glossary147 terms

Every B2B podcasting term, in plain English.

The strategy, production, guesting, promotion and ROI terms that matter when you run a B2B podcast. Each one is a plain-English definition with a real example, a benchmark where it helps, and links to the templates and calculators that put it to work.

147 terms

Terms starting with A

Account-based marketing (ABM)

Account-based marketing (ABM) focuses sales and marketing effort on a defined set of high-value target accounts, treating each as a market of one. A podcast supports ABM powerfully by inviting decision-makers from target accounts to be guests, which opens relationships warmly.

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Acoustic treatment

Acoustic treatment is the use of soft materials, such as panels, foam, curtains, rugs and bookshelves, to reduce sound reflections in a recording space. It tames echo so voices sound close and clear rather than boxy.

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Ad slot

An ad slot is a defined advertising position within an episode that a show can sell to a sponsor, typically the pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll. The number and placement of slots determine a show's sponsorship inventory.

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AMA episode

An AMA, or ask-me-anything, episode answers questions submitted by the audience. In B2B it turns the show's listeners and the host's expertise into the entire agenda, often collecting questions from LinkedIn, email, or a community.

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Audience avatar

An audience avatar is a single, sharply defined portrait of the one listener your podcast is built for, their role, goals, pains and the questions they need answered. Every topic, guest and title should be chosen to serve that one person.

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Audience engagement

Audience engagement is how actively listeners interact with your show, completion rates, comments, shares, replies, ratings and direct messages. It measures depth of attention, not just reach.

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Audience retention

Audience retention is the curve showing what proportion of listeners or viewers are still present at each point in an episode. It turns a single completion number into a moment-by-moment map of attention.

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Audiogram

A short, shareable video clip of a podcast made for social feeds - typically a striking quote with animated captions and an audio waveform, with or without the speaker's video. A staple format for promoting episodes.

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Terms starting with B

B-roll

B-roll is supplementary footage cut in over the main conversation, such as product shots, screen recordings, office scenes or stock clips. It illustrates what is being discussed and adds visual variety to a video podcast.

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B2B podcast

A podcast made by a business to reach other businesses - typically built around the conversations, ideas and people that matter to a specific set of buyers, with the goal of building trust, relationships and pipeline rather than ad revenue.

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Back-catalogue

Your back-catalogue is every episode you have already published, the full archive available to new listeners. A strong back-catalogue keeps working long after publish day, pulling in search traffic and giving new followers a reason to binge.

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Baked-in ad

A baked-in ad is a sponsorship message edited permanently into the episode's audio or video file, so every listener hears it and it stays in the episode forever. It is the opposite of a dynamically inserted ad, which can be swapped or removed later.

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Binge-listening

Binge-listening is when a new listener consumes several of your episodes in a short span, usually after discovering the show. It is a strong signal of fit and a fast track from first play to loyal subscriber.

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Booking link

A booking link is a self-scheduling URL that lets a confirmed guest pick a recording slot from your available times without back-and-forth email. For B2B podcasts it removes the biggest source of friction when booking busy executives.

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Branded podcast

A branded podcast is a show produced and owned by a company as a marketing asset, rather than an independent show the brand merely advertises on. The brand controls the editorial, the audience relationship, and how the show ties back to its business goals.

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Terms starting with C

Call to action

A call to action (CTA) is an explicit prompt telling the audience what to do next, subscribe, visit a page, download a resource, or book a call. In podcasting it appears in the episode audio, show notes, clips, and promotional posts.

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Captions

Captions are the on-screen text of what is being said in a video clip, either burned into the video or added as a subtitle track. For podcast clips they are usually styled and burned in so the words appear word-by-word as the speaker talks.

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Co-hosted show

A co-hosted show is built around two regular hosts who carry the conversation together every episode. In B2B this format trades on the chemistry and contrasting roles of the hosts, often a strategist paired with a practitioner.

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Cold open

A cold open is a short, compelling clip placed at the very start of an episode, before the intro music or host welcome. In B2B it usually lifts the sharpest line from the guest to prove the episode is worth the listener's time.

