Starting a podcast might seem like a burden on your already full schedule, but it can actually streamline your marketing efforts and save you time.
Hi, I’m Jamie Kennedy, the executive podcast producer of Brave Moon Podcasts. In this episode, I explore how a podcast-led marketing strategy not only simplifies content creation but also enhances audience engagement.
With over 500 million global podcast listeners and significant buying power, podcasts are an effective tool for businesses. I dive into how each podcast episode can become a cornerstone for content repurposing, highlight the benefits of repetition marketing, and offer practical tips to align content with audience needs.
In this episode, we talk about…
How a podcast can centralize your content efforts and reduce the time spent creating individual pieces.
The benefits of reinforcing your message through multiple formats and frequent delivery, enhancing audience retention.
Strategies for tailoring your podcast content to fit seasonal trends and audience needs, boosting relevance and engagement.
Transcribed Podcast Episode
Most people believe that starting a podcast will add more to their already-full plate. They don’t understand how adding one more thing to their To Do list could possibly save them time or lead them to be more successful in their small business. It just makes logical sense, right? Believe me, I get it - because I believed that very same thing not long ago.
When I was starting my podcast, I thought to myself, no way. I run a small business. I have a million things I need to do. I wear so many hats, I often get them all mixed up and forget which hat I’m supposed to be wearing… the point is, I was thinking in my head, “I need to start a podcast. But I do not have the time.”
There are so many reasons to start a podcast, right? Global listenership has grown to over 500 million. Listeners’ engagement time is an average of 27 minutes versus YouTube’s engagement time is only 2 ½ minutes. 65% of people who have listened to a podcast have bought something based on an advert they heard on a podcast. 75% of people tune in to be educated, making it an amazing audience for a small business to help teach and educate potential audiences on important topics that relate to their product or services. So. Many. Things.
So I knew I needed to start a podcast. But my fear of not having enough time meant that when I started this podcast 9 episodes ago, I wanted to commit to exactly 10 episodes for you. Honestly? I thought for sure I would give it up after that. That I would discover that I just don’t have the time. And I thought, 10 episodes, that’s enough right? After all, it’s evergreen content that will live on the listening apps for any potential clients to find.
And I could absolutely leave it at that. I’ve got one more episode to go and I’m cruising, right?
But here’s where it got really interesting. I discovered very quickly that every episode I created had legs. And a heart. And a brain. And a couple lungs. A whole body. I wasn’t just creating one piece of content mixed in with a ton of other content I was putting out there. No, I could put my podcast episode front and center and let every other piece of content that went out into the world revolve around it, too.
Very quickly, I discovered this method actually saved me time. And the best part? Was that it was actually working. I was spending less time creating content to put on social media, in my emails, and on my blog. And I couldn’t believe it when I saw that I was getting huge increases in viewership and engagement.
I will tell you right now, I am actually incredibly lazy. I know that might sound odd coming from a go-getter who started their own business and goes to the gym almost daily, but it’s true! I am constantly searching for ways to do things more easily, faster, quicker and more efficiently. So maybe lazy isn’t the right word. But if I can find a quicker path between point A and point B, I’m going to take it.
And so when I discovered that a podcast would get me from point A to point B quicker and more efficiently, I realized I was smitten with this podcast-led marketing strategy concept.
And that is what today’s episode is all about. Because I’m here to tell you, a podcast absolutely has the power to save you time and create a winning marketing strategy that actually works for your business.
No more beating your head against the wall for new content ideas. No more feeling lost and out-of-touch with your followers. No more confusion over what your messaging, product and services are. It’s time to create a podcast-led marketing strategy for effortless success.
Can I just say a huge thank you for you being here and taking the time to listen to this? Recently, one of my favorite podcast clients, Meg Durham from the amazing podcast The School of Wellbeing, shared something on her podcast that resonated deeply with me. She said, “When you're doing a podcast, I'm sitting here talking to you, but I can't see you. I can't see your expression. It's really an act of faith. It's an act of faith that the message that I share gets to the person who will find it valuable, who will be able to receive the information.”
When I heard her say that, I felt it in my bones. A podcast is a leap of faith that the information you’re providing is making a difference in someone’s life. That they’re inspired to take action and build something beautiful, perhaps because of your podcast.
So, here I am, thanking you for being here. For trusting in me and spending your valuable time with me. When I see those episode downloads increase, it makes my heart happy knowing I might be helping you on your journey.
