6 Video Podcasts B2B Businesses Can Learn From

Source: Vidyard

Podcasts are nothing new. While the medium was invented somewhere around 2000, Apple’s decision to add podcasts to iTunes in 2005 thrust a new light, and new subscriber base, onto the concept of short-form audio content. Commuters rejoiced, and brands were quick to find ways to capitalize on this new captive audience.

Fast forward over ten years, and a new medium has grown from this already popular content channel. Bolstered by a recent trend towards cord-cutting, and devices like AppleTV and Google Chromecast, video podcasts are staking their claim as not only one of the most engaging syndicated content forms, but one of the most popular. Many brands are looking to video podcasting as a new medium for promoting thought leadership. And they should – Convince and Convert reported that 21% of Americans consume podcasts (both video and audio). For context, 21% of Americans also use Twitter. That’s a big audience.

To help you learn from this awesome medium, I wanted to look at what the most popular video podcasts have going for them, and understand how you can apply this to your marketing efforts. According to Apple’s current rankings, here’s what I discovered.

TED Talks – Not Just a YouTube Phenomenon

Whether the topic is Business, Health, Science & Medicine, or the top-level TED Talks: Ideas Worth Spreading, the innovative video and live event series showcasing thought leaders has long been one of the most popular YouTube channels in history. And the content works just as well in podcast form too. TED does a lot of things right, both on YouTube and in their podcasts, but here are my big takeaways from their success:

• The content is always engaging. Even if you aren’t excited about every topic, with subjects like “How I learned to read – and trade stocks – in prison” and “Your company’s data could help end world hunger” it’s hard not to find something of interest in their vast library of content.
• Episodic content works as long as you stick with it. TED has the benefit of having literally thousands of videos at their disposal, but unlike the Netflix binge-watch strategy, Podcasting allows TED to release these videos over a longer span of time, and often automatically download new episodes to subscribers devices. The ability to automatically have your content show up in an app that many users see daily on their TV or mobile device is a big win for podcasting, and TED takes advantage of this by uploading at least one video per week, often more.
• Diversifying subjects. In the top 20 podcasts I saw on iTunes, at least four of them were TED talks, but on vastly different subjects. Business was separated from Health, which was separated from Education. This allows people to hone in on their specific interests, and receive regular content updates only on what they care about. If your business caters to different markets, and you’re thinking of launching thought-leadership content, keep this in mind as your audience on iTunes grows.

Comedy – Syndicating Laughter

Stand-up comedy is an art form that seems to have stood the test of time – pun intended. From live events to televised specials, all the way though to several channels devoted to comedy on a round-the-clock basis, one thing is clear – we love to laugh. And networks pushing comedy on the masses have been quick to take advantage of the syndicated nature of podcasts. Comedy Central’s Stand-Up podcast ranked in the top five when I looked at video podcasts, and it’s not hard to see why. Every day my Facebook feed is flooded with John Oliver clips, and bits from Dave Chappelle’s latest standup special. Podcasting allows Comedy Central to deliver this experience on a weekly basis that users can subscribe to, and automatically receive updates for. All of their clips are short – clearly designed to be consumed alongside other media or during a quick laugh break – but consistent and readily available.

One of the big lessons I take away from…

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