The word ‘podcast’ might still make you think of something to listen to on the commute, but the format has evolved since its mainstream breakthrough. Podcast listeners are increasingly engaging with an active television-style experience, rather than passively consuming background sound. According to Spotify figures, the platform now posts half a million video podcasts, which nearly 400 million users have watched.
In a B2B tech context, podcasts have long offered a valuable way to put expert voices at the heart of their thought leadership and explore the issues shaping their market. So what opportunity does the rise of video offer B2B brands? Rather than recording audio and leaving visuals as an afterthought, brands have an opportunity to leverage podcast video across different platforms, formats and stages of the buyer journey.
One conversation can create a lot of content
Getting everyone together for a podcast record takes time. Schedules need to align for subject matter experts, customers or partners to converge in the same room. Once they are, it makes sense to get as much value from the conversation as possible. Audio insights form the bread-and-butter of podcast-led thought leadership. The episode in its entirety should be uploaded to the relevant platforms for audiences to listen to. But choosing to film the discussion alongside the audio gives brands far more to work with. For example, a full conversation could be uploaded to YouTube or the company website for viewers to consume.
Individual answers can then be broken up into standalone pieces of content, helping one recording support activity over several weeks, rather than disappearing after the episode is published. This is ideal for busy audiences with little time to spare in their working day; they don’t have to commit to a 30 or 40-minute episode to get something useful from it. A 60-second clip could also serve as the gateway to the longer video for viewers to consume later on when they have more time.
Putting a face to the expertise
Thought leadership is at its best when it tells the story of why a product or service matters in the larger context of the industry, rather than relying on a hard sell. In the context of a podcast, speakers have the room to explain ideas naturally and in a credible way, rather than squeezing them into a generic corporate soundbite.
Video adds another layer of credibility. Audiences can see the experts behind the opinions, their passion for the subject they’re talking about and any reactions, enthusiasm and rapport they have with other guests. It’s key to bringing personality to the forefront.
In B2B tech, where subjects such as cyber security or AI can quickly become technical, a top-level conversation gives experts the time to explain topics in a way that feels approachable to a
new listener who wants to learn more. Bringing external voices into the discussion, such as customers, adds different perspectives and new insights.
Giving AEO more to work with
But there is another reason for brands to think visually. Search behaviour is changing, and brands increasingly need to consider how their content can be understood and surfaced within AI-generated answers.
What that means for video is creating content around real questions audiences are asking and providing clear, useful answers. A podcast naturally lends itself to that approach. As an example, one episode might address common customer questions, which can then be clipped into individual smaller videos. Across each, messages that the brand wants to be known for can be woven into the answers, helping to build awareness of its story and proposition with end audiences. Alongside clear titles, captions, transcripts and copy, those clips support Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) by giving AI platforms more context about the subject being discussed.
Think about the edit before the cameras roll
A video-first podcast offers credibility to audiences and enables an AEO-focused approach, but for them to work, several aspects need to be considered before recording starts. That could translate to structuring questions so individual answers make sense on their own and can inform multiple clips, using multiple cameras positioned in different locations to add visual flair and designing elements of the surrounding set to reflect the brand. Having creative, production and post-production expertise involved from the start can make that process much more effective, providing guidance on what a brand wants to walk away with after podcast filming is complete. It means the podcast concept, visual identity, filming style and final edits can all be shaped around the same objectives, rather than being treated as separate stages.
Once the recording is complete, value can be extracted via different assets from the same session, including trailers, short social edits and audiograms, providing that steady stream of content to use across different channels.
More value from every podcast recording
A video-first approach gives B2B brands more ways to get value from every podcast recording. By thinking beyond the full episode from the outset, one conversation can become a wider bank of content that delivers value to audiences, enhances thought leadership and supports AI-led search.
Talk to Whiteoaks Studio to discover how initial planning for long-form video, short social clips and searchable, question-led podcast content can reach and engage your audiences.
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