Interview with Jason Bradwell: Why I set up the B2B Better podcast

T he growth of podcasting as a medium has been striking in recent years.

Niche productions are cropping up all the time, covering a vast array of interests. In the B2B space, there is a whole host of podcasters providing informative insights across a range of sectors and disciplines.

This is providing brands with opportunities to share their messages with a more attentive audience, who have a specific interest in their area of expertise. If you are prepared to take the leap and launch your own podcast, however, you can take that idea further and build out your own following.

To help anyone interested in embracing this medium understand what’s involved in making a great podcast, we asked Jason Bradwell, host of the B2B Better podcast, to share his experiences and advice.

What gave you the impetus to produce your podcast?

It was largely driven by a desire to achieve many of the outcomes we now help our clients with. This included increasing brand awareness for my agency and myself as a (hate to say it) “thought leader”, establishing a tool to be used for inbound and account-based marketing strategies, and to expand my personal network with relevant partners. On these three objectives, B2B Better has delivered and then some. We started our agency with £60,000 in closed-won revenue on day one thanks to the podcast.

What do you need if you want to make a great podcast for your listeners?

There are five things that go into a great podcast:

• an understanding of desired outcomes;
• a differentiated premise;
• a competent host; strategic distribution;
• and well-oiled operations.

We focus on developing these pillars – breaking each of them down to the component parts would be a series in and of itself!

The cardinal rule for what to give a listener every time you produce a podcast is to help them be better than they were before listening—at their job, in their relationships, in themselves. What insight or way of looking at the world is going to deliver that ‘aha’ moment? 

"The cardinal rule for what to give a listener every time you produce a podcast is to help them be better than they were before listening."

Jason Bradwell, host of the B2B Better podcast

What do you think makes for the perfect podcast guest – and what would put you off inviting someone on for a conversation?

We think of the perfect podcast guest as a Venn diagram. Someone who: a) has a story to tell, b) can tell it in an engaging and informative way, and c) is in some way connected to your target audience. You want to be shooting for guests that hold each of these characteristics. Obviously this isn’t always possible, so when in doubt, prioritise these attributes in the same order.

Typically, I avoid guests who make a living through being invited to speak on podcasts (or at shows, or on courses). It’s not that these people don’t have something interesting to say; it’s just that they often already have a MASSIVE platform through which to say it. Some of the best interviews you’ll have will be from the folks who are in the weeds, DOING the work. 

Personally, what type of shows do you like to listen to on a week to week basis?

Most of the work-related shows I listen to are from our awesome clients, like Data in Biotech, The Forget The Funnel Podcast, Road to Revenue and Leaders in TEQ.

But, in my downtime, I tend to avoid listening to business, tech or marketing podcasts. Instead I opt for shows like The Explorers Podcast, Office Ladies, The Sporkful and Good Bad Billionaire. I also fall asleep most nights listening to I Can’t Sleep.

If you’re looking to make your first guest appearance on a podcast, we’ve gathered a few useful tips in this article with former journalist and podcast producer Suzi Dale of Story Publishing.