How To Prepare a B2B Podcast Brief
A podcast brief is a written document that helps prepare a host for a podcast, both before and during the recording. The brief gives basic information on the guest such as their personal background, professional history, current position, title and information about their company. This background may come from a prep call, or from the guest’s LinkedIn page or company website bio.
The brief also guides the host through the interview as it happens. It provides a list of the major points or questions for the host to ask that particular guest. Here are the four steps to follow when writing a brief.
1. Determine Your Objective for the Episode
Begin with the end in mind and always determine the objective of each episode.
Defining a clear objective will make the brief more focused and effective.
Examples of episode objectives include:
Educate the audience on how AI will impact their industry
Share a customer success story
Educate your customer about new ideas they had not previously considered
Educate and promote a new product or feature release
Share best practices with customers
Create a podcast that is meant to be paired with an SEO article to rank well on Google
Build a relationship with a potential customer
Nurture a relationship with an existing prospect or customer
Build a relationship with a key industry influencer
2. Identify Four or Five Key Topics / Questions With Optional Rapid-Fire Questions
Don’t write a script, it doesn’t work well for B2B podcasting.
Decide on 4-5 broad bullet points or questions to guide a natural conversation.
4-5 questions is the ideal amount to generate enough conversation for a 20-35 minute interview. This provides structure but still gives the guest and host room to ask follow-up questions.
If you want to add a series of rapid-fire questions at the end, aim to keep them short and fast-moving.
3. Determine the Optimal Sequence for Your Questions
A good interview starts with a good foundation. Start with a question that will allow the conversation to unfold naturally. Think about where you want the conversation to go and put your questions or topics in a logical order that will take you in that direction.
4. Identify Fluff and Take It Out
A big mistake companies make, especially with their first recording, is they record a long episode thinking we can cut it down in editing.
It’s never easier to fix it in post… if you want a short episode, record less content.
The brief should be a guide for a natural conversation that lands on your target time, which is 20 - 35 minutes for most podcasts.
Summary
Keep in mind that the brief is a guide, not a script. The goal of a podcast is to have an interesting conversation about your guest’s area of expertise. The brief is a tool to keep the conversation on track. It is there to ensure that you cover the topics that meet the objective of the podcast.