3 reasons why you should add podcasting to your marketing plan, according to this Texas expert

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Should your business consider launching a podcast? This communications expert says yes. Photo via Will Francis/Unsplash

As business leaders or marketers, we're always on the lookout for strategic opportunities to reach our target audiences in meaningful ways and move them to action: To like a post, ask for more information, make a purchase and more. When we put a lot of thought, energy and resources into marketing efforts, we want – and expect – a valuable return on that investment. Incorporating podcasting into your strategic marketing plan can help you realize that return.

A few years ago, KGBTexas Communications began producing thePoint, an online video series featuring conversations with innovative leaders from across Texas. The point of ThePoint is for these leaders to share insights into how they are working to create positive consequence in our communities. Our videos feature highlights of these conversations, and given the visual nature, this content is typically short and yes, to the point. However, different platforms engage audiences in different ways, and we saw podcasting as a natural progression to deepen engagement with our audience. We evolved thePoint into a podcast, More to thePoint, which serves as an extension of our video series with the goal of enhancing interaction with listeners by providing more in-depth information and conversation.

Through our experience, we have learned the value of utilizing the platform as an innovative tool to deepen connections with our audience as well as our community. Below are three reasons why businesses should consider incorporating podcasting into a marketing or communications plan.

Showcase your expertise

As a podcaster, you can position yourself as subject-matter expert. Diving deeply into relevant issues can make you a trusted voice that others come to for insight and advice. In this way, podcasting also serves as an organic advertisement for your business services, product, passion or mission. According to Jennifer Moxley, the founder of Sunshine Media Network, "Podcasts can make you relevant; they're a reason for someone to talk about you, share your social media content, invite you to guest panels or highlight you in your community."

Reach listeners authentically

According to Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data, nearly 75% of podcast listeners tune in with the intent of learning something new. Listeners are choosing to connect with brands to receive valuable information. Additionally, the platform offers listeners the ability to tune in at their convenience, possibly while doing other things. Now you have the ability to connect with individuals while they drive to work, go for a walk or relax at home, rather than solely while they are visually connected to their computers or phones.

Low barrier of entry

In looking at a return on investment, podcasting can be a relatively inexpensive way to expand your marketing and engagement efforts. All you really need to start a podcast is a perspective, a guest, a microphone, (you can get a really good one for less than $200), and a hosting platform. Most hosting platforms will also provide you with statistics and data to help determine specific details about your audience, including the number of listeners, along with ages and locations. Knowing and understanding your audience is key, and podcasting can help businesses expand reach and track message reception at a low cost.

As a brand's authenticity and ability to connect with consumers becomes increasingly important for attracting and retaining customers, podcasting remains a largely untapped opportunity to build trust and strengthen relationships. When considering the low cost and high return, potential audience reach and boost to website traffic and SEO, it only makes sense to explore the benefits podcasting can bring to your business.

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Katie Harvey is the CEO of KGBTexas Communications, one of the largest woman-owned, full-service agencies in Texas, with offices in San Antonio and Houston.

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Houston femtech co. debuts new lactation and wellness pods

mom pod

Houston-based femtech company Work&, previously known as Work&Mother, has introduced new products in recent months aimed at supporting working mothers and the overall health of all employees.

The company's new Lactation Pod and Hybrid Pod serve as dual-use lactation and wellness spaces to meet employer demand, the company shared in a news release. The compact pods offer flexible design options that can serve permanent offices and nearly all commercial spaces.

They feature a fully compliant lactation station while also offering wellness functionalities that can support meditation, mental health, telehealth and prayer. In line with Work&'s other spaces, the pods utilize the Work& scheduling platform, which prioritizes lactation bookings to help employers comply with the PUMP Act.

“This isn’t about perks,” Jules Lairson, Work& co-founder and COO, said in the release. “It’s about meeting people where they are—with dignity and intentional design. That includes the mother returning to work, the employee managing anxiety, and everyone in between.”

According to the company, several Fortune 500 companies are already using the pods, and Work& has plans to grow the products' reach.

Earlier this year, Work& introduced its first employee wellness space at MetroNational’s Memorial City Plazas, representing Work&'s shift to offer an array of holistic health and wellness solutions for landlords and tenants.

