Rise25 vs. Lower Street: Which B2B Podcast Agency Is Right for Your Business?

TL;DR

Rise25 and Lower Street are both podcast agencies, but they are built for different outcomes. Lower Street is a strong fit for brands that want polished, story-driven branded podcasts. Rise25 is built for B2B companies that want a podcast to create relationships with ideal clients, referral partners, and strategic partners.

For B2B companies, the key question is not, “Who can produce a good podcast?” It is, “Which agency can help us turn podcasting into a relationship-building and ROI-generating asset?”

Rise25’s point of view: the best B2B podcast is not measured only by downloads. It is measured by the quality of conversations, the strength of the relationships created, and the business opportunities that result.

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Executive Summary

Podcasting has become a significant business and content marketing channel. According to the Pew Research Center, 54% of U.S. adults said they had listened to a podcast in the previous 12 months in 2025, up from 49% in 2022.

For B2B companies, however, a podcast can do more than create content or attract listeners. It can also create meaningful conversations with the clients, referral partners, strategic partners, and industry leaders who can move the business forward.

But for B2B companies, a podcast should do more than create content. It should help the host build meaningful relationships with the exact people who can move the business forward.

Lower Street positions itself as a full-service podcast agency focused on helping brands strategize, produce, and grow shows that sound human and connect with audiences. Its strength is branded podcast storytelling, production, and audience growth.

Rise25 takes a different approach. Rise25 helps B2B companies use podcasting as a referral marketing engagement system that builds strategic partnerships, generates leads and referrals, saves time, builds authority, and creates marketing assets that can generate value for years.

The better choice depends on your goal:

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Key Takeaways

1. Rise25 is best for B2B companies that want podcasting to support business development, referrals, and relationship-building.
2. Lower Street is best for brands that want a polished, story-driven branded podcast.
3. B2B podcasting works best when the guest strategy is intentional.
4. Downloads are not the only success metric for B2B podcasts.
5. The highest-ROI podcast guests are often ideal clients, referral partners, strategic partners, industry leaders, authors, speakers, and existing customers.
6. A podcast can save time by replacing unfocused networking with targeted conversations.
7. A strong B2B podcast strategy should include production, guest strategy, SEO, content repurposing, follow-up, and relationship nurturing.

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Table of Contents

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1. What Is Rise25?

Rise25 is a B2B podcast production agency that helps companies launch and run podcasts designed to create relationships, referrals, strategic partnerships, and clients.

Rise25’s core belief is simple: a B2B podcast should be more than a media channel. It should be a relationship-building system.

Instead of focusing only on audience size, Rise25 uses its Dream 200 podcast production process to help clients connect with ideal clients, referral partners, strategic partners, influencers, and industry leaders they most want to build relationships with.

Rise25’s podcasting system is designed to help companies:

• Build strategic partnerships
• Generate leads and referrals
• Save time by connecting with high-caliber people who may otherwise be hard to reach
• Build brand authority
• Create long-term marketing assets
• Strengthen relationships with clients, prospects, and referral sources

Rise25’s proposal materials describe a podcast as a “referral marketing engagement system” that can help businesses create a client and referral pipeline.

Rise25 also emphasizes that the business goal is not simply to publish episodes. The goal is to build relationships that create ROI.

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2. What Is Lower Street?

Lower Street is a full-service podcast agency that helps brands create, produce, and grow podcasts. According to Lower Street’s website, the agency helps brands strategize, produce, and grow shows that sound more human and connect with the audience they care about.

Lower Street’s positioning focuses heavily on:

• Branded podcast strategy
• Story-driven shows
• Human-first production
• Audience growth
• Brand positioning
• High-quality podcast production

Lower Street describes its work as helping brands make “podcasts people actually want to hear and watch,” with end-to-end strategy, production, and audience growth.

This makes Lower Street a strong fit for companies that want a polished branded podcast, especially if the primary goal is audience engagement, brand storytelling, or thought leadership.

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3. Rise25 vs. Lower Street: Quick Comparison

Category	Rise25	Lower Street
Primary Focus	B2B relationship-building and ROI	Branded podcast storytelling and production
Best For	B2B service firms, agencies, consultants, professional services, MSPs, and law firms	Brands, enterprise companies, universities, and organizations seeking polished narrative content
Podcast Philosophy	A podcast is a relationship-building and referral engine	A podcast is a brand media channel
Guest Strategy	Interview ideal clients, referral partners, strategic partners, and industry leaders	Build episodes around audience and brand storytelling goals
Success Metric	Relationships, referrals, strategic partnerships, client opportunities, and authority	Audience engagement, brand positioning, show quality, and audience growth
Production Model	Done-for-you podcast production with strategy and accountability	Full-service podcast strategy, production, and growth
SEO & Content Support	Blog posts, transcripts, YouTube content, dynamic snippets, and repurposing	Show notes and SEO-focused podcast support
Strongest Fit	Companies that want podcasting directly tied to business development	Companies that want a highly produced branded show

 

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4. The Biggest Difference: Relationships vs. Branded Storytelling

The biggest difference between Rise25 and Lower Street is not production quality. It is strategy.

