There are many ways podcasts provide value for your business or podcast venture. Having the best podcast cover art brings in listeners. Organizing your podcast episode topics helps to keep people engaged. Evergreen content gives you consistent value. The question that remains is how podcasts generate inbound leads.
How does a show bring in business? How does entertainment translate to quantifiable, monetizable relationships? These are the questions that plague business owners looking to add a podcast, or podcasters looking to monetize.
In this Mr. Thrive Media blog, we’ll walk you through how podcasts generate inbound leads. From there, we’ll dive into why they are the right marketing choice for you!
Podcasts and Business Growth
Podcasts and business growth are two terms many businesses haven’t put together yet. It’s a relatively novel concept that works for all business types. Digital and eCommerce businesses have been leaning into podcasts for business growth. Brick-and-mortar institutions can benefit from podcasts in the same way.
If your core values and business goals focus on reaching new audiences, growing your brand, and revamping the way you view marketing, podcasts are a business tool for you. They help you get the word out about your business. They also drum up clients and leads in an exciting way for those folks seeking your business support.
9 Facts of How Podcasts Generate Inbound Leads for Your Business
How can podcasts generate inbound leads? Is it an organic or inorganic process? How much of it comes from your direct hosting efforts? Is there one key inbound lead generator tip for the podcast industry? When we posed that last question to our founder, Chaz Volk, he had a quick response: guests should be prospects.
The term prospect means several things in this regard. A podcast business prospect can be an industry leader, a potential client, or someone who is ridiculously well-connected. All of these people can work as a prospect in a referral relationship or a direct client relationship. That’s why, at the top of this list, you’ll find guest referrals and making clients of guests.
These are the top two most direct ways for your podcast to generate inbound leads. The remainder of this list is a mix of semi-direct marketing, advertising, and networking tasks and helpful hints. They also include some podcast natural elements that can be leveraged as inbound lead drivers.
1. Guest Referrals
Guest referrals are the bulk of how podcasts grow your network and business potential. Your guests should, ideally, be experts in your industry or lead prospects in other ways. When you have a guest on the show, plant a seed by asking if they know anyone who would benefit from your business. Your network and client list will build before your eyes.
2. Making Clients of Guests
If you seek out guests in your industry or your target industry, you’ll have the opportunity to find clients among your guests. You can convert them with a similar practice to that of converting guest referrals. The difference is that you should show them a direct way you could improve their business.
3. Educational Content Leads
The value add of educational content leads for podcasts comes from crafting episodes that truly help your listeners. This is one of many passive ways of how podcasts generate inbound leads. When you create educational content, you’ll bring in passive leads who are looking for a consultant to help them learn and grow.
4. Interviews with Experts
Having interviews with experts as your interview podcast guests helps with guest referrals and it also helps others seek out your business. When you showcase experts in your industry and engage in meaningful conversations with them, listeners will see you as a source of inspiration and true leadership.
5. Unique CTAs for Your Brand
There are so many ways you can do CTAs, or call-to-actions, in a podcast episode. The best way to use them and not overuse stereotypical CTAs is to create brand-specific options. These should be focused on your services. Tie in your brand voice to make them personal.
6. Email List Integration
Building up email lists is something every business should pay some attention to in their client acquisition. Email marketing isn’t for everyone but it is beneficial and worth a minimal amount of marketing effort.
You can use podcasts as gentle inbound lead generators when you offer gated content in exchange for an email and audience info. Make sure to use the disclaimer that they will receive promotional content. From there, create a roster of emails to share your newsletter and business updates with on a consistent but not overwhelming basis.
7. Sponsorship Opportunities
Setting up your podcast for sponsorship opportunities is an inbound lead driver in two parts. For one, getting sponsorships is a form of gaining leads in and of itself. This stems from the monetization and podcast business growth of a sponsorship. The other piece of the equation is the audience you reach through sponsorships that get you in front of those brand’s viewers.
8. Excellent SEO Optimization
Excellent SEO optimization is a critical component of any web-based endeavor. You can work SEO into podcasts and lead generation by crafting SEO-optimized podcast titles and collateral materials. Keep your SEO up to date with Google algorithm updates to maintain authority in your industry.
9. Dedicated Landing Pages
Landing pages are a quiet, underrated piece of the marketing puzzle. Well-designed, well-placed landing pages bring in new viewers to your site and business who wouldn’t have found you otherwise. You can combine landing pages with podcasts and inbound lead generation by promoting landing pages for your show.
Frequently Asked Questions About Podcasts and Inbound Lead Generation
The nuances of podcasts and inbound lead generation guide folks in the industry to many questions and curiosities. How do podcasts generate leads? What makes lead generation challenging? How do you start generating leads? How do you know when your lead generation plan is working?
All these questions and more come up as you begin the inbound lead generation process. Writing a business plan for a podcast helps you define your inbound lead generation needs–perhaps in National Write a Business Plan Month! Our answers to these frequently asked questions will get you started.
Do Podcasts Generate Leads?
Yes, podcasts are an excellent tool for lead generation. They serve the role of an accessible entry point for new connections and potential clients and customers. Podcasts are digestible, easy to find, and easy to enjoy. You can use podcast promotion strategies to increase lead quality through the right CTAs and shared information in each episode.
What Is an Example of Inbound Lead Generation?
Some examples of inbound lead generation include:
- When someone downloads an eBook or industry guide. They’ll read, enjoy, and find value, and then contact your sales team. This creates an active sales lead.
- When someone requests a demo of your business after watching a video clip or listening to you speak at a function.
These examples show how simple inbound lead generation can be. All you need to start with is value. The right clients and customers will seek you out and stick with you.
What Is the Best Niche for Lead Generation?
Some of the best niches for lead generation include:
- Technology
- Healthcare
- Real estate
- Finance
- eCommerce
- SaaS
- Marketing
- Consulting
- AI
There are a great many subsets to all of these categories, and of course, they aren’t your only options. If you’re looking for inspiration check out what brands in these industries have done to draw in leads.
What are Inbound Lead Generation Strategies?
Inbound lead strategies are built around attracting customers and clients toward your brand and business. These strategies focus on targeted content, high-value adds, and consistent communication. Ultimately the work of an inbound lead is to tell a customer or client that your brand is one they want to invest in and work with for a long time.
What Is the Biggest Challenge of Lead Generation?
The biggest challenge of lead generation is finding the right audience. Lead generation leans on creating marketing plans and advertisements geared toward a specific audience.
How can you create that momentum if you don’t know exactly who you’re trying to reach? For this reason, the first step of quality lead generation is defining your audience and doing market research to find what they will respond to in your marketing.
Podcasts and Inbound Lead Generation: What Can Podcasts Do for You?
Learning how podcasts generate inbound leads is the start of a journey into podcasting and renewed marketing vigor for your business. If you’re a new business entrepreneur, starting with a podcast in mind sets you up for success. If you’ve been searching for a way to enhance your current business, adding a podcast mixes it up and provides additional value.
Either way, a podcast is an innovative way to drum up business and create lasting success. Mr. Thrive Media can help you get there.
Our team of podcast production pros, marketing experts, and virtual assistants are here to help you with every business endeavor. Now through the end of January 2024, take advantage of our FREE digital ecosystem audit for 2024 to revitalize your digital business space. Sign up today!