It seems like everyone has a podcast today, from big brands to freelance writers like you. Everywhere you turn, there’s a new podcast to subscribe to.
Why are they so popular? Are people just hopping on the bandwagon to say they have one? Or is it something else?
A podcast is a great way to earn your audience’s trust through what Pat Flynn of SPI Industries calls intimacy at scale. As a podcaster or guest of a podcast, your message is going out to thousands of people at a time, but to the individual listeners, it’s just you and them. Most of us listen to podcasts on headphones, so it feels like a conversation between you and the show.
When people trust you, they’re more likely to buy from you. As a freelance B2B writer, anything you can do to create that trust will benefit your business. Listeners will want to consume more of your content, be willing to subscribe to your email newsletter, and work with you when they need help.
Why Podcasts Work for Marketing
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People love podcasts.
The average American listens to six different podcasts every week, and nearly one-quarter of them listen to them weekly (68 million). Listeners have grown over 22% in the last five years alone, according to Edison Research.
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People don’t always have time to read 4,500-word posts.
People will spend more time listening to a podcast than they will reading a long-form blog post. Consider this: a 700-word blog post takes 5 minutes to read, and the average podcast is 35-minutes long. That means your podcast is the equivalent of 4,550 words or 6.5 blog posts. Nobody will read six and a half blog posts! But they will listen to your half-hour podcast, where you deliver value to listeners in a format they like.
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Podcasts are “sticky.”
If people like a podcast episode, they’re more likely to listen to the next one or to peruse your episode list to find others that intrigue them. If they stop listening, that’s okay too… The whole point is to get your voice out there and build the right audience.
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Your personal brand benefits.
Today’s businesses must have a personality. Everyone can get a good logo and tagline, but one that’s got personality and panache will go a long way to establishing it. Pat Flynn used his podcast to build his personal brand and got invited to work on several very interesting projects that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise, including being a social media consultant on a Hollywood movie!
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Align yourself with successful people.
All the guests you invite onto your interview-format podcast can make a difference to your freelance writing business brand too. The more successful people you have on the show from your industry, niche, or market, the closer you’re seen to them and their success. Their success rubs off on you, and your listeners will perceive you as being just as successful, even if you’re just starting!
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Foster relationships with existing customers.
They’re already consuming your other content, so why not get them on board with a podcast? You can even use the podcast to showcase customers who are putting your advice into practice successfully. Think of it as an audio case study that’ll do extra-duty to market your business.
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Create another opportunity to repurpose content.
You’ve already been repurposing your content, right? Well, a podcast gives you another opportunity to do it since you can turn each episode into a downloadable transcript, checklist, blog post series, newsletter items, slide deck, and more. And vice versa. If you have some content that performs really well, consider turning that into a podcast episode to capture an even wider audience for it.
Podcasts are very popular today, so if you’ve been debating starting your own to help market your freelance writing business, now’s the time. You’ll gain a ton of free marketing, grow your business, and make some new friends too.
Are you thinking of starting a podcast, or have you already started one? Share it in the comments so we can hear it.