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Community

A podcast community is the engaged group of listeners who interact with your show and each other, replying to episodes, joining a Slack or LinkedIn group, attending events or suggesting guests. It turns passive listeners into an active network around your brand.

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Community distribution

Community distribution is sharing podcast content inside relevant communities, Slack groups, forums, professional networks, and private peer groups, where your target audience already gathers. It is distribution through people and spaces rather than open feeds.

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Completion rate

Completion rate is the percentage of listeners who reach the end of an episode. For B2B shows it is one of the strongest signals that your content held a busy buyer's attention all the way through.

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Condenser mic

A condenser microphone uses a thin charged diaphragm that is highly sensitive, capturing detail and a wide frequency range. It needs phantom power and performs best in an acoustically treated, quiet room.

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Content atomization

Content atomization is the practice of breaking one large piece of content, like a podcast episode, into many smaller assets for different channels. A single recording becomes clips, quote graphics, a newsletter, social posts, and an article.

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Content mix

Content mix is the deliberate balance of different episode types and formats a podcast uses, such as guest interviews, solo expert episodes, and customer stories. A thoughtful mix keeps the show varied while serving different audience needs and funnel stages.

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Content pillar

One of a small set of core themes a podcast returns to again and again. Pillars keep a show focused and recognisable, and make it easy to plan episodes that all ladder up to the same positioning.

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Content strategy

Content strategy is the plan for what content you create, for whom, and to what business end, so that every asset works toward your goals rather than existing in isolation. For a B2B podcast, it connects the show to your audience, your themes, and how content gets repurposed and distributed.

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Conversion rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of people who take a desired action after engaging with your podcast, such as visiting a landing page, subscribing, or booking a demo. It links audience attention to a concrete next step.

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Cost per acquisition

Cost per acquisition (CPA) is the total spend on a podcast or campaign divided by the number of customers it acquires. In podcast sponsorship it measures how efficiently ad spend turns into paying customers, rather than just reach or downloads.

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Cost per episode

The fully-loaded cost of producing one podcast episode - including team time for recording, editing, show notes, clips and promotion, plus a share of gear, software and any guest or freelancer costs.

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CPM (cost per mille)

The price of podcast advertising per thousand listens or impressions. CPM is the standard unit for buying and selling podcast ad slots, and a rough way to value a show's audience for sponsorship.

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Cross-promotion

Cross-promotion is when two shows or brands promote each other's content to their respective audiences, for example swapping mentions, sharing each other's clips, or appearing on each other's podcasts. It trades reach rather than buying it.

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Terms starting with D

Demand generation

Demand generation is the marketing discipline of creating awareness and interest in your category and solution so that more of your target buyers want what you sell. A B2B podcast supports demand gen by reaching buyers early, before they are actively shopping, and warming them toward your brand.

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Discovery

Discovery is how new listeners first find your podcast, through platform search, recommendations, social clips, guest audiences, search engines or word of mouth. For B2B shows, the goal is to be discovered by the right buyers, not the most people.

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Distribution strategy

A distribution strategy is the plan for how each podcast episode reaches your audience across podcast apps, video platforms, social channels, email, and your guests' networks. For B2B, distribution often matters more than the recording itself, because a great episode no one sees drives no pipeline.

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Double-ender

A double-ender is a remote recording technique where each participant records their own audio and video locally, in full quality, while talking over a call. The separate local files are then synced together in post.

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Download

The standard reach metric for audio podcasts: a download is counted when a listener's app requests enough of an episode file (per the IAB v2 standard) to count as a genuine listen. It measures audience size, not engagement or revenue.

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Downloads per episode

Downloads per episode is the average number of downloads each episode earns within a set window, usually the first 30 days. It is the most common way podcasts are benchmarked and sold to advertisers.

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Dream 100

A focused list of roughly 100 dream guests or target accounts you most want on the show. It turns guest booking into a deliberate, account-aligned pipeline rather than whoever happens to say yes.

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Dynamic ad insertion

Dynamic ad insertion (DAI) is technology that stitches ads into a podcast episode at playback time rather than baking them into the audio file. This lets a show swap, target, or expire ads across its whole back catalogue without re-editing episodes.

