Radio advertising in the US is expected to remain relatively flat through 2021, but podcast adverting spending is expected to double during this same period. Podcasts continue to gain popularity due to the global proliferation of smartphones. These seemingly essential devices are most popular with the 18-34 year old demographic that makes up 44% of the global podcasting audience. Apple Car Play, which now comes pre-bundled as a native app in 24 major car brands, is similarly extremely popular. Over 40% of Americans aged 12 and older have listened to a podcast, with 24% of Americans listening to podcasts regularly. This means that podcasts are more popular than Catholicism, which is the religious affiliation of 21% of Americans.
What makes podcast advertising so attractive to business owners? Seth Greene, author of five best-selling marketing books including the Market Domination for Podcasting, and Direct Response Marketing Expert, explains: “Podcasts offer advertisers the ability to hyper target. For example, if you had a product you need to get in front of hundreds of thousands of successful business owners, then the Sharkprenuer podcast — hosted by Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington — would be a great show to be on. If you had a product like Shark Tank’s Chord Buddy, there are plenty of podcasts for guitar players to choose from. Research can pinpoint the podcasts that are just right for your message.”
Podcasts also provide SEO benefits. “iTunes is a Page Rank One website, and every episode usually links back to both the show’s website and the guest’s website,” Greene adds. “Get booked on a handful of shows, with links back to your website for the right keywords, and watch what happens. Using the earlier example, if you Google ‘Kevin Harrington Sharkprenuer’, his show is 5 out of 10 listings on the first page”.
Greene says that Podcasts can even help you get ranked in the app store itself. “Search iTunes itself for direct response marketing and Kevin’s show ranks both #1 and #6.”
But advertising on a well-known show is not the only option for getting your message across to the right people. “Many brands are experimenting with creating their own podcasts,” Greene says. “This way, they control the entire process from start to finish. A bonus of having your own show is that you then own the media and can advertise to your own following as much as you want at no extra cost.”
As someone who makes lots of podcasts and spends his days promoting them, Greene offers specific advice for making a promotional podcast successful:
- “Your podcast needs a catchy name. Ideally, your podcast name should include the number one keyword that you want your show to rank for.
- Your podcast needs cover art. This cover art is the thumbnail image people see when they search for or find your show in iTunes. Your cover art should include the title of the show, a picture of the show host, and some clean images that give a good idea what the show is about.
- Your podcast needs a professional introduction. You should have a professional voice over actor or actress voice the intro, with (copyright free) appropriate music in the background. The intro should sound like a radio show introduction. It should establish you as an expert in your field, sell listeners on why they should listen to the show, and give them a call to action that takes them beyond the podcast.
- Your podcast needs hosting. There are many good hosting software companies in the market that can syndicate your show to places like iTunes, Google Play, etc. One of the best in the industry is Libsyn.
- Great featured guests make your podcast much more compelling. These folks will share your show with their audiences and be interesting to listen to.
- You will need to market your show so that your target market knows about it! This could include promoting it on email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Any other creative ideas you have for reaching your key audience could be useful, too.
- Make sure that every episode is transcribed and edited, so it can be turned into social media content, blog posts, eBook giveaways, and even a physical book!”
Greene is biased in his advocacy of podcasting, for good reason. He offers podcast creation through his company Market Domination as part of a 41 step process that includes a client podcast, a published book, and a book launch event — both physical and virtual — to “maximize the client’s exposure.” For a meta experience, and to get clearer about what Greene has to offer, you can hear his podcast on podcast marketing.
