How To Optimize Your Podcast And 5x Your Business
Bonus material: Podcasters Playbook: Turn Listeners into Clients
This strategy is not ideal for all podcasters.
It is designed for entrepreneurs who want audience growth, authority and clients from their podcast.
It’s the exact strategy David Phelps used to 5x his revenue from combining a podcast with 2 other marketing channels (with an average of only 1,100 downloads per episode).
If you want to turn your audience into clients, establish yourself as a clear go-to leader in your industry and grow your brand steadily over time, THIS is the podcast strategy to do it.
(I’ll show you exactly how)
First, let me tell you more about David, the brains behind Freedom Founders.
David Phelps is a dentist, turned rental real estate owner.
He used to own a dental practice and wanted a way to invest his earnings to build long-term wealth, and not be tied to the stock market or other asset groups, so he started exploring real estate investing.
Over the years he built a portfolio of houses he owned, systems for managing them and the various steps and components involved in the process.
Then, David started getting questions from other dentists about how they could do the same.
So he started sharing his process, and eventually offered a group coaching program to teach others his methods.
After a few groups, David realized that he had a bunch of interested dentists, but weren’t ready to commit to joining the coaching group yet. He wanted to create a way to reach these people and get them ready to join his programs in the future.
He started a podcast called Dentist Freedom Blueprint and shared new podcast episodes with them every week.
Through the podcast, these dentists got to:
1. Learn the core concepts and mindsets behind David’s process
2. Get a feel for David as a person, hear how he talked and how he approached the investing world
3. Hear stories, personal experiences and proof that these strategies work for both David AND other dentists
4. Use what they were learning to get started by themselves and see progress
All of this for free, every week, with NO risk of being sold to or pushed into something they weren’t ready for.
In short: They came to TRUST David and his process.
And it worked! More and more, these dentists who “weren’t ready” before, started signing up for his programs.
Let’s go into the strategy David used, so you can turn your show into a thriving podcast.
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Note: If you don’t have a podcast yet, go here to learn the best way to start one: How To Start A Podcast That Gets You More Clients.
Strategy Overview
The number 1 question we get from podcasters is ‘how do I grow my podcast?’.
Audience growth is important, it feels good to see your download numbers grow and reach more people with your message.
However, after working with 100+ clients over the past 10+ years, I have discovered that you can’t effectively grow a podcast audience if you don’t have a solid foundation in place.
Additionally, audience growth doesn’t always translate to more clients or industry leadership (which are the most common goals for podcasting brands).
David’s podcast has helped him 5x his business without ever growing beyond an average of 1100 downloads per episode.
So this strategy prioritized market leadership, and helping brands generate qualified, inbound client leads through building TRUST.
Only once David Phelps and other successful podcasters have built this strong foundation, does audience growth become the main focus.
What’s the best way to fill a leaky bucket?
First, fill all the holes…
THEN pour water on the top.
Let’s go step by step through the Podcast Growth Blueprint process to help you grow your podcast in a reliable way, while providing value, establishing market leadership, nurturing your existing audience and signing new clients for your business.
Why This Strategy Works
When a business brings in new leads—even if those leads are a perfect fit and interested in exactly what that business is selling—85% of them aren’t ready to buy right away.
This is a concept from direct response marketer Dean Jackson, who shares a study by an organization that handles surveys for large companies.
They conducted a “Did you buy?” survey asking people if they bought the product they originally inquired about.
What they discovered was:
Over 50% of people who inquire about a product will buy it within 18 months of their inquiry. It does NOT mean they buy from you, but it shows that they will likely buy within 18 months.
Only 15% of the people who buy within 18 months will do so in the first 90 days. That means 85% of the value of all leads you generate today is between 90 days and 18 months away.
I’ll repeat that because it’s critically important: “That means 85% of the value of all leads you generate today is between 90 days and 18 months away.
Most businesses focus on the 15% of qualified buyers who are ready to start right away and miss out on 85% of the value of their leads.
These people inquire, but they aren’t ready to start right away, so they leave with nothing and the business loses 85% of their potential client value.
People become ready to “get started” at different times over the course of that 18-month span, but there are always a few phases every person goes through before that point:
People have to…
Discover you and what you do.
