How an email list can step up your podcast game

Your audience is already downloading each episode, following you on social media, and will soon be asking for more content… what’s your next step? A podcast email list!

The email list (and email marketing in general) is one of the best ways to differentiate your podcast from the tens of thousands of others! It can also be the key to start growing your revenue and attracting people that are listening to other podcasts.

If you were postponing to another day and needed a sign to start today, here it is : 👋 SIGN 👋

Below you will find the answers to the following questions:

What is an email list and why is it important for a podcast?
How can you collect email addresses for your email list?
When to use your podcast email list?

Enough small talk, let’s build this email list together ! 💪

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What is an email list and why is it important for your podcast?

An email list is, funnily enough, a list! It contains your customer’s email addresses (in your case the email addresses of your listeners), as well as additional information! The minimum is to include the name of your subscribers but you can also ask for other details.

But why is it important for your podcast?

First, it is a great marketing tool to connect with your audience. Trust us, your listeners are going to love receiving more content from you, and your emails will be more than welcome. You will be able to communicate with them easily without relying on the tricky algorithms of social networks and your content will not be a victim of the short life span they have on those platforms. People can read them at whatever time is most convenient for them!

Second, it will be profitable! You can grow revenue in no time thanks to your email list. You will be able to sell your products and services, promote your crowdfunding page, and even strike sponsorship deals. 💸

How to collect email addresses for your email list?

You can simply ask 📣

There are several moments during your episode when you can ask your listeners to give you their email addresses. The best one is the outro! Your audience just enjoyed your entire episode and stuck with it until the end, they are ready for a Call-To-Action.

So you can ask them to go to your website where they will be able to subscribe. Just think about your own experience: when you listen to a good podcast, don’t you listen to it until the end? Don’t you want more when it’s over?

Be sure to read our 10 tips for a great podcast outro!

You can use built-in tools to create a newsletter directly in your hosting platform 💌

Some hosting platforms have built-in marketing tools to help you create a mailing list. (Only the best ones of course…) 😉

We won’t spend too much time on it but you should know that from now on, on your Ausha Podcast page and your Ausha Smart Player, your listeners will see a link to “Subscribe to your podcast newsletter.” To sign up, they share their email address and confirm that they want to receive emails from you. (✅✅Double opt-in for the GDPR)

They immediately join your email database that you can easily manage in your settings. You can then delete contacts (your worst enemies) or export to csv.

Thanks to this tool you will create an email list before you can say quidditch. 🧹

You can create a lead magnet and landing pages

A lead magnet is content that is valuable enough to ask for something in return. If you have a blog or a website where you have quality content, you can try to compile them to create a free comprehensive resource that will be worth the “price” (the email address of the people coming to your page).

You can try to create a free ebook for example and you will see that your listeners or visitors will be happy to click and download it at the cost of filling in a short form. More than that, they love your work and would love for you to share content from time to time. ⏳

Once your lead magnet is ready, you can create dedicated landing pages! A landing page is a web page with a single marketing purpose and you can use one to promote your lead magnet and collect email addresses.

If you want to learn more about podcast websites and lead magnets you can read our article “How to create a website to promote your show“.

When to use your email list for your podcast?

Because an email list is such a powerful tool, it can be tempting to overuse it. Resist the temptation!

Below are occasions where sending an email is appropriate. If you stick to these, you’ll be on the right track. If you start veering off, it can be a sign that you are emailing too much or not enough.

Weekly/monthly updates 🗓

You can start a weekly or a monthly newsletter. If your content is planned out in advanced, you can write these ahead of time and then schedule them to be sent out through automation.

Keep these emails simple.

Write a paragraph to tease your next podcast episode so your email subscribers will be eager to listen. It may even prompt them to follow your podcast on a directory so they will be sure not to miss it. 📆

Include a little free bonus content that you know your subscribers will appreciate. Either include it in the body of the email or provide a link to it.

Putting links in an email is super helpful in terms of analyzing how many people are interacting with your email. 📊

Again, automation is key here. If possible, have future podcasts already recorded and have bonus content already made, so you can build a few of these emails at a time and then schedule them to be sent every week or month. Podcasters need to automate every step they can!

Urgent information and special events 🚨

When you have urgent information, you need to use a trusty tool to be sure the information gets out to your audience. The same goes for the announcement of special events or special episodes. When the time comes (and it will come), your email list will be your best friend to share the info that needs to be heard!👂

For example, let’s you’ve gotten feedback that something is wrong with episode you released yesterday. You can send out a quick email telling folks that the problem has been fixed and they can listen to the new version today.

Interact with your audience 🤝

Many business or media ventures, like podcasters, make interacting with their audience a top priority when they get started, but then it fades over time.

If you build interacting with your audience as part of your long term email strategy, you won’t fall into this rut.

These emails also work great with automation because the content is typically evergreen and ready to send any time. 🌲

For example, you can schedule one to go out every six months that asks for feedback on your content. This is also a great opportunity to use link analytics— rather than having the reader respond directly to your email, ask them to click on a link and fill out a feedback form.

Another example that works well for podcasters is using email to help new content. Ask subscribers to send in their stories or questions that you can use during your episodes.

Grow revenue 💰

Even if you do not consider your podcast a business, it never hurts to bring in some revenue. After all, just getting podcasts started isn’t free! 💵

Email can be very effective for this.

Whatever device someone is reading your email on, they also likely have their credit card info on. It won’t take them much work to fork over money, just a few simple clicks. 📱

This might be in the form of donations. Many media organizations send their lists end-of-year giving requests, so podcasters should consider that as an option. Or maybe you want to request donations more frequently, just don’t over do it!

Sometimes podcasters prefer to build their revenue through paid content. They use their email lists to promote paid content: a course, a new product, exclusive episodes, etc. 🕶️

This may be the best choice for your especially if your podcast isn’t really based on a social cause or anything people are used to donating to.

Of course, you can always go with both!

Closing

We hope you found the help you were looking for while reading this article. Remember, each step in the process is important so don’t rush!

Creating and maintaining a great email list is all about trust with your listeners. They have given you space in their busy inboxes. In return, you need give them a little something to chew on, laugh at, or be inspired by.

Facebook and other social networks have the word “social” built right into them, but in a lot of ways, email can feel like a more authentic way of connecting. People want to find an authentic connection with brands or businesses they like… like your podcast!

Of course your email strategy needs to woven in with your overall strategy to grow and promote your podcast. Increasing your audience happens through every episode listened to and every email read. Podcast marketing isn’t easy, but with good email lists, it is very possible.

Bottom line: Email marketing can be one of the best allies in your effort to grow your podcast, to turn it into a profitable business, or do just about anything else. ✨

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