Podcast Guesting vs Hosting: Pros and Cons
I hear a lot of debate from B2B and professional services firms on which is more effective — podcast guesting or hosting a podcast. There are certainly pros and cons to each approach. In this article, we’ll break it all down:
When each approach makes sense for your marketing
Pros and cons for podcast guesting
Pros and cons for hosting a podcast
Hear the perspective from other podcast hosts who also do guesting
This article originated from an episode of A/V Marketing. Listen and subscribe today.
When does podcast guesting make sense for your marketing?
Pitching yourself as a podcast guest makes the most sense for your podcast marketing strategy when you want to deliver a focused message to existing podcast audiences. For example, if you release a book and want to do a PR push. Talking about the contents of your book as a guest on relevant podcasts is a great way to get the word out.
Another example would be if you’re doing a speaking gig in 6 months and you want to get your message out there and test out talking points. Being a guest on the podcast circuit can help spread the word that you’re speaking at an event, but you’ll also get reps at refining your talk track. This way when you deliver your speech, it will be battle-tested.
When does it make sense to be a podcast host?
Hosting a business podcast makes sense when your goal is to build an efficient content engine for your company’s marketing.
For example, I hosted the Digital Marketing Troop podcast from 2021-2022. We found it was hard to get technical experts to contribute to the blog because it took 6 hours to write a good post. Those same experts found it easier to record a 20-minute podcast interview instead.
In fact, Geoff Kerbis was a recurring guest on the Digital Marketing Troop podcast. Now, he hosts an entertainment podcast called TV Pilot’s License. I asked Geoff which he prefers, podcast guesting or hosting.
Professional services firms, take note. Hosting a podcast can be a great way to record conversations with firm experts. From there, that interview can turn into a blog post, videos for social media and YouTube, and used to enable sales conversations.
If you’re a subject-matter expert AND you’re comfortable behind the mic, you have a different kind of podcasting opportunity. Record short, 5-10 minute monologues as podcast episodes. These could be short tax tips, explanations about building construction codes, architecture designs, or consulting frameworks you use with clients. Wherever your expertise may be, it could be packaged up as podcast content.
Podcast Guesting Pros and Cons
Podcast guesting seems to be where many B2B and professional services firms want to start. It is commonly viewed as a way to dip your toe in the water first before investing the resources into your own podcast. Let’s dive in.
Pros of podcast guesting:
Increased credibility and authority within a given niche or subject area. You’re in the arena. Just being on a podcast impacts your perceived credibility within your target audience. You have something to point to in sales conversations. “Oh yeah, I talked about that concept on a podcast interview recently. I’ll send you a link.”
You get exposure to an existing, engaged audience. If the host of the podcast does a good job marketing their show, your message will reach their existing audience. This helps bring new people into your network and expose your message to a target audience.
You can forge strategic relationships with the podcast host(s). If you’re a guest on a podcast and it was a good conversation, you might be able to return as a guest again down the road. Or, there may be a way to use the podcast interview as a springboard into a different kind of relationship, like a referral partnership.
You bring the main topic of conversation to the table. To interview-based podcasts, the guests supply the main course. A good host will ask insightful and thought-provoking questions to tease out the nuances they believe will be valuable to their audience. And as a guest, you must come prepared with stories, examples, and talking points that keep the conversation within your area of expertise.
Cons of podcast guesting:
Your exposure to the audience is fleeting, not sustained. You don’t get the benefit of being a regular voice in the ears of that particular audience. Sales cycles in B2B and professional services tend to be long, and not all buyers are in the market right now. Your episode may fade in the minds of subscribers to that particular show.
You give up control of the content and edits. Some things you want to be heard are cut out in post production. Also, if the editing is sloppy, you could still have filler words like um, you know, right? And “so” left in. Which can be distracting. The interviewer may guide the conversation away from the topics you want to talk about. Or, they might cut those topics out in post-production. You might not be able to get audio or video clips to use in your marketing.
Not all podcasts accept guests, nor will they all want you as a speaker. Some niches are challenging to secure guest interviews. It all depends on your profile, what you have to say, and whether or not you are a good speaker. Plus, doing podcast outreach can be time consuming.
Podcast Hosting Pros and Cons
One of the major organizational benefits of podcasting is it differentiates your marketing strategy. Having an active podcast is a blue ocean opportunity right now. According to Listen Notes, there are just north of 3 million podcasts available. For comparison, there are 600 million blogs on the internet.
In fact, according to Podcast Industry Insights, less than 20% of podcasts are active, having published an episode in the most recent 90 days. Chances are having an active podcast in your niche would differentiate you from competitors.
All that being said, the biggest factor in a podcast’s success are the people that bring it to life. Most importantly, the host of the show. There are many different benefits of hosting a podcast, but there are some drawbacks as well.
Pros of being a podcast host:
You forge a deeper relationship with your audience. You are a regular voice in the ear of your audience. This consistency deepens your relationship with listeners. They feel like they know you, which builds trust. In time, when those listeners are in the market for your services, you will be among the first they reach out to.
You accelerate the growth of your personal brand. When I was at Hinge, we identified three skills that were the mark of a Visible Expert — speaking, writing, and networking. Hosting a podcast helps with all three. You get lots of reps at speaking, but the transcripts give you a head start on a blog post. Write like you speak and speak like you write. Finally, having guests on your podcast is a great way to build a network.
You have creative control over the content. If you don’t like the way you sound, you can edit it. If your guest rambles on and goes off-topic, you can cut it. If you’re hosting an interview show, you can guide the conversation with your questions. By hosting a podcast, you become a semi director of content.
You become a voice of the company brand. Since sales cycles are long in B2B and professional services, the podcast becomes a nurture channel. When a trigger moment happens and listeners need your product or service, there is already trust built. They are familiar with the host’s voice. Tie it together by including the host on sales calls.
Cons of being a podcast host:
You need to invest time in preparation to deliver quality content. While we are still relatively early in the business adoption of podcasts, the end product needs to be engaging, authentic, and valuable to your target listeners. There are many dull, dreary, or drawn-out podcasts out there. Spending time to make sure each episode is valuable will strengthen your entire marketing system.
You need to invest resources in production. You can learn how to develop your own podcast editing workflows. You’ll likely need to spend a few hours each week to produce the audio, and then a few more hours to produce the video. There are also some minor hardware and software costs, like microphones, cameras, lighting, and editing tools. Or, you can outsource business podcast production to an agency like Red Cedar.
You need to set clear expectations internally. Podcasting takes time to build momentum. As a host, you are responsible for communicating with stakeholders about how the podcast connects to the business. It will not generate leads or bring in sponsor revenue right away. Early on, you’ll need to demonstrate how the podcast impacts other areas of the business, like content production efficiency, social media engagement, and episode downloads.
Start your podcasting journey today
Whether you want to be a guest on other industry podcasts, or if you want to launch a business podcast of your own, Red Cedar Marketing can help. Contact us today to request more information about how we help B2B and professional services firms differentiate their marketing strategy with podcast media.