And I will just also mention really quickly who I am and why I’m in your ears. I'm Jamie Kennedy. The other Jamie Kennedy. And I am a podcast producer behind the podcast production company Brave Moon Podcasts. We’ve produced podcasts for Virgin Active health clubs, Functional Training Institute, amazing wellbeing coaches and speakers, and many more.
I started this podcast from my own home, because I wanted to prove to you that it’s very much possible for you to do the same. Here I am with my Rode Podcaster mic, and my dog Riggs resting at my feet.
Everything you hear today is a result of a lot of hours of research and experimentation, and I’ve handpicked the best tools and techniques for you to use. No guesswork involved! I'm all about setting you up for podcasting success, whether you're a busy creator, small business owner, or a wellness 'preneur. I'm here to make your podcasting journey much more enjoyable.
Ready for a comprehensive list of the equipment, programs and software my clients use to launch and grow their podcast? Head to my website and grab my free Start-a-Podcast guide. Believe me, when I was getting started, it took me months to make decisions on all of this confusing stuff. Everything I learned during those months of research all culminated into the creation of this exact guide. I’ve narrowed your equipment, software and program options down to the best in the industry. So download it today, link is in the show notes!
Now for the main event… developing a podcast-led marketing strategy that works. Let’s dive right in!
I had A LOT of super important, interesting things to share about this topic, so I already know it’s about 1,000 words longer than my average podcast episode. Eep! Stay with me because I know there’s a ton of valuable content you can really benefit from.
Right off the bat, I’m going to break it down. There are 3 things I want you to understand about a podcast-led marketing strategy. The first thing is that it saves you time. The second is that a podcast-led marketing strategy taps into the concept of repetition marketing, which I’ll explain in a moment. And thirdly, this type of strategy helps you target the right audience at the right time.
Let me explain. I’ll break down each individually, and then I’ll share my top 5 hacks to creating a podcast-led marketing strategy that works.
First - this strategy saves you time. Lots of time. And this happens on so many levels.
So let’s break it down. Every podcast episode you create becomes what they call a long-form piece of content. And, if you’re following my recommendations, each podcast episode you create is going to center on a specific topic. So you’ve created 10 minutes, 60 minutes, or 2 hours of content (hello, Huberman Lab), all around one topic. So that means it’s packed with a ton of information.
And in this day and age, we let all of that information fall under the term content. You can’t go anywhere on the internet - or really anywhere in real life - these days without stumbling into it! Arguably, you could say it’s been around since the first book, newspaper, you name it. But with the invention of the internet, and social media, content is being created faster than our great-great-grandparents could even comprehend. And it’s not just journalists and businesses generating content; it’s 100s of millions of normal people creating content, too.
Even my dog is creating content. Yes, he has his own Instagram. I digress.
But if everyone was just generating a ton of content and nobody was paying attention, then I think it would just lessen. Maybe not, I’m not sure. But the point is, that’s not the case. People are LOVING content. From the latest Kardashian meme to a WebMD article that makes you go down the medical rabbit hole, to an educational think piece about the state of climate change, people are gobbling content up at a rapid pace.
Our smart phones and computers have become so fast, our attention spans at an all-time low, we are gobbling up content really, really quickly. And we still want more.
We want to be educated. We want survivalist stories. We want to learn how to do things better than other people. We want to learn how to do things quicker and more efficiently than other people. That’s how humans are.
And so, when you own your own business, that becomes a center point for you. Your goal is to reach your target audience through creating content that they will love. Because when you create content that your target audience loves, they love you and your business too.
But let’s talk about how much effort it takes to create content. Ok, sure, you might have figured out a way to create a fast Instagram Reel, or you can type out an email newsletter like a rabbit in a carrot race. But ultimately, there’s bound to be content you’re creating that is time-consuming. Back-breaking, frustrating, laborious content and sometimes, it feels like you’re just pulling teeth to get it out there in the world.
So imagine what would happen if you found a way to center all of your content - your emails, your social media posts, your blog posts, your videos, even your infographics - all around your podcast episode topic.
And here’s how.
You write out your script or, if you do an unscripted podcast or an interview-style podcast, you use an automated transcribing service like Podcastle. You skim through it and grab information from it that stands out.
Alternatively, you can copy/paste it into ChatGPT or Google Bard and ask it to pick up information that stands out as important.
