As you may have noticed, more and more people are making their foray into podcasts lately. From major influencers to people within your own circle of friends, it seems like everyone has a podcast. This isn’t just a bandwagon to hop on, though; there’s real progress to be made with podcasting.
Whether someone chooses to do a podcast to dig deeper into their hobby, to connect with other people, or to gain clients and make money, it’s undeniable that podcasting continues to grow in relevance. Why not get in on the action with your animation business?
It’s a great idea to consider (we’ll explain why in this article), but before you dive into another online platform, you need to get familiar with certain strategies that will help you rise above the noise in a competitive market.
A podcast might have set you apart from competitors years ago, but now it’s an essential part of marketing your business.
Doug Sandler, entrepreneur, leader, and host of The Nice Guys on Business Podcast, says that having a podcast is more than just speaking into a microphone, sharing your thoughts on a recorder, and posting your podcast online.
Many people who get into podcasting don’t know the full potential that they could reach if only they make on-point strategies, use top-notch production, and plan their launch carefully.
In this blog post, we will discuss six effective ways to get animation clients through podcasting.
1) Know Your Target Customers
One essential part of getting animation clients is knowing your target customers. What are their interests, dislikes, and goals? What kind of topics do you think will attract them?
To answer these questions, you can give your animation clients an interview or send short surveys via email to know them better. Take note of their pain points and think of relevant podcast topics that will answer their questions and give them useful information.
If you have stories of how you helped business owners, animation studios, and agencies with your animated videos, that’s something you must include in your podcast. No matter who is your target audience, they will want to see your expertise in action.
Ben Leavitt, the podcast host of Project Passion, says that having the best understanding possible of who you’re trying to speak to will make your content creation easier.
You can also understand your audience better by going where they hang out and where you can speak with them directly. You can join Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, follow Instagram accounts, and subscribe to YouTube channels that your ideal listeners are part of.
Once you’re in these groups, the next step is to actively connect with as many people as you can. Start by answering their questions and offering creative solutions to issues they post about.
Once the community members are familiar with you, you can direct them to your podcast, where they can get more information about a certain topic they’ve expressed interest in.
2) Have a Call-to-Action
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At the start or at the end of every podcast, make sure that you tell people where they can connect with you. You have to tell people specifically and convincingly the action that you want them to take.
For example, if you have an animation website, YouTube channel, and social media accounts, encourage your listeners to follow you and tell you what they learned from your podcast.
You should also offer a lead magnet such as an ebook, video training, cheat sheet, etc. that your listeners can access for free by visiting your website.
When you give your listeners instructions through your podcast, make it as easy as possible for them to access your content so that they can easily remember and don’t have to have to go through many complicated steps.
3) Regularly Post Podcasts
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Have a posting schedule that is consistent and manageable for you. Posting your show consistently will keep you top-of-mind for your listeners and remind them of the value your podcast brings. You can post podcasts weekly or twice a month, as long as you are consistent.
KickoffLabs warns that you shouldn’t publish podcasts on an erratic schedule. Publish your podcasts on the same day of the week so that listeners can fit listening to your podcast into their schedule.
4) Promote Your Podcast
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Once your podcast is live, you should actively promote it. You can share it via social media, your animation website, and your blog. You can even get your podcast on iTunes or Spotify to maximize your reach. Also, ask your family and friends to share your podcast online to gain a bigger audience.
Do this for every podcast you create, and don’t be afraid to mention it more than once since not every person who follows you or is online will read a social media post immediately.
If you have an advertising budget, you can promote your podcast via paid advertising on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, etc.
Ben Leavitt suggests that you experiment with advertising using different platforms and different copy in your posts to see what attracts your audience the best.
You can also connect with influencers in the animation industry and ask them to post about your podcast on their social media platforms. You can even invite them to speak on your show and offer to promote their show in exchange.
Another way to alert your fans about your podcast is through email marketing. This allows you to send emails directly to your listeners’ inboxes and keep them engaged in your podcast by presenting them with a lead magnet such as checklists, PDFs, and other downloadable content.
When sending emails, make sure they’re professionally designed. Sometimes it’s poor email design that makes people leave your emails unread. To create great designs for your email marketing campaigns, you can use email marketing templates such as Mailchimp and Campaign Monitor.
5) Guest on Podcasts
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Guesting on podcasts will let listeners see you as an authority in the animation industry. This gives you a platform to share your knowledge, skills, and experiences in your animation career. You can sign up on podcast booking services such as Podcast Bookers, Command Your Brand, and Interview Valet to get notified whenever there are people looking for podcast guests.
Another way to find podcasts that might be interested in having you as their guest is to simply send them a pitch via email.
A perfect pitch must contain the topic/s you want to talk about, the summary or theme of your podcast topic, the listeners’ pain points that you want to address, and why you think you would be a great podcast guest.
Once you have been accepted as a podcast guest, make sure you research the podcast host and audience. You need to relate to the audience and offer valuable content that is specific to them and in-line with the type of podcast you are guesting on. Your enthusiasm for the podcast will make you sound like an engaging person to listen to.
You should also listen to several podcast episodes of the podcast you’re guesting in to familiarize yourself with the podcast’s audience, tone, and structure.
6) Invite Podcast Guests
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As a podcast host, you should provide your listeners with valuable and engaging content. You may be doing that regularly already by sharing your knowledge and experiences about animation, but there is another way to do that: inviting podcast guests.
Inviting podcast guests can give your audience tips, knowledge, and information about animation that they may not be able to hear from you.
According to Wavve, to find great guests for your podcast, you can start with your friends and other existing connections. You can also reach out to hosts of podcasts with similar content as yours or use services such as MatchMaker that matches podcasters with ideal podcast guests.
Try using social media platforms such as Facebook or LinkedIn to reach out to people you know who are knowledgeable about animation and might be interested in becoming a podcast guest.
You can also ask your audience to find out if there are people that they know who they would like to hear from on your podcast. The Podcast Host says guests can draw a large number of new listeners to your podcast.
If you are able to make your listener’s wishes a reality by booking the guests that they want to hear from, then they’re more likely to continue listening to your show and might even tell their friends about it.
Cross-promotion is a great way to reach an audience that is already interested in your podcast topics. You can invite them to your podcast, and they can do the same, which will be beneficial for both of you and your audiences.
Before they go on your show, make sure you do your research about them. During the podcast, let them give a background about themselves and ask engaging questions.
Conclusion
Podcasting is a powerful marketing tool to widen your reach and get animation clients as long as you strategically produce and promote your podcast. Learn about your target audience, direct them to your animation website or social media channels, and offer them something helpful via your lead magnets.
Don’t forget to invite credible guests on your podcast and become a podcast guest on another show.
To get more tips and information about how to manage a freelance animation business, make sure you check out our free marketing handbook and join our free masterclass.
