Year: 2019

If you’re struggling to decide whether or not to start a podcast, you’re not alone. You might be asking whether it makes sense to do it? What’s the benefit going through the hassle of producing it? Will it help my business?

 These are all marketing questions. A podcast is a communication channel, which is audio and would fall in the same place as radio. The format is the same. The only difference is that you control the messaging.  When deciding to start a podcast there’s one question you need to answer. Are my customers podcast listeners?

Do my customers listen to podcasts?

This is the most important question you need to answer. Is this an effective medium to reach my customers? Do any of them subscribe to other podcasts? If they do its a no brainer to start one and start communicating with them.

It’s a principle that Dan Kennedy talks about in his book NOBS guide to direct marketing for non-direct marketing business. “Go where the fish are.” In your marketing plan, this would be part of your overall distribution strategy to reach your customers. 

To find out if they listen to podcasts is to ask them. Use survey tools like survey monkey to find out what they listen, if they listen to podcasts. You can ask them face to face when you can, or use a card in your office and have them fill it out. 

Based on the results of the survey, you can decide whether it’s an effective medium to add to your marketing mix. 

 if a large portion of your customers and potential customers listen to podcast it makes sense to use the medium. 

What do I say on the podcast

This question might come up if you’re looking to give podcasting a go. 

To start you can answer basic questions that come up from time to time. This will give you a few episodes. You can also address issues that you see happening and talk about it.

I wrote about this in a previous blog post which outlines a framework that can help you generate lots of ideas for your show, and how to turn those in podcast episodes. 

A podcast is an intimate medium and you have to feel comfortable speaking into a microphone and hearing the sound of your own voice. Not everyone will want to do this and that’s ok. You might be better suited for writing a blog or you can try video if that’s what you’re most comfortable with. 

If you think podcasting is best for you, then jump in and get started. You’ll enjoy it and build your business at the same time.

Choosing the right call to action for your podcast is important to get your listeners to take the next step. That next step is dependent on where they are in the buying cycle. The question that might come up is, how do I use a call to actions without being too pushy? Or coming across as a sleazy salesperson? 

Match the offer to the content

The first thing to think about is, what do you want your listeners to do after listening to your show? Do you want feedback? Do you have a checklist they should download that will help them or to purchase a book? 

These are the questions you should answer when crafting your action step. This will find a better balance for your show. Not all the time you will have something to sell. That’s ok, and it will be good if you don’t sell all the time. 

What’s the purpose of your podcast in the buying cycle?

The second thing to think about is, what are you using the podcast for? This is equally important so you understand what call to actions to use. This will ease the stress of trying to figure out which one to use.  So if you don’t understand what the buying cycle is its pretty simple. 

1. Have a problem
2. Search for a solution
3. Find a solution
4. Comparing the solution
5. Buy the best solution to fix the problem

At each step of the way, you will create specific content to push people through the system. When you map out the system, you can match the content to where your customers are on the buying cycle. So that’s why it’s important for you to decide what your podcast goal is. Is it to attract potential customers and turn them into leads? Then your call to action will be more of a soft sell to get them to join your mailing list and you use email marketing to do the heavy selling. 

Let the call to action fit naturally in your show

The last thing to consider is finding the right place to put the call to action. This will help listeners to naturally take the next step when they are ready. This is equally important because not everyone will take action but some will. And having the call to action in the appropriate place will help. 

So how do you naturally fit the call to action in your show? Amy Porterfield on her podcast from time to time teaches various aspects of online course creation, and have pdf worksheets for her listeners. Throughout the show, she periodically reminds listeners of the URL to download the worksheet. If you find value in what she is saying and want to follow along, you will download the worksheet. Her listeners take the action and she reaches out to them later with a hard sales offer via email afterwards. 

I hope this article has answered a few questions about using calls to action in a podcast.

After you’ve given all the tips and informatuon you promised your listeners in the intro what do you say to close our your show? 

In this article, I’ll share a couple of things you can add to your outro.

Contact information

The most basic of outros simply put, will require your contact information. This include website address, email address, phone numbers etc. This will provide a way for listeners to give you feedback or ask questions about the show. 

Here is an example: “That’s our show thank you for listening. If you have any questions or comments send us an email at feedback@myradioshow.com or visit our website at mypodcast.com or call 876-123-4567. Its very simple and straight forward, and will get your listeners to take an action.

A call to action

Apart from the contact information, the next thing you can add to your outro is a call to action. This will be useful if you want your listeners to take the next step, or you want them to give you feedback to the show. Perhaps you have a pdf guide, and you want them to download it, or maybe to buy a product. This could be mentioned as part of your outro.