Realize that you can help solve their problem.
Come to trust that you/your offer can help them.
Decide they’re ready to actually solve the problem they have.
Everyone goes through these steps before buying, but not everyone goes through them at the same time or in the same order.
Your podcast is your way to establish deep, trusting connections with this 85% of leads, and help them move through the steps to have 5 TIMES more of your leads become clients.
To follow our strategy and reach the 85% of leads, start with step 1 and tick off what you have dialed in. You’ll see that step 1 - 3 are not the most exciting, sexy things to focus on.
But I'm going to share some hard truths: If you don't have these in place, you'll waste a ton of time, money and effort by taking two steps forward, one step back.
Use steps 1-3 as a way to confirm you have your foundation set, and your biggest holes in your leaky bucket filled.
Once you nail steps 1-3 (and you might already have them in place) then you're ready to truly SCALE and 5X YOUR business.
Clarity: Podcast Goal & Vision
Before we get ahead of ourselves, take a moment to decide what the main goal and vision for your podcast are.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Why did I start my podcast in the first place?
What is the most important goal I want to achieve with my podcast?
Do I have any secondary goals that are also important to keep in mind?
How does this podcast fit in my business?
What do I want the podcast to help me achieve 1-2 years from now?
If you have been podcasting for a while, now is a good time to revisit these questions to make sure you account for any changes in your goals and podcast vision.
What can we learn from David Phelps and his podcast, Dentist Freedom Blueprint.
1. Use your podcast as a trust-building, Lead Nurture strategy to turn more of your existing audience into clients over time.
When it comes to your marketing, there are three steps everyone needs to go through to become a client:
Your podcast needs to become your cornerstone Lead Nurture strategy in step 2, and when connected to a Lead Generation strategy and a Lead Conversion strategy, the sky's the limit.
2. Use other Lead Generation strategies besides your podcast, to reach new audiences and consistently grow your engaged audience month after month, and let the podcast transform more and more of these people into “I’m ready to get started” clients.
The lead generation strategies David uses are:
Strong SEO when potential clients look up dental podcasts.
Running an ongoing paid advertisement campaign for his books.
Once new audience members find the Freedom Founders brand, David introduces them to the podcast through onboarding emails. In one of these emails he shares a case study of a member who's been featured on the podcast (and a link to the podcast episode). After that, the new audience member receives an email about every new podcast episode.
Reaching a completely new audience of cold leads is not impossible with podcasting, but there are quicker ways to get in front of new people. After these people find you, your podcast is the best tool to get them educated, build trust, inspired, and ready to buy.
The magic happens when we combine a podcast with an independent audience growth strategy and a high value conversion channel.
As we go through the steps, keep your primary goal in mind at all times so we can ensure everything lines up to support that.
Okay, let’s start by plugging holes in our leaky bucket.
Step 1: Recording Routine & Systems
Step 1 of the Podcast Growth Blueprint is all about getting your podcast running in the most efficient way possible.
To do this, you need to have a recording routine and systems in place that will ensure that each episode is high value, high impact, and goes smoothly.
First, focus on content planning. This includes brainstorming topics and ideas for each episode that are highly compelling for your listeners.
For the most compelling content, provide high value for your listeners. The following content types work great for our clients:
Teach a fundamental concept.
Help a listener have a new insight. The ultimate insight for your listeners to have after listening, is that a result is possible for them too.
Use stories and social proof (i.e. case studies, like this episode of the Dentist Freedom Blueprint Podcast).
Record a coaching session or conversation with a client.
Not sure which insights to teach? Ask yourself the following questions:
What’s a common misconception or misunderstanding in your area of expertise that keeps people from getting the results they want?
What questions do people often ask at this stage?
Guest research and scheduling is a crucial part of step 1. Doing research ahead of time will help you decide who you want to include in your podcast and get them booked for an interview.
Scheduling guests should be done far enough in advance so that everyone involved has plenty of time to prepare for the interview.
Use a meeting scheduler like Calendly to automate most of your guest scheduling workflow. First go to Calendly.com and create an account. Then, create a meeting called ‘podcast interview’.
Set your availability for interviews, how long the meeting will take, etc. Use these questions to get all the information you need to prepare for the interview.
