat Podcasting Like Business Hygiene, Not A One Time Project
Most business owners make two big mistakes when it comes to podcasting:
“The number one mistake people make in podcasting is not starting one. The second biggest mistake they make is not continuing.”
Tyas compares podcasting to health habits. You do not get fit by going to the gym once. You get results by showing up consistently. A podcast is the same. It needs to move out of the category of “cool idea” and into the category of “this is part of how we run the business and support our digital marketing strategy.”
Think of it like:
Working out in the morning
Following your nutrition plan
Reviewing your KPIs every week
“It is not the big move that has the big effect. It is the little moves done consistently over time that are going to influence everything.”
If you are serious, commit to something like:
“We will publish 100 episodes before we judge whether this works.”
That one decision will put you in a different category than almost everyone else — and supports long-term sustainable growth across your marketing efforts.
Purpose, Calling, And Legacy For Healthcare Leaders
For Tyas, podcasting is not just a business decision. It is about meaning, and how healthcare providers and health systems communicate value beyond transactional healthcare services.
“I wanted more purpose in my life and bringing in people that have something to say and want it so badly that they are willing to invest in getting that message out there, I am stealing a little bit of that purpose away from them.”
He connects this idea to healthcare:
There is massive misinformation and shallow advice online.
Many of the loudest voices are not doctors or qualified professionals.
Meanwhile, the people with the most training are often the quietest.
That silence has a cost.
“If you have a calling, if you got something that needs to be said, that needs to get out there, that has a message, and you are choosing not to, I suspect that you are going to be on your death bed really regretting your life.”
For clinicians who say “I want to help people,” podcasting is one of the most scalable ways to live that calling, especially in mental health and chronic care spaces where access and clarity matter.
You are no longer limited to the patients who happen to be in your waiting room. Your voice becomes a leadership tool powered by authentic digital marketing efforts.
Common Misconceptions That Stop Business Owners From Podcasting
“I Do Not Have Time”
This is the most common objection from healthcare professionals.
“Totally valid that you might not have enough time. But then you need to consider, how are we gonna get our message out there?”
If you do not have time to record a one hour podcast, you almost definitely do not have time to:
Draft custom social posts every day
Write fresh blog content every week
Build a consistent email newsletter
The irony is that your lack of time is exactly why a leveraged content format like podcasting is so important to drive growth and patient loyalty. A question to ask yourself: where am I spending time that does nothing to grow the company? Think about that next time you don't have the time to film a podcast that can expand your message and get you more patients.
“I Need A Perfect Studio”
Tyas is blunt about this excuse.
“Here is the secret to looking good on video. Good lights and good lenses. The camera does not matter that much.”
Even more importantly, most podcast listeners will experience your show in audio only:
“Most people are digesting this in audio. A thousand to one are digesting long form content in audio over video. So the mic matters more than the camera.”
For many clinics, a starter setup can be:
A decent USB or XLR microphone
Simple lighting or even a bright window
A quiet room with minimal echo
A phone or laptop as the camera if you want video
Technology is no longer a legitimate barrier.
“There is really no excuse technologically to not get started when everybody has a camera and a microphone in their pocket.”
The main takeaway: don't overcomplicate the process and don't let the perfectionism mentality that is common in healthcare limit you.
“I Have To Look And Sound Perfect”
As I just stated above, perfectionism kills momentum.
Tyas tells clients not to edit out every little mistake.
“They will have a glass of water out in front of them or something and it will spill and they will be like, ‘Oh, can we cut that out?’ My first piece of advice is, do not cut that out. That is the moment that proves that this is real.”
Patients and listeners do not need you to be flawless. They need you to be honest — whether you are discussing mental health, chronic illness, or daily healthcare services.
“The people that I trust are the ones that say, ‘Hey, I believed this for a really long time and I changed my mind because new evidence came out.’”
In healthcare, vulnerability actually builds more authority than polished certainty.
Saying “I do not know, but here is how I will find out” is more trustworthy than faking confidence, and aligns perfectly with consistent branding around authenticity.
