The Mistake Most Businesses Make When Starting a Podcast
Here’s the biggest mistake I see when businesses launch a podcast — and it’s the reason most stop after just a few episodes: they start without a plan.
A podcast can be one of the most powerful marketing tools you have — but only if you approach it strategically. Too often, businesses dive in, record a couple of episodes, and then quietly abandon the show because it “didn’t work.”
Here’s why that happens — and how to avoid it.
1. No Clear Audience
If you don’t know exactly who you’re speaking to, you’ll end up speaking to no one.
I see this all the time — a business starts recording because “we should have a podcast” but can’t answer the most important question: Who is this for?
Your audience determines your topics, your tone, your guests, and even your episode length. For example, a franchise recruitment podcast will sound very different from one aimed at existing franchisees.
Before you record a single word, define your listener:
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Who are they?
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What problems do they have?
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Why should they listen to you over someone else?
2. No Content Plan
Many podcasts fail because they run out of ideas after episode three. That’s because they start with enthusiasm but no roadmap.
On my own show, The Full Frame, we’ve already mapped out a content plan from now (August) until the end of the year. We know:
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Where we’re filming
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What the subject is for each episode
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Which guests are coming on
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What locations we’ll use
We’ve even shot loads of it already, so there’s no panic about “what are we doing next week?”
That level of preparation means you can focus on creating great content, not scrambling for it.
3. No Promotion Strategy
A common mistake is to post once on launch day and hope people magically find the show.
If you want listeners, you need to promote — and keep promoting:
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Post a trailer before your first episode drops
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Use tools like Opus Clip to turn episodes into short, shareable clips
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Post across multiple platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, LinkedIn, Instagram — wherever your audience spends time
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Keep sharing episodes weeks after they’re live — not just on launch day
Remember: if you don’t tell people about your podcast, they won’t know it exists.
4. Not Thinking Beyond the Audio
Podcasting isn’t just about audio anymore. Video is the missing piece most businesses ignore — and it’s costing them reach.
When you film your podcast, you create:
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Short clips (your bread and butter for social media)
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Blog posts (like this one) from the same conversation
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Email newsletter content
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YouTube videos for search and discovery
From a single 45-minute recording, you can get a month’s worth of marketing material — if you plan for it.
The Result of No Plan? Burnout.
When businesses start without knowing their audience, without a content roadmap, without a promotion plan, and without thinking beyond audio, the result is predictable:
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Low listenership
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Quick burnout
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An abandoned podcast after three episodes
Final Thought: Treat It Like a Campaign, Not a Hobby
If you want your podcast to last — and actually bring in leads, clients, or franchisees — treat it like a marketing campaign. Plan it. Promote it. Repurpose it.
Do that, and you’ll be miles ahead of most business podcasts before you even hit record.