Analyzing the risk -and potential reward- of Gavin Newsom’s bold podcast strategy

It’s a collaboration you likely never saw coming.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democratic standout, speaking with a smiling…Steve Bannon, one of President Trump’s main advisors in 2016 and the co-founder of Breitbart News. The two men at opposite ends of the political spectrum were recording the latest episode of Newsom’s new podcast “This is Gavin Newsom,” which a week earlier, welcomed conservative influencer and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.

In a heated US political climate, the confluence of Newsom and influential conservative voices made headlines. But beyond the shock of right-left conversation, Newsom’s approach is a case study in navigating the modern, evolving media landscape by identifying top influencers in order to reach new stakeholder groups -even if it means risking alienating traditional allies.

State of play

Not long ago, media was fairly linear. But with the rise of political influencers and new platforms, reaching target audiences has become more fluid. Anyone with a phone and an opinion can now amass influence. And with shifting sentiment and algorithmic boosts, they can gain or lose power with a single post.

At Penta, our intelligence platform tracks the accounts and issues that carry the most weight in Congress. Among Republican legislators, the top 10 non-governmental influencers include several figures who were barely known before 2020 but are now dominant voices within their factions.

Kirk, Newsom’s first guest, is one of them with millions of followers across social and podcast platforms. If Newsom wanted to reach a conservative audience through a voice with clout, data pointed straight to Kirk. According to Penta research, Newsom’s visibility spiked by over 200% following Kirk’s appearance.

This strategy of identifying opinion leaders for a target audience echoes Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, which leaned on podcasts popular among young men. “These are people who could vote, potentially, and are not your regulars watching TV news or even Fox News, but they do tune in to these emergent podcasts,” a Republican strategist told the Columbia Journalism Review.

The takeaway is this: influence is no longer centralized. Audiences choose where they consume media, and organizations must identify the most effective platforms through data-based research. Legacy media alone does not encompass the entire picture —trust now travels through emotionally resonant content, distributed by algorithms and amplified by niche networks.

Not everyone will be happy

Perhaps Newsom hosting Bannon and Kirk would have been enough of a news item on its own, but the common ground between the historically at-odds personalities generated the most headlines.  Newsom’s comments around transgender athletes generated liberal backlash, with one Instagram comment reading, “How many episodes until the political suicide is complete?” A Los Angeles Times column declared, “Gavin Newsom may just talk himself to political death.”

But Newsom's aim was not to please everyone. As a Wall Street Journal headline put it, “Gavin Newsom Makes Pitch to Conservatives With an Eye Toward 2028.” The podcast episodes reflect a stakeholder sentiment trade-off: sacrificing goodwill from loyal supporters to reach potential future voters.

This concept applies beyond politics. Every organization must balance stakeholders —customers, investors, employees, policymakers— and sometimes, over-indexed support in one group signals opportunity in another.  Effective strategies in this realm share three qualities:

• They rely on objective data over outdated assumptions.

• They prioritize long-term positioning, not universal approval.

• They identify and nurture emerging stakeholders before they’re mission-critical.

As stakeholder engagement evolves, Penta continues guiding organizations with data-driven strategies built to withstand headwinds and futureproof success. Learn more about how we can help your organization through the form below: