Turn Platforms Into Growth Channels

Whether it’s a new product, platform, or initiative, success comes down to having a clear, strategic plan for how to reach your audience. It’s not just about distribution, but about creating the right experience in the right places, so your audience understands it, connects with it, and knows why it matters from the start. Here's how Pop & Awe has helped brands bring new initiatives to life:

Bringing an Audio-first Experience to YouTube

When Tinkercast relaunched their on YouTube channel as WowTube, the goal was to meet kids and families where they already spend time: YouTube Kids and YouTube.

Tinkercast's new home on YouTube "WowTube" had more than 8.3M views in just 8 months post-launch.

The objective was to bring Tinkercast's cartoons-for-the-ears to video along with

creating video-first content. For Tinkercast's podcast, we created custom video players for each show that “surprise and delight” moments inspired by the content—like Reggie the pigeon flying across the screen, and aliens Flip & Mozi getting food stuck in the dashboard.

The Wow in the World YouTube player was built around a template that could be customized based on episode content.

We also developed remixes of Wow in the World episodes as music with WowTunes, reaction videos from aliens Flip and Mozi of the podcast Flip + Mozi, Moment of Wow YouTube Shorts and more.

WowTunes were animated videos featuring wacky remixes of Wow in the World episodes.

But more than just making videos, we built a system that support ongoing video production and posting by securing contractors, managing creative partners, and helping scale output to more than 100 social / shorts and full length videos annually. The impact was significant. Within the first eight months, Tinkercast's YouTube channel delivered 8.3M views. Today, the channel has more than 46k subscribers and more than 17M views.

Build digital experiences that actually work for your audience

A website is often the first real interaction someone has with your brand—and it needs to do more than just exist. For National Public Media, the original site became a powerful engine for growth, driving more than 1,000 inbound leads annually and steadily increasing both traffic and engagement.

The new National Public Media Site centered sponsorship opportunities within NPR programming.

But over time, it couldn’t keep up with the organization’s needs. So we led a full rebuild—from auditing the existing experience to managing vendors and aligning teams across the organization. The new flexible, scalable platform could support a growing set of offerings and a more sophisticated audience. Within three months post-launch there was a 70% increase in web traffic and 35% YOY increase in session duration.

Digital Extensions That Enhance Listening

To help Share Our Strength grow engagement with their flagship podcast Add Passion & Stir, we focused on turning it into more than just a podcast, but a connected digital experience.

Add Passion and Stir social startegy include paid media focusing on the act of Joining the Conversation

We sharpened the show’s positioning, making it about bigger conversations around food, justice, and society, and improved titles and descriptions so episodes are easier to find and share. We also expanded distribution through cross-promotions, partner outreach, and a more consistent social presence all while creating new ways for listeners to jump in, like a “Welcome” primer and plans for curated playlists.

The system of digital assets from the podcast landing page to social video clips helped raise awareness of the podcast and drive listeners / followers.

That work paid off with downloads growing 21% and unique listeners up 30% year over year. We also saw 300% incredible growth in social engagement -- likes, shares, follows. Add Passion & Stir evolved into more than a podcast and became a tool for distributing Share Our Strength's mission to end childhood hunger and connect audience to action.

The Pop & Awe Takeaway

Showing up on a platform is just the starting point. What matters is showcasing your brand in a way that is true to your voice AND mindful of why your audience is on the platform. Be clear about what platforms work best for your brand. You don't have to be everywhere to be impactful. When you are intentional about where you show up and what you show up wiht, you’re meeting your audience in a way that ACTUALLY resonates.