The Intangible Impact of a Podcast
It comes as no surprise that the most common reason I hear people say they want to start a podcast is to generate more income.
Some also want to launch a show in order to grow their audience or network, while others hope to promote a message or strengthen their personal brand along the way.
No surprise there either, especially because podcasting (when done right) is a great tool for achieving all of those things.
But what does tend to come as a surprise to my clients are the additional benefits that come from podcasting over time—benefits that aren’t necessarily related to their initial goals.
I’m talking about the intangible podcast impact that can’t be measured in terms of increased income or growing download numbers, but that is arguably even more valuable.
And though podcasters don’t typically anticipate these gains when they set out to launch a show, they are an undeniable part of any podcast’s success.
So what are these intangible benefits?
I’m glad you asked.
1. Increased Authority and Confidence
Podcasting is a powerful way to position yourself as an industry authority.
Like writing a book, speaking at conferences, or publishing articles for news outlets, hosting a podcast is a credibility indicator that instantly establishes you as an expert/leader in your field.
In short, it makes people think you know what you’re talking about.
As a result, people’s initial view of you improves, which makes it easier to form new connections, develop partnerships, or build out your network.
(To learn more on how this works, check out How to Use Your Podcast to Amplify Your Authority Marketing.)
I’ve seen time and time again that the instant credibility you gain by reaching out as a podcast host vs. just reaching out as an individual creates an entirely different—and much more effective—way of connecting.
You may also find that people will reach out to you to organize opportunities like speaking and conference engagements, whereas you might not have been invited if they weren’t aware of you and your leadership in the space.
But podcasting doesn’t just give you more credibility in the eyes of other people.
It also makes you see yourself as more of an authority on your subject.
When people who want to learn more about your area of expertise come to you for help and trust you for guidance, your view of yourself naturally starts to elevate, as well.
Not only that but the more episodes you have under your belt, the more confident and comfortable you become with your subject matter and communicating it with others.
This, in turn, leads to an even greater increase in confidence, which helps podcasters take bigger strides or connect with even larger influencers in the industry.
And making those kinds of contributions and key connections serves as an additional stamp of approval that builds up your authority and confidence to an even greater level, which leads to you becoming more comfortable taking on even bigger things.
The cycle goes on and on.
And speaking of bigger things, that brings me to the next intangible benefit.
2. The Chance to Make a Difference on a Larger Scale
Part of being an educator—and a good podcaster—is spreading knowledge or a message that helps people.
But while teaching in classrooms or speaking at conferences comes with a cap on how many people you can reach because of constraints like time, location, seating capacity, etc., podcasting allows you to scale so that your message has no limit.
People can access a podcast from virtually anywhere they want, and at any time they want.
Whether they listen from the comfort of their home, on their commute, while they work out, or anything in between, they can hear your message whenever suits them best.
What’s more, instead of having to make the same presentation or give the same talk multiple times, podcasting allows you to record once and use that audio countless times to educate your audience.
It’s an evergreen resource that you can build up into a central information bank that will help and guide people at any stage of their journey.
That alone comes with two major benefits.
1. You no longer have to put your time into repetitive teachings of the same concepts.
Instead, when someone new comes to you with a question you’ve already answered, you can point them toward your go-to strategies in one of your episodes.
2. The time you save by not having to teach the same concepts over and over is time you can put into creating more valuable content.
This means you can work on building a tight-knit, more empowered community centered around your brand and your podcast and create an even larger impact.
Elisia Keown of the Executive Coaching Podcast and Ashley Alderson of the Boutique Chat Podcast both do an awesome job of dedicating their episodes to answering common questions they hear from members of their respective audiences.
By creating content specific to the needs of those in their industries, they are not only ensuring that their shows provide value, but also offering guidance and support in a way that means people can find solutions for common issues whenever they need it.
And that kind of thoughtful content is what leads to the next intangible benefit.
3. Stronger Relationships with Your Audience
Imagine you’re planning to speak at a conference, and the whole time you’re there, strangers keep coming up to you and saying they listen to your show—and then they start talking to you as if you’ve been friends for years.
That’s what happened to Andrew Youderian, host of the eCommerceFuel podcast at an event he recently attended.
And while it caught him off guard at first, he started to realize just how deep of a relationship he had with his listenership.
That powerful feeling of connection is a natural side effect that comes from putting out really great content for your listeners.
Podcasting, in particular, builds on that even more because it allows people to hear your voice and your personality come through in a way that other written mediums can’t quite reproduce.
The result is that listeners truly feel like they know you, even if you don’t have a clue who they are.
What’s more, they trust you.
That means that when they need information, resources, products, or services, there’s no question of who they will choose to help them.
It also goes a long way in terms of referrals when members of your audience have friends who are looking for help in the same area.
That said, this isn’t something that happens for anyone who sits down behind a mic.
The podcasters who see this kind of powerful impact are the ones who are really there to advocate for their industry, prospects, audience, and clients.
They are the ones who truly show up to serve and put out content that resonates and helps people.
(To learn more about creating valuable content, check out How To Be An Amazing Podcast Host: 5 Tips To Turn Listeners Into Clients.)
The moral of the story is, if you come from a true, well-intentioned place, people take notice.
Why This All Matters
Going into podcasting with a specific, measurable goal in mind is a great way to start.
But most of the benefits you’ll see aren’t going to contribute to a specific metric you can track.
The impact of your podcast will be cumulative and exponential over time, and it will cover different areas.
You may find that new opportunities arise from simply meeting different people and being in a position of authority when certain opportunities come along.
Or you may find that the person who finds you at a conference and talks to you as though you’re one of their closest friends has not only bought every product or service you’ve put out there but has also spread the word about you to everyone they know and helped you generate more business.
It may even be something else entirely.
And though you don’t necessarily know exactly how or where the ROI will come from, or what shape it will show up in, the intangible podcast impact always tends to outweigh the tangible impact because the intangibles end up translating into tangibles.
They’ll lead to things like referral partnerships, lifelong clients, speaking opportunities, book deals, and more.
So while these additional benefits may be unexpected, they often end up boosting the results you set out to gain in the first place.
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