From there, you create content slots. For me, I post a new episode every 2 weeks, so I want to create slots that start on Day 1 of episode launch day, to Day 13 before the new episode launches. So that means I have 10 content pieces I want to make happen for every single episode. For me as a reference, this includes a blog article, one email, two Instagram Reels, one Instagram Carousel, one Instagram quote, one LinkedIn post, one LinkedIn infographic, and at least 2 Stories. This list of content works for me. These are the channels I’m choosing to be on; they very much could be different for you.
Now the key here is to always batch your work. For example, while I’m scripting my episode, I also make sure that I write my blog post at the same time. Oftentimes, there is a ton of crossover here; so it’s helpful to do them at the same time. I will also write my show notes because again, I can use a lot of the content from my script for the show notes. Not to mention that I already have a show notes template ready to go; I just need to fill out a quick summary and make sure to give you the resource links you may need.
Other ways I quickly batch content is while I’m editing my episode, for example, I’m always listening for pieces of content that could stand alone and be featured as an Instagram Reel or other audio snippet. When I hear something, I quickly export that snippet and label it so that I can remember it later.
Expert tip: Do not wait until later to do this. I promise you, if you wait, you will not bother to listen to the episode again to find these snippets.
At the same time, I have a spreadsheet I fill out with my 10 pieces of content and a blank spot next to each one, which I need to fill in. I already know I’m looking for 2 Instagram Reels, 1 LinkedIn Carousel, etc, so as I’m in the thick of my new episode, I’ll type out a quick idea.
For example, for this episode, I’m thinking I’ll do a LinkedIn infographic about all the different types of content that can stem from one podcast episode. I’ll quickly jot that down, and then come back to create it once I have all my ideas nailed down.
So what this is all doing is helping eliminate the dreaded content ideation, where you have to come up with a different idea for each piece of content. Instead, you get to streamline it because you already know what the topic is going to be. You just need to hone in on the exact piece of content you’ll create.
Slowly but surely, you’ll also create content templates, which will make this process even more efficient.
You might already know this about me, but I am an overthinker and a perfectionist. So this podcast-led marketing strategy helps me stop overthinking so much, and makes me stop being such a darn perfectionist. I work within the bounds of the episode and I save a ton of time overthinking and perfecting - especially because I only have a 2-week window to do it in!
Let’s circle back to the second thing I mentioned, which is why a podcast-led marketing strategy makes you excel at repetition marketing.
Repetition marketing is all about delivering the same key message or information to your target audience consistently and frequently. Why do this? First, it enhances message retention. The more a person hears your message, the more they will retain that information. It also helps build brand awareness, and helps to overcome resistance to your message. Interestingly also, repetition marketing helps to eliminate what’s called the Mere Exposure Effect. Apparently a person will grow fonder of something the more often they are exposed to it! I may just have to do that with brussel sprouts.
Repetition marketing is about making sure your message is heard, remembered, and acted upon.
Now, imagine having a podcast episode that serves as the epicenter of your content strategy. As I mentioned earlier, each episode is packed with valuable information, stories, and insights. It's a content goldmine. And the magic happens when you repurpose this podcast episode into various forms of content. You're not just delivering the same message over and over again; you're presenting it in different formats and on different platforms.
Expert tip: If you’re posting the same exact Instagram post to your Facebook without changing a single photo or caption, I totally understand why you’re doing it. After all, Instagram encourages it by almost forcing you to unclick on the “share to facebook” button. But, can I suggest that you stop doing it? I know, it’s so easy. But I promise that every single one of your friends will appreciate you doing so. Why? Because we already follow you on both platforms. We do not want to see this content twice.
Now that’s not to say that every single person following you Instagram is also following you on Facebook. But I guarantee that there’s enough of a crossover that it’s worth it to stop duplicating what your friends and followers are seeing.
The consistency of your podcast releases and the corresponding content amplifies the effect of repetition marketing. Your audience knows when to expect new content, which builds anticipation and keeps them engaged.
In essence, a podcast-led marketing strategy leverages repetition marketing by delivering your message consistently, across various formats, and at the right frequency.
Now, let's dive deeper into the third aspect of a podcast-led marketing strategy – how it helps you target the right audience at the right time. This is where the power of podcasting aligns with the timing of your content and your audience's lives.
