Databox: Using a Repeatable Podcast Format w/ John Bonini

Today’s guest is John Bonini, Director for Marketing at Databox, a cool SaaS platform that lets you build reporting dashboards and track performance from every tool you use.

In this episode, you’ll hear why podcasting was one of the first channels John chose to invest in after seeing massive success with SEO. He also explains how their podcast, Metrics & Chill, plays into the rest of their content strategy, along with how he thinks about growth, and a ton more.

Guest-at-a-Glance

Key Takeaways

Podcasts are a great way to stand out from the competition.

Databox was quick to convert to podcasting once they realized none of their competitors were in that space. It was a great way to stand out, talk directly to their ideal customers, showcase their brand’s personality, and help break them into the industry.

Podcasts with a repeatable format are easier for smaller teams to manage.

John decided to use a repeatable format, or what he likes to call “The Tonight Show Approach”, with the Databox podcast in order to make it easier for their small team to manage. With quicker episodes and a consistent set of questions, their podcast content can easily be transposed into different content formats, like blog posts or newsletters.

If your content strategy is focused on SEO, don’t overlap that approach with your podcast.

Use the two content channels differently. Many companies treat podcasting as another way to drive more traffic or leads, but if you already have a written content strategy in place that performs well at the top of the funnel, then your podcast should be more of a brand play. Use it as a way to showcase the views of your company and leaders to cement your positioning in the minds of the listeners.

A repeatable podcast format helps listeners know what to expect from each episode.

Rather than freewheeling an interview, you could take a repeatable approach and ask the same 10 questions to each guest. After 25 episodes, you’ll be left with a lot of qualitative data around those questions that you could then use to create reports, blog posts, or videos.

A strong podcast host knows how to get the human side out of a conversation.

Avoid asking yes or no questions. Instead, focus on pulling out stories from your guests. Lead with things like, “Tell me about…” or “Tell me a time when…” or “How did you feel when…”. This helps guests open up about their feelings and experiences rather than respond with short, surface-level answers. If you can get the human side out of a conversation, that’s where the magic happens.

Don’t start a podcast because everyone else is doing it.

You have to have a desire to start your own branded show. Don’t feel pressured by what the rest of the market is doing. It’s important to ask yourself, “Should you do it? Do you want to do it? And do you have the staff to execute a full show?”

Podcasting is a good way for legacy companies to stay in the conversation.

If you’re running a legacy company, you might wonder if you should even bother podcasting at all? John thinks it’s a great way for staying top of mind. Particularly, for consumers who are trying to decide between you and your top competitors. If you’re one of 5 big players in your industry and all 4 of your competitors are podcasting, they’ll be more relevant in conversations than you.