What Message Heard does

Message Heard is a London-based, full-service podcast production agency and digital story studio that creates branded podcasts and multi-format content IP for brands, publishers, government bodies, and commissioners. The company is registered as Message Heard Media Limited in England & Wales, with its headquarters at 24 Southwark Bridge Rd, London, SE1 9HF. Its core offerings are 'Podcasts with Purpose' (end-to-end branded podcast production) and 'Digital Storytelling' (multi-format IP development across audio, video, social, and emerging formats), supported by a proprietary dual editorial engine that combines 'Reflect' (cultural zeitgeist-driven content) and 'Inform' (flagship series to multi-format franchises) approaches, blending journalism with cinematic storytelling.

The company's technology stack spans remote/virtual studio recording with local-track capture, a full-stack production team (Producer, audio engineers, video editors, marketing specialists, dedicated Project Coordinator), and AI-augmented post-production workflows, with distribution partnerships across Acast, Transistor, Spotify/Megaphone, and major podcast directories (Apple, Spotify, YouTube). Its business model is professional-services based: bespoke, quote-based project engagements covering Discovery, Foundation, pre-production, production, post-production, distribution, and amplification, typically structured as multi-year contracts. GTM is enterprise field sales targeting brands, corporations, government bodies, and publishers, with a Discovery call process for qualification. Notable clients include the House of Commons, British Council, FIFPRO, Howdens, Female Folio (Brooks MacDonald), Shield, Capgemini, and The Kyiv Independent, with reported metrics of 6.8M+ total listens, 82% average audience retention, and 47%+ average website traffic uplift across productions.

Name

Message Heard

Legal name

Message Heard Media Limited

Website

https://messageheard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Message Heard is a London-based full-service podcast production agency and digital story studio that creates branded podcasts and multi-format content IP for brands, publishers, government bodies, and commissioners across audio, video, and emerging formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Branded Podcast Production Services: Full-service podcast production for brands and commissioners, encompassing concept development, format creation, pre-production, recording, expert audio engineering, post-production (editing, mixing, sound design), distribution, and audience amplification and marketing support. Revenue is earned through professional services fees for end-to-end production and strategy engagements with corporate and government clients.
2. Internal Communications Podcast Services: Production of private/internal podcasts for companies, delivered via secure platforms such as Transistor with private feeds, supporting internal communications, employer branding, and workforce engagement strategies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

No source-backed description of Message Heard's core offering was provided in the input data.

Product overview

Message Heard is a full-service podcast production company operating as a digital story studio. The company's core offerings comprise "Podcasts with Purpose" for branded audio/video podcast production and "Digital Storytelling" for multi-format IP development across audio, video, social, and emerging formats. Supporting services include branded show production, podcast distribution to major platforms (Apple, Spotify, YouTube), audience amplification and marketing support, Discovery and Strategy consulting with format workshops, and internal communications podcast services. The company handles the complete production workflow from concept through distribution and amplification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% average audience retention rate across Message Heard productions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Kyiv IndependentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2022Award-winning Message Heard signed an audio partnership with The Kyiv Independent, Ukraine's biggest independent English-language media outlet. The partnership involves producing audio content to extend the publication's reach and engage new audiences through podcast formats.
• CAA (Creative Artists Agency)minorOthers · 1 January 2022Message Heard signed with CAA for audio representation. Variety reported that CAA would represent the company for voice and audio talent opportunities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Content: Vancouver-based boutique podcast production agency that produces branded podcasts for major brands and media companies. Closest peer given its similar boutique-services model, enterprise brand focus, and award-recognised output.
• Storyglass: UK-based branded podcast studio (now part of Dentsu) producing podcasts and audio IP for brands and publishers. Direct competitor in the same London ecosystem with overlapping enterprise client base.
• Podpeople: UK podcast production agency offering end-to-end branded and original podcast services for brands and agencies. Direct peer given shared market, scope of services, and target customer.
• Jar Audio: Award-winning branded podcast agency producing audio content for global brands, non-profits, and media organisations. Closely comparable boutique creative-services model and B2B focus.

Broad incumbents

• Wondery: Amazon-owned podcast studio and network producing original and branded audio content at scale. Comparable category presence but vastly larger scale and owned-and-operated IP portfolio.
• BBC Studios Audio: BBC's commercial audio production arm producing podcasts and radio content globally. Competes for premium branded audio commissions but operates a much broader portfolio beyond podcast services.
• Gimlet Media: Spotify-owned narrative podcast studio producing high-end original audio content. Operates in adjacent production space with similar craft DNA but is integrated into a major platform.
• iHeartPodcasts: Largest US podcast publisher and radio network, producing and distributing original and branded podcasts at scale. Adjacent competitor with significant distribution leverage Message Heard lacks.

Emerging players

• Pushkin Industries: Premium podcast production company founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg, producing both original and branded podcasts. Comparable in craft positioning but with celebrity-driven IP and stronger US traction.

Others

• Acast: Global podcast hosting and monetisation platform used by Message Heard for distribution and advertising. Ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor, but increasingly expanding into production-adjacent services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/messageheard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Message Heard