Lower Street is primarily built around branded podcasting. Its model is ideal for companies that want a show that strengthens brand positioning, tells compelling stories, and grows an audience.

Rise25 is built around B2B relationship-building. Its model is ideal for companies that want podcasting to create high-value conversations with the exact people they want to know.

That distinction matters because most B2B companies do not need a podcast that reaches millions of anonymous listeners. They need a podcast that helps them build trust with the right 50, 100, or 200 people.

For example, a digital agency does not necessarily need 100,000 downloads per month to make a podcast worthwhile. One strategic partnership with a complementary agency, software company, consultant, or referral source could produce more business value than a large but unqualified audience.

That is why Rise25 advises B2B companies to stop asking only, “How do we get more listeners?” and start asking:

• Who do we want to build a relationship with?
• Who already serves our ideal clients?
• Who could refer business to us?
• Who could become a client?
• Who could become a strategic partner?
• Who would we love to feature and promote?

This is where B2B podcasting becomes a business development asset.

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5. Podcast Strategy Comparison

Rise25’s Podcast Strategy

Rise25’s podcast strategy starts with the business outcome.

The question is not, “What should our show be about?” The better question is, “Who do we want this show to help us build relationships with?”

Rise25’s approach typically includes:

• Identifying the host’s Dream 200
• Mapping ideal clients, referral partners, and strategic partners
• Creating a podcast concept that makes sense for those guests
• Building an outreach system
• Recording authentic conversations
• Publishing episodes across podcast platforms
• Turning episodes into website content
• Creating follow-up opportunities after each episode
• Using the podcast to create long-term relationship equity

Rise25 also emphasizes consistency. Its materials note that putting out one interview per week can help a business build relationships with 40+ high-caliber people per year.

That is a powerful lens for B2B companies. A podcast is not just a content calendar. It is a relationship calendar.

Lower Street’s Podcast Strategy

Lower Street’s strategy appears to center on creating strong branded podcasts with compelling concepts, production quality, and audience growth. Lower Street says it helps brands launch shows without an awkward phase by handling strategic development, concept, setup, gear, and training.

Lower Street’s model is likely a strong fit when a company wants:

• A polished branded podcast
• A narrative or editorial show format
• Brand awareness
• Audience engagement
• High production value
• A show designed to stand out creatively

This can be valuable for larger brands, universities, or companies with a strong media and communications function.

Which Strategy Is Better?

Neither strategy is universally better. The better choice depends on what you want the podcast to accomplish.

Choose a relationship-first strategy if your main goals are:

• Referrals
• Strategic partnerships
• Client acquisition
• Sales conversations
• Relationship nurturing
• Industry authority

Choose a brand storytelling strategy if your main goals are:

• Brand awareness
• Audience engagement
• Narrative content
• Thought leadership at scale
• Creative brand differentiation

For many B2B service companies, the relationship-first strategy is more directly tied to revenue.

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6. Guest Strategy and Relationship Building

Guest strategy is one of the most important factors in whether a B2B podcast creates real business value.

A common mistake is choosing guests primarily for name recognition. Well-known guests can add credibility and attract attention, but the most valuable guest is not always the person with the largest audience. For a B2B podcast, the better question is: Who would be valuable to build a genuine relationship with?

That is why Rise25 recommends building your guest strategy around relationship value and business relevance.

The best B2B podcast guests often include:

• Ideal clients
• Current and past clients
• Referral partners
• Strategic partners
• Industry influencers
• Authors and speakers
• Association leaders
• Operators at companies you admire
• Potential co-marketing partners
• Leaders who serve the same audience you serve

This approach turns the guest list into more than an editorial calendar. It becomes a roadmap for building relationships with people who could become clients, referral sources, collaborators, strategic partners, or long-term advocates for your business.

Podcasting also creates a very different starting point for those relationships. A traditional sales message asks someone for their time so you can talk about your business. A podcast invitation gives you an opportunity to spotlight their expertise, experiences, and ideas.

That distinction matters, particularly when reaching out to busy executives and industry leaders who may have little reason to respond to another sales request.

A cold sales email asks for attention. A podcast invitation offers it.

When the conversation is valuable and the guest has a positive experience, the interview can become the beginning of a meaningful professional relationship — not simply another piece of content.

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7. Production Workflow and Done-for-You Support

A podcast can create significant value, but only if the team can sustain it consistently.