Here’s an example: “Hey before we go my copywriting course is now open get 20% off if you use the promo code EARLYBIRD  when you sign up by October 14. Go to mycourse.com to sign up now.

Another example could be:” hey before we go I created a worksheet to accompany this show. It will help you get all your ideas down. Just visit mypodcast.com/workbook to get it for free. You can play around with it to great benefit. 

Thank your sponsors and production team

This one is used a lot by NPR  on their show “How I built this” podcast. If you have sponsors for your show and a production team, you can thank them at the end of your episode. This is also another simple way to end your show. 

Heres an example: “This podcast was brought to you by Joe’s magic cream, the best thing to remove blackhead from your face. Also, shout out to Mary and Tom on our production team and the music by the Nero. :

These are just 3 options you can try right now at the end of your podcast. Keep in mind you can add all of them, mix and match a 2 or just use one. Whichever you choose to do, try it out and see what works best for you.

One thing that will draw people to finish listening to your podcast is the intro. What will move them to take action is your outro. These two pieces of information are one of the most important components of your show. That’s why it is critical for you to spend time to craft a good intro and the appropriate call to action for your outro. This article will explain how to craft a good intro. 

Say what is the show about

The first component of your intro is telling your listeners what the show is about. It’s straight forward but not always easy to communicate. For example, you have a show about food and you start your show like “today we’re going to talk about how to make salads.” Saying that is fine but adding a problem statement to that makes it more interesting. 

What do I mean by problem statement? It is just talking about a problem/issue persons might have related to the topic of the show. Here’s an example from the food show. “Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the number of ingredients to choose for your salad? What toping to add then on today’s episode we’re going to share 5 basic salads and their ingredients. 

That approach draws the listeners attention to start thinking about how you made their lives easier with the tips. If they have a problem in that area then they are going to listen to your show. 

Examples of podcasters who do this well are Guy Roz from the NPR “How I built this” podcast. Donald Miller on” The story brand” podcast and Amy Porterfield.

Say your name

The next thing to put in the intro is your name. On a blog that’s not necessary because your name is at the end. But podcast persons don’t have that luxury. Saying your name reminds listeners who you are. It helps them build an emotional connection with you and remind them who they are listening to. You don’t need anything fancy. Welcome to the ABC podcast I’m your host Andrae Palmer. The podcast examples I mentioned earlier have different ways of doing it. But the variation brings out their style. 

Let the listener know you’re about to begin

The last component of your show intro is letting your listeners know you’re about to start. This will give you the space to add a music bed/ break before you get into the heart of your podcast. It also allows you to add sponsored messaging between breaks. Here are a few examples:

1. We do into details after the break
2. Ok let’s dive into our show
3. The interview after the break. 

These are just some basic ones, but let your imagination run wild. Just keep it simple and you will be ok. 

Put all 3 components together and you have your podcast intro. Some other things to note is that there are other ways to do this. This is just one way, you can follow the news format by mentioning the headlines of the stories you plan to share and that will work as well.

One of the things that can add something extra to your podcast is interviewing other people. This will expand your credibility, give your listeners a different perspective and add a new dynamic to your show. But interviewing people can be nerve-racking. In this article, I’ll share some tips on how to do it without getting jittery. 

Secure the interview

The first step is actually securing the interview. There are various ways to do it, you can email your contact, or send them a message on social media or reach out to them at in-person events. Just ask in a respectful way that you’re seeking some tips on how to do what they do. All of this must relate to how you serve your customers.  Once you get confirmation, add the interview to your calendar and prep to get it done.

Have basic questions that you want to ask

At first have a list of questions that you want to ask your guest. Not everyone feels too comfortable winging it. This helps you get the main answers you’re seeking for our show. Questions that you can ask include:

1. Tell us a little about your story and what you do?
2. Now, what can persons do to overcome this problem?
3. What are some tips to do x?

It’s important to not follow up questions you want to ask while the person is speaking. This will keep the conversation flowing naturally. It’s also important to be curious as well this will help you find more question to ask without wasting the person’s time.

Test recording software and equipment before you go live

Before the actual interview do a test recording. This will ensure that you identify any issues that can happen. Make sure all connections are working. ANd have a plan B just in case your main method fails. You can never be too prepared but doing these simple checks reduces the stress.

Once you’re up and running go live and do the interview. Its ok to feel nervous and anxious at times but with time interviewing people will become easier. When you’re finished save your files appropriately.