James Carbary's Linkedin Analytics

Man, I love this work. Spending the day on-set with Lindsay, Rick, Georgette, Paul, & Larry today…and I’m gonna blow their minds with the best chips & queso this side of the Mississippi tonight. Life is REAL good, y’all. #ByeByeCommodityContent

Stop treating your podcast like a content pillar. Start treating it like a product. Content pillars are internal. They serve YOU. Products are external. They serve your audience. A great podcast isn’t “just another thing we publish.” It’s an experience. A brand. A destination people come back to on purpose. That means: → Defined tone and identity → Consistent format and voice → Recurring segments that build anticipation → Hosts that feel like characters, not just facilitators Successful shows require structure, strategy, and real human POVs. When you treat your show like a product, your audience treats it like something worth following. And that’s how you stop chasing attention and start owning it. Ready to build a show that actually serves your audience? DM me.

The most important part of launching a B2B podcast? It’s not the gear. Or the artwork. It’s not even the topic. It’s the on-air talent. If the person behind the mic hasn’t lived in the shoes of your buyer, your show is going to fall flat. Think about the shows you actually love... They connect because the hosts get you. They’ve lived what you’re living. They’ve earned the right to speak. It’s why “My First Million” works. Why “All-In” works. Some people follow Dave Gerhardt because of what he did at Drift seven years ago. Their insights hit because they’re grounded in lived experience. Meanwhile, most B2B brands hand the mic to a marketing manager with zero lived experience in their ICP’s world. They may be smart. They may be good on camera. But if they’ve never done the job of the person they’re trying to reach… They’ll never land the ‘inside baseball’ language. Or be able to tell the war stories. They just won’t resonate. The host IS the show. And the best hosts are reflections of the audience.

Your video’s success on YouTube lives or dies by the thumbnail. If your thumbnail doesn’t stop the scroll and spark curiosity, fear, desire, or status...your best ideas won’t get seen. At Sweet Fish, we treat thumbnails like ad creatives. Because that’s exactly what they are. We’re asking: → Does the expression spark emotion? → Is there tension or contrast? → Does the copy trigger curiosity without giving it all away? Too many B2B brands spend hours producing great content, then slap a logo and some text on a thumbnail like it’s an afterthought. Then wonder why views are flat. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. And the first place many of your buyers discover new shows. If your thumbnail doesn’t win the click, your content doesn’t get a chance. No matter how good the content is. Invest in thumbnail design like it matters. It’s 80% of the game.

Bad video podcasting strategy: 1. Hit record 2. Ask questions 3. Try to find “social clips” later Better strategy: 1. Plan moments before you record 2. Bake a hot take into your opening hook 3. Bake in segments that force disagreement 4. Build a segment that incorporates popular brands and influencers The difference? The bad version gives you a 45-minute video no one shares (or watches). The better version gives you 10-15 high-impact deliverables for LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, and Reels... AND a long-form show people will actually want to watch. At Sweet Fish, we create shows that are the foundation of your content engine. If social is part of your strategy (and it should be), your content has to be designed for it from the start. You don’t repurpose great content. You plan for it.

We don’t guess what your podcast should be about. We reverse-engineer it. Here’s how: First, we map out the industry trends your audience is already searching for. Then, we pinpoint where your hosts have authority and insight to contribute. That overlap? That’s where the podcast lives. Because when your show speaks to high-intent topics and showcases real expertise, it stops being just “content.” It becomes a Discoverability Engine. Your audience finds you while they’re trying to solve real problems. They hear smart voices unpacking those problems in a way that actually helps. And the trust builds from there. Sweet Fish is more than a video podcast vendor. We’re a strategic partner from strategy all the way through targeted distribution. Wanna build deep strategy into your show outta the gate? We might be the partner for you. Let’s chat.

