Podcasts are all the rage right now — and for good reason. Nearly half of the population of the U.S. says they have listened to a podcast, and 80 percent report that they listen to all or most of the episodes they listen to. Podcast listeners also tend to be loyal, affluent, and educated, making them ideal customers for many businesses.
But as a business owner, it’s important to look at podcasting through a slightly different lens than if you were just starting a podcast for fun. In our last post, we talked about identifying your big why for your podcast and the goals that go along with it by using our Podcast Planning Workbook — click here to download it now.
Once you know your goals, you can align your strategy to help reach them. And if your big goal is to help grow your business (as I assume it is for most business owners) there are many strategies you can employ to achieve that.
Capture listeners
One of the best parts about having a podcast is that it can often reach new listeners that aren’t already aware of you or part of your “inner circle.” But you can’t just rely on people to stumble across your podcast and hope for the best; you must actively promote and reach out.
- Start with a compelling cover / icon for your podcast that will grab eyes as people scroll. Remember: it will be tiny on people’s phones! So make it bold and easy to see.
- Include keywords in your description and episode descriptions to help people find you.
- Encourage listeners to rate and review your post. The more good ratings and reviews you have, the more likely iTunes will serve up your podcast to searchers.
- Create images and quotes from your podcast episodes to share on social media.
- Consider sharing audio (or video) clips from the episodes on social media as well.
Go beyond the podcast
Another great way to build your business with a podcast is to ensure that all your content across various channels is talking about the same topic. For example:
- Publish a blog post on the same day your publish a podcast episode and use the post to recap or expand on the topic from the podcast — train your listeners to know that they can always come to the blog to “learn more”.
- Conversely, publish a transcript of your show or “show notes” to your blog that include links to any resources or people you mentioned on the episode.
- Embed a podcast player in your blog post so that people can listen directly from your website.
- Include a call to action on the podcast to download episode-related freebies or lead magnets.
- Encourage blog readers to listen, like, and subscribe to your podcast.
- If you record video when you record your podcast, upload the video to YouTube and Facebook to reach different users, or embed the video in your blog post for a multimedia experience.
Grow your audience
Once your show is established, you’ll want to focus on growing your audience.
- Try interviewing guests who will share their episode. Provide them with a graphic and easy cut-and-paste descriptions of the episode, and suggest they share with their audience.
- Don’t be afraid to interview guests who are “bigger” than you are in business — many will say yes, and if they share the episode, it’s a great way to reach a new audience.
- As your podcast grows, you may be able to reach out to other companies who want to partner or sponsor your show. This can also be a win/win for both of you in growing your audience.
- Pitch yourself for interviews on other podcasts and be sure to mention your own.
Move people from listener to customer
In most cases, the most important thing you can do to grow your business with a podcast is consider all the ways a listener might become a customer.
- Create episode-specific downloads people can opt-in for, then use an automated email sequence to welcome them and help them learn about your business and offers.
- “Sponsor” your own podcast by creating mini commercials that promote your products and services.
- Include a call to action at the end of every episode inviting listeners to take the next step — whether that’s signing up for a freebie, buying a product, or getting on a call with you.
There are plenty of success stories out there to prove that podcasts can be an excellent tool to help grow your business — and with your goals in mind and the right strategies to support them, there’s no reason you can’t be the next success story!
These are by no means the only ways you can use podcasting to grow your business, either. In fact, I share many more strategies inside our How to Create and Launch a Profitable Podcast Destination Guide inside Business Class.
Click here to grab my Podcast Planning Workbook now, and you’ll be well on your way to launching a podcast that can skyrocket your business growth.
