To pod or not to pod, that is the question! Or should that be, to cast or not to cast? If you want to inspire, inform or influence your audience either as a podcast host or as a guest, not only can a podcast change your life, you can change the lives of others. With a podcast you have the opportunity to create positive global ripple effects and speak on one of the largest stages in the world because “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.” Coming from Stratford-upon-Avon I often wonder what Shakespeare would have done with a podcast! People say that the podcast market is saturated. I wholeheartedly disagree. I believe despite being around for 17 years now it is still very much in its early stages. Putting the podcast medium into perspective, there are currently around 600 million blogs, 51 million YouTube channels, yet there are just 2.7 million podcasts. Podcasts are becoming serious business with the rise of affiliation partnerships, show sponsors, crowdfunding and membership platforms combined with the ability to promote your own services and products. Advertising revenue in the USA topped $1billion in 2021 and Statista.com reports that over £46 million was spent in the UK. This is expected to rise to £75 million in 2024 according to a report by Enders Analysis. Where avoidance of adverts plagues many marketing channels, podcasts are different as 78% of listeners approve of sponsorships because they understand that they fund the podcasts they love which are free for them to access. People often ask me how has podcasting changed me. Well, not only has it changed me, it’s changed my life and my income. It has also given me my voice and a message to share with an audience. Podcasting is my preferred speaking medium and it has given me clarity for my business. It has improved my listening, questioning and communication skills. I now understand my audience better so I am able to serve them better. I have created opportunities that I could never have imagined. I have generated many positive global ripple effects and in doing so have made incredible friends along the way. Podcasting has also given me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone. It is so much fun! In fact, I simply love podcasting. Can you tell? From a business perspective, podcasting has increased my visibility as it is an incredible marketing and networking tool to build your community. Just google me! I’m everywhere! It has helped me to build credibility, trust and loyalty and has positioned me as a key person of influence and authority, a go-to person for both podcasting and purpose. I have formed many collaborations and monetised my show as many of my coaching clients have reached out to work with me after listening to my episodes. With a podcast your connectedness is limitless but is a podcast right for you and your business? Do you have to have own podcast or can you simply leverage other podcasts as a guest? If you don’t want to host your own show or you haven’t got the time right now then don’t be afraid of being a serial podcast guest. Focus on guesting as your podcasting strategy to build your visibility, credibility and your audience. Ensure that the podcasts you guest on sit in the right industry and have the right target audience for your business. Be clear with the message you want to deliver and know what your call to action will be. It costs you nothing to turn up as a guest, just your time, so ensure that you use podcast guesting to your advantage and get maximum return on your investment. Either as a podcast host or as a guest, with more than 2.7 million podcasts, how do you stand out from crowd? It comes down to what does your audience value, want and need? According to Statista 2019, 75% of listeners say they tune in to learn new things. They want to acquire new knowledge, be entertained or use podcasts as a source of news or inspiration. Focus on content and value. Focus on WHY grew from a single seed that I planted and encouraged to put down its roots. It has grown organically through word of mouth recommendations without a single paid or boosted ad. Understand the potential of connecting with your audience. Understand how podcasting fits into your business model. Understand how to create opportunities of collaboration. Know how to have fun and in doing so you will bring more people into your world whilst providing more value to others. The more your audience feels involved and valued, the more they will recommend you and will promote your show unprompted. I often see posts on social media from people I don’t know recommending that others tune into a particular episode because of the value that they have found in a particular episode and what action they will go on to take as a result. This is music to my podcasting ears! Remember you are unique. You bring something to the podcasting space that no one else has got. You! This is how you or your podcast will stand out from the crowd. Focus on Podcasting!
ACTION POINT
Do you have a podcast guesting strategy to increase your visibility, credibility and audience? How could you leverage existing material you have or target key shows that will be a good strategic move for your business?
Amy
PODCAST WITH PURPOSE On Wednesday 16th March I spoke at the Intelligent Millionaires Network (IMN) to 60 people all about "How to Podcast with Purpose and Create Positive Global Ripple Effects". Various comments afterwards included 'really inspiring', 'thoroughly engaging', 'eloquent', 'phenomenal' and 'professional'. One email I received yesterday said this, "Thank you so much for your energy, passion and presence last night! I was totally and utterly inspired by your talk and was blown away by your podcast stats." I think my talk hit the mark! Are you thinking of launching a podcast or do you want to use podcast guesting as a business strategy? Let's talk more. Book in a call with me today here.