I’ll be honest, this is something I’ve been trying to figure out for a while.
As the host of the B2B Marketing Excellence & AI podcast, we’ve created 355 videos on YouTube, including over 125 podcast episodes packed with valuable conversations. Yet when I look at our YouTube numbers, I find myself wondering: Why aren’t more people interested in this valuable information? Every week, I hear from people all over the world who tell me they listen to the podcast. They encourage me to keep going, share how they’ve applied some of the tactics, say I’ve inspired them to explore ChatGPT, and my favorite—“Really? AI can do that? I had no idea.”
To increase numbers, I had the fleeting thought: Maybe I should film from the top of a mountain… or be holding some kittens. But let’s be real, our audience isn’t searching YouTube for scenic views or furry animals. They’re looking for real solutions to business challenges.
And here’s the reality I’ve discovered, many B2B brands are in the same boat.
Why We Think People Don’t Watch B2B Videos
1. Topic sounds boring. Let’s face it, most people aren’t lining up to watch a video on marketing a CNC machine. It’s not glamorous.
2. No glitzy visuals. We’re not filming sweeping drone shots over vineyards. B2B topics rarely come with beautiful scenes.
3. Your audience is busy. Industry decision-makers don’t have time to scroll YouTube all day, they’re working.
But here’s the good news: If you get the right video in front of the right people, they will love it. They’ll engage with it. They’ll share it with others in their industry.
I’ve also know that video is the second-best way to build real connections with your audience, right behind in-person meetings. Video gives people a sense of who you are, how you think, and how you can help them. Then, when you do meet in person, there’s no warm-up needed, they already know you. They already trust you. And in many cases, they’ve already decided they can’t imagine moving forward without you.
Recently, I had a conversation with Nate Woodbury, CEO of Be the Hero Studio, and his perspective made me rethink my entire approach. It wasn’t the typical “post more, post faster” YouTube advice. Instead, it was a clear path for B2B companies like ours that want leads, not just views. (Click this thumbnail if you want to watch the interview - You will be happy you did.)
What I Learned from Nate
1. Choose Your Path
According to Nate, there are two very different ways to succeed on YouTube:
- Entertainment route – Build a huge audience and make money from ad revenue.
- Lead generation route – Build trust and attract the right people to your business.
For us in the B2B world, the second path is where we need to be. It’s not about millions of views, it’s about the right views from business owners who actually need what we offer.
2. Think in “Leaves” Not “Trunks”
Nate uses a tree analogy I love:
- Trunk = Your main area of expertise.
- Branches = Main categories within that expertise.
- Leaves = Highly specific questions your ideal audience is searching for.
Most B2B brands (including me before this conversation) focus too much on the trunk or the big branches. The magic is in the leaves—those small, specific, searchable questions that only the right people will click on.
3. Quality Over Quantity
I’ve been guilty of checking our subscriber count and wishing it would grow faster. Nate’s advice was freeing: it’s better to have 100 views that lead to 10 real conversations than thousands of views from the wrong people.
4. Use the Right Research Tools
For B2B, keyword tools like SEMrush help you find the real business questions people are asking. Tools built for entertainment channels, like TubeBuddy or VidIQ, might push you toward topics that don’t attract the decision-makers you want.
5. Stay Authentic
This one hit home. Your audience wants to hear you, not a perfectly scripted version of you. Think of your YouTube videos as conversations, not performances. If creating B2B Personalized Videos for your marketing they must be authentic.
How I’m Applying This
Here’s what I’m doing right now to put Nate’s advice into action:
- Audit my current videos – Do they answer specific questions my audience is actually searching for?
- Research before recording – I’m using SEMrush to find long-tail keywords tied directly to the challenges my clients face.
- Testing content using the “leaf” approach: Every topic is now ultra-specific, not broad.
- Track and tweak – Watching the data closely to see what resonates.
If we start to see changes we will take this to a large scale with Nate’s help.
If you want help getting your videos found sooner rather than later, reach out to Nate Woodbury at Be The Hero Studio. And if you’re looking to build a complete B2B strategy that connects YouTube, email marketing, and other channels for long-term growth, that’s where World Innovators comes in.
I left this conversation realizing YouTube can absolutely be a powerful B2B lead generation tool for World Innovators, but only if I approach it with intention. That means no chasing viral trends. No “post and hope.” Just clear, specific, authentic content that speaks to the exact people I want to work with. Starting with very small specific areas.
As much as I love standing at the top of Mt. Snow or hiking through vineyards in Italy, I’ll keep those moments for my personal life, not my recording studio. My focus will remain on building this podcast with high-quality content that truly matters to our target audience. If I continue delivering actionable, valuable insights, I doubt anyone will mind if I’m in my closet recording. Let’s stay true to who we are as B2B brands and B2B marketers, prioritizing authentic content that brings real value to the B2B community.
It’s a slower, more focused approach, but I believe it’s the one that will work, not just for me, but for any B2B brand serious about standing out on YouTube.
If you want the full conversation with Nate, you can catch the episode on the B2B Marketing Excellence & AI Podcast—where we dig into these strategies in more detail.