A podcast is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs and creatives to build a relationship with their audience. Hosting a podcast can also become a mode of free marketing for yourself. For those who provide a product or service beyond their podcast content, a podcast can be a resource to connect deeper with their desired clients.
Marketing should not be your main intention when approaching podcasting. A podcast full of ad reads or promos will not be very interesting to listeners. This approach would be counteractive, listeners will be quick to turn you off if you’re only interested in selling. But, there is a way to promote your content on your podcast so that your audience will be open to listening.
If you’ve established a relationship with your audience, chances are they want to support you! Due to the nature of podcasting, audiences feel as if they personally know the podcast host. When you are authentic in hosting your show, the audience feels like they’re becoming your friends. From there, your audience will want to help you out because friends support friends!
There are many ways you can begin to cross-promote your content on your podcast!
Just like a sponsored ad read, you can use a short segment in your audio to talk about what you’re wanting to promote.
Or, in some cases, you can be the ‘sponsor’ of your show and include this in your intro/outro. This might sound like, “Welcome back to [your podcast] brought to you by [ your company/organization.]”
These are both subtle and effective ways to get your content out there to your listeners.
Another great promotional tool is to offer a free resource relevant to your audience. Offering some type of beneficial content to your listener is helpful to you both- your listeners get a freebie and you can drive people to your site. Then, with some strategic website planning, you can even encourage them to join your email list!
For example, you can check out Gaffin Creative’s two free worksheets on Podcast Budgeting and Writing Your Podcast Intro and Outro.
However you decide to promote your content, remember to stay genuine and authentic with your audience. In all honesty, no one really wants to listen to an ad. Yet, when you’re upfront and real with your listeners, they’ll be happy to support you!