Include the following questions:
Share a link to your website
Share a link to your social media channels
What's something unique (story, experience, knowledge, expertise) you can share with our podcast audience?
What should I definitely ask you in this interview?
Finally, make sure you have all the recording technology you need for your podcast. Here’s what we use:
- Microphone: Blue Yeti
- Headphones: standard earbuds
- Recording Software: Squadcast (alternative: Zoom)
- Audio Editing: Adobe Audition (free alternative: Audacity)
Step 2: Production Routine & Consistent Publishing
Step 2 of the Podcast Growth Blueprint is establishing an efficient production and publishing routine. Production quality and consistency are both important when building trust with your listeners, which is essential for people to buy from or work with you.
David decided to outsource podcast production as soon as possible, so he can focus on growing and monetizing his podcast, instead of spending hours on producing each episode.
For a well-produced and consistent podcast, there are 4 elements to every episode:
1. Audio Production
For a truly thriving podcast, the quality of your audio needs to be professional. Make sure that the content is easy to consume and people want to keep listening to it.
Use high-quality equipment, and remove any background noise or other distractions from the recording.
If you’ve decided to take this on yourself, you can find our guide to optimizing your podcast audio here.
2. Show Notes
Effective show notes should include a brief overview of the episode, as well as notable quotes, topics discussed, resources and any other relevant information that could be helpful to potential listeners.
This will not only give potential listeners a better understanding of what you’re talking about on your show but will also make your podcast easier to find in search engines like Google.
Make sure that listeners can play the episode on your website by embedding a media player for each episode. Your hosting platform will provide these.
3. Graphics
Graphics such as logos, album art, featured images and other visuals can provide an additional layer of professionalism to your show and help potential listeners identify it quickly.
Pro Tip: At least occasionally, use graphics with your face since it’s helpful for listeners to SEE you and helps establish a trusting connection with listeners.
4. Scheduling & Publishing
Finally, schedule your episodes and make sure they are released on time according to your schedule. This will help build trust with your audience and ensure that they come back for more episodes in the future.
Use podcast hosting services such as Buzzsprout to schedule and publish your episodes automatically at a set time each week.
Doing this will also help make sure that your podcast is listed on all major podcast directories.
Step 3: Promotion to Existing Audience
Almost every podcaster wants to expand their audience and grow their podcast. In order to increase your podcast’s reach, start by focusing on your existing audience.
This is an easy step most podcasters miss. Prioritize sharing your episodes with your most engaged audience first.
Your podcast is your consistent connection with your audience, so make sure they’re alerted when each episode goes live. Promote each episode to 3 primary places:
To your email list
Your social channels, and optionally…
To any online groups or communities you’re active in
Email List
Make sure you have a sign-up form or freebies on your website so that people can add their email address to join your mailing list.
Send weekly emails informing them about new episodes or topics covered in upcoming episodes, as well as any other news related to the podcast that you want them to know about.
These emails don’t need to be long or fancy. They simply need to alert readers of new episodes and tease what they’ll learn in the episode to entice them to listen.
Social Media Channels
Pick the 1-3 social media platforms your brand and listenership is active on (don’t do every platform and spread yourself too thin), i.e. Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
For each episode, create:
3 audiograms or videograms (top right)
3 quote cards (top left)
1 engagement post (bottom right)
Publish the posts to these three channels.
Want help with this? Hire our team to seamlessly promote your episodes.
Don’t have time to post on social media every day? Schedule your posts through Later.
Step 4: Podcast Ecosystem
Here’s where things start to get fun! Once you’ve completed the first three steps of the podcast growth blueprint, it’s time to integrate your podcast into your existing channels, platforms and websites.
This will help you to spread awareness of your podcast within your existing audience and drive maximum engagement and growth.
The goal is to create an ecosystem, so once someone discovers you either by email, podcast, website, article, a talk you did, a book, whatever; they can engage with you in various channels and can go down the 'rabbit hole' as far as they'd like!
The more they do this, the more likely they'll be qualified and interested in working with you as a client.
The 4 Key Places to Integrate Your Podcast
Add links to your podcast in each of these three places: social media bios, email signatures, and about page bios. Make sure that links are placed prominently and include attractive visuals or descriptions that will entice people to click through.
