From Listeners to Clients: 7 Ways to Get Amazing Results From Your Podcast
Podcasting takes work—there’s no denying that.
And if you’re going to put the time and energy into creating and maintaining a podcast, then you definitely want to make sure you’re getting results.
Over my years of helping dozens of entrepreneurs start and produce their own podcasts with our Podcast Launch Program, I’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to making the most of a show.
So in this article, I’m going to break down what you should be doing to ensure you’re maximizing your podcasting efforts within the show itself, via email, and using social media.
But before I do, it’s important to note that the suggestions below are to help with using a podcast as an engagement tool for your audience.
That means your show’s aim is to educate, offer value, build trust, and lead listeners toward an offer that will solve their problem.
In short, this is not a get-rich-quick scheme. This is a proven strategy that will help maximize your efforts to turn listeners into clients over time.
(For more on how to use a podcast as part of your business strategy, check out WHEN Should You Start a Podcast? (And When You Shouldn’t) and How a Podcast Should (And Shouldn’t) Fit Into Your Growth Strategy.)
So if you’re looking to get impressive podcast results using this long-term strategy, then check out the following tips.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR EPISODES
Deciding what to include in each show can be a challenge in and of itself, but I have two major recommendations in this area:
TIP #1: INCLUDE STRONG CALLS TO ACTION.
In case you're not familiar with the term, a call to action (CTA) is when you ask or tell people to do something in particular.
This tactic is designed to encourage listeners to take a specific action that will help generate the kinds of podcast results you're looking for.
So what makes a good CTA?
The three most effective styles of calls to action I have seen are “next step” CTAs, “mid-conversation” CTAs, and “grassroots” CTAs.
As the name implies, a next step CTA tells listeners exactly what to do when they are ready to take the next step toward a bigger result or toward working directly with you.
Ideally, this call to action will be part of your standard closing for each episode and will offer an opt-in like a checklist, ebook, or email series.
A next step CTA can be something like, “We have listeners asking all the time how they can get started with their own podcast, so I put together a Free 21 Step Podcast Launch Checklist that helps people finally know the exact steps to start their own podcast."
Alternatively, it could be as simple as sharing a way that potential clients can request a one-on-one conversation or consultation with you.
Whatever the end goal is, lay it out for listeners so they know exactly what to do.
The mid-conversation CTA shares a specific action for listeners to take based on the topic of conversation at that moment—before you move on to a new subject or question.
It aims to direct people to a resource that's helpful for exactly what is being discussed at that point in time.
Then move on and keep the conversation going.
Lastly, a grassroots CTA is a simple ask that urges listeners to share that specific podcast episode with ONE person they think would find it valuable.
You can say something like, “If you can think of one person in particular who would find today's message really helpful on their weight loss journey, please share this episode with them.”
It's an easy way to empower your audience to refer you to other people—namely people who will be receptive to your message.
For a more thorough look at calls to action to help your podcast get results, click here and scroll down to tip #3.
TIP #2: SHARE INSPIRING SUCCESS STORIES.
Listeners want to know they can reach their goal or solve their biggest challenges by using your methods.
This is why offering case studies and stories of people you've worked with—or even better, inviting past or current successful clients to come on the show and share how you helped them—is so important.
It provides social proof that your methods work, and it can play a huge role in building trust and clarifying what you do to get people results.
The key is to highlight the transformation.
How did your client(s) get from point A to point B with your help?
Let your audience see what it looks like to work with you to reach their goal and what it can look like for them.
This doesn't have to take up the whole episode, either.
You can use clients' stories as mini case studies within an episode or do a shoutout for clients who are seeing progress.
Another option is to share positive reviews your show has gotten to prove that people love your stuff and are getting results from what you're putting out there.
However you choose to do it, sharing client success stories is a powerful way to move the needle in terms of helping people decide you are the right person to solve their problems.
MAXIMIZE YOUR PODCASTING EFFORTS VIA EMAIL
Email is one of the most effective ways to engage with your audience, and it can play a huge role in getting the podcast results you want.
Mentioning your podcast to your subscribers—whether as an aside or by highlighting a specific episode in the main portion of your message—gives your audience an additional way to engage with your content.
