This article is the first of a ten-part series called “How to Start a B2B Podcast.”
We created this resource to help you start a podcast for your business that connects with your target audience and builds your brand.
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” It’s a cliche, but that doesn’t mean it is not absolutely correct in many instances, including B2B podcasting.
Many B2B podcasts fail because of a lack of thoughtful planning.
Keep reading to discover the five things you must plan for if you want your business podcast to be successful.
Podcast Goals
The first step in creating a B2B podcast is setting goals. They should be more than simply growing your audience. Goals should include:
- developing thought leadership
- generating tons of digital content
- driving revenue by having conversations with decision-makers and generating leads
- developing relationships
Identify Your Ideal Listener
Next, think about your ideal listener. Create a “listener persona”, someone you can mentally turn to when thinking about your audience. Think about who they are, what job they have, why they listen, and what they hope to gain from your podcast. Take a deep dive into what your audience looks like in order to better tailor your content to align with their needs and desires. Remember: your podcast is not about you and your business; it’s about the people you want to connect with. Your audience drives every decision you make, from your concept to the name and guest selection.
In the early stages of development, work closely with your sales department. They truly understand your top prospects, so use their expertise when thinking about your ideal audience. By developing a better relationship with sales, you foster a closer sales-marketing alignment, generating more leads and driving revenue.
What’s Your Show About?
Third, develop your concept. In simple terms, what is your podcast about? Remember, your show is not about you, it’s about your audience and the things they care about, think about, and struggle with. The more closely you can focus the show on those things, the better it will connect with your ideal listeners. It’s not a bad idea to ask your existing customers which industry-related podcasts they listen to and what sorts of topics they’d be most interested in learning about on your podcast.
Podcast Format & Style
The most common podcast format is the 1-on-1 interview. Others include solo monologue and scripted narrative. In our humble opinion, the best option for B2B marketers is the interview. But there are variations. You can have a single host or co-hosts interviewing a single guest or a panel of guests. You can start with one format and evolve to another, but have a clear idea of where you would like to begin.
In any case, for B2B marketers, the highest-value guests are typically decision-makers or other leaders and innovators you want to get to know. They provide unique insights into topics your audience thinks are important and exciting. And most importantly, you have in-depth conversations with the very decision-makers you need to get to know to drive revenue.
Style
Style, meanwhile, involves the tone or vibe of your show. Maybe, given your audience, you’re going for an approach that’s no-nonsense and to the point, offering useful tips and actionable insights without much fluffy conversation. Or maybe your show needs a looser, more entertainment-oriented tone to best connect with listeners.
Whichever way you go, it’s important to choose a podcast name, artwork, and music that convey your desired tone. The name should be short and memorable, easily convey what your show is about, and be broad enough to cover anything you might talk about as your show grows.
As for the artwork, it should be eye-catching but not too complex. Again, design the artwork with your audience in mind, but don’t be overly cautious. Be creative! You want this important visual to be memorable. If you aren’t confident in your graphic design skills, there are tons of professionals on websites like Fiverr who would love to help for a small price. Ultimately, your art needs to be professional. If you can’t create that yourself, it’s best to hire a professional graphic designer.
Publishing Cadence
Finally, develop a publishing cadence, whether it be weekly, biweekly, monthly, or something else. It’s important to publish consistently in order to develop audience loyalty–your audience will come to expect new episodes to be published on the same day and time on a regular schedule. Most podcasts publish weekly. It’s important to publish consistently in order to develop audience loyalty because your audience will come to expect new episodes to be published on the same day and time on a regular schedule. But, of course, you need to maintain high production value. Don’t fill your feed with meaningless conversations simply to generate episodes.
Before launching, have ideas for at least 10-15 episodes. Think about your content strategy and focus on topics that align with audience needs or interests. Remember your listener persona: what do they want to listen to most?
Learn More
We hope this article on planning your B2B podcast was helpful. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need help with planning your B2B podcast.