Next, add links to specific episodes into your current email welcome sequence.
We’ve found it’s most effective to add an email that shares the three most downloaded episodes and introduces your email list readers to the podcast.
This introduces new email subscribers and leads from other sources to your podcast and allow them to dive in and listen to your backlog of episodes!! (Trust building alert!)
By taking the time to integrate your podcast into these 4 different channels, you’ll maximize your engagement and attract an even bigger audience over time.
Step 5: Optimize Your Calls-To-Action
Before you start pouring a lot of time and effort into getting new eyes on your podcast, make sure that your content actually converts. Do listeners take the next step after listening to your episodes?
Calls-to-action inform listeners what to do when they’re ready for more help.
For podcasts, it’s very common to hear the host ask listeners to subscribe to the podcast, rate and review it on various platforms, share on social, etc, etc, etc…
Most podcasters give WAY too many calls to action at the end of their episodes, asking listeners to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, check out their book, come to an event, etc.
Don’t do this.
It doesn’t work.
We’ve found that sticking to 3 core types of calls to action works very effectively.
Grassroots Sharing CTA:
Ask your listeners to share that specific podcast episode with ONE person they think would find it valuable.
This is INCREDIBLE for specific audience podcasts (for David, dental practice owners) because they know exactly who would find the content helpful.
This is a super powerful way to steadily grow your show over time, through high-value, one at a time sharing.
Make the request clear and simple.
Template:
“If you can think of one [person/colleague/mom/entrepreneur] in particular who would find today’s lesson really helpful on their [TOPIC] journey, please share this episode with them.”
Example:
“If you can think of one dentist who would find today’s case study really helpful on their journey to financial freedom, please share this episode with them.”
Give this a try in one of your next episodes, you won’t regret it.
2. Next Step CTA:
The second call to action, which should be in every episode, is a ‘Next Step’ opportunity for listeners who are ready to take the next step with you to get a bigger result.
Tell your listeners exactly what they can do when they are ready to get help and solve their problem or reach their goal.
This needs to be a compelling resource that’s highly valuable to someone looking to get help with their problem.
"Book a call with me” is not compelling, but “Claim a free consultation to learn whether you’re ready to retire”, or “Claim a free strategy session to discover the 1-2 biggest growth opportunities for your podcast” is.
Keep in mind, that anyone listening to your podcast is tuning in because they are interested in the topic you cover and growing or building in a specific direction.
That means they need a clear and easy next step to take when they are ready to start making more progress.
You don’t need to “Sell” it. You simply present people with the opportunity when they’re ready.
An easy way to add this to your podcast is to use a standard outro for each episode with a call to action that tells your listeners exactly what to do when they want a bigger result or are interested in learning more about working with you.
Template:
“People have been asking about [PAIN], so I created [RESOURCE] for listeners to help them [DESIRE]. You can get it for free at [URL]”
Example:
“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 shares the exact steps to start their own podcast. You can get that checklist for free over at CashflowPodcasting.com/checklist.”
Example:
Check out my latest book on Amazon “What's Your Next?: The Blueprint for Creating Your Freedom Lifestyle”, or visit freedomfounders.com to learn more about how we help high-income earners create the freedom to buy back their time and create more impact.
3. Mid Conversation CTAs:
The last type of CTAs are ‘mid-conversation’ calls to action where you share a specific action for listeners to take based on the topic of conversation at that moment before you move on to a new topic or question.
These aren’t typically planned out so much, but come up naturally as they relate to the episode topic or the interview, and you can share the resource or action, and move on with the conversation naturally.
Template:
“Check out [resource] if you’re also struggling with [problem].”
Example:
“If you’re looking form more information on this, you can check out episode 25 where I talk to Kai Davis about an easy way to market-test a podcast topic to see whether it will have immediate traction with your audience.
Okay, now let’s explore a new topic… ”
Now that your CTAs are optimized and your content is ready to convert the right people into new client prospects, it’s time to discuss a few strategies to get new eyes on your show.
Step 6: Audience growth
Step 6 of the Podcast Growth Blueprint is finally all about growing your audience.
If you want a thriving podcast, you must think beyond simply uploading an episode, promoting to your existing audience and hoping that new people will find it.
