The case for audio documentary format in B2B
As a profession, paraplanners have probably been subjected to more speculation than any other in the world of financial planning about the effect that AI will have on the durability of their careers.
But being caught in its apparent crosshairs also means that paraplanning practitioners have made it their business to track the progress and nature of the emerging technology.
The net effect is that paraplanners are knowledgeable about AI. And they’re interested in the actual effect of the technology on advice and advice practices today.
So paraplanners are ahead of the trend and possess a voracious appetite for more and more knowledge about AI and its application. But aside from a couple of exceptions - e.g. NextWealth’s AI Lab and Professional Paraplanner - they’re faced with industry media titles and influencers whose lens tends to be adviser-focused, covering the latest tools or research findings – as well as predicting the end of paraplanning.
The Paraplanners’ Assembly understands how it feels to be a paraplanner in a world of adviser-centric content, so hosted its first online Assembly addressing AI and paraplanning nearly two years ago in April 2024, and dedicated Big Day Out sessions to AI in September 2024 and October 2025.
But last summer we felt what paraplanners would value was some long-form insight that was directly relevant to their day-to-day role because it:
focuses on real-world experience gathered from contributors with first-hand experience of AI implementation
features paraplanning-led contributions offering insights grounded in both experience and knowledge of emerging technologies
adopts a format that allows guests to talk about their experience without the additional pressure of performing in front of a live online event audience or recorded roundtable format
So we contacted paraplanner-turned-presenter-and-facilitator Zara Okoro with an idea: how did she feel about working with us on a two-part documentary series produced and published by the Paraplanners’ Assembly?
As a format, documentary is quite a departure from more traditional roundtable or one-to-one discussions, so it makes different demands on interviewers/presenters.
But Zara loved the idea and set to work on her interview questions, and offered her selection of four guests to interview online: Principled Paraplanning’s Benjamin Fabi, Aram Kupelian of Holden and Partners, Brooks Financial’s Jonny Stubbs, and Ben Wright from Melo.
Zara met up with guests over a six-week period, generating 4½ hours of recorded interviews that were edited down to two episodes with a total runtime of 50 minutes.
The first episode was published by the Paraplanners' Assembly just before Christmas 2025. It focuses on how paraplanners are already using AI and the changes it is bringing. The second episode, released on 15 January, looks ahead at what’s likely to happen in future and what influence it will have on the profession of paraplanning.
What we learned: Why audio documentaries might not be a thing in B2B but should be.
Have you ever noticed that, unless it's produced by a professional media platform like the BBC, documentary-format podcasts in business-to-business communications appear rare?
When we began working on this project, we soon discovered why.
Studio-based roundtable-style discussions are much easier to prepare and quicker to record, package up and publish. A documentary takes more time to prepare for and record: four one-hour interviews rather than a one-hour discussion featuring four guests.
But we also discovered why documentary is such a valuable format to adopt when you want content rather than its presentation to take precedence. In the absence of external pressures like time constraints and a live audience, a skilled interviewer has time to steer conversations in a way which helps unpack the issues, revealing information with the potential to resonate with the audience.
The first episode in the two-part series is already the fifth most downloaded podcast episode published by the Paraplanners’ Assembly – of 96 episodes published since January 2023.
Three take-aways
Publishing a considered and carefully edited documentary is like producing a piece of high-quality print: the investment of time is likely to be rewarded by attention.
Consider a documentary format when you want to ‘show your thinking’ – to help listeners understand the complexity and nuance of issues that are driving big changes or trends.
Balance ≠ both sides. Resist the easy appeal of positioning issues explored as either/or. Set out to allow your listeners to reach their own conclusions. Explore different perspectives with each of your interviewees, listen to the footage you’ve captured, and discern the storyline that you can stitch together in the edit.
Listen to part oneThe second episode, released on 15 January, looks ahead at what’s likely to happen in future and what influence it will have on the profession of paraplanning.
Listen to part twoWhat we learned: Why audio documentaries might not be a thing in B2B but should be.
Have you ever noticed that, unless it's produced by a professional media platform like the BBC, documentary-format podcasts in business-to-business communications appear rare?
When we began working on this project, we soon discovered why.
Studio-based discussions are much easier to prepare, record, package up and publish than a documentary. A documentary takes more time to prepare for and record: four one-hour interviews rather than a one-hour discussion featuring four guests.
But we also discovered why documentary is such a valuable format to adopt when you want content rather than its presentation to take precedence.
Our advice? Publishing a considered and carefully edited documentary is like producing a piece of high-quality print: the investment of time is likely to be rewarded by attention.
The first episode in the two-part series is already the fifth most downloaded podcast episode published by the Paraplanners’ Assembly – of 96 episodes published since January 2023.
Scroll down and you can flick through a carousel that details the tools we used – in case you want some inspiration.
Help yourself: Want to create your own documentary? These are the tools we used.
Fittingly for an audio documentary about AI, both Zara and Ian leaned on the assistance of AI tools to bring both episodes to life.