How Doctors And Clinic Owners Can Communicate So Patients Actually Understand
Drop The Jargon And Speak Human
One of the biggest barriers for medical professionals on camera and with patients is the language they use. They want to speak to patients with medical jargon and then do the same thing on camera, which affects both digital marketing and operations.
“If you come in and you are just like, ‘Oh, you are diaphoretic,’ nobody knows what you are saying. You gotta say sweating.”
Podcasting forces a valuable leadership skill: the ability to explain complex topics in simple language that supports the healthcare journey.
Think of your listener like a smart 12 year old, not another specialist.
Tyas uses a simple example:
“Harry Potter rocks as a book because everybody could read it.”
When you strip out jargon and talk the way real people talk, you:
Build more trust
Reduce anxiety
Make your expertise accessible instead of intimidating
Use Podcasting To Scale Patient Education
Podcasting is not just marketing. It is operations and patient experience; and supports health systems looking to streamline communication across multiple healthcare services and digital platforms.
Tyas shares how UNLV School of Medicine is using studio time:
“They are recording content about here is what to expect. You are going to go into surgery. Here is what is going to happen in that process.”
Instead of each physician repeating the same explanation dozens of times per week, they:
Record one clear, compliant explanation
Test whether patients understand it
Send the episode to patients before or after appointments
“It saves you time with your staff, it saves you marketing, all that stuff. It is just a win across the board.”
For healthcare organizations, this kind of content can:
Reduce no shows and cancellations
Improve preparation and adherence
Lower anxiety and confusion
Free up clinical time for higher value conversations
Podcasting becomes a scalable education system with compounding value for patient loyalty and sustainable growth.
Finding Your Format And Voice As A Healthcare Podcaster
Forget The “Perfect Length” And Commit To Reps
If you search the internet, you will find research that says the optimal podcast length is about 23 minutes. Tyas does not buy it.
“If you were to look at the research on the length of a podcast, the answer is going to be 23 minutes long. That is what the research says. It is wrong.”
Why? Because that number reflects how long many listeners stay, not how long you should record. It is an attention snapshot, not a strategy.
The real answer is to:
Try different formats and lengths
Stay nimble
Focus on doing enough episodes to actually improve
“The goal should be, set something where you have gotta get the reps. If you expect yourself to be strong before doing the reps, you are going to lose every time.”
Use A Venn Diagram To Niche Down
Trying to be “a general business podcast” or “a general healthcare podcast” is a recipe for getting ignored in both digital marketing and healthcare marketing spaces.
The shows that catch attention tend to start very specific.
Tyas recommends thinking in overlapping circles:
“If I was to create a podcast on business, there is a lot of podcasts on business. If I were to create a podcast on business that is specifically related to microphones and the medical field, now I am niche. I am super targeted.”
For a healthcare leader, that might look like:
Diabetics who want to avoid amputation
Pediatric behavioral health for overwhelmed parents
Revenue cycle strategies for independent orthopedic practices
When you niche down, you:
Become easier to discover
Attract the right people faster
Build deeper loyalty
Can later expand outward once you have traction
Growing Your Healthcare Podcast Audience Without Losing Your Soul
Be Strategic About Guest Spots And Messaging
One of the fastest ways to grow a show is to appear on other podcasts.
“The low hanging fruit is to go on other people’s podcasts. You will be surprised how often they will just have you on their show.”
Most guests wing it. Great communicators do not. They know their core story and they steer every conversation back to it, supporting consistent branding across their digital marketing efforts.
“They have a narrative and they get to that same story every single time. They are waiting for a question, figuring out how they can spin that question to say the story that they have pre written.”
Think like a standup comic refining a joke. Over time, you tighten the story that explains:
Who you help
What you believe
How you work
Why it matters
Then you repeat it until it is sharp, clear, and memorable; reinforcing loyalty among repeat podcast listeners.
Understand Authentic And Inauthentic Growth
There are a lot of agencies promising downloads, subscribers, and “explosive growth.” Tyas has a simple filter:
“I would look for transparency.”
Some tactics are fully authentic. Others are not. For example:
Authentic:
optimizing titles
repurposing clips
guesting on relevant shows
answering real questions in forums and linking back to episodes
Inauthentic:
buying followers
using bots
inflating numbers for optics
Tyas is honest that both can exist.