Imagine this scenario: You run a fitness-related small business, and you have a podcast about health and wellness. You've noticed that every year, as the holidays approach, there's a surge in interest in staying healthy during the festive season. People want to know how to maintain their fitness routines, manage their nutrition, and stay motivated despite the temptations of holiday feasts and treats.
With a podcast-led marketing strategy, you can plan your podcast episodes around these seasonal trends. You know that your target audience is actively seeking advice on staying healthy during the holiday season, so you create episodes that cater to their needs. You might have episodes titled "Healthy Holiday Eating Tips," "Maintaining Your Fitness Routine During the Holidays," and "Mindful Eating Strategies for Festive Gatherings."
By aligning your podcast content with the timing of your audience's needs, you position yourself as a valuable resource in their lives. They're more likely to tune in, engage with your content, and consider your products or services when they see that you're addressing their current challenges.
Additionally, a podcast-led marketing strategy allows you to capitalize on specific events, seasons, or holidays. For example, if you run a fashion-related business, you can create episodes about summer fashion trends just as the summer season is approaching. Or, if you're in the gift-giving industry, you can release episodes about unique gift ideas for Valentine's Day or Christmas.
The beauty of podcasting is that episodes remain accessible indefinitely. Even if someone discovers your podcast episode months or years later, it can still be relevant to them if the content is evergreen or tied to a recurring event. This timeless quality of podcasting content ensures that you continuously attract new listeners who stumble upon your episodes while searching for information that aligns with their current needs.
To put it simply, a podcast-led marketing strategy allows you to be in sync with your audience's life events and seasonal interests. It's like having a conversation with them at the right moment, offering valuable insights and solutions when they need them the most.
So, there you have it – a podcast-led marketing strategy not only saves you time and excels at repetition marketing but also helps you target your audience at the right time, making your content more relevant and engaging. It's a powerful tool that can elevate your small business and create a lasting impact in the lives of your audience members.
In the next segment, I'll share my top five hacks to creating a podcast-led marketing strategy that works seamlessly. Stay tuned!
Hack #1 Content Repurposing Framework: Develop a systematic approach to repurpose your podcast content across various platforms and formats. Like I mentioned earlier, create a content calendar that outlines when and where you'll share different pieces of content related to each podcast episode. For example, if you release a podcast episode on Monday, plan to share related blog posts, social media updates, email newsletters, and videos throughout the week. This not only maximizes the reach of your podcast but also saves you time by batching your content creation efforts.
Hack #2 Pre-Recorded Promotions: Earlier I mentioned you can grab audio snippets from your script or during the interview. But another great time-saving tip is to actually record separate promotional content while you’re recording. You can introduce the episode and then highlight the key takeaways or record a hook to get listener’s intrigued to tune into the episode. Schedule these promotional clips like you would any of your other content!
Hack #3 Interactive Engagement: Encourage listener engagement by incorporating interactive elements into your podcast. I 100% recommend that you ask listeners to engage by posting a piece of content to their social media channels. Ask them to tag you. Once they do, you’ll be able to use that content and post it to your social media channels! User-generated content aka UGC is an amazingly simple way to produce content for your channels.
Hack #4 Guest Cross-Promotion: If you have guest experts or influencers on your podcast, collaborate with them on cross-promotion. Ask your guests to share the episode with their own followers and networks. This expands your reach and introduces your podcast to new audiences who are already interested in your guest's expertise or niche. Another idea is to ask your guest to create a quick promo for your channels. This is a simple Reel idea that works.
Hack #5 Event-Based Episodes: As mentioned earlier, plan special episodes that coincide with significant events, seasons, or holidays relevant to your niche. For example, if you're in the finance industry, consider creating episodes about tax planning in the lead-up to tax season or episodes on financial resolutions at the start of a new year. These event-based episodes provide timely and valuable content that resonates with your audience's current interests and needs.
Thank you again so much for joining me on your podcasting journey. Don't forget to subscribe, and if you enjoyed this episode, pretty please share it with your friends.
Until the next episode, keep those conversations flowing, and keep being the amazing creator that you are. And as always, remember to stay consistent, stay passionate and keep it real.
Wondering how to build a successful podcast-driven marketing plan without overwhelming your schedule?
Contact us today to discover how a podcast-led strategy can streamline your efforts and drive results. Let us help you leverage the power of podcasting to simplify your marketing efforts and achieve your goals. Get in touch here.
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Happy podcasting.