If you don’t create your content with social in mind from the start...you’ll waste 90% of it. Long-form videos don’t go viral. Moments do. The problem: Most B2B shows aren’t built to generate moments. They’re just recorded conversations with no social-first thinking baked in. At Sweet Fish, we help brands reverse that: We outline episodes with distribution in mind. That means: Hooks designed to stop the scroll. Segments designed to bring out hot takes and disagreement between the co-hosts. Games that incorporate big names or popular brands. It’s not about creating MORE content. It’s about creating content that WORKS. #ByeByeCommodityContent

We don’t just build podcasts. We build content platforms. A podcast isn’t the end product. It’s the starting point. → It’s your brand voice in motion → Your POV, unpacked weekly → A system for consistent thought leadership → A scalable engine for video, social, blog, email, and more At Sweet Fish, we don’t just hit record and hand you a few audio files. We build a full content ecosystem around your show. One episode becomes: → Full-length audio and video episodes → Social clips → LinkedIn posts → Blog articles → Email content → Social ads → Sales enablement material Suddenly, your podcast isn’t just a podcast. It’s your marketing flywheel. Strategic. Consistent. Repurposed by design. Because in B2B, attention is hard to earn. When you get it, you better make the most of it. Are you looking to build a video-first content engine? We can help. Let’s chat.

The best podcast hosts? People with a shared LIVED EXPERIENCE of your audience. Building a show for owners and GMs of internet service providers? You better have co-hosts who have actually operated an ISP. Building a show for engineering leaders? You better have co-hosts who have actually led engineering teams. This stuff sounds obvious and intuitive...but it’s not being practiced in B2B show building. I’ve seen way too many marketers take on the role of host because they’re the ones that wanted to bring the show to life (and I get it). But at the end of the day…that marketer will struggle to truly resonate with the audience. The right hosts have LIVED what your audience is living. And they’ve achieved what your audience wants to achieve. The best hosts aren’t polished media personalities. When we’re helping clients select the best hosts, we look for people who’ve actually DONE THE WORK…because that’s who your buyers trust. Professional hosts might sound smooth. But practitioners sound real. And in B2B, real wins. If you want a show that actually resonates…elevate the people on your team who’ve been in the trenches. Then coach them to bring their personality to the camera. That’s how you turn internal expertise into audience loyalty. #ByeByeCommodityContent

Most B2B podcasts aren’t shows. They’re interviews with a thumbnail. No characters. No recurring segments. No chemistry. No story. Just another expert answering another set of questions on a Zoom call. Probably the same questions they answered on someone else’s podcast last week. Your audience isn’t looking for more content - they’re looking for a show they can fall in love with. Think about your favorite show. You don’t keep watching because the guest list is impressive. You keep watching because the hosts have chemistry. The segments make you laugh. The banter felt like hanging out with friends. You FEEL something when you watch it. At Sweet Fish, we believe every B2B brand has the potential to create a show. Not just a podcast. That means: Recurring segments. Co-hosts with real chemistry. Inside jokes and callbacks. A distinct POV. Personality-led content isn’t fluff. It’s how you earn attention in a world drowning in mediocre content. Ready to build a show your buyers actually want to binge? Let’s talk.

A good co-host dynamic is more important than a good camera. You can have the best lighting, the crispest audio, and a $10,000 set... But if your hosts don’t have chemistry? People won’t stick around. On the flip side… if your hosts genuinely like each other, challenge each other, and actually enjoy the conversation? Your audience will stay for the ride. Because chemistry creates energy. Energy creates engagement. And engagement is what builds a relationship with your audience and keeps people coming back. At Sweet Fish, we train co-hosts to build rapport, create tension, and push the conversation forward in ways that feel natural, but are deeply intentional. Production quality matters. But it won’t save a chemistry void. Invest in the relationship behind the mic. That’s where the magic is.

Video podcasting isn’t about leads. It’s about leverage. Everyone’s chasing short-term ROI. But the smartest brands are playing a longer game. They’re building audiences. Audiences: → Open doors → Build trust → Give you a platform no algorithm can take away Those who have the audience have all the power. So yeah—your podcast might not “generate a lead” this week. But it might earn you influence. It might turn a stranger into a fan. And it might make your brand unforgettable. That’s leverage. And that’s the game we play at Sweet Fish

Don’t just build an audience. Build characters your audience can follow. Look at Colin & Samir, or any creator-driven brand that’s built real community. It’s not just the cameras. It’s the character arcs. We don’t just come back for the content. We come back to see what they’ll say next. B2B brands can do the same thing. Make your hosts the main characters in a niche your buyers care about. Let them grow in public. Let them disagree and evolve. Let them bring personality, not just polish. Because people don’t follow “brands.” They follow people they can root for. And when those people are attached to a brand, that trust and affinity translate. We create shows with hosts that feel like characters. Relatable, flawed, opinionated, and consistent. That’s how you turn a podcast into a strategic communication platform. And an audience into a fanbase.