“We offer marketing services for podcasts. Some of that is authentic growth and some of it is inauthentic. The ones that are good should tell you, ‘This is authentic, this is inauthentic, this is how I am getting them across the board.’”
The question for healthcare businesses is: what are you actually optimizing for?
Vanity metrics like downloads and follower counts
orReal outcomes like new patients, better referrals, and stronger positioning among health systems and local healthcare providers
Having 100 listeners who become 10 high value clients is far better than 20,000 passive followers who never take action. What this really boils down to as well is knowing the desired outcome you are seeking.
The Cost Of Staying Silent As A Healthcare Expert
The healthcare and science communities have a unique problem. They are cautious, methodical, and slow to speak. The people spreading misinformation are not.
“The real professionals are not sharing their voice. The people who are pushing their crazy agendas are not careful at all. They just speak.”
If you are a physician, practice owner, or healthcare leader who has:
Strong evidence based opinions
A track record of helping patients
A desire to correct misinformation
Staying completely quiet has consequences for your patients, your healthcare marketing strategy, and your sustainable growth.
You cannot complain about bad information on social media while refusing to put better information out yourself.
“If you are complaining about the amount of disinformation and misinformation that is out there, but then not doing anything to counterbalance it, then what is the point of complaining?”
Podcasting will not solve everything. You will not be the number one voice on day one. You might never be.
But you will at least be in the arena, not shouting from the sidelines; and that alone supports consistent branding and community trust.
Ready To Start Your Healthcare Podcast?
You do not need perfect gear.
You do not need a broadcast voice.
You do not need to know every answer.
You need:
A clear purpose
A willingness to be consistent
The courage to speak in human language
The humility to say “I do not know, but here is how I will find out”
As Tyas says:
“If you think your thoughts are valuable in any capacity then you probably should be sharing them. Because the solution to bad speech is more speech.”
For healthcare businesses, a podcast is not just a marketing channel. It is:
A leadership tool
A culture builder
An operations asset
A long term legacy archive of your best thinking
A way to drive growth with authentic, scalable digital marketing efforts
You can start with a phone, a mic, and a quiet room. Record a conversation that matters, then turn it into everything else your audience needs, from podcast cover art to clipped video podcasts to a high-converting podcast intro that makes someone stop scrolling.
The question is no longer
“Should I start a podcast?”
The real question is:
“Can you afford to stay silent while everyone else speaks for you?”
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Should healthcare businesses start a podcast?
Yes. A healthcare business podcast can help clinic owners and providers reach more people with accurate, evidence based information. It builds authority, deepens trust with patients and referral partners, and supports your broader marketing strategy.
2. How can a podcast help my clinic’s patient education and operations?
A podcast allows you to record clear explanations about common conditions, procedures, and expectations once, then reuse that content repeatedly. You can share episodes with patients before or after visits to answer frequently asked questions and reduce uncertainty. This saves staff time, improves preparation and adherence, and frees up your team to focus on higher value conversations in the clinic.
3. Do I need a professional studio to start a healthcare podcast?
You do not need a full studio to get started. Many successful healthcare podcasts begin with a reliable microphone, simple lighting, and a quiet room. Most listeners will experience your show in audio, so a good mic matters more than a high end camera.
4. How often should I publish healthcare podcast episodes?
Consistency matters more than perfection. For most healthcare practices, starting with one episode per week or one episode every other week is realistic and effective. Pick a schedule you can maintain for at least six to twelve months, then batch record episodes to stay ahead. Over time, the combination of regular publishing and content repurposing will create a strong library of assets that support your brand and patient education.
Daniel Neissany, DPT, is a healthcare leadership consultant, podcast host, and former practice owner who helped scale a private clinic from $2.5M to over $36M in annual revenue. He advises healthcare providers, clinic owners, and executive teams on leadership, operations, culture, and strategies for sustainable growth—helping organizations improve revenue while reducing burnout and chaos. Dan is the co-founder and host of All Things LOCS, a business and leadership podcast for healthcare leaders. He specializes in helping practices turn long-form conversations into high-impact digital marketing ecosystems that strengthen patient loyalty and drive growth.
