Well here’s the secret: treat it less like a content generator, and more like a lead generator.
Because that’s what it is.
Right now we’re in what we call “The Third Wave” of podcasting.
The first wave was people who were already in broadcasting–podcasting wasn’t too far removed from what they were already doing. They already had the gear, the studio, and everything else. Podcasting was a small step for them but a huge step for the average person. The ability to podcast was the new big thing.
The second wave introduced platforms that allowed literally anyone with a laptop or a phone to start up their podcast. This second wave made podcasting ubiquitous. The ability to use a podcast as content was the new big thing.
Now though? This is the third wave. This is where we go past just treating the podcast as content, or as learning material or as entertainment. The podcast now can serve as an amazing way to build rapport with the very people who are most likely to become your clients later. The ability to use a podcast as a lead generation machine is the new big thing, and hardly anybody is aware of that yet.
Except us. And you, now that you’ve read this.
There are two different groups we target: Guests and Listeners.
Guests: We go find them. Based on what we know about your business, they’ll have things in common with the people already paying you money. These guests will also come ready to talk about a challenge they’re struggling with that we know you can help them with. When you help them, then they’ll know you know your stuff AND you’ve given them some actionable advice you can follow up with them on.
That makes them turn into a lead.
Listeners: We also socialize episodes to the listeners. There are plenty of people similar to your guest that may identify with the exact same (or very similar) challenge that you just talked about. We always craft a clear Call To Action (CTA) for every episode, directing listeners to take a next step after hearing the episode. Whether it’s joining a Facebook group, signing up for updates, downloading a free cheatsheet on your site, that CTA is a way for passive listeners can show active interest in what you’re talking about.
That makes them turn into a lead, too.
From there? If you’ve got a solid sales process that can convert a number of leads into clients, that’s where the money-money happens. And you can easily continue the process, conversing with people, building your audience, building your fan base, into an unstoppable juggernaut of success.
But Why Podcasting?
Great question. Check out these stats.
155 million Americans have listened to a podcast
104 million listened in the last month
68 million listen to a podcast weekly
A good portion of those listeners are probably your ideal clients.
Not only that: It’s a unique medium.
Other forms of media occupy the eyes and thumbs. But a podcast is heard.
This means people can be doing other things while listening. And because of that, they’ll listen longer. 30, 60, 90 minutes. Episode after episode after episode.
Imagine how much influence you can have on those 68 million weekly listeners. And how many of them would be guests on your show.
Wow right?