More than 70% of Apple’s Top 100 US Podcast hosts are white men, and over half of podcast listeners are white. What do you lose when the vast majority of an entire industry is dominated by same-ness? You lose the chance to tell a range of stories that capture the human experience and the opportunity to monetize that content to its fullest potential.

To help more people hear their voices in podcasting, Squarespace launched Casting Call, a reality competition podcast, modeled after TV singing competitions. Casting Call made it easy for aspiring hosts to submit their idea for a podcast. Over 5,000 applicants from all 50 states were narrowed down to three finalists. The finalists, all women, got to create pilots of their shows. And in the end, Casting Call achieved its mission of diversifying the podcast charts by landing in the Apple Podcasts Top 100.

Casting Call harnesses the intimacy of audio to push the envelope of the serialized podcast format into a genre traditionally reserved for television: the reality competition. This approach gives listeners an opportunity to think critically about the competitors’ ideas and the state of diversity within podcasting, and at the same time, they are entertained by the several compelling narratives unfolding throughout the course of the series. The series features behind-the-scenes interviews with judges and finalists. This tape brings diversity center-stage as the judges sift through entries in search of new voices. Listeners also get to hear about the challenges each finalist faces as they strive to create a show that breaks the mold. Throughout Casting Call, the audience is experiencing the story of a competition, the stories of the finalists themselves, and the stories at the heart of each of the finalists’ pilots.

Squarespace created Casting Call to serve as a platform for underrepresented voices in podcasting. In order to achieve this goal, Squarespace set out to reach a broad audience across the US with social media ads, leveraged press promotion, and an email marketing campaign. The effort allowed them to tap into an audience outside of the podcast echo chamber, and offer a community of aspiring podcasters a new platform.

To encourage everyone to apply, Squarespace kept the barrier to entry low. Applicants were directed to a simple Squarespace site where they could fill out a brief entry form and submit an audio file, which they could record on a phone or computer -- no microphone necessary. In total, applicants sent in over 15,000 minutes of audio. The applications were judged by three well-respected experts in the podcasting industry.

Squarespace set out to make Casting Call a platform for underrepresented voices across the US. Casting Call began as an open call for aspiring podcast hosts to submit their ideas. All of the entries were vetted by a panel of experts, with varying industry expertise. Together, the judges selected three finalists to travel to New York and make a pilot of their shows with a professional production team. The entire process was recorded, which resulted in a podcast that paced like a reality TV show.

To achieve the goal of providing a platform for underrepresented voices, Squarespace promoted the show across multiple podcast networks, social media channels ,and their email newsletter subscription base. Then, Squarespace allowed fans and the press an opportunity to engage with the show’s host, the finalists, and judges by holding a live event where the winner of Casting Call was revealed.

Casting Call succesfully provided a platform for diverse voices. Of more than 5,000 applicants, 51.57% were women, 41.35% of which were women of color -- over-indexing the US population in general, and doubling that of the top podcast charts. All three finalists were women from underrepresented backgrounds. Over 5 million minutes of Casting Call were consumed, and each unique listener spent over an hour engaged with Squarespace’s content. This show changed the dynamic between Squarespace and podcast listeners, and it achieved the ultimate goal of diversifying the charts by landing in Apple’s Top 100 podcasts in the US.