As a B2B professional and team leader, I always seek innovative methods to boost efficiency and creativity for myself and the team. Since content creation comes at a cost, one area of focus is repurposing content—AI holds significant potential in this regard. Imagine taking existing written material and revitalizing it across various formats and platforms. Recently, I tested AI tools to evaluate their effectiveness in transforming written content into captivating audio formats, considering the growing popularity of podcasts and audiobooks in the B2B sector.
Why Audio Matters in B2B Marketing
For B2B marketers, audio provides a straightforward approach to connecting with decision-makers who appreciate convenience and engagement. Unlike text-based materials that require focused attention, podcasts integrate into daily routines more naturally, enabling brands to reinforce messages in a more personal and dynamic format.
According to research, 83% of senior executives listen to podcasts weekly, and branded podcasts can boost brand awareness by 89% and purchase intent by 14% (source). Podcasts provide a convenient way for listeners to absorb information while commuting or multitasking. For example, a branded podcast by Slack titled "Work in Progress" successfully captured the attention of its B2B audience by exploring stories about the future of work, earning high engagement and solidifying the brand’s thought leadership in the space.
Inspired by these trends, I was curious whether AI tools could simplify the creation of professional-quality audio content. I decided to test two AI tools, Google’s NotebookLM and Wondercraft.ai, to see how effectively they could repurpose written content into podcast-style audio. NotebookLM offers quick content conversion into conversational podcast scripts, while Wondercraft.ai provides advanced editing features and multi-voice capabilities. Together, these tools rank among the best AI tools for B2B podcasts, making them intriguing options for this experiment. Here’s what I learned.
Experimenting with NotebookLM
My first experiment was with Google’s NotebookLM, and its simplicity struck me. With just one click, the tool converted a few blog posts and an eBook into a lively podcast featuring two virtual hosts. Their back-and-forth dialogue added depth to the content, making it feel more dynamic and engaging, almost like a conversation tailored to the listener. I really thought it gave my content a new life, with dynamic interactions and fresh perspectives. No wonder podcasts are such a hit.
What I Liked:
Cost-Effective: Perfect for smaller budgets or independent creators new to podcasting.
Natural Interaction: The hosts’ voices were smooth and engaging, creating a conversational tone.
User-Friendly: Generating a podcast from existing content was as simple as uploading a document.
Where It Needs Improvement:
Limited Customization: The tool offered only one version of the output, with few options to tweak the script or style.
Branded Content Challenges: The podcasts felt like third-party discussions about my content rather than branded productions.
Niche Fit: While promising, NotebookLM seems more suited for personal projects than tailored B2B marketing initiatives.
Exploring Wondercraft.ai
Next, I turned to Wondercraft.ai to address the limitations of NotebookLM, particularly its lack of customization and branded content alignment. For B2B marketing, these gaps can hinder the ability to produce polished, professional-quality audio content tailored to specific brand goals. Wondercraft allowed me to import the audio file created by NotebookLM and provided advanced editing capabilities- it identified the separate voices and accompanying text, giving me the flexibility to refine the output.
What I Liked:
Smooth Integration: Importing audio from NotebookLM worked seamlessly, enhancing my workflow.
Ease of Editing: editing audio is as simple as editing text, and one can also easily replace the host's voice
Additional feature: It is similarly easy to add music and sound effects, manage different projects
Where It Fell Short:
Voice Transitions: The flow between voices is less natural than the NotebookML one.
Editing Constraints: Significant changes to text or audio led to robotic-sounding results.
Performance: I was not able to playback a 51-minute podcast even though it was automatically generated from NotebookML
Challenges with AI-Generated Content
These tools show a lot of promise, but can we in general rely and trust them completely for content creation?
I have two significant issues with AI-generated content:
Hallucination: AI still makes things up. It generates inaccurate or fabricated information, necessitating thorough verification.
Expertise Gaps: My content draws on years of industry experience, which AI struggles to replicate with the same depth.
However, I’d trust AI-generated content in scenarios where:
It’s based on original, high-quality material. For instance, a company’s white paper transformed into a podcast or summary blog post using AI ensures the core message remains intact.
It’s reviewed and published by a credible brand. For example, IBM’s AI-generated marketing insights, meticulously vetted before release, demonstrate how AI can augment trusted content.
How I Created the Podcast
The podcast creation process followed the two key principles outlined above:
Start with Strong Original Content: I began with an eBook I’d written on B2B marketing fundamentals.
Use AI for Transformation: NotebookLM generated the initial podcast, and Wondercraft.ai refined it.
Quality/Brand control. After reviewing the final version, I published it as part of the MarketingCXO podcast on Spotify.
NOTE on the published podcast:
Content Quality. I would assess the content generated by NotebookLM as satisfactory enough for me to feel comfortable releasing it. It's approximately 85% accurate.
Audio Quality. Sometimes, the ML-generated audio contains ghost voices audible in the release version. However, this can be easily corrected using an audio editing software.
My Takeaway: Experiment, Learn, and Adapt
Testing NotebookLM and Wondercraft.ai revealed both the opportunities and limitations of AI in audio content creation.
On the positive side, these tools make it easy to repurpose written content into engaging audio formats, offering features like multi-voice options and simple integrations. However, their drawbacks, such as limited customization and occasional glitch-sounding outputs, highlight the need for human oversight to ensure quality and professionalism.
While neither tool is perfect, they offer an accessible starting point for marketers to explore audio formats without significant investment. Looking ahead, the potential for AI to transform B2B marketing remains vast. As these tools evolve, I anticipate more refined solutions that align seamlessly with branding goals while minimizing manual intervention.
For B2B marketers interested in audio, my advice is to start small. Experiment with creating podcasts or audiobooks using these tools, evaluate what works, and iterate on the process. AI in marketing constantly evolves, and staying curious and adaptable is key. It feels like we’re just at the start of an exciting journey in B2B marketing.
Have you tried AI tools to create audio content? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below!
Photo by neil godding on Unsplash
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