“Why wouldn't a podcast be part of that mix?”: Jimmy McLoughlin on why politicians are turning to creators

“I think this is the first time I've seen a politician actually answer questions directly.”

That was one viewer's reaction after watching UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham field questions from Jimmy McLoughlin on his podcast, Jimmy's Jobs of the Future.

Since taking the top job in July, Burnham has made creator appearances a visible part of his communications strategy, from joining Mo Farah for a run to appearing on creator Max Klymenko's Career Ladder series and, of course, sitting down with McLoughlin. The approach has already earned Burnham comparisons with New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, with The Guardian asking whether he could become the UK's “first TikTok PM”.

“Creators and podcasters are becoming much more important in public affairs, and I think any modern campaign strategy now has to consider how it works with them,” McLoughlin told The Daily Influence.

McLoughlin is no stranger to the world he's now covering, having spent three years inside Downing Street as a special adviser to prime ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson before launching his podcast in 2020.

The show, which covers careers among other topics, has built an audience of around 150,000 and previously hosted former prime minister Rishi Sunak.

“The number of Cabinet ministers now following the show and the number of special advisers appearing in our inbox asking to come on probably speaks for itself,” McLoughlin said. “Podcasts are increasingly being treated as an important part of the communications calendar rather than an optional extra.”

The creator advantage

Part of the appeal, McLoughlin argues, is the ability to reach a defined audience already interested in a particular subject.

“We know, for example, that the 150,000 people who follow Jimmy's Jobs are particularly interested in careers, education and the economy,” McLoughlin said. “If a politician has an announcement in one of those areas, they can speak directly to people who are already engaged with the subject in a way that might have been harder through traditional media alone.”

The longer format offers something different too. “Audiences want the opportunity to hear political leaders explain what they believe, how they reached a position and what their proposals would mean in practice,” McLoughlin said, noting that a longer conversation also “makes it harder to rely entirely on prepared lines, which can give people a better sense of the person and the thinking behind the announcement.”

Even so, he doesn't expect podcasts to replace traditional media. “They're not replacing the traditional visit, speech or photo opportunity, but increasingly the thinking is: why wouldn't a podcast be part of that mix?” he said.

“There is also a second life to the content. The conversation can be clipped up and shared across the politician's own channels, so one interview becomes part of a much wider campaign,” he added.

Beyond politics

McLoughlin sees the same model moving into parts of business that have historically had little connection with influencer marketing.

“What we're now seeing is that model move much further into the corporate and business-to-business space, or the ‘B2B influencer’ space, to use a slightly dreadful LinkedIn phrase,” McLoughlin said. “Every industry is developing its own creators and trusted voices.”

He said businesses will therefore need to consider whether to build that capability in-house or work with existing creators who have already built authority with relevant audiences.

In public affairs, he believes organisations will increasingly have to make the same calculation. “Campaigning organisations and public affairs firms now need to think seriously about which creators are relevant to an issue, how to involve them and how to communicate through the communities they have built,” he said.

“Ultimately, this is another stage in the evolution of marketing and communications. The growing influence of creators in business and public affairs is the latest phase of it.”