Why startup founders are falling in love with the idea of hosting chat shows

What’s common between Zomato, Cred, Byju’s, Zerodha, and Bombay Shaving Company other than them being startups?

The answer is that their founders love hosting chat shows on their social media platforms. In these shows, startup founders are shown inviting business leaders and motivational speakers to talk about business and life matters.

Well, chat shows are not a new concept when it comes to brand building, but chat shows hosted by the company founders are a game-changer as they bring more depth, credibility and authenticity to the content format.

Sandeep Balan

As per Sandeep Balan, Partner, Branded Content, Spring Marketing Capital, while chat shows are not a new concept for brands, the biggest difference when a company's founder wears the host's hat is the level of authenticity and relatability that comes to the forefront. The responses given by the guests in such chat shows are more genuine because technically they are talking to a friend.

"The startup community is a very close-knit community where every startup founder knows every other startup founder. A lot of honesty comes into play when you are having a conversation with friends. It doesn't come off as pretentious," said Balan.

Most recently, Zomato launched a chat show series hosted by its founder and CEO, Deepinder Goyal. The series, named ‘Zomato Breaking Bread’, features restaurateurs as interviewees and has been recorded at the Zomato Headquarters.

One of the episodes from ‘Breaking Bread’ series:

Dheeraj Kummar

According to Dheeraj Kummar, National Creative Director, Brand and Consumer Experience, Motivator (GroupM), chat shows hosted by founders open a stream of knowledge, which is extremely useful to simplify entrepreneurship.

One of the most famous chat shows that a startup founder hosts and is recalled by many is Bombay Shaving Company founder Shantanu Deshpande’s The BarberShop. His chat is also the epitome of how a brand can make the most by acting as a publisher itself. The show’s YouTube page has over 1.41 lakh subscribers. New episodes drop every Friday at 9 p.m.

https://www.youtube.com/@thebarbershopwithshantanu6670/videos

For Motivator’s Kummar, Deshpande’s The BarberShop’s catchy title, informal setting, free-flow conversation, and most importantly, the clearly defined objective of simplifying entrepreneurship are the factors that work in the favour of the show.

Kumar of Bottle Opener seconded, "I really enjoy how the interviews are conducted in a casual and conversational manner. It feels like you're sitting down with a friend and having a genuine chat. But what sets it apart is that, despite the relaxed atmosphere, the show manages to address serious subjects with sincerity and depth. Shantanu's interviewing style is impressive, making the guests feel comfortable enough to open up while still exploring meaningful topics. This unique blend of informality and gravity makes the show a delightful and insightful experience for viewers like me.

Not just shows like these empower and educate people, but they also build brand love in the long run, along with saving the cost of onboarding renowned celebrity hosts.

Sachin Kumar

Also, there is no better brand ambassador than the company founder, according to Sachin Kumar, Founder, Bottle Openers. He explained, "When founders represent the brand, they communicate their vision, passion, and commitment directly to the audience. This personal touch creates a strong connection with customers and stakeholders, instilling confidence in the brand. The founders' genuine enthusiasm and understanding of the company's core values and goals make them authentic spokespersons. Their involvement fosters trust and credibility, leading to a loyal customer base, which is essential for any successful business."

Because founders are like the brand ambassadors of the company, anything they say or do on the public platform builds a reputation for themselves and their companies. Therefore, "Founders must keep in mind that whatever they say on the show is aligned with the values and vision of the brand," pointed out Kummar.

Varun Shah

As per Varun Shah, Managing Partner and Head of Prodigious India and Content Factory India, with the wide adoption of audio apps and the possibility of regional language adaptations, chat shows by founders are a great medium to educate and evangelise concepts.

He said, "The reason we see a lot of start-ups using them is that they are more experimental and are largely using these platforms to educate their audiences about their products and services. Also, podcasts help build a personal connection with the audience as they provide a direct window of engagement."

Although Shah added that it's never a one-size-fits-all solution, "The brand and marketer really have to understand their audiences and curate the correct content to be effective and appealing to them."

The Cred Curious series is another popular chat show hosted by the company founder, Kunal Shah. The show aims to bring insights from the best minds to the viewers ‌to enable better lives.

While this concept has been picked up well among the startup community, one can’t think of legacy brand founders resorting to this tactic. Kummar thinks that because most of the legacy and established brands are in diverse business lines, it’s difficult to pick and choose a focused way of driving such chats and conversations.

"Also, hosting a chat show is a personal passion and aspiration, which cannot be driven by PR teams or pushed by leadership to do it. Leaders like Anand Mahindra and Harsh Goenka of legacy brands are quite active on social media platforms, but doing a full-fledged chat show may not be feasible for them," added Kummar.

Bottle Opener’s Kumar emphasised that while established business houses like those led by Mr Mahindra and Mr Goenka hold a rich legacy, the importance of personal connection has taken centre stage.

He commented, "Start-ups have a unique advantage in building a new brand if the founder takes an active role in communication. When the founders themselves share the vision and values of the business, it adds a sense of authenticity and seriousness to the venture. This personal touch resonates with consumers, helping to establish a stronger and more relatable consumer brand in the market."

Chat shows by founders not only bring credibility, authenticity, and relatability to the table, but content concepts like these also become an inspiration for many.

Balan said, "Shows like these help people hear inspiring stories of entrepreneurs you look up to. Through such chat shows, a person gets to know about parts of entrepreneurs' lives that he or she may not have been privy to before. Other forums where they speak are more for official purposes. In these chat shows, the conversations are more real and hence inspiring."

When considering the concept of founders acting as hosts, it's essential to keep in mind a few crucial factors. A few pointers that Kumar of Bottle Opener shared with BuzzInContent are listed below.

1. The context of the show is vital: It should align with the mission and values of the founders and their company.

2. The credibility of the guests is significant.

3. Creating valuable and engaging content: While the reach of the platform matters, focusing on creating valuable and engaging content should be the priority.