Read This Instead…

Have you been thinking about promoting your business through podcasting but you don’t want to start your own podcast show? A podcast takes a lot of time to produce, edit, publish and market and you may not have the time or bandwidth. 

So, what can you do to leverage podcasts and reach your target audience?

You can do a podcast tour!

Hi, if you’re new here, I’m Denisse Marie. I’m a Marketing and Growth Strategist. I love to help women who own professional service businesses master business and marketing systems so they can discover freedom, profit, and productivity.

In this article, I’ll be discussing what a podcast tour is, what the benefits are, and how you can leverage it without having to do your own podcast. Podcasts are a hot trend right now and statistics show that up to 60% of US consumers are listening to podcasts. And the trend is still rising. I personally love listening to podcasts; especially when I’m in the car or to save me from boredom when waiting in a long line. In fact, when I was revamping my business, I considered using podcasts as part of my marketing strategy due to its high growth trend. I also urge you to consider using podcasting in your business, starting with a podcast tour.

So, what is a podcast tour? 

A podcast tour is very similar to a press tour where you’re identifying the podcasts that target your same target audience, create and send a pitch to the host and provide the audience with value. It’s free to do, easy, and only takes your time. 
The main benefit is that you’re leveraging someone else’s effort without doing the work to host your own podcast. Podcast hosts are always looking for new guests and new content. You, therefore, benefit from their promotional efforts of the podcast and you get in front of the right target audience to increase your brand awareness and build trust.

Alternatively, you can visit major podcast platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcast. On these platforms, use keywords related to your ideal audience or your industry to find podcasts.

The third way to research podcasts is using podcast hosting sites like Podchaser, the world’s most comprehensive podcast database and one that I find really useful. 

In your search, look at the recommended podcast under sections like, “You May Also Like” to find additional shows for your podcast tour. 

Once you have the targeted podcast list, the next step is to start pitching.

2. Pitching

Start by introducing yourself to the podcaster through email. When writing your email, it is important to use a relational anchor. A relational anchor explains your connection to the host, like referencing one of their podcast episodes, an event you attended together, a webinar they hosted that you attended, etc. Relational anchors create a connection and prevent your email from sounding generic or like they are coming from a random person.  

In addition to the relational anchor, including how you will create value for the podcaster’s audience —make it about them and how they will benefit from what you have to share. 

Take your time to create and personalize your email pitch and include all of the relevant details. I promise it’s worth the investment to increase your chances of getting a positive response —an invite!
 

3. Preparation

You’ve been invited to be a guest — congratulations! You’ll need to be well prepared for the podcast. Here are a few things to think about:

• What is the action you want your target audience to take? 
• How can the audience get to learn more about you? 
• What information can you provide the host to help their audience get to know you better — your website, links to your bio, social media platforms? 
• Can you request a dedicated amount of time to promote a free offer or service you provide?
• What’s one valuable insight their audience can walk away with?

Most importantly, be well prepared and rehearse. If possible, request the questions the host will be asking in advance so you can prepare your responses and connect them to stories. Storytelling is a great way to gain the attention of the audience.

4. Promoting

As mentioned earlier, the advantage of a podcast tour is that the promotion has already been done for you by the host. And supporting those promotion efforts can help expand your episode reach and listeners.

Here are some ways you can promote your podcast episode:

• Email your subscriber list to let them know about the upcoming episode
• Create social media teasers or GIFs about the upcoming podcast episode and share them widely on your social media pages. A great tool to create audio and video teasers is Wavve! They make it super easy to leverage simple audio content to create social videos. 
• Request (if not provided automatically) the podcaster’s branded image for your podcast episode and share it on your social media platforms.
• Repurpose the podcast by creating a blog post, short video clips, a presentation like Slideshare, or a variety of social media images with short clips from the episode.

Final Take Away

I hope this information has shown you a free and easy marketing strategy that gives you direct access to tap into a new audience and spread the word about your business. 

If you’re looking to take your podcast marketing strategy up a notch, check out The Perfect Pitch — it’s a complete done-for-you podcast tour roadmap with everything you need to get started, and a step-by-step practical strategy you can easily apply. It includes in-depth ways to find and select podcasts, build relationships with hosts, repurpose podcast content, and more. Plus, you’ll receive some pretty cool templates and bonuses! Check it out here.

Let me know in the comments if you have done a podcast tour before and your experience. Also check back soon for more tactics and strategies to grow your freedom, profitability, and productivity in your business. Thanks for reading!