Behind every published episode are dozens of tasks — from guest research, outreach, and scheduling to recording, editing, publishing, SEO, content repurposing, and follow-up. For a busy CEO, founder, consultant, attorney, agency owner, or MSP leader, managing all of those moving parts can quickly become a burden.

That is where a done-for-you production model can make a difference.

Rise25’s done-for-you podcast production model is designed so the host can focus on the conversations and relationships while the production team manages the work required to keep the podcast running.

Depending on the engagement, that support can include:

• Podcast setup and onboarding
• Audio hosting and platform distribution
• Podcast artwork and intro/outro production
• Audio and video editing
• Episode publishing
• Website blog posts and SEO support
• YouTube publishing and video content
• Dynamic snippets and other promotional assets
• Guest follow-up
• Outreach support
• Gifting programs
• Podcast guesting support

Lower Street also provides full-service podcast support across strategy, production, and growth, including show notes designed to support podcast discovery and SEO.

Both agencies can handle the production work. The more important distinction is how that production supports the broader podcast strategy.

For Rise25, removing the operational burden helps B2B leaders consistently build relationships and create business development opportunities through their podcast. Lower Street’s production approach places greater emphasis on creating polished branded content and growing its audience.

For companies comparing podcast agencies, the question is therefore not simply “Who can produce our podcast?” but “What do we want our podcast production system to help us accomplish?”

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8. SEO, Content Repurposing, and Long-Term Value

A B2B podcast should not disappear after the episode goes live.

Every episode can become:

Rise25’s proposal materials explain that each episode can include an SEO-optimized blog post on the client’s website, designed to deepen the relationship with the guest by making them look like an authority and thought leader.

That is important because a podcast episode is not just content for your audience. It is also a gift to the guest.

When you publish a strong episode page about your guest, you give them:

• Visibility
• Credibility
• A shareable asset
• A backlink or mention
• A reason to stay connected
• A reason to introduce you to others

Rise25 also recommends transcripts for SEO because they can add thousands of words of keyword-rich content to each episode page.

From an SEO perspective, a podcast can support long-tail search visibility, topical authority, and internal linking. From a relationship perspective, it gives you a reason to follow up with the guest after publication.

Lower Street also emphasizes the SEO value of show notes. According to its podcast show notes service, the agency incorporates keyword research, SEO, and content repurposing to help improve podcast discoverability and extend the value of each episode.

Both agencies recognize the value of SEO and content repurposing. The key distinction is how Rise25 integrates these assets into its relationship-building strategy, using its podcast marketing services to reconnect with guests, strengthen professional relationships, and extend the value of each published episode.

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9. Lead Generation and ROI

Many companies start podcasts for the wrong reason.

They think success means downloads, subscribers, or chart rankings.

Those metrics can matter, but they are not always the best indicators of ROI for a B2B podcast.

For B2B companies, better podcast ROI metrics include:

• Number of ideal relationships created
• Number of referral partners interviewed
• Number of strategic partners interviewed
• Number of prospects interviewed
• Number of follow-up conversations created
• Number of introductions generated
• Number of clients influenced
• Number of sales conversations accelerated
• Number of authority assets created
• Number of guest-driven referrals created

Rise25’s materials emphasize that a podcast can provide ROI when done right, especially when it is used to feature current and future high-value relationships.

The key phrase is “when done right.”

A B2B podcast without a strategy can become an expensive content habit. A B2B podcast with the right strategy can become one of the most valuable relationship-building tools in the company. For a real-world example, explore Rise25’s B2B podcast case study to see how a relationship-focused podcasting strategy can support business growth.

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10. The Rise25 B2B Podcast ROI Framework

The 5R B2B Podcast Framework

The 5R Framework focuses on five stages that turn podcast conversations into long-term business value: Right People, Relationship, Repurposing, Reconnection, and Revenue.

1. Right People

Start with your Dream 200 — the people and companies you most want to build relationships with. This may include ideal clients, existing clients, referral and technology partners, industry experts, association leaders, authors, speakers, and investors.

Your guest list should not be random. It should align directly with your business goals.

2. Relationship

The interview should deepen the relationship, not feel transactional.

Ask thoughtful questions, make the guest look good, and create a meaningful conversation. A great guest experience builds trust, goodwill, and a stronger connection.

3. Repurposing

Turn each conversation into multiple assets. One episode can become an audio episode, blog post, transcript, video, short clips, social content, and other resources.

This allows a single conversation to continue creating value long after the interview ends.

4. Reconnection

After the episode goes live, reconnect with the guest.

Share the published episode, thank them again, and continue the conversation. You can also ask for guest introductions or explore other ways to collaborate.

The goal isn’t a hard sell. It’s another meaningful relationship touchpoint.

5. Revenue

Strong relationships can create business opportunities directly or indirectly.

