Podcasts and video have become two of the most powerful tools for modern business owners. Not just for visibility, but for something much more important, building trust and truly understanding who your audience is.

In this episode of the Video Marketing Toolkit, I sit down with Neil Betts, founder of Go True North and creator of the Vision to Venture programme, to talk about how he used podcasts and video to reach over 100,000 YouTube subscribers and build a genuine audience for his business idea.

Rather than starting with a product and hoping people would buy, Neil used podcasts and video as a live testing ground. He built a “trust wall” first, then shaped his offer around the people who were already engaging with his content.

Why Podcasts and Video Are Perfect For Building Trust

Podcasts and video work so well because they feel like a conversation, not a sales pitch. When you hear someone speak, see their reactions, and watch them interact with guests, you start to understand who they really are.

Neil talks about his “win, win, win” mindset. Every piece of content he creates has three wins:

• A win for the audience, who get real value
• A win for the guest, who gains visibility and credibility
• A win for the channel, which builds trust and reputation

That structure fits perfectly with podcasts and video. A good conversation helps the guest shine, gives the audience something useful to take away, and positions the host as someone who curates real expertise, not just noise.

When you repeat that over time, episode after episode, people stop seeing you as “just another business” and start seeing you as someone they can rely on.

Understand Your Audience

One of the biggest lessons Neil shares is that podcasts and video are not just about broadcasting, they are about listening.

He constantly asks:

• Who is actually watching or listening?
• Are they young entrepreneurs, side hustlers, or people leaving corporate life?
• Where are they based?
• What topics keep them engaged?

By looking at his YouTube analytics and content performance, Neil started to get a clear picture of his audience. Podcasts and video became a live feedback loop.

Instead of guessing what people wanted from his Vision to Venture course, he used his channel data and comments to shape it. The content showed him who cared about what he had to say, and what problems they wanted help with.

It is a simple but powerful idea. Use podcasts and video to gather insight first, then build the product.

Long-Term Content Strategy

Neil committed to one core rule: it is always about the audience. Algorithms matter, titles and thumbnails matter, but they only work properly if the content underneath genuinely helps people.

Podcasts and video fit beautifully into a wider content strategy because they are flexible. From a single recording, you can create:

• A full podcast episode for deep dives
• A long-form YouTube video for search and discovery
• Short clips for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok
• Quote posts, blogs and email content based on the same conversation

Neil started with longer interviews, then later added short-form clips that highlighted specific stories or insights. One short even hit 400,000 views on its own. That sort of reach did not come from a clever trick, it came from a meaningful moment that genuinely resonated with people.

Podcasts and video make it much easier to capture those moments.

Building Credibility With Podcasts and Video Before You Sell

A mistake a lot of businesses make is trying to sell before anyone really knows them. Neil flipped that.

He used podcasts and video to:

• Show his experience and problem-solving approach
• Share real stories from business owners and founders
• Let people get to know him as a person, not just a logo
• Demonstrate that he understands the challenges of starting and scaling a venture

Only after building that “trust wall” did he start talking more directly about his Vision to Venture programme. By that point, his audience already knew what he stood for.

Podcasts and video did not just promote the programme, they helped design it.

Getting Started With Podcasts and Video To Find Your Audience

You do not need to publish every day or have a perfect studio to start using podcasts and video in your marketing. Neil built his channel by focusing on:

• Consistency he could actually sustain
• Conversations that delivered real value
• A clear purpose for every episode
• Constant learning from analytics and feedback

The key is to start. You can refine the format, the questions and the visuals over time. What matters most is that you use podcasts and video to speak to real people, listen to what they respond to, and build your business around that insight.

When you lead with value, the audience will find you.

Check out how Video Production can help your business!