Tag: Podcast Marketing

We’ve previously covered finding sponsors for your podcast, and we’re back again with more tips and tricks on monetising your podcast. You’ll want to read on if you’re considering affiliate marketing or brand partnerships.

Affiliate marketing for podcasters

Affiliate links are an excellent starting point if you’re ready to dip a toe into brand partnerships. Affiliate links allow creators to earn a commission for a specific action from their audience, which is referred to as CPA (cost-per-action). The most common action is a sale, but you can also get paid for clicks, leads or referrals. 

Many of your favourite brands will likely have an affiliate program in place. Their program will either be hosted on an affiliate network such as AWIN, LikeToKnowIt or Skimlinks, or managed in-house.

How you can use affiliate links

Step 1: To start with affiliate marketing, you can sign up for your preferred or several affiliate platforms.

Step 2: Once you’ve signed up, you’ll get access to a database of brands, and you can apply to their programs. 

Step 3: Once accepted, you’ll be able to create affiliate links and earn an agreed commission for every action you generate. 

Step 4: If you’d prefer to share a code with your audience, you can get in touch with the brand and request a code. They can track these codes, and you’ll earn a commission every time someone uses it.

Once you’re on an affiliate program and driving sales, referrals, or traffic for a brand, it presents new opportunities. You can use a proven track record to secure an increased commission, gifted items, commission bonuses or upfront payment in return for exposure. 

There is no exclusivity clause when you’re working on an affiliate basis. So, you can promote various brands wherever relevant. 

Top tip: affiliate marketing is at its best when it’s authentic. You have an audience that trusts you, and you don’t want to jeopardise that, so ensure you’re only promoting brands that align with your values and will appeal to your audience.

Brand partnerships for podcasters

As mentioned earlier, affiliate marketing is an excellent segway to brand partnerships. When you can show brands tangible results you’ve driven for them, they’re more likely to invest in your content, whether through gifting, discounts, or an upfront fee. 

However, you don’t need affiliate links to establish meaningful brand partnerships. For example, perhaps there’s a particular clothing brand you’re always wearing on camera. Or if there’s a skincare brand you rave about in every episode, there’s an opportunity. 

If there are brands you are a genuine fan of and already featuring organically, you’ve got the foundations of a successful brand partnership.

How to pitch brand partnerships

Step 1: Before you pitch to brands, you should create a media deck detailing everything they need to know about your podcast and its audience, including as much data as possible. 

Step 2: Consider how you’d like to be compensated. Are you happy with gifting? Would you like to charge a set fee? Again, having a clear idea before negotiating with brands is essential.

Step 3: Use LinkedIn or Twitter to find partnership/influencer managers to reach out to, you don’t want your pitch to land in an unmonitored inbox. 

Step 4: When going into a paid partnership with a brand, you should always ensure a contract is in place so you’ll get compensated as agreed. 

Step 5: Be sure to read our guide on how to record great podcast ads so you can nail the delivery. 

Top tip: it’s common for paid partnerships to require exclusivity, at least within their niche. So, pitch to your top choices first before considering other partners. 

Again, brand partnerships can be an excellent foundation for securing long-term sponsorship for your podcast. So, consider the bigger picture and be prepared to play the long game when approaching affiliate marketing & brand partnerships for your podcast. 

Want more tips and tricks? Join our community here, and read more of our insider podcasting and content creator knowledge here.

When we think of long-form content marketing, newsletters spring to mind. As an excellent tool for delivering a lot of information to a targeted audience, the newsletter shares similarities to podcasting. So, it got us thinking. Can podcasts replace the almighty newsletter? We’re exploring the link between the two and why you might want to leverage both mediums. So, if either is on your radar, read on.

Considerations for podcasts vs newsletters

While podcasting and content marketing share some similarities, there are also plenty of differences. So, when comparing the two formats of communication, choosing the right one depends on several factors. Three key considerations are: 

Your audience

First and foremost, you should be thinking about your audience. After all, you don’t want to invest time and money into content that will not reach the intended audience. So, think about where your audience will most likely consume long-form content. 

