There is no reason why you wouldn’t want to give back to your listeners – and we have come up with some fun ideas to inspire you
The concept of ‘Easter Eggs’ in music, TV shows, and other content is by no means tied to the season… and you certainly don’t have to be Taylor Swift to hide messages, ideas, links to past conversations, or even tangible prizes in your creations! If you have a podcast with a large following, you might find that people are watching everything you do with great curiosity and would love to be able to interact with you even more. These Easter Eggs could take form of any hidden messaging within your show in audio or video, and we have put together some potential ideas for you to try:
- Straight-Up Hidden Messages
One thing to remember about Easter Eggs in content is that they have to be just obvious enough to be noticed. Hiding messages on your podcast feed could look very differently from show to show, as every podcast and every hosts’ style is uniquely theirs. For example, you could leave a pause at the end of your podcast and then play a secret message just for dedicated fans who listen the whole way through. You could also hide messages in guest introductions, alluding to a new project they may be working on that isn’t quite public yet!
- Unexpected Collabs
A fun Easter Egg could be simply dropping an episode of a podcast that feels like it has come out of nowhere! This could be a collaboration with a podcast, a guest or a whole new idea. This is an easy way to break up your feed from its current regular content and it is also a good way to test what audiences respond to. If it doesn’t go so well, you pivot and blame it on the ‘Easter Egg’– and if it does, well you have a new idea!
- Artwork Riddles
Episodic artwork could be another way you could leave breadcrumbs for your audiences. An idea that you could try is hiding hints of guest appearances or even full opinions, upcoming events or dates for merch drops in your artwork. These can be quite vague or more obvious (we would suggest going for a more obvious choice if you want people to actually notice them), and we would also encourage you to ask listeners to find the messages in the artwork, too. Drawing attention to it doesn’t make it any less exciting for superfans.
- Discount Codes
If you are working with a sponsor or have a promo code to give out for your subscribers, why not make a game out of it? This is the oldest trick in the book in radio, and yet we rarely see it recreated in podcasting. Hiding messages within your episodes and asking people to pay attention and then using their attentiveness to reward them is great for two reasons – one, retention rates! People are more likely to listen to the whole ep if they have incentive. Two, the prizes and rewards, obviously. It’s a win-win.
- Video Incentives
In case you are considering expanding your audio-only podcast to video – Easter Eggs to drive people to video could really boost your engagement. Giving people a reason to watch your podcast in video (at least at first when you are establishing your channels) could drive different types of audiences to your podcast too. For example, some promo codes and awards might work better for younger audiences and could be better off sitting in video-formats only. Plus, video just gives you so much more space to hide messaging. There is the set, your outfit, guests, endcards and thumbnails – let your imagination run wild, just not so wild that no one realises what’s hidden.
- Patreon-Style Bonuses
The last thing to mention is really a whole array of secret episodes and bonuses that you can release for your fans. The Chris Moyles show does a great job with their ‘Pubcast,’ and you can take some lessons from them too. Patreon releases of special episodes celebrating milestones, live events, merch discount or anything else that feels like a treat for your listeners who are paid subscribers could go a long way to further build their loyalty and add value to their subscriptions.