Prologue
Do podcasters need social media?
The answer is no. But it can help you do two things:
- Connect with people (like potential guests) you wouldn't otherwise be able to reach.
- Show your humanity and approachability.
I can't tell you how many podcast interviews that I've booked where the process started via a simple message on Twitter – a public response, not even a DM.
Also, social media is a great way to keep in touch with people you already know, without having to send a long email, pick up the phone, or get together in-person. In short, it's a no-pressure way to keep relationships moving forward.
It's also an opportunity for current and potential listeners to see how you interact with people. And this "approachability" is huge when it comes to listeners liking you – it's right behind empathy as one of the most powerful ways to attract people to you.
So forget "followers" as you go through this issue of Big Podcast Insider. Focus on one-on-one interactions with people you want to meet as well as current listeners who are already watching what you do there.
With that said, I'm always looking for podcasters to feature on the Big Podcast Instagram page. Details on how to get a photo to me are in the bio link, so go there, send me a photo of where you record, and let me showcase your podcast and send some people your way.
Podcaster Opportunities
Why You Should Consider Video for Your Podcast
Some important videos stats you should be aware of:
- Over 100 million people watch YouTube TV on their TV screens each month in the U.S.
- YouTube has over 2 billion active monthly users.
- YouTube streams over 1 billion hours of video a day.
- 54% of people want marketers to produce more video content.
- 75 million people access Facebook’s video platform every day.
Video isn't perfect. You have far more access to people via audio, since audio can be consumed in cars or while doing other things.
Still, video has its place. That's the opportunity – bringing video in when it helps, not simply videotaping yourself as you record your podcast or putting up "Zoom video" on YouTube.
Just because videos are easy to make doesn't mean people want to watch them. For example, nobody wants to see a "talking head" video and posting that kind of thing can actually hurt your podcast.
"Theater of the mind" is important in radio, podcasting, and audiobooks. If you want to lean in the story of recording your podcast in your closet, like I did in the Big Podcast audiobook trailer, a basic video of you doing this may help. But most of the time, video shows too much and snaps people out of their fantasies about who you are and what you're doing.
It's great if you're using video, but be thoughtful about it. There's a huge audience waiting for you when you do it right and you want to take advantage of the opportunity.
Podcast Marketing
Using James Clear’s Instagram Strategy to Grow Your Podcast
James Clear is the author of Atomic Habits. His newsletter goes out to over one million people each week and 561,000 people follow him on Instagram.
How do you make the most of your Instagram followers? This article breaks down what James is doing to bring people over to his newsletter and book.
You could do the same for your podcast and other content. Look at the Big Podcast Instagram page and you'll see me doing something similar to drive people to a free Big Podcast audiobook.
The big takeaways here...
- Less is more.
- Have a focused message and be clear about what you want people to do.
5 New Time-Saving Instagram Features for Podcasters
Instagram has added five built-in features designed to help you quickly create better content. Until now, you've had to use a third-party app, like Publer, to publish from your desktop – not anymore!
As you'd expect from a company with such a large customer base, launching new features like this is a massive undertaking and, because of this, rollout has been in stages. If you don't see anything new on your account now, you will soon!
How to Conduct a Social Media Audit
If you're like me, at the very least, you sign up for social media accounts to grab your username. And maybe you throw a bunch of posts, photos, and videos up to see if anything sticks.
I think the first part of this strategy, reserving the username you want, is a very smart move – you never know when a new social network is going to take off and it's always helpful to be in control of your name, regardless of whether you're active on that network.
But if you've got unused social media accounts, it's also good to review them periodically to make sure they're up-to-speed with who and where you are now.
This is a plan that will help you make your social media accounts work for you.
"I spent $716 on seven Twitter growth courses in the last 40 days..."
I love Twitter. It's amazing for guest outreach as well as keeping in touch with people.
To be honest, I don't worry about "followers" there. The half-life of a tweet is just a few minutes and, even if you have a lot of people following you, it's doubtful most of them will see your post on their feeds.
But the growth strategies in this thread go beyond getting more followers – you'll learn how to make the most of Twitter, in whichever way you use it, including personal outreach.
This is worth a look. It's a quick read and will help you.
Podcast Production
How to "Spy" on Your Competitors (and Podcast Listeners)
This sounds harsh, I know. But it's 100% ethical and people actually want you do it to them.
I'm talking about social listening, an audience research method to monitor social media, websites, and forums for mentions of specific topics, brands, product names, and people.
If you want podcast episodes that really connect with listeners, you need to listen to them. My suggestion is to do this not only via social listening, but also in-person meetups and one-on-one phone calls.
Successful podcasters have an ear to the street. If you lose touch with your listeners, they will find another podcast to listen to.
Podcasting Deals
Automate Your Podcast Booking with Trafft
It's 2021. We're still in a pandemic, but busier than ever.
You need to automate your podcast booking process, not just for guests, but also for any other people you work with – co-hosts, producers, engineers...
Podcasters have been using automated scheduling tools for years, but Trafft is different. It analyzes your schedule and the schedules of everybody else you need to record your podcast to automatically come up with a time that works for everybody.
If you haven't yet automated your booking or have a co-host or somebody else you need to schedule with ease, this is a great option.
The Wrap Up
Like this newsletter? Tell a friend...
My goal is to better empower podcasters to be more successful spreading their messages and make more money with their podcasts.
I'd love it if you'll help me spread the word about this newsletter by sending your podcasting friends to bigpodcast.com/newsletter.