There comes a time in one’s podcasting journey when you realise the impact your podcast has created for you and your business. When that time comes, you start looking around to compare it to something familiar. Something traditional and mainstream. Something that will allow you to measure the effectiveness of what you’ve managed to do. Maybe,
“A PR campaign“!
As a podcaster, the question that I get asked the most is, “Yeah, that’s great Ronsley. But, how do you make money from this podcast thing”? And while that is a brilliant question, there are other things that a podcast brings to the table.
I have yet to meet a PR agency that can guarantee results. Anyway, here is why I think you should save your money and spend it on creating a well thought of podcast.
1. The positioning bias
Deciding to create a podcast is not as simple as having some audio files up on your website. You should be carefully planning your concept and your position within your industry. It is important to figure out who your ideal listeners would be and, how your podcast will help solve their problems. This allows you to position yourself as a leader in the problems you intend to solve.
It allows your listeners to consume your solutions to the problems they have when they are relaxed and open to listening. Not when they are forced to look at you.
2. The authenticity factor
You cannot bulls**t on a podcast. Your authentic self will come through. It is therefore really important that when you are solving your listeners problems, you make sure you are doing that from a place of authenticity. When you do this, you make a connection with your people that no other medium will allow you to. You build trust through authenticity.
One can make an argument that video would allow for that too, but they still have to stop what they are doing and consume the video. That isn’t the case with audio. And,
“PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE THEY TRUST“
3. The visibility nullification
The great part about creating a podcast today is that iTunes and other radio stations will do you a favour and promote it. They wont promote a rubbish podcast, but if you get your concept and branding right, then the chances of them promoting it is very high.
Also, if you have an interview type podcast, you can get to your guests followers as well. Think about it. If you interview someone with a 100 followers and they let their people know about this awesome conversation they had with you … a hundred more people know about you. You get visible very quickly.
4. The competitive advantage
Not many people are podcasting yet. According to the stats, there are about 300,000 podcasts in total right now. Compare that to 1.7 million blogs published every day and 2 million minutes of video on Youtube every month. The advantage right now to offer your community audio-on-demand is massive.
This is content that they really want to know about. To consume when they want to, and while they can do something else. You can’t get more convenient than that.
5. The influence skyscraper
When I decided that I wanted to start a podcast on food. I thought about who I wanted to influence and who could I interview that would be most convincing to those people. That is how I arrived at interviewing high performing entrepreneurs. Now, I am the central hub for high performing entrepreneurs and their stories around food they eat as fuel for their success stories.
You suddenly then get asked to write testimonials for books, appear on other shows, and talk at events. Influence is awesome.
6. The cost
You can start a podcast in under $500. This accounts for good audio hardware equipment, brilliant graphics and great hosting options. Compare that to any PR campaign!
7. The effectiveness campaign
When you start a podcast, you can count the number of people that land up listening to your show and you can also count the number of guests you interview. You become popular quickly and in a very niched way. People that matter know about you and influential people start contacting you about being on your show.
I still remember the email I got from Vinnie Tortorich’s people about being on my show. I used to listen to his show. And now, he wanted to be on my show. This was after only 25 episodes. I have had some incredible guests on my show from entrepreneurs that make a million dollars a month, to the Director of Baking at the Culinary Institute in New York.
This platform is effective and massively efficient. You better believe that everyone will remember your name.
I would love to know your thoughts. I know this might be a very controversial article, and it could be very biased. So, please help me see the other side.
