why most B2B companies massively fail at YouTube... a $250k lesson

We're back.

After a few months of radio silence, I owe you an explanation. We've been heads down building our new video podcast service and honestly, the newsletter got pushed to the back burner.

But while we were busy in the trenches, the questions we kept getting were always the same.

- "How do I actually make video a consistent part of our content strategy?"
- "What's the real ROI of YouTube… and where do we even start?"
- "Why does everyone say video is important but nobody explains how to do it right?"

These aren't just casual questions. They're coming from VPs of Marketing at $50M companies who know they're missing something big but can't figure out what it is.

So here's my commitment: every Thursday through the end of 2025, you'll get a new Video First newsletter with insights that actually help you get results from video and YouTube.

Not theoretical advice. Not generic tips you can find anywhere else. Real insights from the trenches of what's working for the clients we’re working with and 10+ years of honing our craft.

Because here's what we believe: video isn't just another channel to try in 2025. It's the foundation everything else should be built on. The companies that figure this out will have an unfair advantage. The ones that don't will keep wondering why their competitors are getting all the attention.

My goal is simple: make you the smartest person in the room when it comes to video and more specifically… YouTube strategy.

Let's get into this weeks edition.

A few weeks ago, myself and my co-founder (Sergey) sat down to dissect Intercom's YouTube strategy for an episode breakdown on our podcast.

Not because their channel is particularly complex or innovative - but because it was genuinely difficult to figure out who the hell it's supposed to be for.

Here's a company that pioneered B2B content marketing 15 years ago. They built one of the most successful blogs in SaaS. They understand content better than almost anyone in the space.

And yet their YouTube channel - despite 675 videos, 11,700 subscribers, and what we estimate to be over $250,000 in production investment - gets the kind of engagement you'd expect from a startup that launched last week.

This isn't a hit piece on Intercom. Actually, it's the opposite. Their struggle with YouTube perfectly illustrates why most B2B companies are failing so spectacularly on the platform right now.

The Identity Crisis

When you land on Intercom's YouTube channel, you're immediately hit with decision fatigue. There's a playlist called "Pioneer 2024" (what does that even mean?). There's something called "OffScript" that looks like it cost more to produce than most companies' entire marketing budgets. There are three different podcasts with different hosts, different formats, and seemingly different audiences.

Then there are product update videos, conference clips, 40-second intros that don't connect to anything, and random behind-the-scenes content about working at Intercom.

I spent HOURS trying to understand who this channel is for, and I work in this space every day. If I can't figure it out, what chance does a random prospect have?

This is the first massive mistake most B2B companies make with YouTube: they treat it like a dumping ground instead of a curated experience.

The Apple Complex

Here's where things get really interesting. Intercom created this series called "OffScript" that is clearly inspired by Apple keynotes. Same type of room, same lighting setup, same slick editing style. It's beautiful. It's well-produced. It probably cost a fortune.

And it gets terrible engagement.

Why? Because Apple can get away with being Apple. When Tim Cook does a keynote, people watch because it's Apple. When you're a B2B SaaS company trying to explain AI customer service, you need to earn attention in a completely different way.

We see this constantly - B2B companies thinking they can replicate Apple's approach and somehow that visual polish will translate to YouTube success. But Apple's keynotes work because Apple has already built massive brand equity. They don't need to optimize for YouTube's algorithm or worry about search discoverability.

When you're not a trillion-dollar company, you can't play by trillion-dollar company rules.

Intercom spent what we estimate to be tens of thousands of dollars creating these Apple-style videos in square format (which looks weird and outdated on YouTube), with Netflix-level production values, focusing more on brand aesthetics than viewer value.

The result? Videos that look like million-dollar TV commercials but perform like amateur YouTube uploads.

The Podcast Portfolio Problem

This one really gets me. Intercom has three different podcasts on their channel:

• "The Ticket" (focused on customer support)

• "Start Good Trouble" (general business conversations)

• "OffScript" (the expensive Apple-style series)

Each has different hosts, different formats, different production values, and different audiences.