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Dynamic mic

A dynamic microphone uses a moving-coil design that is relatively insensitive to background noise, picking up mainly the sound directly in front of it. This makes it the go-to choice for spoken-word podcasting in untreated rooms.

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Terms starting with E

Edit ratio

Edit ratio is the amount of raw recording time relative to the finished episode length, reflecting how much material is cut. A 2:1 ratio means two hours were recorded to produce a one-hour episode.

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Email list

An email list is the set of listeners who have given you their email so you can reach them directly with new episodes and related content. Unlike platform followers, it is an audience you own outright.

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Engagement rate

Engagement rate measures how actively your audience responds to the podcast beyond passive listening, including comments, shares, replies, and clicks. For B2B it is a proxy for how much your content actually resonates with buyers.

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Episode benchmark

An episode benchmark is a reference figure, drawn from your own back catalogue, that you measure new episodes against. It replaces meaningless industry averages with a standard tuned to your specific show and audience.

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Episode hook

An episode hook is the single, specific promise that tells a listener why this particular episode is worth their time. In B2B it is the concrete takeaway or tension, not the guest's job title, that drives the title, the cold open, and the promotion.

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Episode length

Episode length is the total runtime of an episode, a core format decision that shapes production effort and audience fit. In B2B there is no universal right answer, it depends on the format, the depth of the topic, and where your audience listens.

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Episode SEO

Episode SEO is optimising an episode's page and metadata, title, description, show notes, transcript, so it ranks in search engines and gets discovered beyond podcast apps. It turns each episode into a searchable web page, not just an audio file.

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Episode trailer

An episode trailer is a short promotional clip, often 15 to 60 seconds, that previews an upcoming or just-released episode by stitching together its most compelling moments. It is designed to tease rather than deliver a complete idea.

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Evergreen episode

An evergreen episode covers a topic that stays relevant for years, so it keeps attracting listeners long after it is published. These episodes power your back-catalogue and steady, ongoing discovery.

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Terms starting with G

Guest brief

The short document sent to a guest before recording: what the show is, what you'll cover, the format and timing, and any tech or prep they need. It sets expectations and makes for a better, smoother conversation.

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Guest experience

Guest experience is the end-to-end impression a guest forms of your show, from the first invitation through booking, recording, and follow-up. For B2B podcasts a strong experience turns guests into promoters, repeat guests, and warm relationships for the wider business.

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Guest gifting

Guest gifting is sending a guest a thoughtful gift tied to their appearance, either before recording to build goodwill or afterwards as a thank-you. In B2B it doubles as a relationship gesture toward an account you want to win or keep.

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Guest outreach

The process of inviting guests onto a podcast - the messages, timing and follow-up that turn a target name into a booked recording. For B2B, it doubles as a relationship-building motion with buyers.

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Guest pipeline

A guest pipeline is the running list of prospective guests at each stage of being booked, from identified, to invited, to confirmed, to recorded. For B2B shows it works like a sales pipeline, giving you visibility into whether you have enough guests to keep publishing.

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Guest pitch

A guest pitch is the invitation message you send a prospective guest, making a clear, flattering case for why they should appear on your show. For B2B podcasts it has to respect a senior person's time and lead with what is in it for them, not for you.

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Guest promotion kit

A guest promotion kit is the ready-to-use bundle of assets you send a guest so they can share their episode in seconds, typically including clips, an audiogram, suggested copy, key links, and tags. For B2B shows it is what turns a willing guest into actual distribution.

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Guest research

Guest research is the homework a host does before recording, gathering a guest's background, recent work, strong opinions, and notable stories so the conversation goes deeper than a surface summary. For B2B shows it is how you earn a senior guest's respect and draw out non-obvious insight.

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Guest vetting

Guest vetting is the process of qualifying a potential podcast guest before you book them, checking whether they fit your audience, can speak credibly on a topic, and align with the accounts or buyers you want to reach. For a B2B show it is less about fame and more about relevance to pipeline.

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Terms starting with L

Lavalier mic

A lavalier mic (or lav) is a small clip-on microphone attached to clothing near the chest, leaving hands free and staying out of the camera frame. It is common in video podcasts and on-location interviews.

