Last week, the team attended The Podcast Show in London – where all podcasting professionals were able to discuss the pressing issues facing us today. Here are our takeaways.
Among the myriad of discussions about how to grow your show, there were three particular questions that really stood out and kept coming back to us. These are:
- What is the Secret Marketing Sauce to Grow Your Podcast?
We get this question a lot. And annoyingly the answer is… there isn’t one! At Podcast Discovery, we don’t think of podcast marketing as a one-size-fits-all solution for all shows, and that means that we don’t have one answer to this question. For us, marketing is about different touch points. On average, a potential new listener needs to be reminded of your show at least 6 to 8 times across different media to finally subscribe and listen to your podcast. Together these touch points then create a cohesive strategy and a way for you to find new listeners. This often looks like this:
- Does PR Really Help Podcasts Grow Their Audiences?
This topic is hotly debated and we are here to settle the score – absolutely it helps. PR for your show can be an incredibly powerful tool in your marketing toolbox. To start with, it helps you build credibility and authority. Media coverage tends to breed more podcast coverage and you want to be recognised as an expert in your field. It also helps to reach a wider audience – which is always the key with all marketing activity. If your listeners sit outside of ‘traditional podcast listener’ demographics, this might be the way you convert them to your show from more traditional channels. And finally, a carefully crafted PR campaign at launch (and then an episodic PR push with news lines for each one of your new eps) help your show build momentum with your audiences. But remember, PR alone will not be the answer to your marketing woes! You need to have an overall strategy beyond just PR to make an impact on your numbers.
- How Can You Prepare Your Show for the Election?
With the UK elections just announced, many political podcasters have been talking to us about different effective ways they can engage with their audiences. After our news and politics breakfast last week too, it has become clear to us that this WILL BE the podcast election and you don’t want to miss out on any of these opportunities to inform your listeners. We think the best way to prepare yourselves for the election is to stay informed and updated by first, going through the necessary steps to identify what needs to be updated for your show with our guide and then, following what everyone else is doing so you can hone in on your USP. To do just that and to also support your colleagues in the space, we’ve created the Election Daily newsletter for which you can sign up for free right here.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by your show’s marketing?