So, you’re thinking about launching a B2B podcast? Smart move. Podcasts offer a unique intimacy and engagement that blog posts and white papers can’t match. They’re the perfect vehicle for building relationships, establishing thought leadership and subtly influencing your target audience.
But, a successful B2B podcast requires a strategy beyond grabbing a mic and spitting knowledge. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to launch a podcast that sounds professional and delivers tangible results.
How can I start a podcast?
Launching a podcast may seem daunting, especially if you’ve never done it before. The best place to start is to ask why you want to start a podcast. To be clear, “It’d be cool!” or “Cuz our competitors” are not legitimate reasons.
Of course, podcasts are trendy and fun but your why should have clear and measurable goals. Without that, a podcast is a vanity project that won’t show any ROI. To pinpoint those goals, let’s ask some more questions.
What will success look like?
Lead generation, brand awareness, thought leadership — a combination of all three? Determine in clear terms what your goals are and ensure that each episode helps achieve them in some way. This strategy will create consistency and let listeners know what to expect from the podcast.
Also, defining success will inform every decision, from topic selection to guest recruitment. For example, if lead generation is your primary goal, you might focus on interviews with potential clients or discussions about industry pain points. Caveat: Do not use this as a vehicle to push product. No one — repeat, no one — will listen to that.
You also need to track success based on verifiable results, such as subscribers, downloads, increased traffic to your site, etc. Whatever those are, track them, compare them over time and make adjustments as necessary.
Who are you trying to reach?
Once you’ve determined the goals of your podcast, you can identify your target audience and lean into your niche. Are you talking to CIOs? Software developers? Marketing managers? Understanding their needs and interests will help you tailor your podcast to give them content they enjoy and appreciate. Imagine trying to sell cloud computing solutions to a room full of physicians — you’d be speaking a different language. The same applies to podcasting.
What topics will the audience care about?
This is where you need to put on your audience-centric hat. A B2B podcast should heavily focus on your audience’s challenges and aspirations. We’ve found sales reps are gold mines for this type of insight. They have direct customer relationships and are typically the first to know about emerging challenges because they have to handle objections daily.
You’re not selling a product here but sharing expertise and insights. Consider industry trends, best practices and thought-provoking discussions that provide genuine value. Masters of Scale and SaaStr are great examples of corporate podcasts that meet those criteria.
Shaping your B2B podcast’s identity
Now that you know why and who you’re podcasting for, it’s time to define the how. Here are some important factors that will carve out your podcast’s format.
Interview style
There are many ways to present the content, but B2B podcasts typically fall into two buckets: a shorter, structured Q&A or a longer, free-flowing conversation. The former can help share specific, timely news and trends, while the latter can create a more engaging and dynamic listening experience.
Which is better? That’s up to you to decide. We’ve helped clients produce successful longer and shorter podcasts. Of course, the key is ensuring the topic, guests and conversation are interesting and relevant.
One important thing to consider is your host. Regardless of interview style, your host must have a certain level of charisma, which comes in many forms. If they’re more to the point, they’ll be great for a structured Q&A, whereas a person who can strike up a conversation with anyone would be a better fit for a conversational approach.
Episode length
There’s no magic number, but generally, B2B podcasts are between 20 and 45 minutes long. The Q&A style is best suited for the 20-minute range, while conversational content skews toward 30+ minutes.
Also, consider what your audience wants. Use that insight to determine the initial length and aim for it. You may not figure out the sweet spot for a while. That’s why tracking data and letting it guide adjustments is essential.
Editorial calendar
This is your roadmap for future episodes. It should outline upcoming topics, guests and target keywords. An editorial calendar helps you stay organized, ensures consistency and aligns your podcast with your overall marketing strategy. Work closely with your SEO team to ensure your topics and titles are SEO optimized with relevant keywords.
Video considerations
While audio is the traditional podcast format, video podcasts are gaining popularity. Video can add a visual element that enhances engagement, especially for interviews. However, it also adds complexity and cost to the production process. Audio is a great place to begin if you’re just starting out. You can always add video later.
Cadence
Consistency is key to building a loyal audience. It’s better to publish one high-quality episode monthly than to start with weekly episodes that fizzle out. Set a realistic schedule that you can maintain consistently. You can always increase frequency later, but scaling back is much harder.
Amplification
A lot of effort goes into launching the podcast, so do your due diligence to scream about it from the rooftops.
- Announce its debut and share the latest episodes from your marketing newsletter, blogs, etc. and create posts for employees to share via their channels.
- Produce audio and video clips to share on your social channels (a lot of recording platforms allow you to quickly create those assets).
- Share all of your social links and homepage links for each episode with the guest and even write a sample post for each to make it easier for them to share.
- If budget allows, consider a paid advertising campaign — for B2B podcasts, LinkedIn is probably your best option.
The nitty-gritty: B2B podcast production and logistics
Okay, now for the less glamorous but equally important stuff: the behind-the-scenes details of getting from ideation to publication.
Equipment
Microphones have become more available and affordable in recent years, perhaps because of podcasting. AI audio enhancements can drastically improve podcast sound quality even if you’re not using a microphone. However, we strongly suggest investing in one. The key is finding one that fits within your budget, but generally speaking, there are some great options for under $150.
If you’re adding a video element, you should also consider lighting and studio designs if you don’t have an aesthetically pleasing background.
Recording platform
This is the virtual studio where the host, guest and producer will meet to record the episode. Numerous platforms are available, such as Zencastr, SquadCast and Riverside. Many platforms offer free versions, too, but a subscription gives you a lot more options, like AI-enhanced editing and transcription services.
We’d also warn against using Zoom or other office video recording tools for podcasts. While you can technically record each person’s track separately, a podcast-specific platform will allow easier control over many variables, such as sound levels, noise reduction, muting, etc.
When choosing a recording platform, consider your budget, technical skills and desired features. Some platforms offer built-in recording, editing and distribution tools, while others focus solely on recording.
Editing
Once recorded, you must polish and mix the episode via editing. Many recording platforms also offer editing tools that are generally intuitive. And some will even edit the podcast using AI to remove “ums,” “uhs” and other filler words. However, our experience is that they aren’t as precise as human editing using Audacity or Adobe Audition software.
Another benefit of manual editing is using human intuition to tighten the conversation and keep it on track and interesting.
Distribution
Getting your podcast listed on popular platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and others is a time-consuming task. Podcast distribution services will handle all the heavy lifting for a monthly fee, though getting listed on Apple and Spotify will require a little extra administrative duty on your part — it’s only a little painful. Popular options include Libsyn, Buzzsprout and Transistor.
You should also consider hosting the podcast on your website with individual pages for each episode to increase traffic. Your hosting platform will provide a code to embed a player on your site. Posting the transcript can also help with SEO.
Music
Unless you’re a musician yourself, you’ll need to license music for your intro, outro and any other background music. Several royalty-free music libraries are available online, offering a wide range of tracks at affordable prices. Don’t skip this step — using unlicensed music can lead to legal trouble.
Logo design
Last but not least, work with your graphic designer to develop a catchy design that will appear on every podcast platform. While not as important as the content, a good logo will help solidify your podcast’s brand.
Launching a B2B tech podcast starts with a rock-solid foundation and more than a few cycles before the debut of Episode 1. But with careful planning, high-quality content and a dash of creativity, you can create a podcast that entertains, informs and drives actual business results. So, grab your mic, find your voice and start podcasting!
Need help with launching your podcast or taking an existing podcast to the next level? Let’s chat!
