The Mission

With 7 million users and accolades such as multiple Google Awards, Castbox had established itself as a robust podcast platform. However, user growth had plateaued, and the brand lacked visibility, with few in the U.S. podcasting industry aware of its offerings. 

Castbox needed a fresh strategy to stand out amid a crowded podcast market, increase user adoption, and generate meaningful media coverage.

The Strategy

Eleven International crafted an integrated marketing campaign to drive brand recognition and user engagement for Castbox, with a strong focus on PR efforts to tell the brand’s story in a way that resonated with the media and potential users:

• Highlighting the Founder’s Story: Eleven leveraged Castbox’s Series B fundraising announcement as a newsworthy anchor. The founder’s personal story, a former Google employee from Beijing who sold her home to fund the startup, was woven into the narrative, adding a compelling human-interest angle. This approach brought an inspiring entrepreneurial element to the story, which resonated with mainstream media.

• Showcasing Innovation: The campaign also spotlighted Castbox’s innovative R&D work, particularly an AI-driven in-audio search feature that was in development. Although the feature didn’t make it into the final product, it showcased Castbox’s dedication to enhancing the podcast experience through technology, which caught the attention of tech reporters and further differentiated the platform from competitors.

• Integrated Messaging and Storytelling: Through carefully crafted messaging, Eleven emphasized both the app’s unique technological advancements and the founder’s commitment, positioning Castbox as both a technology-driven and human-centered podcast platform. This holistic storytelling approach helped the platform stand out in the U.S. podcast market, creating a memorable narrative that appealed to tech and business media alike.

The Results

The campaign yielded substantial media traction and helped reposition Castbox as a recognized name in the podcasting space:

• Extensive Tier 1 Media Coverage: Castbox’s Series B announcement, coupled with the founder’s story and innovative product developments, secured significant coverage across high-profile outlets, including Observer, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, VentureBeat, Fortune, Entrepreneur Magazine, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Interesting Engineering, Axios, and WIRED Germany.

• Increased Brand Awareness: The PR strategy brought Castbox into the mainstream tech and business media landscape, helping raise awareness about the platform’s unique offerings and founder’s inspiring journey. This visibility served as a catalyst for renewing industry interest in Castbox, positioning it as a dynamic player in the U.S. podcast market.

Eleven International’s integrated storytelling approach successfully positioned Castbox as both a technology leader and a brand with a compelling story, capturing the attention of U.S. audiences and rekindling interest in the platform among both industry insiders and new users.