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Limited series

A limited series is a podcast with a fixed, pre-planned number of episodes built around one theme, with a clear start and end. In B2B it is often used to support a product launch, a research report, or a single big idea rather than running indefinitely.

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LinkedIn distribution

LinkedIn distribution is the practice of promoting podcast content, clips, quotes, and episode links, natively on LinkedIn, the primary channel where most B2B buyers and decision-makers spend professional attention. It usually means posting from both the brand page and individual people's profiles.

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Listen-through rate (LTR)

Listen-through rate is the average proportion of an episode that listeners actually consume, expressed as a percentage of total runtime. Unlike completion rate, which is pass or fail at the end, LTR captures how far the typical listener gets.

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Listener persona

A listener persona is a research-based profile of a key segment of your audience, capturing their role, motivations, listening habits and the problems they want solved. Most B2B shows define one to three personas to guide content.

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Live podcast

A live podcast is recorded in front of a real-time audience, either streamed online or on a physical stage, often with live questions. In B2B it pairs naturally with webinars, conferences, and community events.

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LUFS

LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) is the standard measure of perceived loudness used to set how loud a podcast sounds across an episode. Mastering to a consistent LUFS target keeps your show at a comfortable, even volume on every platform.

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Terms starting with N

Narrative podcast

A narrative podcast tells a story across an episode using scripting, scene-setting, and edited interview clips rather than a single live conversation. In B2B it is used for high-production brand series, customer-journey stories, or investigative looks at an industry shift.

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Newsletter syndication

Newsletter syndication is distributing podcast content through email, summarising each episode, embedding clips or audio, and linking to the full show inside a regular newsletter. It reaches subscribers directly rather than relying on social feeds or app discovery.

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Niche audience

A niche audience is a tightly defined group of listeners who share a specific role, industry or problem. For B2B podcasts, deliberately serving a narrow niche usually beats chasing a broad, generic audience.

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Niche down

To niche down is to deliberately narrow a podcast's focus to a specific audience and topic rather than trying to appeal to everyone. For B2B shows, a tight niche makes the content unmissable for the buyers who matter most.

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No-show rate

No-show rate is the share of booked guests who fail to attend their scheduled recording. For B2B podcasts it is a key health metric for your booking process, since busy senior guests are the most likely to drop.

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Noise floor

The noise floor is the constant level of background sound in a recording, such as room hum, air conditioning or electrical hiss, that sits beneath the voice. A low noise floor means cleaner, more professional audio.

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Terms starting with P

Paid promotion

Paid promotion is using paid media, ads on LinkedIn, YouTube, podcast networks, or other platforms, to put podcast content in front of a targeted audience. For B2B it most often means promoting clips or episodes to a defined buyer segment.

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Panel show

A panel show puts a host alongside two or more guests debating a topic in the same episode. In B2B it works well for contested questions where several practitioner perspectives are more useful than one.

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Platform algorithm

A platform algorithm is the recommendation system that decides which podcasts and episodes get surfaced to users on Spotify, YouTube, Apple and similar platforms. It rewards signals like completion, saves, shares and consistent publishing.

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Plays

A play is counted when someone presses play and begins streaming an episode, regardless of whether they finish it. It differs from a download, which counts the file being fetched whether or not it is ever heard.

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Podcast as marketing

Podcast as marketing is the strategy of running a show as an owned marketing channel rather than as a product to monetise with ads. The show's return comes from brand authority, relationships, content for repurposing, and pipeline, not from sponsorship revenue.

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Podcast attribution

The practice of connecting podcast listening to business outcomes - leads, pipeline and revenue. Because podcasts are consumed passively and off-platform, attribution leans heavily on self-reported and influence-based methods rather than click tracking.

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Podcast clip

A podcast clip is a short, standalone segment cut from a full episode, usually 30 seconds to 3 minutes, built to share on social platforms. Clips carry the strongest moment of an episode so it can travel far beyond the people who hear the full show.

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Podcast directory

A podcast directory is an app or platform that lists podcasts and lets people find, follow, and play them, for example Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Directories pull episodes from your RSS feed rather than hosting your files directly.

