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(By Traci Long DeForge) You’ve got podcasting questions, and Traci Long DeForge is here to answer them. Traci is the founder of Produce Your Podcast.
Help! I don’t know how to write my podcast show description… Be Creative: Picture you’re in a room of people getting ready to hear you speak. Who are they? Why did they come there? What is the one thing you could say to them for them to listen to you instead of multitasking on their phones? Writing down the answers to these questions will give you a good foundation to creating a show description focused on attracting listeners.
Be Concise: The purpose of your show description is to catch the attention of someone searching for entertainment or information on a certain topic or category. What is the one thing you can say in the first sentence that stops them scrolling when they find your podcast?
Be Compelling: After you’ve captivated them with your first sentence then go into more specifics around the who, what, and why of the show. Resist the urge to overload with keywords and be sure to check – and double check – for grammar and spelling errors. Keep it short for iTunes and the other platforms. A longer, more detailed version can be used in social media, press releases, newsletters, and on your website.
Should I be focusing on YouTube as a way to promote my podcast? The latest Edison Research shows 73% of U.S. online monthly podcast consumers 12+ use the Internet to discover podcasts, and according to their most recent “Share of Ear” report, podcasters spent 11% of their time listening to audio on YouTube. These numbers are especially interesting considering they show the increasing number of people who are listening to podcasts, not watching them. This makes a strong case for integrating YouTube into your podcast marketing strategy. You can invest as little time as connecting your account to your podcast distribution platform so it automatically uploads when an episode releases, to implementing a more elaborate strategy. This could include uploading episode trailers and promos, i.e. graphics with audio clips of the show, a video of you recording your podcast, or a montage slide show with all these elements combined.
What is the best way to engage my guest before and after their interview on my podcast? Creating a positive experience for your guest begins with the professionalism of the first outreach. Be clear in your communication when inviting someone to be a guest on your show. Provide them with details of the length of their time commitment and a suggested topic. Make it easy for them to schedule by using a link to your calendar using a scheduling software like Calendly. Send an email reminder of their appearance 48 hours in advance with a clear outline of how they’ll be contacted the day of the show and what to expect from the recording process itself.
Send them an announcement email on the day the podcast interview is live and include your social media information along with prewritten social media posts they can easily cut and paste to their audience, along with the embed code to make it easy to put in a blog post.
A handwritten thank you note goes a long way in showing your appreciation for the time they took out of their busy schedule to be a guest on your show.