IS STARTING A PODCAST RIGHT FOR YOUR NEEDS?
Podcasts make an excellent marketing tool. It can feel more personal and create a sense of connection to the client that is hard to compete with. A podcast can be informative, brand building, or maybe simply put a personality to an organization. It can help deliver your message and make a wonderful touchpoint for your marketing funnel. Do you need another way to reach customers? Is a podcast the best way for you to do this? Rating these statements will help you make that determination.
* 1 being lowest – 5 being highest
I want to nurture relationships with both current and potential customers
I want to make raving fans by creating more engagement
I want to learn more about my customers
I want to build a brand identity in my audience’s mind
I want a new point in my sales funnel
I want to deliver information to my shareholders in a way that is fun and creative
I want a way to market my products without it feeling like an advertisement
I want to drive more customers to my website (or storefront)
I want a way to answer questions and concerns in a way I haven’t been able to through other social media
I want a way to explore and test new ideas
I want to drive people to my newsletter/blog/or other social media
I want to create a connection with my audience that is more personal
If you have a higher score, starting a podcast is a good choice for your business!
Welcome!
Have you ever listened to a podcast? I’m guessing you have if you are reading this. What was your experience? Did you feel a sense of community or connection? Did it make you want to do some podcasting yourself? Did you check out their sponsors or make any purchases based on what the hosts discussed? If you’re like me, the answer to all of those questions is a resounding yes! Based on the number of podcasts available, the audience sizes, and the amount of money generated by podcasts for advertisers, I would say many would answer those questions the way we do.
In the past 9 years, I have launched and executive produced over 100 podcast titles. I know what can be intimidating about starting a podcast and how to prevent the headaches that figuring out how to launch a show can bring. When I started, I knew very little to almost nothing about starting a podcast and found a lot of misinformation out there. It was difficult but I had a drive to be a part of the conversation. I also saw the business potential that podcasting could offer. It became my obsession to the point that I received an MBA in marketing with my final thesis being about the business side of podcasting.
I know from experience that podcasting is a phenomenal marketing tool. Not simply for selling products (which it can do), but to put a face to a brand, for creating engagement with current and future customers, and to help you achieve your business’ goals.
Podcasting is fun for both the hosts and the listeners. From a marketing viewpoint, podcasts can create a personal connection, one that builds trust and loyalty effectively. Think about your favorite podcast. Do you feel like you know the hosts? Have they ever talked about a sponsor in a way that made you feel like supporting them through that sponsor? Have they ever talked about a project they are involved in that made you look into it? Trusting the messenger and feeling part of the community around them helps the message get through the barriers that we have about being marketed to. Trust can make consumers want to work with you and to be a part of your journey.
My approach is to teach you how launch and maintain a podcast for your business that is easily manageable, and to save you the time of trying to figure this all out on your own. I want you to have control of how your brand is presented, and to create a podcast that is an exceptional part of your marketing efforts. I want to empower you to reach your marketing goals in a way that only a podcast can.
Robert Southgate, MBA
Founder of Southgate Media Group and ThePodcastProfs
The Journey to Launching Your Podcast
Launching a new podcast for a business takes 3 months on average.
3 Months to Launch
Brainstorm show ideas and content concepts, Decide on your podcast’s premise, Name your show, Write a show description, Create a show logo, Purchase equipment, Set up social media and email
2 Months to Launch
Write an intro and outro, Outline your podcast, Record the first 3 episodes, Create a show trailer, Create and produce show elements, Develop a promotion strategy
1 Month to Launch
Find theme music, Sign up with a feed host, Post your trailer, Submit show to podcast distributors, Record 3 more episodes, Create a 3-month content calendar
2 Weeks to Launch
Share trailer across social media, Promote launch day
Launch Day
Launch your show, Share audio snippets and links
Promote, Promote, Promote!
SERVICES WE OFFER
Our goal is to make setting up and launching a podcast easy and sustainable. Beyond launching, we do offer a number of services that can be utilized ala carte or in a package. While you are responsible for creating the content, we can help with the back-end; audio editing, post-production, distribution, marketing assets, and strategy.
A full package includes the above, plus a monthly call to analyze the show, content ideation, plan content, and to answer questions that have come up from your podcast team.
PRICING
The 3-month launch program is $1500 per month for 3 months.
Pricing for services after launch is based on your needs, show frequency/length, and show complexity. Billing is quarterly rather than per episode with new contracts every 6 months. Fees are reassessed every 6 months based on the scope of work and need changes.
NEXT STEPS
Book a single consultation to kick things off so that you feel comfortable working with us and we can determine if you are a good fit for our services. If everything aligns, we will create a launch timeline and get our sessions together scheduled.
When you are ready to schedule an initial session, please email me at Rob@ThePodcastProfs.com