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Podcast funnel

A podcast funnel is the way you map a podcast to the buyer journey, using episodes and their repurposed content to move people from first awareness to consideration to sales conversation. It clarifies which episodes attract new buyers and which deepen trust with people already close to a decision.

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Podcast KPI

A podcast KPI is a key performance indicator chosen to track whether your show is hitting its business goals. For a B2B podcast the most useful KPIs tie back to pipeline and relationships, not just audience size.

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Podcast mission

A podcast mission is the clear statement of why the show exists and what change it aims to create for its audience, beyond just promoting the company. It acts as the north star that keeps the show focused and consistent over time.

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Podcast naming

Podcast naming is choosing a title for your show that signals what it is about and who it is for, while being memorable and easy to find. For B2B shows, a good name balances clarity for buyers with enough distinctiveness to stand out.

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Podcast positioning statement

A podcast positioning statement is a short, written articulation of who the show is for, what it covers, and why it is different, used to align everyone involved. It turns show positioning into a concrete sentence the whole team can rally around and test ideas against.

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Podcast production

Everything it takes to turn a recorded conversation into a finished, published episode: recording, editing, mixing, show notes, artwork, clips and distribution. For video podcasts it also includes video editing and clip production.

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Podcast ROI

The return a podcast generates relative to its cost - for B2B, measured mainly in pipeline and revenue influenced, plus the harder-to-quantify value of brand, relationships and content. Usually expressed as a percentage or a multiple of cost.

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Podcast sponsorship

Podcast sponsorship is a paid arrangement where a brand pays a show to feature its product or message, usually through ad reads, segment branding, or episode placement. In B2B, sponsorship can flow both ways: a show sells slots to sponsors, or a brand sponsors relevant industry shows to reach a target audience.

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Podcast strategy

The plan that defines why a podcast exists, who it's for, what it covers and how success is measured - before a single episode is recorded. It connects the show to a business goal and to a specific audience of buyers.

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Post-deal survey

A post-deal survey asks newly closed customers what shaped their decision, including which content and channels influenced them. It is a structured way to surface podcast influence that earlier-stage tracking misses.

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Post-production

Post-production is everything done after recording to turn raw footage into a finished episode: editing, audio mixing, colour, adding intro and outro, graphics, captions and final export. It is where a recording becomes a publishable show.

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Post-roll ad

A post-roll ad is a sponsorship message placed at the end of an episode, after the main content has finished. It is the lowest-priced slot because listener drop-off is highest by the close, but the listeners who remain are highly committed.

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Pre-interview

A pre-interview is a short call before the recording where the host or producer aligns with the guest on topics, key stories, and the angle of the conversation. For B2B shows it surfaces the specific, useful insights that make an episode worth a buyer's time.

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Pre-roll ad

A pre-roll ad is a sponsorship message placed at the very start of an episode, before the main content begins. It guarantees maximum reach because everyone who presses play hears it, though attention is lower than mid-roll since some listeners skip the intro.

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Programmatic ads

Programmatic ads are podcast ads bought and placed automatically through ad-buying platforms rather than negotiated directly with a show. They rely on dynamic ad insertion to serve targeted spots across many podcasts at scale, usually priced on a CPM basis.

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Promo code

A promo code is a unique code spoken or shown in an episode that listeners enter when they convert, letting you attribute a signup, purchase, or meeting directly to the podcast. It is a low-tech attribution method that survives the dark-social problem.

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Terms starting with R

Raw audio

Raw audio is the unedited recording straight from the microphones, before any cutting, mixing or mastering. It is the source material that post-production works from, and is usually kept as a backup.

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Reach

Reach is the total number of distinct people exposed to your podcast and its surrounding content, across the audio feed, video platforms, and social clips. It captures the top of the funnel rather than depth of engagement.

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Reciprocal promotion

Reciprocal promotion is the mutual sharing of an episode by both the host brand and the guest, where each side amplifies the recording to its own audience. For B2B shows it is the simplest way to borrow a guest's network and reach new buyers.

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Recording setup

A recording setup is the full collection of gear and arrangement used to capture an episode: microphones, cameras, lighting, audio interface, recording software and the room itself. It determines the baseline quality of everything that follows.