Your capabilities

Next, you need to consider your capabilities. For podcasting and newsletters, consistency is key to keeping your audience engaged. So, think about the time and money you can invest in your long-form content strategy. 

If you have limited time and resources, a newsletter may be a cost-effective option. Whereas, if you’re more comfortable speaking about a particular topic than writing about it, you might lean towards podcasting. 

Subject matter 

Another important consideration is the subject matter and your knowledge of it. For example, if you’re producing content on a complex subject matter and have limited knowledge, it might call for many references and quotes. So, it would be best as a newsletter. In contrast, a podcast is a much better format if you’re speaking on personal experience and want to open up a conversation. 

Of course, both mediums come with their benefits and drawbacks. Below are three benefits of each. 

Three benefits of podcasting

• Podcasts can be consumed whilst on the go and doing other things.
• Podcasts offer nuance and a chance to showcase your personality that other mediums don’t. 
• You can easily take audio or video clips from podcasts to share on different channels.

Three benefits of newsletters

• Newsletters can be quick to consume. 
• You can include easy-to-follow affiliate links. 
• You can easily share downloadable resources and references. 

Best of both worlds

As creators of both, we believe there is a time and place for both podcasting and newsletters. If you’re producing long-form content and you’re unsure which medium is best, ask yourself these questions:

• Can the information be condensed into a short and sweet newsletter?
• Would the content benefit from the nuance audio offers?
• Can several opinions/takes add value to this content? 

Of course, the best option may be to use both mediums, working as an extension of one another. Below is an example of how creators can leverage the two to build a cohesive long-form content strategy. 

Step 1: A podcaster records a bi-weekly episode, publishing it in audio and video formats.

Step 2: These assets can be used to promote the podcast across social media to grow an audience. 

Step 3: To create another touchpoint with their community, they create a weekly newsletter, sharing the sign-up link in the podcast bio and across socials.

Step 4: The creator publishes a weekly newsletter, including affiliate links, to boost earning potential. 

Using the two formats, the creator can tap into different audiences, grow their subscribers and build more real estate for brand deals. 

To summarise, while podcasting could replace the newsletter for some creators, we believe the two go hand in hand. As with all content, finding the right approach for you will take plenty of trial and error. 

If you’re ready to take your content strategy to the next level with the support of Content is Queen and our incredible community of indie podcasters, find out more about our membership options here. 

There’s no denying how popular podcasting is. According to Demand Sage, as of June 2022, there were 2.4 million podcasts globally, with 66 million episodes and counting between them. With a prediction of 424 million podcast listeners worldwide by the end of the year, the phenomenon is growing yearly. 

But is podcasting a worthwhile investment when it comes to business? In this article, we’re exploring the effectiveness of podcasting as a marketing channel.

Five benefits of podcasting as a brand

Podcasting allows for community building 

As a medium that fosters long-term connection, audio offers an excellent opportunity to build an engaged community. With the average listener consuming new episodes weekly, good podcasts can quickly become a part of a consumer’s routine. When executed well, taking to the mic allows brands to speak to their audience regularly. Whether educational, entertaining, or emotive, if you can offer value to consumers, they’ll keep coming back. 

From here, you have the potential to turn listeners into loyal customers, word-of-mouth marketers and influential brand ambassadors. 

Podcasting allows brands to become an authoritative voice in their space

While you could opt for a generalist podcast, you’ll likely choose to tap into your business niche. By doing so, you can establish your brand as an authoritative voice within your space, giving you an advantage over competitors. 

Furthermore, you can increase your reach by inviting credible guests from your industry to your show. Not only does this boost the trust of your audience further, you can also leverage their audience to reach more listeners. The result? You get your brand in front of even more people. 

Long-form content offers nuance 

A significant advantage of podcasting is that long-form content allows brands to offer more information and nuance than you would via other mediums, particularly social media. In addition, podcasting will enable you to authentically introduce your brand values, goals and products or services. 

When listeners feel an authentic connection, they’ll be more receptive to subtle sales techniques. Because of the nature of podcasting, you can market to your audience so that it feels like a recommendation from a friend, a two-way conversation or a masterclass. 

