Do you listen to podcasts? Did you know they’re one of the fastest-growing mediums for promotion and entertainment?
Podcasts are a powerful tool, but how can a podcast get you more email subscribers?
With the rapidly growing popularity of podcasts, they’re becoming a more and more functional piece of marketing content. Your business and client base can benefit from the advice, entertainment and information your podcast can contain.
There are a few things you need to know if you want to become a podcasting pro and simultaneously make your email list grow.
What Is A Podcast?
A podcast is audio only. If you watch any YouTube videos, imagine it’s like that, but without the video element. Podcasts are focused on the audio, not the visual. In this way, it’s a bit like talk radio.
One of the best parts is that you can talk about any subject you like, in any way you want. There’s a podcast for everything, from yoga teacher training to local property market updates. If there’s an audience for it, there’s a podcast about it, I guarantee.
To give you an idea of what’s popular, the current top 10 podcasts include true crime, lifestyle and sports. The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett is the UK’s top podcast.
But of course, if you want to use a podcast to grow your email list, you want to stay relevant. You can start thinking about what kind of podcast your ideal customers are already listening to. What kind of audio do they see enough value in that they’d sign up to your email list?
The Power Of Podcasting
Why talk? In a world where Reels, Stories and Shorts dominate people’s interest, is audio-only a step backwards?
No.
Podcasts have their own unique space. A space that allows users just to listen, or for the always-busy, to listen while doing mundane tasks like pairing socks, driving, commuting or washing up. There are many platforms designed to help launch your podcast so you can get started fairly easily.
Not to mention there’s huge listener potential. With a wide range of listeners that hold potential as customers, a podcast gives you a non-intrusive, high-value way to reach a new audience.
Getting Started
Right, so you’ve decided to give podcasting a go. Where do you begin?
Start by deciding what your podcast is about. You’ll probably be flooded with ideas, but it’s always better to narrow things down as much as possible. It needs a topic; it needs a focus, even if you widen that further down the line.
Try searching your podcast app for similar topics and seeing what gets the most engagement, and then decide what might be more suitable for your specific audience.
You also need to put time into developing your unique voice so you aren’t following the same pattern as everyone else.
Ask yourself a few questions about the kind of audio content you want to create – are you going for a fun and comedic vibe or more of a professional and informative tone? Do you want to make controversial waves in your industry or do you want to be a pillar of guidance? What do you want your listeners to think, feel and do after listening to your podcast?
Answer those and you’ve already got a firm grip on your own email-gathering podcast.
The Next Steps
Once you have a niche decided on, you need a name for it. Keep it catchy and short, since people searching the categories won’t be able to view long names.
When it comes to actually recording, outline and plan your episodes so you can maintain a thread. You could cover themes in individual series or have a running structure that each episode follows.
Invest in or borrow recording equipment, depending on your budget. You can start with the absolute basics, though. A laptop and a small microphone can get you started while you gather a more professional mic and specialist recording equipment if you really need it.
And of course I can’t skip on this one… PRACTICE! That’s the only thing that will get your podcast playing through speakers worldwide. You could even start your podcast on Clubhouse, the audio-only app that boomed in lockdown. Gives you a chance to see how your topics hit without much pressure.
And lastly, once you start recording your podcast – be consistent with it. No one wants to get two episodes in then realise you haven’t posted in six months.
How Your New Podcast Will Grow Your Email List
If your messages resonate, people will want to know more.
There’s a synergy between written and spoken word, so you can leverage your listenership to increase your subscribers.
You can do this by;
- Offering exclusive content or offers to those that sign up
- Give listeners early access to new content
- Mention previous emails in passing in your content so people don’t want to miss out (don't talk too much on it, though; you don’t want people to feel excluded)
The bottomline is that your podcast needs to show your listeners why they should sign up to your emails, whatever that reason is.
Guesting On Podcasts
If all of this sounds like it’s too much to take on, you can be a guest on other people’s podcasts. Guests bring their niche to an existing podcast which can be extremely insightful and helpful.
It’s important to make sure that your audience aligns of course. It’s no good joining a podcast if their audience is all wrong for your expertise – imagine a butcher joining a vegan podcaster – yes, it makes for lively debates but will any of the listeners join a mailing list for a meat subscription box? Not likely.
But by joining a podcast that’s a great fit, you get all the benefits without the hassle:
- New audience that might not have heard of you.
- Ready made platform without the work.
- Less pressure to talk as there is more than one speaker, so can have a dialogue.
- Also can plan Q&A to make promotion more subtle.
- It’s a good way to start out.
From Podcasts To Email Leads
Words are powerful – spoken and written, and a podcast can open new realms for your marketing. But if you’d like to know more about using other content to drive your email marketing efforts, feel free to book a call with me, and we can find the best way to grow your email list.