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Recurring guest

A recurring guest is someone who appears on your show more than once, whether as a regular co-host, a returning expert, or a panellist across episodes. For B2B podcasts they deepen relationships and give the audience familiar voices to follow.

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Remote recording

Remote recording captures a podcast with host and guest in different locations, using software that records each person's audio and video locally before uploading it. This avoids the quality loss of recording a video call directly.

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Repeat listener

A repeat listener is someone who comes back for multiple episodes rather than playing one and leaving. Repeat listeners are the core of a healthy show and the buyers most likely to remember and trust your brand.

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Repurposing

Turning one podcast episode into many smaller assets - clips, audiograms, quote graphics, a newsletter, social posts, a blog article - so a single recording reaches far more people across more channels.

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Retention curve

A retention curve is a graph showing what percentage of listeners are still playing an episode at each point in time, from the first second to the end. It reveals exactly where people drop off, helping you diagnose weak intros, slow segments or bloated runtimes.

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Roundup episode

A roundup episode stitches together short takes from multiple guests on a single question, or compiles highlights from past episodes. In B2B it is a high-leverage way to feature many voices without booking a full interview with each.

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RSS feed

An RSS feed is the standardised file that lists your podcast's episodes and metadata, and is how podcast apps find and play your show. When you publish a new episode, your host updates the RSS feed and every directory that subscribes to it pulls in the episode automatically.

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Run-of-show

The minute-by-minute plan for a recording: the order of segments, intros, questions, transitions and outros. It keeps a recording on track and makes episodes consistent.

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Terms starting with S

Season

A season is a grouped run of episodes published together, usually around a theme, followed by a break before the next run. In B2B, seasons add structure to an ongoing show and create natural moments to refresh the theme, format, or sponsor.

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Segment

A segment is a recurring named block within an episode, such as a rapid-fire question round, a tool of the week, or a listener-question slot. In B2B, segments give an otherwise free-flowing interview a predictable structure listeners come to expect.

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Self-reported attribution

Self-reported attribution is the practice of simply asking prospects how they heard about you, usually via a how did you hear about us field on a form or in a sales call. It is one of the most reliable ways to capture podcast influence that tracking pixels miss.

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Show notes

Show notes are the written summary and supporting details that accompany a podcast episode, typically a description, key topics, timestamps, guest bio, and relevant links. They appear in podcast apps and on your episode page.

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Show positioning

Show positioning is the deliberate choice of what your podcast is about, who it serves, and how it differs from every other show your buyers could listen to. Strong positioning makes the show instantly understandable and gives a clear reason to subscribe.

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Social clip

A social clip is a podcast clip formatted and optimised specifically for social media feeds, typically vertical, captioned, and built to grab attention in the first second. It is the workhorse asset for promoting a video podcast on LinkedIn and other platforms.

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Solo episode

A solo episode features a single host speaking directly to the audience with no guest. In B2B podcasting it is used to share a strong point of view, break down a framework, or react to industry news in the founder's or expert's own voice.

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Sound design

Sound design is the deliberate use of music, effects, transitions and ambience to shape how an episode feels. In podcasting it covers everything from a transition sting between segments to the texture under a narrated section.

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Sponsorship one-pager

A sponsorship one-pager is a single-page summary used to pitch a podcast's sponsorship opportunity to a prospective advertiser. It distils the essentials, audience, reach, ad options, and price, into a fast, scannable pitch.

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Subscriber

A listener who has followed or subscribed to a podcast so new episodes reach them automatically. Subscribers are a podcast's compounding asset - the audience that shows up for every episode without being re-acquired.

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Subscriber growth

Subscriber growth is the rate at which new people follow or subscribe to your podcast over time. Tracked monthly, it shows whether your show is building a durable audience or just churning through one-off listeners.

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Surround-sound marketing

Surround-sound marketing is the approach of showing up everywhere your buyers already pay attention, so your brand seems to be in every relevant conversation, channel, and feed. A podcast feeds this by generating clips, quotes, and posts that let one brand voice appear across many touchpoints.

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B2B podcasts that drive pipeline

Stop reading about it. Start running one.

Fame runs B2B podcasts end to end - strategy, guest booking, production and promotion - so the terms in this glossary turn into real pipeline.