Getting leads from your podcast needs a lead magnet to attract them. Ever since I started working on my podcast, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of doing something fun and engaging to build up a following. Essentially, this is a “lead magnet” for your podcast. When you think about it, an email list or database of subscribers is one of the most powerful things you can leverage as an independent podcaster. Plus, these things are pretty inexpensive to create and maintain. Still, many people are leery of using emails as they’re not really built for direct marketing—and they can be extremely annoying to send from time to time. And, I didn’t have a lead magnet for my first 200 episodes of my podcast.
So here’s my advice:
1. Interviews as a lead magnet for your podcast
Interviews are a fantastic way to build credibility, connections and trust with your audience. The best part is that they don’t have to cost you anything at all!
You can interview people who have worked in the industry for a long time, such as experts or previous guests on your show. If you look down the list of episodes on your podcast, there may be some people who would be interested in being interviewed again if they were asked.
It’s also worth reaching out to some experts and asking them if they would like to be interviewed for free (or even paid if appropriate).
Check out this article on 10 tips on How to brand your podcast for more sales in your business.
2. Guides
Guides are a great way to help your audience grow. They’re also a great way to get people to connect with your brand. You can turn your podcast into a guide by publishing blog posts and videos about the topics you discuss on the show, or you can create an entirely separate document that’s designed specifically for listeners of your show. For example, if you have an episode about how to use Instagram for business (this does exist), then maybe create a PDF guide with tips on how to do just that! Or if there’s one topic in particular that pops up often on the podcast (for example: how to start using social media), then consider creating some type of cheat sheet/checklist that includes all the information listeners need in order to tackle this specific challenge–and share it on social media so other people know where they can go if they need help too!
Guides are useful because they give people something tangible they can take away from the conversation at hand–it gives them purpose; it gives them direction; it helps them achieve their goals faster than if they tried going at it alone.”
3. Content upgrades
Content upgrades are a great way to give your listeners a bonus for listening to your podcast. A content upgrade can be a PDF, checklist, or other resource that you create and offer as an additional download from the podcast episode.
The bonus should be related to the topic of the podcast episode. For example, if you are talking about how to find a good accountant on your podcast, then make sure that any content upgrade you offer is related to finances or accounting.
You want people who listen to one episode to also hear about what else is available for them!
4. Blog posts
You can write blog posts before, during, or after you record your podcast.
You might also consider writing a post as a teaser for your upcoming podcast episode; this will help generate interest in your show and get people excited about listening. You could also use this opportunity to provide some background on who you are and why you started podcasting (if you haven’t already).
If you have any expert guests on an episode of your podcast and they say something that listeners might want more information about, write a blog post explaining their comments in greater detail.
You could also use this platform as a way to summarise each episode so listeners can catch up with anything they missed if they haven’t listened recently or don’t know what episodes have been published yet because there’s nothing better than starting from scratch!
5. Videos
You can use videos as your lead magnet. This is a great idea because they are easy to share and promote, which is important for any podcast.
They’re also very easy to consume: people will watch them on the go in their car, on the bus or train, or even at home while doing chores. You don’t need a lot of time or equipment to make videos so this is something you could do yourself if you have access to some free time and editing software like Windows Movie Maker (which comes with Windows computers).
6. PDFs
PDFs are a great way to provide a resource that your audience can have access to at any time. They’re also a great way to offer a download that is not available on your website.
For example, you could attach an ebook about how to build systems that help you create content or increase the ROI of your podcast campaign. It could be something like “10 Ways To Optimise Your Podcast Listener Engagement In 7 Days” or “A Guide To Getting Your First 1000 Subscribers”.
You can also use PDFs as an opportunity to provide bonus information related to topics covered in episodes or even offer freebies (for example, if you were talking about winter sports equipment, maybe the PDF contains all ten pages of instructions on how to build those skis and poles).
Or … 10 Mistakes that podcasters make and how to fix them.
7. Podcast transcriptions
Transcriptions are a great way to get more value out of your podcast. They provide a way for people who can’t listen to the audio file on their phones or computers, like visually-impaired listeners and those who don’t have time to listen but want to know what was said.
Transcripts also allow you to be found in search results when someone searches for keywords related to your topic or show title.
8. Social media giveaways
- Giveaway a freebie. Offer your listeners and readers a freebie with the giveaway. Here are some ideas:
- A discount on your product or service.
- A free consultation with you (or someone on your team).
- A free trial of your product or service.
- An ebook of some sort (for example, an e-book about podcasting or audio production). You can make this completely free by giving away the PDF version, while also selling an eBook version for sale at Amazon Kindle or other book retailers. You could even have chapters that are available as public domain content, but require people to buy books in order to read certain chapters that aren’t freely available online (I’m currently doing this with my course about social media growth hacking).
9. Having something tangible your audience can get from you will help them connect to your brand and remember you.
There are a few ways you can give your listeners something to take away from the show. One way is through lead magnets, which are free resources that help build your audience and promote your brand. Here are some examples of lead magnets:
- A PDF guide on how to use social media for small businesses (this one’s about Instagram)
- A video explaining what podcasts are and how they work (this one is from Podchaser)
- A text file containing all the links mentioned during the episode
Ever wanted tips on Getting your next 1000 listeners?
10. Listen to these experts discuss Lead magnets for your podcast
As business owners with a podcast, one of our main goals is to get our listeners that are prefect fits, to raise their hands and say – “Hey, I want to work with you. I think you can help me”. This episode is all about that. How do you create something of value and transformation that gets your ideal client to raise their hands.
In this episode you will:
- Learn what strategies business owners use with their lead magnets
- Understanding how to avoid some of the basic lead magnet mistakes podcasters make
- Learn to look at your lead magnet with fresh eyes & why it is really important you do that
- Take a deeper look at podcasting and being a digital media influencer.
- We answer a question about why the basic requirements of a business is an email list.
- Rethink your lead magnet by getting inspired by a bbq restaurant example.
- Understanding your message and improving your website for your target audience.
- Hear us talk about the online assets you need to have when you have a podcast.
- Learn how you could use a quiz as a lead magnet to your podcast listeners.
- Think differently about getting your ideal prospect’s contact information.
- We talk in-depth about how to get listeners of your podcast to take action and download your lead magnet.
Listen to the episode on lead magnets here.
Conclusion
It’s not hard to turn your podcast into a lead magnet. You just need to find something people want, offer that thing in exchange for their email address, and then try not to get overwhelmed by the incredible response you get.
At We Are Podcast we specialise in getting small business owners out of the daily grind and into building a business that can scale — all from a podcast.
Our proven tactics, templates, and trainings will give you:
- More listeners
- New clients, and
- A lot of credibility.
The best part? We guarantee results.
But, we can tell you want a win right now — and we’ve got you. After working with thousands of business owners, we’ve put this document together to reveal the 10 biggest mistakes they make with their podcast. You can get that here. Good luck!
