Is Podcasting Good for B2B Marketing?
Short answer: yes. Longer answer: it depends entirely on how seriously you treat the production.
Here's what the data says and what it means for Scottish marketing managers considering whether a branded podcast is worth the investment.
The numbers are hard to ignore
Companies with branded podcasts achieve 89% higher brand awareness and 57% higher brand consideration than those without. Omniscient Digital
After listening to podcast episodes, 61% of listeners feel more favourably toward a brand, and 90% of companies that invest in a branded podcast say they're satisfied with the results. Omniscient Digital
Top B2B podcasts maintain 60-70% listener completion rates. Branded podcasts hit 90% completion. Casted
Compare that to display advertising, which most people scroll past, or video content, where only 12% of viewers watch most of an episode. Lower Street
The medium is unusually good at holding attention. And in B2B marketing, attention is the scarcest resource you have.
What B2B podcasting actually does well
Most B2B marketing content asks people to read a white paper, sit through a webinar, or scroll a LinkedIn carousel. A podcast does something different — it goes into people's ears during their commute, gym sessions, or lunch breaks. It's time they've already carved out.
That creates a depth of engagement that other formats struggle to match. Your audience isn't passively scrolling past your brand; they're spending 30 to 60 minutes with your thinking, your voice, your point of view.
There are three things B2B podcasting does particularly well:
Thought leadership that actually lands. A well-produced podcast positions your organisation as a genuine authority in your sector. Not through claims, but through the quality of the conversations you have and the guests you attract. 46% of brands view podcasts as more effective for establishing authority than any other medium. Omniscient Digital
Content that multiplies. Every episode is also a LinkedIn post, a blog article, a short-form video clip, a quote graphic, a newsletter segment. A single recorded conversation becomes the seed asset for an entire content strategy across multiple channels. Omniscient Digital
For a marketing manager already stretched across multiple channels, that leverage matters.
Relationships that open doors. Inviting a target client, a sector influencer, or a strategic partner onto your show is one of the least awkward ways to build a relationship. They prepare for the conversation, they share the episode with their network, and you've created a genuine connection without a cold pitch in sight.
Where B2B podcasts go wrong
80% of B2B podcasts are effectively vanity projects — they generate invoices and internal enthusiasm but no measurable pipeline. Fame Connect
The most common reasons are vague objectives, no distribution strategy beyond uploading to Spotify, and production quality that undermines the brand it's supposed to represent.
If your podcast sounds like it was recorded in a spare bedroom on a laptop mic, it signals the same lack of care as a poorly designed brochure or a website that hasn't been updated since 2019. Production quality is a proxy for professionalism — your audience makes that judgement call in the first 30 seconds.
The organisations that see real returns treat podcasting as a proper channel with proper standards. That means consistent publishing, clear objectives tied to actual business goals, and — critically — a recording setup that reflects the quality of what you're selling.
| What podcasting does | The data |
|---|---|
| Brand awareness | Branded podcasts drive 89% higher brand awareness than companies without one |
| Brand consideration | 57% higher brand consideration among audiences exposed to branded podcasts |
| Listener sentiment | 61% of listeners feel more favourable toward a brand after hearing their podcast |
| Completion rate — branded podcasts | 90% of listeners complete branded podcast episodes |
| Completion rate — video content | Only 12% of viewers watch most of a video episode — podcast audio is 7.5x more engaging |
| Authority building | 46% of brands say podcasting is more effective for establishing authority than any other medium |
| Satisfaction rate | 90% of companies investing in a branded podcast say they are satisfied with the results |
| The failure rate | 80% of B2B podcasts generate no measurable pipeline — poor production and no strategy are the main culprits |
What this looks like in practice for Scottish businesses
Scottish Water, NHS Education Scotland, and the Scottish Drug Forum have all used Podcast Studio Glasgow to produce their branded content. These aren't organisations with unlimited marketing budgets. What they have is a clear sense of who they're talking to and what they want those listeners to think, feel, and do.
If you're at the stage of exploring whether a branded podcast makes sense for your organisation, there are two ways to work with us.
Ad hoc recording starts at £75 per hour. You come in, record, and take the raw files away. No commitment, no packages. It's a good way to test the format and see how it feels before committing to a series.
The Production Partner Programme is for organisations ready to commit to a consistent show. It gives you six monthly recording slots, with the full studio setup, production workflow, and post-production support built in. The commercial investment is £1,500, and there are currently six places available.
You can find the full details at podcaststudioglasgow.com/podcast-production-partner-programme-in-glasgow-psg.
The honest answer
Podcasting is good for B2B marketing if you're prepared to do it properly.
It's a patient channel; it builds authority and trust over months, not weeks, and it rewards consistency more than any burst campaign ever will.
But for marketing managers trying to demonstrate clear ROI to a board, it's also one of the few content formats where a single well-produced episode generates usable assets across every other channel you're already running. That's a difficult argument to make against.
The question isn't really whether B2B podcasting works. The question is whether your organisation is ready to commit to the production standard that makes it work.
Podcast Studio Glasgow | 279 Abercromby Street, Glasgow | podcaststudioglasgow.com
