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Traci Long Deforge addresses all those topics in her regulary Friday “3 Questions” Column for PBJ.
Q: How do I use Facebook and Instagram “lives” to promote my podcast? Traci: Instagram and Facebook lives work well as a part of the whole of your podcast marketing plan. The lives are great tools to promote an episode when it is released but don’t miss out on the opportunity to strategically promote episodes before they release! Going live before episode releases builds anticipation for the release date and also gives your audience an overview of what’s coming up on the episode. If you haven’t been doing lives, this is your reminder to push yourself out of your comfort zone and start now!
Below are a few quick ideas for using lives to promote your podcast:
1 Go live after recording the episode with your guest before it is released. This is a great opportunity to go showcase your guest and do a Q & A about it for your listeners! This will introduce your guest to your followers and generate interest from those who haven’t listened to your podcast yet.
2. Be a part of someone else Facebook or IG lives. This has similar effectiveness to guesting on another podcast. A great way to gain new listeners is by going live with someone else on their channel or in their Facebook group. Reach out to others in your community who may have a similar audience or maybe even a larger or different type of following. Give them the chance to get excited about your podcast. Yes, You’re promoting your podcast, but you’re also providing quality information and giving them an opportunity for people to sample you and your content and convert them to listeners.
- Countdown to Launch! Go Live and countdown to the launch of your podcast. It’s a fun way to build momentum for your launch day.
Q: I have an episode that has some annoying background noise and you don’t want to re-record it? Is it ok to still release it anyway? Traci: Definitely! If you’re strapped for time and don’t have the luxury of having a backup episode, you should feel free to release the episode. You may also experience an episode where the content is so good and not able to be replicated. you don’t want to rob your audience of the opportunity to hear gold! Here’s the secret. If you find yourself in either of these situations, do not just release the episode with the compromised audio as usual. Record a new or additional open for the episode providing a disclaimer alerting your audience of the audio issue and acknowledge you’re aware of it not being up to your typical audio standards. Let them know the content is so good you had to share it with them!
Q: Should I have a store for my fans to purchase promotional items for my podcast or should I only do promotional swag for giveaways? Traci: Both!! If you’re taking the time to create promotional items for your podcast, you can optimize them by having them for sale in your online store and use them for giveaway prizes or guest appreciation gifts. We use products from our own Produce Your Podcast store for clients and team members birthdays, baby gifts and just to say thank you. If we get a few purchases from the store by sharing items, even better! I don’t think you can go wrong creating promotional items for your podcast. Have fun and create unexpected items that highlight your brand. Our favorite? The Born to Podcast onesie for future podcasters!
BONUS TIP: Host a “Post a Review” giveaway contest on your social media asking followers to write a review of your show and post a screenshot of it in the comments for a chance to win a shirt, hat or fun item from your store!
**_Traci DeForge is the founder of Produce Your Podcast, a consultant, speaker, and creator of PODHIVE, an online community for podcasters. She can be contacted at traci@produceyourpodcast.com or 561-468-8758. __Visit her websites: ProduceYourPodcast.com & _PODHIVE.com **