But, we’ve found it’s hard to grow an audience without all those things in place first. Now that we’ve got Steps 1-4 sorted, it’s time to grow baby grow!!
Special note: Don’t try to implement all these strategies at the same time. Start with the ONE that makes the most sense for you and your audience.
Only once that channel is up, running, and working smoothly should you look at implementing another new growth channel.
We’ve organized the top growth strategies in order of how easy it is to get reliable, cost effective growth, starting with the easiest to get going.
Podcast Interview Tour
On a podcast interview tour, you go from podcast to podcast being interviewed and sharing your content with a new audience every time.
The goal is to gain exposure to new audiences, create compelling content and education for that new audience, and share your podcast for people to check out, right when they’re already in their podcast app.
The critical steps to having a wildly successful podcast tour are:
- Targeted podcast outreach to shows your audience already listens to.
- Send a personalized and specific pitch to the podcast host.
- The content you share in your interviews SOLVES a key problem for listeners.
- You have a clear, next step CTA for listeners if they want to learn more (your lead magnet or one specific podcast episode).
Use this guide here for an exact step-by-step approach and the interview pitch email templates below to implement this strategy.
Hey [Insert Name],
Just got done listening to your latest podcast episode, and the part about [Insert Specific Example] really connected with me. I decided to finally reach out.
That said, I specialize in helping [your target market] achieve [specific result] and would love to share the insights and specific strategies I’ve developed with your podcast audience if you’re interested in having me as a guest.
Do you think that [getting X result through your area of expertise] might be a worthwhile topic for your listeners?
If you’re interested, shoot me a reply and we can figure out the timing.
Partnerships With Industry Leaders
Have other community leaders in your industry recommend your podcast to their audiences.
This works really well because:
1. They already have an audience of your target listeners.
2. They already have lots of influence and social proof in your industry.
Here’s exactly how to connect with community leaders in your space and get them to share your content.
STAGE 1: List The Communities In Your Space
Think of online communities of people with a high concentration of your target listener in them.
This could be forums, FB groups, Linkedin Groups, Meetups, paid membership sites, newsletters, email lists, blogs, Youtube channels, other podcasts, etc.
STAGE 2: Connect With The Leaders
Contact the leader/owners of that group via email, phone, social media or whatever method necessary to announce your show, the benefit it will serve to their audience and give them easy links to check it out.
NOTE: *The positioning here is VERY important, so use the following conversation elements & email script examples to create messaging.*
Necessary Elements of Your Communication:
1. You admire their work and the group they run.
2. In your shared industry, you realized that there was a problem or something lacking.
3. You decided to start your podcast (or record an episode around a specific topic) to ‘give the industry what it was missing’ and solve that problem.
4. Here’s a link for them to check out the new show (link to your podcast on your site & on Apple or Spotify).
5. If they like what you’re doing and think their audience would find the show helpful or valuable, you’d be honored if they shared the show with their group and supported your mission of helping advance the industry. If not, no worries and you wish them the best.
Use the email template below to put together your own message (whether you contact them via email or another method, this is the format/structure that we’ve found works best!).
Email Template to Contact Community/Group Leaders
Subject:
Hoping to help *INSERT THEIR COMMUNITY NAME HERE* members
Body:
Hey *NAME*,
Hope you're doing great!
I really love and support what you're doing with *INSERT THEIR COMMUNITY NAME HERE* and for the *YOUR INDUSTRY* industry.
In the *YOUR INDUSTRY* field, I've been noticing a recurring gap/problem/issue among *MEMBERS OF THE INDUSTRY* in that they *STATE THE PROBLEM HERE*.
I wonder if you've potentially noticed this problem among your audience members?
Since I kept seeing it, I decided to start a podcast that focuses on *STATE YOUR PODCASTS PURPOSE AND HOW IT WILL HELP LISTENERS*.
Here's a link so you can take a look for yourself on iTunes: *INSERT iTunes LINK*
And the first episode is up our website here: *INSERT LINK TO SHOW NOTES POST FOR EPISODE #1*
Since my intention with the show is to *RESTATE YOUR PODCAST'S PURPOSE* I wanted to share it with you directly since you're such a positive influence in the community and industry.
