Welcome to The Arena: A Brand Podcast that Nurtures, Retains, and Wins New Client Relations

When you’re in the business of helping companies tell their story, there is no better move than to start a podcast.

Since 1998 ICR has been providing strategic communications for leaders serious about building and protecting the value of their business. Their team of former Wall Street analysts and agency professionals works with companies from young startups to pre-IPO businesses to mature multinationals – all over the world.

Tom Ryan, Founder and CEO of ICR, knew a podcast would provide another channel to communicate the incredible work their clients do. But, he needed podcasting professionals on his team to help with packaging and production. ICR teamed up with Lower Street to produce Welcome to the Arena.

Welcome to The Arena is a podcast that blends narrative storytelling with business insights. Hosted by Tom Ryan himself it proved to be the perfect move to nurture existing client relationships, introduce new leads to the head of ICR, and build authority in their industry. 

The Challenge

ICR sought a creative way to strengthen relationships with current clients, expand their network, and position themselves to win new business.

Traditional PR strategies like securing features in leading media like the Wall Street Journal or CNBC are valuable but incredibly difficult to land. These opportunities don’t present themselves every day. 

A television interview may only last 4 minutes, and an article in Bloomberg may be favorable or not to the clients. Instead, a channel owned by ICR would allow clients to tell their stories safely, in 30 minutes or more. The challenge was to create that medium.

Moreover, ICR needed a sustainable content strategy that would not only engage their existing clients but also demonstrate thought leadership to a wider audience.

Podcasting was the perfect solution. Then it was just about finding the right production agency to partner with. Lower Street saw the great potential ICR faced, they teamed up to build ICR’s authority through podcasting.

The Solution

Partnering with Lower Street, ICR launched Welcome to The Arena, a well-crafted, interview-narrative podcast. With each episode, the show features a mix of existing clients and interesting non-clients, plus others in the network focused on value-creation such as investment, bankers, lawyers, or private equity. They are invited to talk about their business journeys and strategies in a way that isn’t possible in traditional media.

Lower Street guided ICR in shaping the format to be concise and engaging. The goal was to get the most value out of a digestible episode. Initially unfamiliar with the intricacies of podcasting, ICR relied on Lower Street’s expertise to structure episodes, incorporate effective breaks, and maintain a 20-30-minute format.

“I didn't know much about podcasting. I knew that I didn't want episodes to be an hour or 2 hours or anything like that. Lower Street helped me find an engaging format, creating a great episode in 20-30 minutes.”

Having brand leadership be the voice of a podcast humanizes the brand and adds a personal connection. In turn, this adds way more authenticity to the show’s content. 

When it came to selecting guests for the show, ICR was well prepared. Over the last 30 years in business, Tom Ryan and his senior team have developed a great network. This gave them endless possibilities for engaging episodes from sports stars like Eli Manning and Chris Pronger to CEO adventurers like Jared Isaacman. 

“We have an incredible network and a lot of interesting business relationships. To line up guests I go to my team and say ‘Who has news they want to break into the marketplace? Who’s doing something different and interesting but not really getting a lot of attention for it?’ Inquiries come in and we schedule.”

Including guests who were already familiar with ICR and Tom led to a genuine conversation between colleagues. The relationship shows through in each episode, creating content listeners love. 

Additionally, by featuring 70% of guests from their client pool, ICR was able to use the podcast as a tool for both nurturing client relationships and onboarding new ones.

"I’ve had guests on that, because of the podcast, have become clients."

The Outcome

• Welcome to the Arena has been featured in Forbes

• The show has established ICR’s leadership & helped them acquire new clients

• Helped them improve client retention with valuable content

• Provided clients with valuable evergreen content

• Brought on new leads

The podcast has achieved multiple wins for ICR, and for their clients. 

Welcome to the Arena was featured in Forbes in an article highlighting brands successfully using podcasting in their strategy. ICR truly has shown how brand podcasting can drive a brand's mission and benefit them, and their clients.

For one, the show serves as an evergreen content library, adding value to clients by allowing them to repurpose their episodes for shareholders, employees, and business partners. Clients also benefit from showcasing their strategies in a long-form medium, something traditional media can’t offer.

"They can take that half-hour interview and share it with all of their stakeholders, from shareholders to employees to business partners; that’s a huge benefit to them."

Notably, the podcast has contributed to client acquisition. Some episodes even resulted in new business relationships. While ICR doesn't directly track ROI in financial terms, the podcast has become a tool for client retention and added value.

"I do believe it helps us retain clients. And when you retain clients, you retain the revenue."

Beyond client relations, Welcome to The Arena has bolstered ICR's authority in the strategic communications space. Its production quality, combined with consistent storytelling, has earned positive feedback and a loyal audience.

"It’s really well produced... I view it as very successful."

Conclusion

The partnership with Lower Street helped ICR successfully launch an authority-led brand podcast. They created a platform that nurtures relationships, builds thought leadership, and drives new business. Welcome to The Arena is now a key component of both ICR’s marketing and service offerings. It’s a testament to how thoughtful podcasting can unlock value for brands. Looking ahead, Tom Ryan aims to keep the show going, building on the hundreds of existing episodes and potentially expanding into video to further engage their audience.

"The longer you do it, the more people pay attention, and I think that’s what’s happening."