b2b podcasts... yes or no?

there wasn’t a b2b startup i worked for that didn’t, at some point, want the content team to start a podcast.

i get it. podcasts can be a goldmine for content. 

because when you get one, two, or three experts together on any given topic, you’re going to get a lot of material for almost any type of content.

but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should launch your own podcast. 

here are 3 do’s and 3 don'ts when it comes to b2b podcasts (with examples): 

👉 don’t just launch a podcast, launch a community

go big or go home. there is a huuuge saturation of podcast content out there. to stand out and really make the investment worth it (assuming you have the resources), community is the route to go. 

Klue, a competitive intelligence platform, launched The Compete Network - a hub for content, events, and resources on competing to win. The Compete Network brings together the biggest names in the competitive enablement and intelligence community, all under one roof.

for example, they have a whole series dedicated just to helping PMMs with positioning.

 👉 don’t launch a podcast, without thinking about distribution

Justin Simon, founder of Distribution First, said it best: “your content is worthless if nobody sees it.”

this exact quote was in Closing The Content Gap, a Beam report filled with stats and interviews of 400+ gtm pros on content marketing as a function, content’s impact on business goals, who needs to be involved in content creation, and more. 

before creating new content, always try and think distribution-first. have a plan for how your audience is going to see your content. and no, a plan is not ‘we’ll just have a link to it on our blog…’

👉 don’t do it because of fomo

thinking distribution-first is a great way to test if you’re doing something for fomo or for real impact. distribution gets you thinking in terms of strategy. but if you’re creating because you want to keep up with your competitors or because it looks ‘fun’ or ‘cool’, you’re doing your strategy a disservice. 

focus on your target audience, the kind of authentic and high-quality content they want to consume. ignore the noise of following the next big trend - unless it really connects back to your strategic narrative and pov. 

take it from Benji Block, Media Strategist Manager at Sweet Fish. Sweet Fish is a great example of a media company built to help b2b companies tell unique povs in a way that will actually cater to the 97% of the market that isn't ready to buy right now. 

and the reason Sweet Fish can do that is because they help brands that want to create the content their audience GENUINELY cares about. it’s by doing that and truly understanding the problem you are helping to solve - that you move the needle on that 97%.

anything else just comes across as ingenuine, salesy, and you’ll probably also get burnt out pretty fast if you aren’t actually enjoying the content you’re creating or if you’re just doing it because ‘everyone else’ is. 

those are the 3 big things i’d really urge you to stay away from doing. 

now - if you are set on wanting to start a podcast for your b2b brand but aren’t sure where to start… i’d suggest the following: 

👉 talk to your team

you don’t need to build a big roster of external smes and experts and start pitching them to join your podcast. start from within. leverage internal gtm folks to build expertise and unique perspectives. 

that’s exactly what James Carbary, Founder of Sweet Fish Media, suggests to do:

👉 start with a POC

podcasts can take up A LOT of resources - high-quality audio for sure, plus the right tech setup, editing... so before you start, give your audience the chance to tell you it’s something that they want.

start with a few YouTube clips, audio clips, LinkedIn videos, and send them to your network. see the kind of reception you get, the initial interest, ask questions around the kind of content, if it was something they enjoyed, etc.

getting real, positive feedback is a great signal that there might be something worth doubling down.

PS: this applies to essentially any marketing strategy. check out Amanda Natividad, VP Marketing at SparkToro’s take on setting up a social media strategy - all applicable to the logic for starting any new channel in b2b:

👉 use content as your excuse to network

this last one is everything. the most unfair advantage of podcasts is the networking effect. sitting down and talking to people is KEY for creating real and valuable content. 

people, especially b2b buyers, don’t want to be sold to.

if you actually use marketing as a way to create meaningful connections, genuinely learn, and be curious about people’s stories, it builds trust.

marketer’s think they’re in the business of lead gen. really they’re in the business of trust. and to build trust you need to care more about connecting than selling.

In James Carbary’s words… “People. Connect. With. People.”

if you’re a content marketer - i hope these things will help you respond to your ceo or cmo, next time the podcast conversation comes up.

if you’re a founder - i hope these things will help you decide if starting a podcast should be the focus of your marketing team.

have something you want me to cover? just let me know!

see you for the next one,

Natalia