A Wealth Solutions Report feature examines whether podcasting is worth the investment for RIAs with $1 billion to $15 billion in assets under management, weighing the channel’s relationship-building upside against the real time and cost it takes to do well. Susan Theder, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at FMG Suite, is quoted on why podcasts create a personal, intimate connection that’s hard to replicate elsewhere, while cautioning that “inconsistent publishing is the biggest risk. Many podcasts stall once the schedule slips.”
Theder advises firms to match tactics to their own capacity and recommends narrowing in on one ideal client type rather than chasing broad appeal, since a focused show is both easier to sustain and more useful to the listeners who actually become clients. The article also cites concrete numbers advisors can use to size up the investment, including $200 to $1,000 a month for outsourced production and the fact that the average podcast is abandoned after only about seven episodes.
FAQ
Q: What is the Wealth Solutions Report article about?
A: It examines whether podcasting is a worthwhile marketing investment for registered investment advisors (RIAs), particularly firms with $1 billion to $15 billion in assets under management, weighing the relationship-building and brand-authority benefits of a podcast against the time and cost required to produce one well.
Q: Who is quoted in the article, and what is their background?
A: Susan Theder, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at FMG Suite, is the featured expert. She speaks to the branding and audience-building upside of podcasting as well as the practical risks advisors should weigh before committing to the channel.
Q: What’s the biggest risk of starting a podcast, according to Theder?
A: Inconsistent publishing. Theder notes that many podcasts stall once the publishing schedule slips, and sporadic output can do more damage to a firm’s brand than never starting one at all.
Q: How much does it cost an RIA to produce a podcast?
A: The article cites $200 to $1,000 a month for outsourced production, or $3,000 to $5,000 a month when working with a full-service agency, on top of the 3 to 5 hours per episode (or roughly 10 hours a week) required to produce a show in-house.
Q: How should an advisory firm decide if podcasting fits its marketing strategy?
A: Theder recommends matching the tactic to the firm’s capacity: newer or smaller firms with more time than budget often lean into content formats like podcasting, while larger firms should weigh the soft-dollar time cost against channels with more proven, faster ROI.
Q: What makes a financial advisor podcast succeed long-term?
A: Narrowing in on one ideal client type rather than aiming for broad appeal, maintaining a consistent publishing schedule, and treating episodes as repurposable content (clips, quotes, blog posts) that compounds in value over time. The article notes one RIA, Potomac, took three years of consistent publishing before individual episodes topped 100,000 views.