Here's the thing about podcasts that most B2B companies miss: it's incredibly difficult to make one podcast work well. The amount of effort required to perfect the hosting, improve the delivery, develop a consistent audience, and create genuinely valuable content is enormous.

When you split that effort across three different shows, you end up with three mediocre podcasts instead of one great one.

We see this pattern everywhere - companies thinking more podcasts equals more success. But success on YouTube (and podcasting in general) comes from depth, not breadth. Your audience needs to know what to expect when they come to your channel.

The SEO Blindness

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. People go there actively looking for solutions to their problems.

Intercom has videos with titles like "Stewart Hillhouse on the AI Playbook for Tomorrow's Content Teams" - which tells you absolutely nothing about what you'll learn if you watch it.

Meanwhile, there are thousands of searches every month for specific AI and customer service topics that Intercom could easily rank for. But instead of optimizing for search, they're optimizing for... what exactly? Looking professional?

This is YouTube SEO blindness - creating content that might work in other contexts but completely ignores how people actually discover and consume content on YouTube.

The Distribution Contradiction

Intercom is simultaneously trying to build a YouTube audience while keeping some of their best content behind gates on their website.

They have webinars that require form fills to watch (it's 2025, people), while also spending six figures creating free YouTube content. They're promoting the same video both on LinkedIn and embedded in blog posts, essentially competing with themselves for attention.

It's like they can't decide if they want to be a media company or a traditional B2B company with a side hobby in video.

This internal misalignment is everywhere in their video strategy. Some videos are hosted on YouTube (correct), others on legacy hosting platforms (wrong). Some content is freely available, other similar content is gated. There's no coherent philosophy about how video fits into their overall strategy.

The Resource Misallocation

The most frustrating part of analyzing Intercom's channel is seeing how much potential is being wasted.

They have 112 written case studies on their website. On YouTube? Six case study videos, and those are from three years ago.

They launched a major AI platform that represents the future of their company. Instead of creating educational content that addresses customer concerns about AI, they made more brand videos that mostly talk about themselves.

The resources are there. The expertise is there. The production quality is there. But it's all being applied in ways that serve the company's appearance more than their customers' needs.

What This Means for Everyone Else

Intercom's YouTube struggles aren't unique. We see these same patterns across hundreds of B2B channels:

Companies treating YouTube like LinkedIn (it's not). Overproducing content for brand appeal rather than viewer value. Creating multiple unfocused content streams instead of perfecting one. Ignoring basic YouTube optimization while spending fortunes on production.

The irony is that most of these companies already know how to create great content. Intercom proved it with their blog. HubSpot proves it with their educational resources. But when it comes to video, they abandon everything they know about content strategy and start trying to be something they're not.

The opportunity is massive right now. While companies like Intercom are spending six figures to create beautiful videos that nobody watches, the B2B companies that figure out YouTube's actual rules are building sustainable competitive advantages.

YouTube rewards depth over breadth. Consistency over production value. Audience focus over trying to please everyone. Educational value over brand promotion.

These aren't new concepts in content marketing. They're just not being applied to video.

The Path Forward

If you're running content at a B2B company and reading this, here's what Intercom's expensive lesson should teach you:

Start with one clear audience and one focused content theme. Perfect that before expanding. Optimize for YouTube's rules, not your internal brand guidelines. Measure success by engagement and business impact, not how impressive your videos look in company all-hands meetings.

Most importantly, stop trying to be Apple. You're not Apple. Be the best version of your actual company instead.

The companies that figure this out in the next 18 months will have an unfair advantage for years. The ones that keep making beautiful, expensive videos for nobody in particular will keep wondering why their competitors are getting all the attention.

What's your biggest YouTube challenge right now? Hit reply and let me know - I read every response.

- Joe, Co-Founder of Sway One (B2B Video Podcast & YouTube Agency)