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In 2025, you’d be forgiven for thinking that every person and their dog has a podcast. Considering there are more than three million podcasts globally, that’s roughly one for every person in Brisbane. The question is why? As every content marketer knows, podcasts can make great content. A great podcast that captures the hearts, minds and imaginations of its audience is content you almost can’t put a price on. They’ve also become an essential element of building a brand’s reach and reputation.
The challenge facing brands is not if or how to create a podcast but how to stand out amongst the crowd. With Bumble’s podcast Give Me a Buzz returning for season two, Marketing Mag took the opportunity to talk to Dylan Adams, ARIA Award-nominated audio producer, mix engineer and partnerships director at MIK Studio Australia, and Lucille McCart, head of corporate communications for Bumble.
Here, Adams and McCart share their insights on creating a podcast that resonates with an audience and how collaboration between client and producer is an essential ingredient for success.
Marketing Mag: How did the relationship between MIK Made and Bumble come about? What made the project so rewarding?
Dylan Adams: It’s rare for a network and brand to align so seamlessly, but when Bumble approached us about Give Me A Buzz, it felt like a natural fit from day one. Branded content can sometimes struggle to connect with audiences — either because it feels overly promotional or because it lacks the depth and authenticity that makes a great podcast compelling. But from the outset, Bumble shared our vision: to create something that wasn’t just an ad with a microphone, but a meaningful, engaging and genuinely entertaining show.
At MIK Made, we’re always focused on crafting content that feels real, resonant and in step with cultural conversations. Bumble’s progressive values closely mirror our own, and that alignment gave us the freedom to produce a podcast that felt like a true extension of their brand rather than a corporate message.
The topics we explored — dating, relationships, identity, self-growth — are inherently human. Our guests reflected the kind of diverse, thoughtful and bold voices that both Bumble and MIK Made celebrate in our storytelling.
This wasn’t about ticking boxes or forcing a brand message into a pre-existing format — it was about building a show that listeners would genuinely connect with.
What’s made Give Me A Buzz so rewarding is that it has grown beyond a one-off campaign into something with real longevity. The team at Bumble has been an incredible creative partner, embracing the organic evolution of the series and allowing us to push it further. Their decision to extend the show into a second season — and expand into vodcasts — demonstrates a real investment in high-quality content and a belief in what we’re building together.
Branded podcasts only work when they feel like something audiences would seek out, even if there were no brand attached. That’s exactly what we’ve achieved with Give Me A Buzz. It’s an exciting, creatively fulfilling project that we’re immensely proud of, and we’re thrilled to see where it goes next.
MM: From Bumble’s perspective as a brand, what inspired you to launch Give Me A Buzz? How does the podcast fold into your brand strategy and community building objectives?
Lucille McCart: Compelling content — and an audience genuinely eager to engage with it — is what makes a great podcast. That’s what inspired us to launch Give Me A Buzz. We wanted to connect with our Bumble community through a platform that allows for long-form, meaningful conversations, particularly on a topic that never gets old: dating.
After nearly a decade of working in the online dating industry with Bumble, I’ve seen the proof that the topic of dating (and by association, love and sex and romance), sparks endless questions and discussions, whether you’re a seasoned swiper or just stepping into the dating world. With Give Me A Buzz, we found a space where we could provide thoughtful answers and share stories in a format that resonates with our audience, particularly in Australia, where podcast consumption per capita outpaces the US.
Podcasts work because they’re candid and personal — hosts become friends in your ears and their stories provide a salve for modern life. For us, the podcast has been a powerful medium to explore the nuanced, often overlooked aspects of dating culture. It allows us to go beyond surface-level conversations and engage with our community on a deeper level, offering honest and inclusive perspectives on modern dating.
Branded podcasts are unmatched in audience engagement. They break through ad fatigue, build emotional connections and humanise a brand. Give Me A Buzz lets Bumble be more than just an app — it makes us part of a conversation that extends across social stories, YouTube content and even listener-submitted questions we address on the show. At a global level our team is making major moves towards producing high impact lifestyle content for our community that showcases the intersection between dating and culture, so that people can come to our app for connection and to our social channels to find inspiration and entertainment — Give Me A Buzz is part of how that strategy is being localised effectively.
Our 2025 Bumble Dating Trends Report also highlights that singles are embracing real and raw dating content — stories that provide a window into both the highs and lows of dating. That’s exactly what we aim to deliver. We’re proud that Give Me A Buzz injects Bumble into culture in an authentic, relatable way.
On a personal note, creating this show alongside my close friend and co-host, Bumble’s resident sexologist Chantelle Otten and the incredible MIK Made team, has made this one of the most rewarding creative projects I’ve been involved with in my career. We’re excited about what the future holds for Give Me A Buzz and the relationship we are building with our listeners. I’m so appreciative of the work the whole team has put into making season two so brilliant.
Creating a podcast is an exciting opportunity for brands of all sizes, including B2B organisations. Thinking about taking the leap into the podcast pond? Get in touch with Jessica at Niche Content, Creators of Australian Design Review, Interior Design Excellence Awards, 30UNDER30 and Designing Futures — a podcast that bridges the gap between the Australian design legends of today and the stars of the future.