The company, founded in 2017 by Lairson and CEO Abbey Donnell, was initially focused on outfitting commercial buildings with lactation accommodations for working parents. While Work& still offers these services through its Work&Mother branch, the addition of its Work&Wellbeing arm allowed the company to also address the broader wellness needs of all employees.

The company rebranded as Work& earlier this year.

5 Houston innovators who made headlines in August 2025

Featured Innovators

Editor's note: Innovators hailing from both Rice University and University of Houston made headlines in August by developing a new biomaterial that could replace plastic and deploying a new flood scale to help Houstonians stay safe. Plus, one local innovator has a big move on the horizon.

Here are five Houston innovators to know right now.

​M.A.S.R. Saadi and Muhammed Maksud Rahman, Rice University and University of Houston

A team led by M.A.S.R. Saadi and Muhammad Maksud Rahman has developed a biomaterial that they hope could be used for the “next disposable water bottle." Photo courtesy Rice University.

Collaborators from two Houston universities are leading the way in engineering a biomaterial into a scalable, multifunctional material that could potentially replace plastic. The research was led by Muhammad Maksud Rahman, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Houston and an adjunct assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice University. M.A.S.R. Saadi, a materials science and nanoengineering doctoral student at Rice University, was first author on the study. The study introduced a biosynthesis technique that aligns bacterial cellulose fibers in real-time, which resulted in robust biopolymer sheets with “exceptional mechanical properties,” according to the researchers. Learn more.

Paul Cherukuri, Rice University

Paul Cherukuri, Rice’s first vice president for innovation and chief innovation officer, will leave his post next month. Photo via Rice.edu

Paul Cherukuri, Rice University's top innovation executive, responsible for some of Rice’s major innovative projects like the Rice BioTech LaunchPad and Rice Nexus, will leave the university at the end of September to accept a position at the University of Virginia. Cherukuri, Rice’s first vice president for innovation and chief innovation officer, will become the University of Virginia’s Donna and Richard Tadler University Professor of Entrepreneurship and the school's first chief innovation officer. Learn more.

Steven Paul Woods (pictured) and Natalie C. Ridgely, University of Houston

Steven Paul Woods, professor of Psychology, at UH. Photo courtesy of UH

University of Houston Professor of Psychology Steven Paul Woods and doctoral student Natalie C. Ridgely recently partnered with the Space City Weather (SCW) blog to create a new flood alert scale for the trusted weather site. “My lab does work on how people access, understand, and use health information, so I thought we could adapt some of that ongoing work and our expertise in psychological science to answer questions about weather communication, and help keep Houstonians informed and safe,” said Woods. Learn more.

Rice biotech studio secures investment from Modi Ventures, adds founder to board

fresh funding

RBL LLC, which supports commercialization for ventures formed at the Rice University Biotech Launch Pad, has secured an investment from Houston-based Modi Ventures.

Additionally, RBL announced that it has named Sahir Ali, founder and general partner of Modi Ventures, to its board of directors.

Modi Ventures invests in biotech companies that are working to advance diagnostics, engineered therapeutics and AI-driven drug discovery. The firm has $134 million under management after closing an oversubscribed round this summer.

RBL launched in 2024 and is based out of Houston’s Texas Medical Center Helix Park. William McKeon, president and CEO of the TMC, previously called the launch of RBL a “critical step forward” for Houston’s life sciences ecosystem.

“RBL is dedicated to building companies focused on pioneering and intelligent bioelectronic therapeutics,” Ali said in a LinkedIn post. “This partnership strengthens the Houston biotech ecosystem and accelerates the transition of groundbreaking lab discoveries into impactful therapies.”

Ali will join board members like managing partner Paul Wotton, Rice bioengineering professor Omid Veiseh, scientist and partner at KdT Ventures Rima Chakrabarti, Rice alum John Jaggers, CEO of Arbor Biotechnologies Devyn Smith, and veteran executive in the life sciences sector James Watson.

Ali has led transformative work and built companies across AI, cloud computing and precision medicine. Ali also serves on the board of directors of the Drug Information Association, which helps to collaborate in drug, device and diagnostics developments.

“This investment by Modi Ventures will be instrumental to RBL’s growth as it reinforces confidence in our venture creation model and accelerates our ability to develop successful biotech startups,” Wotton said in the announcement. "Sahir’s addition to the board will also amplify this collaboration with Modi. His strategic counsel and deep understanding of field-defining technologies will be invaluable as we continue to grow and deliver on our mission.”

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