Podcast Marketing – Essential Steps to Podcasting Success
Podcast marketing is on a big roll in 2010 with numerous businesses releasing audio content in hopes to build brand recognition, connect with their consumers on a more personal level, and increase brand awareness through social media. But podcasting is no new. Podcasts appeared in 2003, originally as audio content delivered straight to iPod’s, hence the similar name, podcast. Although there are similarities, one main distinction is that podcasts have evolved dramatically from their humble beginnings. In this article, we will discuss Podcast Marketing for radio shows, an introduction to podcast, the pros and cons of podcasting, and how you can make money with a podcast.
Podcast Marketing is a great way to get your podcasts noticed, and Podcast Marketing is a great way to start earning fast and making a healthy full-time income from home! The first step to podcast success is to create unique and captivating content. Although you do not need to be a professional writer or author to create exciting audio content, it does help. Having an engaging voice over recording, clean recording, compelling title, and unique cover art are all key elements of successful podcasting. As a podcast producer, you should take time to research the most popular and well-known authors/owners of popular audio titles and research their websites to see if you can use their material (copyright free and of course! ).
Another great way to market your podcast is to utilize audio clips on social media. YouTube has an audio section where anyone can submit audio clips for others to purchase or embed on their website, MySpace and other social media pages. To maximize your profits, these audio clips should be professionally produced and sound great! If you are recording a real conversation, record each sentence and then turn it into a mono or stereo file to make it easier to embed on various websites. Also, be sure that the audio is not too long or monotonous, as this will take away from your credibility as a podcast producer.
Most podcasters today use a RSS feed to syndicate audio content, which is why podcast advertising works so well. RSS feeds have exploded as one of the best ways to promote your podcasts. There are hundreds of thousands of podcast directories on the internet, and using RSS feeds to place advertisements on your podcasts is one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase your revenue. Just be sure to place your advertisements at the very end of each podcast, or at the very beginning.
Another key to podcasting success is by promoting, not selling. Many aspiring podcasters struggle with the concept of “selling my podcast,” but it does not have to be that way. Remember that creating quality podcasts is more about entertainment than selling, so instead of focusing on creating a product for listeners to buy, focus on creating a community around your podcast. Ask people to share your podcasts with their friends, and create contests to get people excited about your podcast. The more you promote your podcast, the more likely people are to want to listen.
Finally, one of the most important aspects of podcast marketing involves the look and design of your website. Podcast directories are powered by the power of directories, so if you submit your podcasts to them, they will list your episodes in their directory listings. Likewise, there are a ton of social bookmarking sites online where you can submit your podcasts for free. Place a link to your podcast episodes at the very bottom of every page that features your blog, articles, or other content, and the more exposure that you can get for your podcast, the more people are likely to find it.