It’s a great medium to speak to a more mature audience 

While podcasts may be growing at a slower rate than social media, they unite a different audience. According to Statista, 40% of UK podcast listeners are aged 26-35. For comparison, over ¼ of TikTok users are aged 18-24 in the UK. So, podcasting is an effective tool to tap into a more mature audience with a higher average income.  

It’s a less competitive space than social media 

While there are 2.4 million podcasts globally, compared to 80 million Facebook pages, 1 billion active TikTok and Instagram users and 396 million Twitter profiles, the medium quickly seems less competitive than social media. 

If you can put out high-quality content, podcasting can help you to cut through the noise and speak directly to your target audience. 

To us, podcasting is more than just marketing. Podcasting is storytelling, connection, and authentically engaging with your customers. When approached thoughtfully, with integrity at the forefront, there’s no doubt podcasting can be a powerful marketing tool. 

Key considerations 

If you’ve bought into the power of podcasting for your brand, now is the time to ask yourself some critical questions.

1. What’s your niche, and how competitive is its podcasting space? 
2. Can you commit to podcasting long-term? Yes, it’s a time-consuming medium, but you don’t want to launch a podcast only for it to become a stagnant marketing channel in a few months.
3. How regularly can you commit to publishing new episodes? Listeners value consistency. 
4. How will you build your audience? Do you have the budget and resources in place? 
5. Can you access the expertise you’ll need? Such as producers, researchers, and social media managers. 

In a nutshell, podcasting is at its best when it’s done with purpose. So, if you’re ready to find your voice on a new marketing channel with a supportive community in your corner, click here to explore our membership options. 

For the past decade, Pinterest has allowed users to discover products, ideas, and inspirations but not people. Today, Pinterest is putting inspiring people at the heart of the platform and building for content creators like you. When you ask users of Pinterest where inspiration comes from, they say people. As a result, Pinterest is on a multi-year journey to build the best native publishing experience and a range of products & services to help creators get discovered and build an engaged audience. 

At the International Women’s Podcast Festival, Georgia Willows, Pinterest creator manager, joined us to share her top tips to help audio content creators to share their stories, create awareness and promote their shows. If you’ve been sleeping on the power of Pinterest, you’ll want to read this. So, let’s get into it! 

Why Pinterest?

 With plenty of social media platforms to choose from, you might wonder why Pinterest is worth your time. Well, Pinterest is developing a positive place to create and find your people. Pinterest allows you to return to why you started creating in the first place, love what you do unapologetically, inspire engaged audiences and tap into new ones. 

Users come to Pinterest to pay attention and actively search, rather than passively scrolling as they may on other platforms. They rely on ideas & inspiration from creators just like you.

Every month over 430 million people come to Pinterest. Users actively engage in inspiring content with over 8 billion boards created and 360 billion pins saved. 

So, how can you tap into that audience? We’ve got you! 

Top tips for Podcasters on Pinterest 

Create evergreen content

Pinterest is a visual discovery engine. This means the content is not chronological but surfaces when relevant and based on users’ interests, engagements, and searches. Using sophisticated signals, Pinterest will surface the right content at the right moment. By doing so, Pinterest connects users to the content they’ll love, creating a highly personalised experience for the user and more discoverability for you. 

On Pinterest, great content is a gift that keeps on giving. Your content is evergreen and will continue to perform over time -something you don’t often see on other platforms. So, when creating, opt for a combination of evergreen & timely content to maximise your reach. 

Diversify your content 

Much like other social platforms, you can choose to publish content in multiple formats. Understanding each format and its benefits is key to success.

Idea Pin – multi-page pins featuring video and images 

Idea pins are tailor-made for inspiration and showcase your ideas through creative storytelling. The Idea Pin creation flow offers a dynamic suite of tools you can use to create engaging content within the app easily. The best bit? They don’t disappear after 24 hours. Instead, it remains discoverable in search. 

How you could use Idea Pins: 

• Sharing inspirational or entertaining soundbites from your podcast
• Sharing top tips related to your podcast niche 
• Face-to-camera videos introducing new episodes 

Standard Pin – image-based pins 

Standard Pins can be either created or uploaded onto Pinterest from your camera roll or imported from your website. Standard Pins are great for increasing engagement on Pinterest while driving traffic to your website or podcast. 