There’s a massive difference between impact and activity. And most marketers are on the wrong side. Most marketing teams are content factories. Churning out post after post. Cranking up the SEO machine. Checking boxes on a content calendar. We’re building something different. We build trust engines. We don’t create 150 AI-generated blogs to hit a quota. We create strategic, personality-driven content that earns attention and keeps it. Content that actually helps your audience. Positions your team as experts. Builds affinity over time. Because trust compounds. And a loyal audience will serve your brand for decades. Don’t settle for output. Build equity.

The ROI of podcasting isn’t leads. It’s leverage. Leads come and go. Ad budgets rise and fall. Algorithms change on a whim. But audience? Audience gives you long-term, compounding leverage. Leverage to launch new products. Attract partners and talent. Lower CAC. Outlast the next marketing trend. And video podcasts? They’re more than content. They’re the foundation of your content engine. They help B2B brands own their audience…not just rent it. Because when you’ve built a show your buyers actually want to watch, you don’t have to chase attention. You command it. You don’t need permission. You have the platform. Stop measuring podcast success by pipeline alone. Start measuring it by how much leverage it gives your brand.

Want your podcast to perform better everywhere? Break it into segments. Most B2B podcasts follow the same tired format: 30–45 minutes One host, one guest (a new guest every episode) A long list of questions Segmented shows, on the other hand, are: → Easier to consume → Easier to clip and repurpose → Easier to promote across social → And a whole lot more fun to host At Sweet Fish, we build shows with intentional segments. Each segment has a purpose. And more importantly, a personality. Because let’s be honest: no one is binge-watching a 45-minute interview with no flow. But they will binge a show with personalities they see themselves in. Segments unlock personalities.

Most podcast hosts don’t need better cameras. They need better coaching. We’ve seen it over and over again… Great ideas fall flat because the hosts just weren’t  ready. Not necessarily bad teleprompter reads or awkward pauses. That happens.  I’m talking about a lack of intent. At Sweet Fish, we coach hosts to give themselves big blocks of time to just THINK about the topics they’ll be talking about while they’re with us. Walk around the neighborhood. Take a longer shower. Turn off Spotify on your next grocery run. Use the travel time to our studios in Orlando. The best podcast prep doesn’t happen in front of a laptop…too much distraction. Think about your LIVED EXPERIENCE related to the episode’s topic. Think about stories. Think about analogies (ChatGPT is great for analogy brainstorming). A co-host I worked with this week told me at the end of his first batch recording that he sees how much this is a learned skill…it is a SKILL to host a show. And like anything…skill takes TIME to develop and hone. So give yourself that time ahead of your next recording. Time to really think about how you can deliver exceptional value to the audience. Need some help building intentionality into your show? We do that every day. Let’s chat.

We just did a “first look” of the intro of our client’s very first video podcast episode…THE DAY AFTER WE FILMED IT. With the client. Before they even left our studio. I am falling in love with in-person production and having a strategy and production team that’s all under the same roof. You can move so much faster. Collaborate so much more. And our clients reap the benefits of that. The future of Sweet Fish is BRIGHT. Dang, this is fun. #ByeByeCommodityContent

Most podcast intros are killing your retention. In 2025, attention is earned or lost... fast. The first 30 seconds of your podcast episodes should: → Spark curiosity → Tease conflict → Include your hottest takes → Or make your audience feel deeply understood That’s it. At Sweet Fish, we treat intros like open loops. We ask: What would make someone NEED to hear what comes next? Because if you don’t hook them immediately, it won’t matter how good the rest of the episode is. Don’t start with the topic. Start with the tension.

5 years ago, I wanted freedom FROM work. Delegate everything. Build systems. Empower leaders. The goal? Build a business that wasn’t dependent on me. Because that’s how you create a valuable business, right? And to some degree, I still believe that’s true. You should build a company that isn’t dependent on the founder. But in the last few months...something shifted. I’ve gone from wanting freedom FROM work... to finding freedom IN the work. It happened when I got back in the trenches - developing shows, executive producing for clients, building narratives that make people feel something. And I realized…I freaking LOVE this work. Not all of it… But helping brands build trust at scale? Creating content that resonates with actual humans? That’s where I come alive. We used to “crank out” content. Now we build personalities. We turn subject matter experts into voices people actually want to follow. That’s not just different work. It’s more meaningful work. And I’m feeling the freedom in it.