If you like what we’re doing and think your audience would find the show really helpful, I’d be honored if you shared with them.
Of course if not, no worries at all and I wish you all the best!
Best regards *NAME*,
*YOUR SIGNATURE*
Repeat this process to get your podcast in front of new audiences regularly.
Events, Conferences, Networking Opportunities
Any event your target audience would attend is an opportunity to promote your podcast to potential new listeners. This will organically happen if you follow step 4 and integrate your podcast into your overall online presence.
To boost the exposure of your podcast from in-person events, print business cards with a QR code on them. The QR code will go directly to the podcast page on your website, so people can start listening immediately.
Designing and printing business cards is easy with Canva and Bitly.
First, sign up for a free Canva account and design your business cards.
Then, sign up for a Bitly account to create a QR code that links to your podcast page:
Paste the URL of the podcast page on your website as the destination URL.
Copy the generated QR code and add this as an image to your business cards design in Canva.
Order your business cards a few days before the event you’re attending, to make sure Canva prints and delivers them on time. Then simply give out business cards to new connections and ask them to listen to your podcast.
Social Media Competitions & Giveaways
Run social media competitions and giveaways if your target audience hangs out on social media.
Here’s how to run a competition or giveaway:
1. Select a prize that will appeal to your target audience and is relevant to your podcast. This could be a product, service, or even an experience.
2. Decide on the rules of the competition or giveaway, such as how to enter, the entry deadline, and how the winner will be selected. Something along the lines of "leave a review for our podcast on Apple Podcasts for your chance to win" or "Share our podcast on your Instagram/Facebook stories and tag us for a chance to win."
3. Use your social media platforms to promote the competition or giveaway.
4. Respond to comments and messages related to the competition or giveaway, and encourage your audience to share it with their friends and followers.
5. After the competition or giveaway, follow up with the winner and thank all participants for their engagement.
This is a great opportunity to create buzz around your podcast, increase your social media following, and attract new listeners to your show.
Paid Traffic
Are you looking for a way to quickly expand your podcast’s reach and you're willing to spend $500+ to test a paid traffic channel? Paid advertising is an effective tool to promote your podcast and get it in front of more eyes and ears.
That said, it can take a little time to dial in so you’re profitably acquiring new listeners, leads and clients.
What I can say though is your podcast will make paid traffic MUCH more cost effective since you’re not relying on only the 15% of leads that buy in the first 90 days from an ad campaign.
You can now leverate the 85% of leads that still plan to buy and will do so sometime between 3-18 months.
So if you’re able to take a long term growth and ROI approach, this is the most reliable way to grow steadily and profitably over time.
When promoting your podcast via paid social, there are 2 ways to do it:
You send paid traffic to a lead magnet, and in your welcome email series you introduce new leads to your podcast. Or
You send paid traffic directly to your podcast episode content.
What’s going to work best for you is highly dependent on your industry, your business model, your offer, the topic of your podcast, the value you’re able to deliver for listeners/clients, and more so I always advise getting help from someone who knows the paid traffic strategy you want to test.
Okay, here are the best ways we’ve found each approach.
Ads to Lead Magnets
By far the fastest way to see direct ROI and ensure your ad spend is profitable is the first approach.
You work with a professional Ad Buyer (either via a social media channel like Facebook/Instagram, Twitter or Linkedin, or Google/SEM) to help you set up an ad campaign that generates email leads.
Typically this is to a high value free resource, lead magnet, book, etc.
So for Freedom Founders, Davis uses Facebook ads to a landing page offering free chapters of his book!
A Facebook Ad:
Landing Page for the book:
Once someone exchanges their email address for your free resource, they get your email sequence and are introduced to your podcast (and some leads who are qualified will be ready to work together right away!)
For all those who aren’t, the podcast keeps them engaged, builds trust and offers next steps when they’re ready for more help.
For you, your business and your market the platform, ad and lead magnet may look very different, but this is the general process. Again, I recommend working with a professional ad buyer for the platform you’re interested in.
Ads To Your Podcast
This is a new arena that’s opened up just in the last few years so there are a lot of developments in this space, and the best strategies tend to change quickly.
That said, the fundamentals are consistent: Advertise your podcast to people who are already listening to other podcasts that have your target audience.
