How to build a profitable podcast.
Email Essentials: How to Design a High-Impact Podcast Email!
Let's welcome our guest writer Michal Leszczynski
Podcasting is a rapidly growing content format. There are over five million podcasts today. As a result, it can be challenging to promote your show and stand out from the crowd.
Enter email marketing campaigns.
Podcast email marketing is the use of email to promote your podcast show and products from your store, if you have one. These emails can help you grow your podcast audience as they prompt subscribers to listen to your latest releases. They can also be used to pitch your podcast to potential guests and sponsors.
And they work. That’s because 60% of consumers want to hear from their preferred brands via email.
Don’t have the time to write that many emails? Here’s where a compelling email template comes in.
The truth is, creating a powerful podcast email template isn’t that hard. Just follow these tips:
Start strong with a good introduction.
For this, tap into the ethos of your brand. There’s a reason people subscribed to your mailing list. If you’re a comedy podcast, it’s probably because they like how fun and light-hearted your podcast content is. So, make your email template intro sound the same way. Using phrases that are specific to your podcast will help.
You can also use references from your podcast or refer to previous episodes.
A good introduction doesn’t just reflect your brand’s personality. It’s also personalized. Personalized emails achieve an impressive 2.7% unique clickthrough rate. That’s why using your subscriber’s name in the intro is key.
Of course, before people can get to your intro, they need to open your email first. So, use an engaging email subject to grab your recipients' attention. Like your intro, personalize your email subject lines, and don’t be afraid to test using relevant emojis, too.
Unique visual branding helps set your podcast email campaigns apart from others. The most obvious piece of visual branding to include would be your company logo.
You can display the logo at the top of the email and the bottom, just below where you sign off. This helps in building brand familiarity.
Your brand color scheme should also be present throughout your template. Use your color scheme throughout your email design, as shown in the example below.
Don’t worry. You don’t have to learn how to use design tools like Canva to create a template subscribers can easily recognize as yours based on its visual elements. The good news here is that good email autoresponder solutions already provide highly customizable email templates. That means you can add your logo and change the color scheme to reflect your branding style with just a few clicks.
Examples of predesigned templates you can find in email tools. Example: GetResponse
Your template is not only a tool to promote your podcast. It can also be a perfect opportunity to promote products from your store, if you have one.
So, if you’re selling membership programs, other digital products or even merch like other podcasters, you should include a section for product photos and updates on new offers. This is an excellent way of generating leads and driving traffic to your website.
Make sure you promote these products in the email text itself in your final email.
Let’s say you touched on some new products in one podcast episode. You can add links to the items discussed in the episode so recipients can take a closer look.
You can also use podcast email marketing to promote other existing content. This could be a previous relevant podcast (as shown below), a blog post from your website, or a related social media post.
So, in your template, include a section where you can incorporate snippets of these pieces of content. Make sure you leave enough space, not just for the text, but also for complementary visuals.
Your template should also include a CTA (call to action) block. You can include the CTA in your product image section or featured content section. It could be placed either above or below the photos you use in these sections to direct subscribers to your website.
It’s important not to go overboard with your CTAs, though. Too many CTA blocks–and therefore, CTAs—could come across as pushy. Choose a prominent but not overpowering button as well. Most email marketing tools will have a variety of CTA buttons to choose from.
Remember that the type of CTA you use will depend on what you want your subscriber to do. For example, terms like “Learn More” are great if you want subscribers to check out your newest offering on your site. Meanwhile, if you’re also an e-commerce business that wants subscribers to make a purchase, you can use terms like “Buy Now.” Choose a CTA you frequently use and include it in your template. Just make sure you change it depending on your email campaign’s goal.
Your email signature should be personalized to your brand. But don’t just write your name on your podcast email template and call it a day. Be creative and create something unique that will stick with your subscribers. You could incorporate a single phrase from your podcast into the final line of your template or come up with a brand slogan before your name, for example.
Whatever signature you decide on, stick with it in all your emails.
There are different types of podcast emails you might want to consider creating templates for. Let’s look at them one by one:
Your welcome email is the first email subscribers receive from you. So, you must start strong and make a good impression.
The welcome email should always include a paragraph introducing yourself and your podcast.
Source: GetResponse Operation Automation podcast welcome email
Tell your new subscribers when you release new episodes and what kind of content they should expect. Make sure to use a tone that reflects the vibe of your podcast to give your new subscribers a taste of what’s to come.
There should also be a section with links to your podcast channel. You can add links to all the top platforms where you publish your podcast episodes.
Pro tip: You can also use the welcome email to get feedback from your podcast listeners. This can help you pick the right topics or invite future guests.
A new episode announcement is the most common type of podcast email. As the name suggests, this email is used to promote a new episode.
However, using the same email template whenever you’re promoting a new podcast episode can hurt user engagement. Therefore, switch between several templates to keep things interesting.
Here’s an example of a new episode announcement email:
As shown above, include a section with a preview of what is discussed in the new episode.
A pitch email is used to pitch to potential podcast guests to persuade them to appear on your show. You can use tools like email finders to find and verify the email addresses of potential podcast guests.
Start your pitch email with a personalized introduction, addressing your potential guest by name - any good newsletter software will automatically use the names from your email list.
The introduction should also include a paragraph explaining why you think they would be an amazing guest for the podcast. A little bit of flattery is good here, but don’t go too far.
Include a section with links to previous episodes to give your potential guest a proper taste of your podcast. You should also link to your website, social media platforms, and related content. This allows them to do further research on their own time.
A sponsorship email is similar to a pitch email, only this time you are pitching to a company. Firstly, if you have a name for your contact person, be sure to use it in your introduction. Your introduction should explain why their brand would be a great fit for your podcast and its audience.
Include a section with links to your podcast, website, and social channels. As this is a pitch for sponsorship, you will also need to provide some data. So, include a section with statistics such as listening figures, number of subscribers, and audience retention.
Statistics from previous sponsorships are also useful to show the brand how the sponsorship may benefit them.
Now, let’s go through some actual email templates you could use. Of the four above, I chose the two people are more likely to have a difficult time writing:
Hey {first_name},
Hope you’re having a good {day_of_week}.
I just wanted to reach out and let you know that we’ve just released a brand new episode of [Podcast Name]. Click here to listen now.
If you need to catch up, please see the link below to last week's episode and our latest YouTube videos.
[Links to previous podcast and recent Youtube content]
Hope you enjoy this week's episode and have a good week!
Cheers,
[Your Name]
Hey {first_name},
My name is [Your Name]. I’m a [Job Title] at [Company Name] — [something about the company].
I came across your blog and really liked your post on [Topic]. [Expand on the topic]
We have a podcast, [Podcast Name], in which we discuss similar topics, and I think you’d be a great guest.
We’d love to interview you for our podcast.
Would you be interested in setting up a call to discuss things further?
Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
[Name]
If you choose to use these templates, make sure you also incorporate the tips to create a podcast email template I discussed above.
Creating a podcast email template can help you save time. Instead of writing everything from scratch, you can just use your template and fill in the blanks.
With this article, you learned how to create a podcast email template. Just write a good introduction and make use of identifiable visual branding elements. Add a feature product block for your products, if you have those. Don’t forget to include a section with prominently featured content as well. Your template should also include relevant links to existing content and a CTA block to drive traffic to your website. Finally, incorporate a custom signature.
So now it’s time for you to up your podcast email marketing efforts. Follow the tips I shared with you and be inspired by my examples to create effective podcast email templates. Good luck!