A guest may become a client, introduce you to a prospect, refer a partner, invite you to speak, collaborate with you, or become a long-term advocate.

That is why the best B2B podcast ROI is often relationship-driven, not download-driven.

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11. Who Should Choose Rise25?

Rise25 is likely the better fit if your company wants a podcast to support business development.

Choose Rise25 if you are:

• A B2B service company
• A digital agency
• An IT services firm
• An MSP
• A law firm
• A consulting firm
• An M&A advisory firm
• A professional services firm
• A high-ticket service provider
• A founder-led company
• A company with a high client lifetime value
• A company that relies on referrals and partnerships

Rise25 is especially compelling if you want to use your podcast to:

• Build relationships with ideal clients
• Connect with referral partners
• Create strategic partnerships
• Save time on networking
• Build authority in your niche
• Create SEO assets
• Publish consistently without managing all the details
• Turn conversations into long-term business opportunities

Rise25 is not just a podcast vendor. It is a strategic podcast partner for companies that want podcasting to become a business development system.

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12. Who Should Choose Lower Street?

Lower Street may be a strong fit for companies prioritizing branded storytelling, professional podcast production, and audience development. Its official services page describes its podcast strategy, production, and promotional offerings.

Choose Lower Street if you want:

• A story-driven branded podcast
• A more editorial or narrative format
• Audience growth
• Brand awareness
• A polished content experience
• Creative development
• A show that feels like a media property
• A podcast designed primarily for listeners rather than guest relationships

Lower Street may be a strong fit for:

• Enterprise brands
• Universities
• Larger marketing teams
• Brands investing in content-led awareness
• Companies with a defined audience growth strategy
• Organizations that want to humanize complex topics

Lower Street describes the types of organizations it serves on its Is Lower Street a Fit? page. These include companies and organizations seeking professional podcast production and branded storytelling. Its positioning makes it a potential option for businesses prioritizing audience engagement and brand communication.

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13. How To Decide Which Podcast Agency Is Right for You

Before choosing between Rise25 and Lower Street, answer these questions.

1. What is the primary business goal?

If your primary goal is brand awareness, storytelling, or audience development, Lower Street may be worth considering. Its podcast promotion services emphasize helping brands reach and engage listeners.

If your primary goal is building relationships with ideal clients, referral partners, and strategic partners, Rise25’s relationship-focused podcasting approach may be more closely aligned with your objectives.

2. Who do you want on the show?

If you want subject matter experts to contribute to a broader brand story, Lower Street’s podcast production and storytelling services may be suitable.

If you want to prioritize interviews with ideal clients, referral partners, and strategic partners, Rise25’s Dream 200 approach may be a better match for your guest strategy.

3. How will you measure success?

Based on Lower Street’s emphasis on podcast promotion and audience development, relevant success metrics may include:

• Audience growth
• Brand lift
• Engagement
• Show quality
• Thought leadership

For a Rise25 podcast built around business relationships, relevant success metrics may include:

• Referral relationships
• Client opportunities
• Strategic partnerships
• Authority assets
• Follow-up conversations
• Relationship-driven ROI

4. How much operational support do you need?

Both agencies offer podcast production support. Lower Street’s official services page outlines its production-related offerings. Rise25’s approach is designed for busy B2B leaders who want to focus on building relationships through interviews while delegating production and ongoing podcast management.

5. Do you want a podcast audience or a podcast-powered network?

This may be one of the most important strategic questions.

A podcast audience can help a company build awareness, credibility, and engagement. A podcast-powered professional network can create opportunities for referrals, partnerships, and business development.

These goals are not mutually exclusive. However, for B2B companies that prioritize relationship-driven growth, Rise25’s approach may offer a closer strategic fit.

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14. Final Verdict

Rise25 and Lower Street are both established podcast agencies, but they approach podcasting from different strategic directions.

Lower Street is a strong choice for organizations prioritizing branded storytelling, production quality, audience engagement, and podcast growth.

Rise25 is built specifically for B2B companies that want their podcast to support business development. Its relationship-first approach connects podcast production with ideal-client conversations, referrals, strategic partnerships, authority building, and measurable business opportunities.

Ultimately, the right agency depends on the job you want your podcast to do.

If your priority is building an audience around a highly produced brand show, Lower Street may be the better fit. If your priority is using a podcast to build relationships with the people who can influence the growth of your business, Rise25 is designed around that outcome.

If you’re ready to build a relationship-driven B2B podcast, explore Rise25’s podcast production services to see how strategy, production, outreach, and content can work together as one system.

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FAQ

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Ready to explore how strategic podcast production can accelerate your business development? Schedule a free podcast ROI consultation with John and the Rise25 team to map your Dream 200 targets and design a relationship engineering approach optimized for measurable business outcomes.

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