Simple right?
It is, and it can work incredibly well. It’s definitely more challenging to track direct ROAS (return on ad spend) but very easy to see how it translates into podcast listener and download growth.
This is why if we don’t have all the other steps in place first, we’re probably wasting a lot of our ad spend money if we skip straight to this step.
Currently, the best platform we’ve found for this is BuzzSprout Ads.
The ads you create in BuzzSprout will run on other podcasts hosted by BuzzSprout with a similar audience to yours, and they help you create an effective ad for the best result.
The key to a great podcast ad is to:
Introduce the podcast host
Inform listeners that your podcast exists
Clarify the problem your podcast helps them solve or the value you deliver for them
Share a specific episode for them to ‘check out’
Be less than 30 seconds long
So for Dentist Freedom Blueprint, here’s what that would sound like:
“Hi, I’m David Phelps - host of The Dentist Freedom Blueprint Podcast. Over the years and 400 podcast episodes we’ve built a grassroots community of Dental Practice Owners looking to create cash flow and secure their wealth through passive real estate investing.
If you’ve been wanting to connect with other practice owners that think long term about wealth and freedom, you’ll love this community, and this podcast.
If you’re at all curious, I’d encourage you to tap below to check out episode 430 where I talk to one of our community members Dr. Ryan Toponce about the process of becoming your own financial advocate. We discuss where most practice owners get stuck, the first steps they need to take and he shares his personal journey going from overworked and stuck in his own practice to having incredible time and financial freedom.
I hope to see you over at the Dentist Freedom Blueprint Podcast, click below to listen now.”
It will take most listeners hearing your podcast ad multiple times (5-7 typically) to take action so don’t be afraid to run your campaign over multiple months on the same shows to truly test the efficacy.
There you go!
Once you start your ad campaign, watch your download numbers to see how many new downloads you get, and calculate the cost per additional download.
We’re now growing steadily and have all the pieces in place, now it’s time to tweak, refine and maximize!
Step 7: Maximize & Improve
After setting up a solid structure for every step of the podcast creation, promotion and growth phases, it’s now time to accelerate the success of your podcast. This is where the magic happens!
Step 7 of the Podcast Growth Blueprint is all about maximizing and improving your podcast, tracking our data and testing optimizations.
Audience Engagement
Generate data on what your target audience likes and dislikes about your show by facilitating audience interaction. You should always be looking for ways to engage with your audience and encourage them to share their feedback and thoughts on your show.
By bringing your listeners closer to you, they’ll be more likely to stay engaged and support your podcast.
The easiest way to receive listener feedback is by posting a poll or question on the social media channel where your target audience is most active.
Examples of questions to ask are:
What is the number 1 question you have about [topic]?
What type of content do you want to see from me?
What was your main takeaway from this episode?
By staying in touch and listening to your audience, they feel heard, will have a personal connection to you and you will have the opportunity to create content that perfectly aligns with what they’re looking for.
Data Driven Decisions
Finally, metrics informed optimization is key in ensuring that you’re getting the most out of each episode you create.
Pay attention to the analytics that are most important for your podcast goal.
The most common goals we see + the most important metric to track for each are:
Audience growth: total downloads per month + amount of email sign ups per month.
Becoming a go-to authority: amount of mentions on social media per month.
Client/customer acquisition: amount of sales calls booked per month.
Speaking opportunities: amount of offers received per month.
Business development partnerships: number of referrals or collaborations per month.
By using this data to inform future episodes and content strategies, you can ensure that each episode you create is more and more effective.
What To Do Next?
Start working on the earliest step you don’t yet have dialed in, and go through the steps sequentially.
Don’t skip a step.
Your podcast needs a solid foundation before you can expect similar results to the Dentist Freedom Blueprint Podcast or our other clients.
“I filled the coaching program twice—just from the podcast! I didn’t do anything else.” - Hilary Hendershott
We spent WEEKS putting together this guide to help you implement these steps and strategies on your own, and we’re SUPER excited to see people run with these steps and see big results.
If you’d like our help improving and growing your podcast, we’ve got dedicated Podcast Coaches standing by.
Want to talk to a podcast pro about your podcast and figure out the biggest opportunities for your show? Schedule your podcast consultation.