Getty Podcast Producer Zoe Goldman on When Museums Should Hit Record

Zoe Goldman, a podcast producer at the Getty in Los Angeles, argues that museums should only launch a podcast if they can clearly define their audience, commit to long-term publishing, and pilot the concept first. Speaking at the Museum Digital Summit, she shared insights from developing Getty's shows, including Recording Artists, which uses 9,700 hours of archival audio, and If Objects Could Talk, a children's podcast launched in autumn 2025 after five years of development. Goldman emphasizes intimacy as podcasting's greatest strength, citing Pew Research that 42% of listeners tune in multiple times a week and 88% seek to learn. However, she warns that audio cannot replace close-looking experiences, that converting non-listeners is difficult, and that growth is slow. She advises museums to start with a pilot, use free tools like Audacity or Descript, and leverage institutional channels for promotion. A wellness-adjacent show due this summer was restructured after a failed pilot. Goldman's key questions include: who is the audience, what is the scope and cadence, who has capacity, and what can be outsourced? She recommends the Association of Independents in Radio's rates guide for budgeting.