Here's what I recommend:
TIP #3: INCLUDE YOUR PODCAST IN YOUR EMAIL SIGNATURE.
One of the fastest and easiest ways to include your podcast in every email is to make it part of your signature.
Just a casual mention can serve you very well, and it shouldn't take you more than a minute to add.
It can be as easy as signing off with:
Sincerely,
John Smith
Host of the Bosses in Business podcast
It's a more subtle approach to letting your audience know about your show, as well as a non-pushy way to encourage them to check it out.
TIP #4: MENTION YOUR PODCAST IN YOUR INDOCTRINATION SEQUENCE.
It goes without saying that anyone who signs up for your email list should be added to an indoctrination sequence.
This automatic series of emails typically serves to introduce people to who you are and what you offer, and it's a perfect place to let people know about your podcast, too.
To give you an idea of what this can look like, I've put together The Podcasters' Indoctrination Email Sequence below.
Feel free to mimic these email templates and get your indoctrination sequence set up to run on autopilot.
If you already have a sequence set up, you can work these emails into it as desired.
TIP #5: INTEGRATE SPECIFIC PODCAST EPISODES INTO YOUR EMAILS.
When your audience receives emails from you, you want to make sure those emails offer value.
That means giving tips, tricks, advice, etc. that will help people reach their goals or solve their problems.
A great way to do this is by sending handpicked episodes you know will provide information that will benefit them in some way.
This will get new leads engaged and interacting with the best episodes of your podcast.
Of course, the important piece here is ensuring that the episodes you recommend are indeed adding value.
That means you'll need to select episodes that will be helpful to your audience in particular.
Ask yourself what kind of information they need to hear in order to get closer to achieving their goals.
What common pitfalls do you want to make sure they avoid? What do you wish you knew when you were just starting out?
These kinds of questions will help you choose the right content to share with your subscribers.
(For tips on creating valuable content, check out “How To Be An Amazing Podcast Host: 5 Tips To Turn Listeners Into Clients.”
UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA
At a minimum, you should be sharing new podcast episodes on whatever platforms you use regularly.
In addition to that, I recommend taking it a step further by including your podcast in your social media bios and sharing specific episodes of value with professional interest groups.
Here's how:
TIP #6: INCLUDE YOUR PODCAST IN YOUR PROFILE INFORMATION.
Similar to including your podcast in your email signature, you'll want to mention it anywhere you put your bio/summary paragraph on your social media profiles.
For platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, you have plenty of words to work with, so squeezing in the fact that you host a podcast isn't hard.
But for the platforms that require shorter, punchier summaries, it's still something you should find a way to mention.
Here are a couple of examples from Twitter:
Andrew Youderian (@youderian) mentions his podcast within the first line of his bio: eCommerce entrepreneur & podcaster. Founder of @ecommercefuel, a private community for 7-figure+ store owners.
Summer Felix-Mulder (@TheSummerFelix) also works her podcast smoothly: CEO + Co-Founder @TheDrawShop | Author | Podcast Host Backstage Business and The Everything Always Podcast | Wife, Mom and Step Mom of 4 Total!
It takes a little more creativity, but it's definitely doable.
Give it a shot with your own social media profiles and see what you can come up with!
TIP #7: OFFER VALUABLE PODCAST CONTENT TO PROFESSIONAL INTEREST GROUPS.
Admittedly, this takes a bit more time and effort than just hitting the share button for each new episode, but the corresponding results it can bring to your podcast make it worth it.
In order to make this happen, take some time to sort through the online groups you're a part of and pick one in particular that could benefit from your content.
Please DO NOT spam a bunch of groups. That is a great way to alienate people, not make them want to check out your content.
Pick one group that you truly think would find your content helpful and post about the episode that will help members of this group with a specific problem that corresponds to them.
The key here is that you are trying to add value to this group, not shove your podcast down their throats.
So be genuine and be specific about how the content you are sharing will be helpful.
You can adjust it as appropriate/necessary, but make sure you are coming from the right place when you post.
It's not hard to tell when someone is being spammy, so put some real thought into this before you do it.
WHAT'S NEXT?
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the advice I'm sharing here is aimed at podcasters who want to use their show to engage with their audience and offer value.
With the tips above, you'll turn your podcast into a powerful tool to turn your podcast audience into clients.