How to build a profitable podcast.
Learn more about podcast lead generation and how to use podcasts to their maximum potential!
Let's welcome our guest writer Sara Kurczyńska!
Numerous companies are hesitant about starting a podcast due to uncertainty. What will the return be? If you invest a lot of time, money, and effort into running a podcast, you will want it to pay off — that much is certain. Unfortunately, it is not always clear how to achieve that goal.
A hobbyist podcast host can thrive by growing the podcast's listener base, as well as by accepting donations through platforms like Patreon. However, such a monetization model is not that effective for brands and business owners. If a podcast audience knows that a show is already funded by company money, the likelihood of that show receiving donations will drop significantly.
In such a situation, the best way to profit off of a podcast is to use it as a lead generation tool. With a podcast lead generation tool, you can guide listeners down the sales funnel, turning listeners into potential leads and potential leads into loyal customers.
In the article below, you will find several useful tips that will help you generate leads with a podcast. Check it out, and soon enough, generating leads that way should become a whole lot easier.
If you do not produce valuable content, you will not stand a chance against other podcasts in the same niche. New listeners have no loyalty to your show. Because of that, you need to hook them and grab their attention. Otherwise, they will go listen to someone else.
The most reliable way to get listeners' attention is to publish content that is genuinely interesting and helpful. To put it another way, to start a podcast and turn it into a podcast lead generation tool, you need each episode to provide its target audience with tangible value.
For example, imagine that you are thinking about hosting your own podcast and want it to be useful to search engine optimization specialists. You could post a podcast episode titled "All You Need to Know About BERT Algorithm" or have an in-depth discussion with a podcast guest who is a subject-matter expert and has worked in the industry for years.
Next, create a podcast email list. But do not expect your listeners to hand over their contact information on request. Instead, they have to get something out of that exchange. With that in mind, create an incentive that will aid you in your podcast lead generation efforts.
Such incentives are also known as lead magnets and come in several different forms. It could be a comprehensive whitepaper, a chance to win an enticing prize, or a free consultation. It is up to you to decide what kind of lead magnet will work best for you.
If you are unsure, experiment with different options and go for the one that brings in more leads. Alternatively, look for a marketing automation agency or a company that offers a lead generation service for business growth. Working with marketing experts will make generating leads much more straightforward, no matter what industry you specialize in. So whether you are interested in finding real estate leads, bringing prospects onboard in the retail sector, or even growing a manufacturing brand, outsourcing the automation of your marketing efforts makes sense.
You created an appealing link magnet. Now, you have to put it behind an email gate on a dedicated landing page. An email gate is a marketing tool that will deliver the link magnet to someone only if that person fills out a short form with their contact information. The landing page is where you tell your listeners to go to get their hands on the lead magnet.
If you do not have experience with website design, it would be best if you hired someone to create an appealing landing page for you. Using a website builder like Wix or Squarespace is a viable option, too. It will make the process a lot simpler.
If you want to launch a podcast and drive conversions, you need to have a well-optimized landing page. In other words, the page has to help you maximize the number of people who fill out the contact information form. Here are a few landing page best practices that you should adhere to.
Whoever listens to your podcast will not stumble upon your landing page by accident. Instead, you have to tell them to go there explicitly.
Consequently, you might need to start using calls to action during your podcast episodes. Those in-episode calls to action will vary depending on your lead magnet. The important thing here is to outline the benefits on offer in a concise way.
For instance, a marketing agency specializing in influencer marketing might launch a podcast to help other marketers collaborate with influencers. Suppose they have just published a guide to influencer marketing campaigns. In that case, their in-episode call to action might sound as follows:
"Influencer marketing has proven to be incredibly effective for big and small companies alike. If you want to join their ranks, we have published a guide to influencer marketing campaigns that you should definitely check out. It covers the basics of collaborating with influencers, as well as best practices that will help you succeed. You can download the complete guide for free by visiting marketingagency.com/infleuncer-guide!"
For best results, you should place three calls to action in every single one of your episodes. The first one should be placed at the start of the podcast before the actual episode starts, while the second one has to be in the middle of the episode. As for the last one, you should insert it at the very end of the show.
If you want your CTA to reach more people, you need to grow your podcast audience. And you can do just that by using social media to promote your episodes.
Still, you cannot just post a link and call it a day, as doing so will earn you very little to no engagement. After all, any content related to your podcast has to compete with cute kitten videos and memes. If it does not have the potential to grab people's attention, it is going to get buried.
To make your podcast content stand out from the crowd, you might want to start repurposing your podcast episodes into various formats, such as audiograms and images with quotes from your guests. Doing so will make your posts stand out and turn your podcast into a podcast lead generation tool.
Whenever you post an asset related to your podcast on social media, you must include a link to the full episode. But doing just that is not enough. You want to know how many people actually clicked on that link across different social media platforms.
The simplest way to get your hands on these numbers is to use a tracking tool like Bitly or TinyURL. With the help of such a tool, you should find it easier to determine which platforms you should focus your attention on.
You have already built a list of leads using your podcast, lead magnets, and social media assets. Now, you have to convert them into actual customers with email marketing.
To begin with, forget about bombarding your leads with hundreds of aggressive sales emails. It will only cause your unsubscribes to go through the roof. It takes a lot of time and effort to generate leads, and the last thing you want is to lose them.
Instead, make sure that your emails deliver actual value. If your subscribers know that your emails tend to be interesting and helpful, your open rates will be much higher.
To sum up, launching a lead generation podcast can take a lot of time and effort. However, getting the results you need will always take work. Shortcuts are unlikely to get you very far, so it is best to focus on the reliable practices outlined above.
If you ever lose motivation, remember that more and more companies are using the power of podcast lead generation to build a massive audience and achieve business goals. In case you have not already started thinking about podcast-based content marketing, today is the perfect time to do just that.
And if you end up feeling lost or confused along the way, do not give up. Provided that you are patient and determined, you should be able to get the hang of it in no time. Good luck!
