Most boutique asset and wealth managers launch podcasts thinking if they create good content, people will find it. Twelve months later, they’re staring at download numbers that barely justify the time investment, wondering why their financial insights aren’t connecting.

The problem isn’t their expertise. It’s five mistakes that kill most financial podcasts from the start. Fix these, and your podcast becomes a way to win clients. Ignore them, and you’ll join the thousands of abandoned finance shows gathering digital dust.

Your Show is Probably Boring

This happens constantly. Financial advisors think their content is fascinating because they’re passionate about portfolio optimization. But listeners don’t care about your passion – they care about their problems. Most financial podcasts sound like lectures.

A wealth manager in Dallas spent months talking about “optimal asset allocation strategies” and wondered why his downloads stayed flat. Then he switched to episodes like “What happens when your startup gets acquired and you’re suddenly worth $5 million?” His audience tripled in six weeks.

You’re talking about what interests you instead of what keeps your prospects awake at night. When you talk about “diversification strategies,” your audience hears white noise. When you explore “what happens to your equity compensation when your company gets acquired,” they pay attention.

Boring shows die fast. There’s too much competition for attention. Your prospects have dozens of podcast options. If your first thirty seconds don’t grab them with something relevant to their situation, they’re gone.

Start every episode by identifying a real problem your listener faces. “If you’re a tech executive sitting on $2 million in company stock, this conversation about concentration risk could save your retirement.” Now you have their attention.

Build signature segments that people expect. Instead of generic market commentary, try “Exit Strategy Spotlight” or “Family Wealth Dilemmas” – formats that promise something useful to the right people.

Audio-Only is Killing Your Growth

Most financial professionals choose audio-only podcasts because they seem easier. This costs you growth from day one.

One boutique manager in Seattle recorded 20 audio episodes over six months and gained 200 subscribers. When he added video and started creating clips for Facebook and LinkedIn, he gained 200 subscribers in the next month alone.

Every major social media platform prioritizes video content. Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube – they all push video ahead of audio. When you record audio-only, you’re cutting yourself off from how people find new content today.

The average podcast listener finds new shows through social media clips, not by browsing podcast directories. If you can’t make shareable video segments, you can’t grow organically.

Video also attracts better guests. Good guests want content they can share with their audiences. A professional video interview gives them clips for their social media. An audio conversation gives them nothing.

Set up proper video recording from episode one. You don’t need Hollywood production values—just good lighting, clear audio, and clean background work.

Plan to multiply your content from the beginning. Every interview should turn into six to eight pieces of content: the full episode, short video clips for social media, LinkedIn posts with key insights, and email newsletter material. One conversation becomes weeks of content across multiple channels.

You’re Publishing Into the Void

Most financial podcasters think promotion means posting on social media and hoping for results. They publish episodes, share them on social media, and wait for growth that never comes.

An advisor in Phoenix spent two years publishing weekly episodes and promoting them traditionally – posting links with generic captions. Total new clients from the podcast: zero. When he started creating 60-second video clips of his best guest insights and engaging actively in entrepreneurship Facebook groups, he landed three new clients in six months.

Real podcast promotion is about relationships. It’s about getting in front of audiences that already exist, not trying to build your own from scratch. The best promotion happens when other industry professionals with their own audiences help amplify your content.

Social media promotion isn’t just posting. It’s actively engaging in industry groups, responding to comments, starting conversations in relevant communities. It’s spending time where your prospects already gather online.

Make shareable video clips that give people a reason to engage with your content. A two-minute segment of your guest explaining complex estate planning strategies works better on LinkedIn than any article you could write.

When guests share clips of themselves discussing their expertise, their followers see your knowledge, too. Every guest becomes a way to reach new prospects.

You’re Trying to Do This Alone

The biggest mistake financial podcasters make is trying to build an audience from scratch by themselves. This takes years and usually fails.

A family office advisor in Chicago spent 18 months trying to grow his show from zero. He booked guests, published consistently, and promoted on social media. After a year and a half, he had 400 subscribers and no new business. Then, he started appearing as a guest on three entrepreneurship podcasts per month. Within six months, he had 2,000 new subscribers and landed two seven-figure clients who heard him on other shows.

