3 Tips You MUST Know Before You Start a Business Podcast

You’ve probably noticed… B2B podcasting isn’t coming. It’s here. Why else would you be looking for business podcast tips?

We’re not saying that because we’re hoping it’s true, or because we’re a B2B podcasting agency. It’s actually the opposite: The reason we’ve put eggs into the B2B podcasting basket is because we believe in it.

CBSNews went so far as to call this the “Golden Age of Podcasting.” And let’s not forget that in 2017, Spotify bet about $500MM that podcasting is only going to increase. So… why is podcasting, in general, so big? And exactly how does it benefit the B2B space, specifically B2B sellers and marketers?

Great questions. Lindsay Tjepkema has great answers.

She has years of experience in marketing and branding with HUMANeX Ventures, Maestro, Emarsys, and her own agency, Blueprint Marketing (just to name a few). She also hosted her own podcast at Emarsys called Marketer + Machine podcast. While she was hosting, it dawned on her — podcasting is a huge opportunity for marketers. But it can be challenging.

So she set out and founded her own B2B podcasting platform called Casted.

Lindsay came on our podcast, B2B Growth, to tell us why podcasting is the future for B2B. She also offered some on-point business podcast tips.

Helpful business podcast tips include:

1. Interview industry practitioners from the frontlines
2. Recognize the work that goes into a successful business podcast
3. Offer value to your listeners in a unique way

Let’s dig a little deeper into the 3 business podcast tips from our talk with Lindsay.

Content machine: First blog, then podcast

Take a minute to think outside the box.

Lindsay Tjepkema

When it’s time to feed your content machine, there’s a natural first conclusion: Blog.

We get it. It’s fairly simple to get blog content out there. (Getting it right can be harder, so we created this 12-part formula to help you get it right.)

In fact, blogging is so important, it’s one of the main services we provide our clients, in addition to podcasting. 

Here’s what we’ve found: When you pair podcasting and blogging, it’s a match made in thought leadership heaven.

Lindsay agrees.

Originally, her plan at Emarsys was to build a content machine starting with a blog. She had 3 original goals:

1. Post regularly (weekly blog)
2. High-quality content 
3. Grow audience

We couldn’t agree more ☝

Lindsay focused much of the blog on work they were doing, ensuring they highlighted their collaboration partners and customers (a must!). That strategy also produced these side effects:

• Allowed Emarsys to highlight clients & show the great work they were doing together
• Helped drive alignment internally by giving a full view of how their partners and customers were using their products and services
• Gave the sales team a reason to call prospects and build relationships with them

So, blogging was a win, but Lindsay thought: What's next?

She found her answer with podcasting for her business.

Amplification, more customer intel & more ideation

Podcasting amplifies your content machine: Lindsay dove into podcasting, becoming the host of Marketer + Machine at Emarsys. Besides feeding her content machine through her original 3 goals (post regularly, high-quality content, grow audience), podcasting dovetailed with blogging by strengthening the relationship with their partners through the interviews.

Ideation & collaboration: Another benefit of podcasting, is that a podcast interview is the perfect blend of business formality and a laid-back atmosphere. There really isn’t anything more conducive to brainstorming than inviting an industry expert on a podcast so you can interview them — Lindsay said the ideation was off the charts.

Customer intel: Lastly (and to many, this is the most important facet of podcasting), is the intel you will gain on your customers. You can do the usual: Send all your customers and prospects a questionnaire and beg for a reply. Maybe you even offer a Starbucks gift card if they fill out a survey. We’re not saying that doesn’t work. We’re just saying that if gift cards and questionnaires work like a screwdriver for customer intel, podcast interviews are a power drill for customer intel.

When you interview your customers and prospects directly, by giving them a microphone, they share. They answer questions you never asked, and feed you the information you didn’t know you needed.

Podcasting is insanely fun

Ask yourself: How can your podcast be different?

Lindsay Tjepkema

Podcasting has given us a reason to generate thought leadership, build relationships with our audience, connect with them, etc. Beyond that, B2B podcasting has given us a chance to develop a stronger relationship with our partners.

It's also generated a ton of brand awareness for them — it's exhilarating when you head to an event and someone says: Hey! I listen to your podcast! You get to build relationships with people you may know or admire from afar, but now you have a reason to connect with them.

The Golden Age of radio is back (sort of)

There's been a resurgence of audio because, in the modern-day work environment, more of us are at the gym, many of us have windshield time in the car on our way to work. We’re outside walking the dog. Now, audio can be part of the day again.

Podcasting is meaningful to your guests

When someone comes on the show, it's meaningful to them, too. 

If and when you see them again at a conference or even on social media, they'll tell you how excited they were to be on your show.

Business podcast tip #1: Go for the people on the frontlines

While Tjepkema has interacted with amazing thought leaders you've probably even heard of (Jay Baer, Michael Brenner, Andy Chrestidina, Christopher Penn, etc.), Lindsay made an amazing point that we so agree with:

When it comes to finding guests for your B2B podcast, it’s actually better to go after the unsung heroes, those who are in the trenches — prospects, clients, your own employees — those who are on the frontlines of your industry.

Business podcast tip #2: It takes work

If you are really going to do B2B podcasting, it is a lot of work. Here at Sweet Fish, many of us come together to produce one show, because it requires a lot: (blog writing, social media promotion, scheduling, audio editing, and so on). 

Don't let any of that scare you away from podcasting — it’s so worth it, especially for B2B brands.

Business podcast #3: Think outside the audio box

Here’s Lindsay’s final business podcast tip:

Just like anything else in marketing, when it comes to your B2B podcasting, take a minute to be strategic. Think about what you want to get out of it, and then, ask yourself a couple questions:

“How can you provide real values to your listeners?”

“How can you be different?”

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to the B2B Growth Show on Apple Podcasts, on our website, or on Spotify.