How you could use Standard Pins:

• Sharing key quotes from your podcast as graphics 
• Creating inspiring pins related to your niche 
• Sharing episode artwork 

Consider keywords

Keep keywords at the forefront of your strategy when you’re creating on Pinterest. Create a list of keywords related to your podcast and incorporate these into your titles, captions, and hashtags. 

Top tip: you can see how many searches each keyword has and relevant keywords by typing them into the search bar tab on Pinterest 

Invest in great imagery 

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, which applies to Pinterest. Creating visually compelling content should be a priority. For both images and video, the best performing content on Pinterest incorporates the following: 

• Solid lighting 
• Great framing
• High-resolution assets
• A strong thumbnail for videos 
• Virtual aspect ratio – don’t be tempted to repurpose those square assets! 

Use call to action to foster engagement 

The more your content is saved, and your account is followed, the more you’ll show up on Pinterest. So, with every pin, use a strong call to action. From encouraging follows and saves to opening the space for comments and conversations, be sure to let users know what you want from them. 

Utilise takes 

Seeing as podcasting is all about conversation, you’ll appreciate Takes. Takes are the newest way to engage your audience on Pinterest. The new feature allows users to respond to an Idea Pin by creating their own. Through takes, you’ll be able to see how your content has inspired and influenced others. Plus, you’ll control the responses, highlighting takes you love and removing any you don’t.

Review analytics 

For business accounts, Pinterest analytics allows you to review your stats in real time within the app. Using measurables including impressions, pin clicks, saves, profile visits and follows. Using analytics, you can gauge which content is driving engagement and adapt your content strategy accordingly. 

Utilise the resources available to you

Pinterest offers plenty of free resources to get the most out of the platform. Here are just three to get you started: 

Creator hub is a one-stop shop for tools, tips, and insights relevant to you. This resource offers everything you need to plan and understand your content, all in one place. 

Pinterest trends is a self-serve tool to build and inform your content strategy. Using this resource, you can explore top trending searching and discover the content people are looking for. 

Pinterest predicts offers an exclusive peek at the future, sharing trends, topics, and categories Pinterest predict will be a big hit for the year ahead.

If you’re ready to take your Pinterest game to the next level with the support of our community, secure your Content is Queen membership here. 

 Visit Pinterest Business for Creators and Creators Community for more resources.

 

So, you’ve put in the work and launched your podcast. Now that you’ve published the first few episodes, you’ll want to build momentum and gain more listeners. As you may know, that’s easier said than done. With so many podcasts out there, you’ll want to do everything you can to boost your podcast discoverability.

Before we jump in with some top tips to help you get your podcast discovered by listeners, we’ll start with some podcast discovery stats. After all, it helps to understand the journey and intent of your potential listeners.

According to the podcast host from a survey of 780 people:

• 58.1% of listeners search their listening app’s directory with a specific topic, whereas 41.9% browse a particular category to find a new show
• Podcasts are judged primarily on their description, followed by episode titles
• Listeners don’t care if they’ve never heard of the podcaster or their guest before
• 28.9% of listeners will give a show as many as 15 minutes to hook them in, while 27.5 will allow only five minutes

Now, despite plenty of surveys and what we know about listener intent, there’s a lot of talk around the so-called ‘discoverability problem’ in podcasting. However, rather than getting caught up in the age-old debate, we want to share some actionable advice to help you boost your podcasts discoverability.

Be consistent

To ensure your podcast is discoverable, you want to ensure it’s worth discovering. One way of doing so is by ensuring you’re consistent. By publishing consistently, you’ll be building credibility, offering your potential listeners a more extensive archive to choose from and helps you show up on established podcast directories. Furthermore, podcast listeners are creatures of habit, so ensure listening to your podcast becomes second nature by staying predictable.

Keep quality at the forefront

Providing high-quality audio is another way of ensuring your podcast is worth listening to. By prioritising quality, you’re offering a better listening experience that will ensure your audience keep coming back for more. In addition to quality audio, everything else from graphics and descriptions should always be of the highest quality – don’t cut corners.

