And How To Generate Leads And Grow Your Audience And Your Email List
If you already have a podcast, then there is a huge opportunity for you to build your audience, increase your reach and grow your email list with a private podcast.
As a podcaster, you know that any “regular” podcast is readily available to the public—and that means anyone with access to the Internet. Your show might be distributed on some or all of the major podcast networks like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud or Google Podcasts for example.
So what makes it different?
First off, it’s not publicly available or accessible in the typical places we listed above.
It’s private!
That means it’s only shared with or made available to a select group of listeners or subscribers. A private podcast can be protected by a password, only available through a private URL, or require a name and email address in order to get access.
What types of information should you share?
What you choose to share on your private podcast is totally up to you. But, if your goal is to generate high quality leads, there should be something exclusive, interesting or super valuable that your audience would be willing to opt-in for (meaning they will give you their email address in exchange for it).
Here are some examples of content:
- Behind the scenes of your business—what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and the results
- Exclusive interviews with industry experts in your market
- Live call-in shows or Q&A sessions with select audience members
- Episodes with special offers or limited time deals
- Limited time content
Where do you host a private podcast?
There are a number of options available to host your private podcast. It can be super simple to do this—or unnecessarily complicated. In this blog, we’ll show you the super simple way with Searchie.
First, you’ll need to add audio or video content to your Searchie account. Click here to learn all about how to manage your content library.
Now that you’ve added content to your account, here are two ways to create a private podcast feed.
Option 1: Turn A Searchie Playlist Into A Private Podcast Feed
If you don’t have a podcast, but you have video content—from a digital course, membership site, training, workshop or something else—then you can easily turn it into a private podcast with Searchie with just a couple of clicks.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Choose a video playlist to turn it into a podcast
Scroll down to the Playlist section of the library tab in your Searchie account. Click on the Playlist you would like to turn into a podcast.
From here, click the Share icon and then click Listen.
Step 2: Choose a podcast feed
You can pick and choose which major podcast app to share your private podcast. In this example, we selected Apple Podcasts. That means our audience will be able to listen to the podcast by using the Apple Podcasts app.
Step 3: Share the podcast URL with your audience
You can share this link by email, direct message, social media, in your Searchie Hub, on your website—any way that you communicate with your audience. All they have to do is copy and paste the link in their web browser’s address bar. From there, their web browser will prompt them to open the correct app.
Here is an example of the prompt from the web browser.
The podcast app (in this case Apple Podcasts) asks the user to follow the podcast. Once the Follow button is clicked, the private podcast is then added to their podcast app!
Super simple, right?
Step 4: Listen to your new Searchie Playlist private podcast
As mentioned, your private podcast feed is now ready to share with your audience. When you add new audio or video content to your Playlist, that content is automatically added to the podcast feed, too! Just remember to tell your audience to refresh the feed.
Option 2: Create A Private Podcast Website For Your Audience
If you already have a podcast, then you can easily create a private podcast website using one of Searchie’s plug-and-play templates.
Check out this blog post titled Why Every Podcast Needs A Podcast Website And How To Create One The Easy Way.
You’ll follow the exact same steps to create a website for your podcast. In this case, you’ll want to make sure that the Hub settings are set to private. Read this help article for directions on how to make your Hub private.
Quick Tip: If you are following Option 1, you will need a landing page software or other means to collect leads, and then send the private URL to your audience. Option 2 can use Searchie to collect leads.
Now that you have a private podcast feed OR a private podcast website, how can you leverage it to generate leads?
How To Generate Leads With A Private Podcast
Creating awareness and driving traffic to your podcast can be a bit tricky because it is not publicly accessible. However, you can virtually guarantee that those that sign up for access to a private podcast are highly targeted, qualified leads that are most likely to purchase your products or services.
Here are some simple tips to drive awareness, traffic and opt-ins:
Social Media: Create organic and paid social media posts to drive traffic to your podcast. Clearly explain the benefits and what listeners can expect to learn. Offer behind-the-scenes and exclusive content to share the link for your audience to opt-in.
Groups & Forums: Look for groups and forums that are in your niche. Start by answering questions and help people solve problems. Invite them to your private podcast. If you already have a private or public community, such as a Facebook Group, then you should absolutely be sharing about your private podcast.
Blog Post: Write a blog post about your private podcast and how it’s different from your other free content. Clearly explain the benefits to your audience and invite them to opt-in for exclusive access.
Personalized & Direct Messages: Reach out to individual people in your audience—such as social media followers or people in relevant groups—and send them a personalized invitation to listen to your private episodes.
Email Marketing: Send emails about it to your email list. Even though they are already subscribed, you are providing additional value by inviting them to your private podcast.
Promote On Your Podcast: If you have a public podcast, then you should be talking about your private podcast, too. Include a clear call-to-action such as a URL to opt-in.
Word Of Mouth: Encourage your current listeners to share the private podcast link with their friends and colleagues—anyone who might be interested!
Ready To Create A Private Podcast And Start Generating Leads?
Whether you already have a podcast—or you have existing audio or video content that you would like to turn into a private podcast—Searchie is your go-to platform to get it done FAST. Start your 14-day free trial of Searchie today!
If you have any questions, drop us a line at help@searchie.io
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