Podcasting has grown in popularity across many industries, and we are seeing an increase in businesses who haven’t historically operated in the online space launch their own shows, too.
At Produce Your Podcast, we work with our newly launched shows to create an effective “listener journey” ie. how can you move people from only listening to the podcast to also becoming a part of your email list, online communities, membership programs and more.
Below you’ll find a basic overview of a “listener journey” – while each business’ journey will look a little different, we want to provide context if you are just getting started (and if you have further questions, send us a message to get in touch!)
Step 1: Add a call-to-action to your episodes + a resource your listeners can sign up for
One of the most common first steps in building out a listener journey is to get your audience onto your email marketing list through an opt-in resource.
What resources work best to generate opt-ins? We have found the following:
- A free PDF guide – this could be a compilation of tips to achieve a specific goal, a “how to” guide, etc. We recommend 2-3 pages maximum for this resource.
- A checklist for tips to achieve/help/accomplish _________ We would recommend this is a 1-2 page resources
Now for your call-to-action. Something to understand here: “sign up for my newsletter” isn’t a powerful or effective call-to-action. We want you to get more specific, add value for the listener, and make sure your call-to-action answers the question, “what’s in it for them?”
Here are a few examples of a call-to-action outline:
“If today’s episode resonated with you and you want more ________, head to ____ so you can ____________.”
“If you’ve been working on _____ and are looking to support to ____, head to _____ so you can ______.”
To give you a specific, here is one of our own calls-to-actions and opt-in resource at Produce Your Podcast:
“If you want to generate more opt-ins from your podcast listeners, the first step is to have an effective call-to-action. Grab our free guide, CTAs That Convert, by texting ‘CTA’ to 66866”
This call-to-action specifically identifies the audience’s end goal (generating more opt ins from podcast listeners) and shares a specific resource to help them do that (the guide, CTAs that Convert).
One final note for this section – you can have listeners opt in through a website link or a text message opt in, like we use in the example we gave you above. Please note that for text message opt ins, most tools will operate in specific geographic areas only, so be sure to check those tools out and ensure they work for your audience and your goals.
Step 2: Create your email follow up sequence
Once the listener opts in to your free resource after hearing your call-to-action in your episode, they’ve landed in your email list.
Your next job is to do what’s called “nurture the leads” – add value, establish your expertise and positioning as someone who can help them, and usually, present an offer to them.
Here is an example overview of that follow up sequence*:
- They receive the resource they opted in for
- They receive 2-3 additional ‘follow up’ emails related to that specific resource
- They receive an email invitation with some type of offer
*Please note that again, every business operates a little differently – your follow up may not look exactly like this depending on your goals. This is meant to give you an example and a jumping off point to get started. If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to send us a message.
We recently worked on this with one of our Growth Accelerator Program clients, The PR Maven podcast.
When the team came to us, they were looking to use their podcast to support thought leadership and book sales. They had a fantastic testimonial about the books within the episode, but did not have a specific call-to-action to move listeners onto their email list and therefore, no way to nurture them as leads until they potentially made a book purchase.
What we built out is:
- A call-to-action that had listeners opt in (via a website link) to get the first chapter of the book for free
- A follow up sequence with 2 follow up emails that shared more about the topics in the book in a teaching style, adding value for the listener/subscriber
- A final email directly promoting the book
To give you another example, our CTAs that Convert opt-in looks like this:
- A call-to-action to get the opt-in guide
- Three follow up emails that provide more strategic recommendations to grow a profitable podcast
- A final email inviting the listener/subscriber to book a consultation with our team to learn more about growing their podcast and our strategic service offerings
All of this is to help you understand how to begin a listener to customer journey, starting with your podcast. The key elements are: a strong call-to-action in your episodes, a resource for listeners to opt into that will get them to your email list, and a follow up email sequence to nurture them as leads and ultimately present an offer.
If you are looking to uplevel your own growth strategy, further engage your audience and set your podcast up to be a source of visibility, leads and sales for your business – send us a message to talk through our strategic service offerings.
Our clients are doing exciting things such as:
- Hiring new team members to keep up with the growth explosion in their business from their podcast (Doing Divorce Different)
- Closing clients into their high ticket coaching programs (Seven Figure Consultant)
- 3x’ng engagement in their online communities (Optimize Yourself)
- Using their platform to book speaking engagements, such as TEDx talks (The Amicable Divorce Expert)
- Closing local sponsorships – 14 and counting! (Inside Design)
And so much more.
For lead generation & prospecting:
- Skim organization’s podcast promotions online for people who have commented/engaged with podcast related content and reach out to start a conversation
- Follow up & engage with anyone who has replied to email marketing related to the podcast
- Send personalized messages to online followers of any podcast-focused social media channels
To nurture prospects before or after meetings:
- Make note of the prospect’s key goals and pain points, and send specific podcast episodes targeted towards those two things as an added resource/value add
- Invite prospects to a live taping of the podcast (if you do this in your online communities)
- Use the podcast as a touchpoint/reason to reach back out, asking if the prospect has any topics or guests they’d want to hear on the show
To plug into everyday systems/workflows:
- Include podcast in your meeting confirmation emails when prospects book using automated tools (such as Calendly)
- Bring a flier or card with a QR code to scan and get to the podcast along with your usual materials if doing in-person drop bys/office visits
- Share the organization’s promotional posts on your own social media if social selling; your prospects may not be connected to company pages
- Mention podcast as an added resource in your voicemail (“you can also find us…”)
When onboarding new clients:
- Include the podcast as a resource when you onboard new clients – this could be in their welcome package, as part of the “tour” when showing the membership site included in their paid package, etc.
To help affiliates & referral partners:
- Empower them to use the podcast to educate and nurture potential referrals they may send to the business development team
- Select key episodes or create curated playlists (Spotify will allow you to do this) for the referral partner’s audience
- Include the podcast in any introductory materials the referred prospect receives when initial introductions are made
Are the wheels turning? Funny enough, we often talk about “podcast integration” with our Growth Accelerator Program clients before we talk about new audience growth. What we’ve found time and time again is that the podcast is isolated from many warm audiences that team members are already in contact with, and podcasts continue to prove themselves one of the most powerful nurture tools in the sales process. The first step is to get all of your audiences engaging with the podcast, then going outward to add more new listeners too.
Produce Your Podcast is a premiere podcasting consulting, production and marketing agency. Our team of experts provide comprehensive and high quality solutions for B2B and B2C clients to incorporate podcasting into their overall marketing strategy.
Looking for a team of experts to launch your business’ podcast? Schedule a time HERE to book a consultation with our production team.