Podcasters who succeed understand that audiences already exist – they’re just listening to other shows. Your job isn’t to create an audience from nothing. It’s to tap into existing audiences by working with the right people.

Here’s how the math works: the average podcast listener consumes seven shows per week. Your ideal prospects are already engaged with content in adjacent spaces – entrepreneurship podcasts, industry shows, and business content. When you appear as a guest on these shows, you’re speaking directly to people who need your expertise.

Build relationships with podcasters who reach your target audience. You interview the estate planning attorney about family wealth dynamics. They interview you about investment strategies during wealth transfer. Both episodes get shared with both networks.

Every good guest brings their audience. Every guest appearance puts you in front of existing audiences. Over six months, you’ve connected with thousands of qualified prospects without spending money on advertising.

You’re Thinking About Money Wrong

Most financial podcasters think about monetization backwards. They focus on ad revenue and download metrics instead of what actually matters: winning clients and building relationships.

A wealth manager in Austin chased sponsorship deals for two years, finally landing a small audio equipment company that paid $200 per episode. Meanwhile, his colleague focused on building relationships through her podcast guests. One estate planning attorney she interviewed referred a client worth $4 million in assets under management. That single referral generated more revenue than 200 sponsored episodes.

For boutique managers, podcast monetization isn’t about sponsorships. It’s about positioning yourself as the obvious choice when prospects need financial expertise. One new client worth $2 million in assets under management pays for years of podcast investment.

The real value comes from the relationships you build through the show. Guests become referral sources, fellow hosts become partners, and listeners become prospects who already understand your expertise before they call.

Track referrals that come from guests and their networks. Watch for speaking opportunities that come from your content. Look at the quality of prospects who mention your podcast during initial conversations.

Focus on building your referral network. That business broker you interviewed remembers you when a client sells their company. The estate attorney who appeared on your show refers clients who need investment management. These relationships build over time and bring consistent business.

Here’s What Actually Works

These transformations happen when managers make these changes systematically.

Take the Dallas wealth manager mentioned earlier. After switching from generic topics to specific problems, he didn’t stop there. He set up video recording, started appearing on business podcasts as a guest, and began creating short clips for LinkedIn. Eighteen months later, his podcast had generated $8 million in new assets under management.

Or consider the Phoenix advisor who changed her promotion strategy. She turned each interview into five pieces of content: the full episode, three short video clips, and a LinkedIn article with key insights. Her guests started sharing the professional clips with their networks. When a business broker she’d interviewed shared a clip about valuation strategies, it reached the CEO of a tech company planning an exit. That CEO became a client worth $12 million.

• First phase: Fix your content hook and build compelling episode formats. Set up video recording capability. Define your unique angle – what can only you offer?
• Second phase: Record episodes with guests who bring valuable networks. Start reaching out to other podcasts for guest appearances. Make video clips for social promotion.
• Third phase: Launch promotion across multiple channels. Engage actively in professional communities. Track relationship building rather than just download numbers.

This requires more thinking than random podcasting but less time than most managers expect. Two episodes per month, combined with one guest appearance, create more business activity than traditional networking.

The key is treating podcasting as relationship building rather than audience building. When you focus on connecting with the right people instead of attracting random listeners, the business results follow.

Your expertise isn’t the problem—your approach is. Fix these five issues, and your podcast will become your best business tool.

Don’t Let Your Podcast Fail

Is your financial podcast struggling to generate meaningful business results despite months of consistent effort?

Without the right strategy, you’ll continue investing time and resources while competitors who understand podcast-driven relationship building capture your ideal prospects.

You can book a complimentary strategy session to assess your current podcast approach and explore opportunities to transform it into a client acquisition system.

We’ll gain clarity on what’s holding back your show’s growth and identify the most effective path forward for your specific situation.

Dan Sondhelm is the CEO of Sondhelm Partners. He works with boutique asset managers to help them raise AUM, stand out in crowded markets, and create more meaningful conversations with prospects