Branch out

In addition to listening apps and online searches, you’ll want to get your podcast out there as much as possible. So, take the time to find the platforms suited to your podcast and its niche and start promoting your podcast there. From your social media and email newsletters to online communities, podcaster recommendation services and the IMDB of podcasting – Podchaser, put yourself out there at every opportunity!

Leverage your guests

Whether you’re calling on a tastemaker, industry expert or a lifelong friend, guests can serve as an excellent boost for your podcast discoverability. Maybe your guest will bring an engaged audience with them that will become long-term listeners, or perhaps they’ll add value by offering new fresh takes or entertainment value. Whatever it may be, a good guest is worth their weight in gold.

Use search engine optimisation

Last but certainly not least is our most technical recommendation, search engine optimisation. Thankfully, we’ve covered six ways to SEO optimise your podcast, too. 

Are you ready to up your game and get your podcast seen? Join our supportive and welcoming community and level up with us by your side.

As podcasts grow in popularity year on year, standing out from the crowd can feel harder than ever. But, if you didn’t know, SEO for podcasting exists and nailing yours will help you become more discoverable. 

For those who don’t know, SEO stands for search engine optimisation. In podcasting, SEO is the process of improving the quantity and quality of traffic to your podcast and, in turn, increasing your listener base. Whether your podcast is already live or you’re interested in starting one, read on to discover six ways you can gain visibility. 

Research and utilise relevant keywords
Podcast searches occur on two key platforms: search engines such as Google and podcast platforms such as Acast, and Spotify. For both, keywords are crucial. 

The name of your podcast is your number one keyword. So, choose wisely. While innovative and funny names are great, you should aim to pick a name based on the keyword opportunity. For example, ‘Girls in Marketing’ or ‘Sustainably Influenced’. 

In addition to the name of your podcast, you should include keywords in your episode titles and descriptions. 

When it comes to researching keywords, several paid and free tools are available, such as Google Trends and Answer the Public. Plus, doing keyword research will likely generate ideas for future topics – it’s a win-win. 

Leverage podcast metadata
If you’re sitting wondering what metadata is, you’re not alone. SEO can often feel like a dark art, so to simplify it for you. Metadata refers to a description of other data, like a book’s blurb. So, when Google is trawling the internet for search results, a keyword optimised meta title and description will help you get seen. 

As a rule of thumb, your title and subtitle should be to the point and include your focus keyword where possible. For the description, you can allow for more creative freedom, treating it as a function to convince people to listen.  

Repurpose your podcast content for social media
Many marketers say social media doesn’t directly impact SEO; however, some argue it does. By repurposing your content and building a presence on social media, you’re connecting with your audience and fostering relationships with listeners. As a result, when your listeners engage with your accounts, share links to your podcast and leave reviews, Google will note this social proof. 

Never underestimate the importance of transcriptions
Although it can be time-consuming, creating transcripts is another opportunity to highlight key topics and keywords for search engines to crawl easily. Your podcast transcriptions should include: 

• H1-H4 header tags (titles)
• Keywords
• Timestamps 

Furthermore, transcriptions ensure your content is more accessible for those unable to listen. 

Work on securing backlinks
A backlink is a link created when one website links to another. By securing high-quality links to your podcast, you’ll improve your SEO ranking. For example, if you have a guest on your podcast who has a high domain authority website, you ask them to link to your podcast. 

Claim your podcast on Google Podcasts Manager
If you want your podcast to show up in Google searches, you need to verify with Google Podcasts Manager. Once you’ve done so, Google will begin to index your feed and ensure your podcast is discoverable across Google Search, Home and Assistant. You can verify your podcast in five simple steps here.

SEO can feel like playing the long game, but it’s a worthwhile use of your time if you’re keen to grow your audience. While there’s a lot more you can do to boost your visibility, we recommend getting started with these six tips as you get your head around the mastery that is SEO. 

Podcasting can be challenging; there’s no need to do it alone. If you could benefit from a supportive podcasting community in your corner, find out about our membership options here.