Everyone and their brother seems to have a podcast these days. But, you know what most podcasters lack? An email list. Believe it or not though, having an email list could be your ticket to more podcast downloads!
And, if you're going to be leveraging an email list to secure more downloads, you need an email marketing platform like SendX to keep your correspondence with your audience in their inbox and out of their spam folder! That’s what we’re covering below, so if that sounds good and you want to know how to get more podcast listeners, keep reading.
Table of Contents
Get Found in Subscriber Inboxes
In their post on this very subject, podcast hosting company RSS.com explained six reasons that your podcast should be regularly corresponding with listeners on an email marketing platform. Their reasons were:
- You own your list
- Email gives you a way to engage with your listeners directly
- Email is a great way to get paid from offers you make
- You don’t have a time limit on when people will read your email and potentially tune into your show
- The conversation stops after the episode ends, but email keeps it going, and
- Most importantly - you can increase your podcast downloads!
Yep, you read that correctly. Email is a great way to get more podcast downloads because when people don’t constantly get reminded you exist, it’s easier to forget about you.
But, if you’re sending notices to subscriber inboxes, you don’t get lost in the shuffle.
With this in mind, here are some tips to get your show found, shared, and subscribed to through email:
First, make it incredibly simple for interested listeners to sign up for your email list.
Prominently display an email subscription form right on your podcast's website. Consider offering an incentive like exclusive content or promo codes in exchange for an email address.
Once a new episode drops, immediately send an email newsletter to subscribers to tell them about it!
Don't make them hunt for the new episode. Deliver it straight to their inbox along with links, a description, and some engaging copy to entice them to listen. You can even add your podcast cover art and embed the link to the episode in the image.
Alternatively, you can also share short, attention-grabbing clips from episodes via email to preview what’s in store. Use your newsletter to promote giveaways, contests, or limited-time promotions related to the show as well.
In addition to dedicated podcast emails, look for opportunities to cross-promote your show in other email campaigns and content your business sends out. Adding relevant podcast teasers to existing newsletters, alerts, or announcements expands your reach to new ears.
Your email subscribers are already engaged fans hungry for more. Satisfy their cravings and send personalized recommendations for other podcasts or related content they might enjoy based on listening history.
Lastly, when promoting new episodes to your email list, always include links back to your website, clips, and full show. Driving website traffic from emails can help boost your podcast’s SEO so you pop up higher in related searches. More discoverability means more potential downloads.
Pro Tip: Use an email marketing platform for sending bulk emails.
If you send bulk emails through Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, or even through your own domain’s email address, you could be flagged for spam. An email marketing platform like SendX however, ensures your emails will use the proper protocols with bulk emails to land in inboxes not spam folders!
Encourage Listener Engagement and Get More Email Subscribers
Getting listeners to subscribe and download your podcast is only the first step. You also need to keep them engaged and excited to tune in to each new episode.
Using an email marketing platform like SendX is a great way to build lasting connections with your audience. In other words, if you’re just starting your email list, use your podcast to start growing it, and then you can grow both your listener base and your list simultaneously!
How to get podcast listeners to sign up for an email list
One of the most effective tactics is offering a lead magnet like a checklist, guide, or exclusive content in exchange for an email signup. This brings in targeted subscribers who are already invested in your show's content from the start. Continue providing value and special perks only email subscribers get access to.
For example, let’s say you have a podcast about personal training, and you just interviewed the top personal trainer in America. Release one episode on your podcast about the subject you discussed, and save some of the questions from your interview as bonus content. Then, at the end of your episode you can say something like:
“Did you like this interview with John? Subscribe to our newsletter at awesomepodcast.com/John and you can hear a bonus hour of content with him!”
Just like that you’d done two things. First, you got your audience super excited to join your email list. Second, you gave them an awesome piece of bonus content they can’t get anywhere else!
You can also send personalized recommendations of your past episodes based on listeners' interests and engagement data. If someone binged older episodes on one of your other subtopics, shoot them an email suggesting a new relevant episode to enjoy.
Email also facilitates two-way conversation with your listeners
Email is what allows subscribers to leave comments, feedback, or thoughts directly to you. Set up buttons or surveys that allow your email subscribers to easily rate episodes or leave a review without needing to visit additional sites.
You can even get creative and invite listeners to send in voice messages that you can play on the show through email links. Not only will this help you create more content, it will help you increase podcast downloads because people will be chomping at the bit with every release to hear whether or not their snippet was included in your latest episode.
Or, prompt fans to submit ideas for upcoming episodes or guests via email forms or surveys. This can increase podcast downloads too because as your audience gets more engaged, they are more likely to share your latest episodes!
Follow-up emails are another opportunity to engage fans further
Ask listeners to rate and review episodes they recently streamed to help grow your podcast's rankings. Or, send quick polls to learn what content they want more of.
The goal is to form personal connections between you, your podcast, and fans. Email allows you to have intimate, individualized interactions at scale. Listeners will engage more when you provide exclusive value, facilitate two-way conversations, and make them feel heard.
Keep email copy conversational, like you're talking with a friend about the podcast. Ask questions, share behind-the-scenes insights, or highlight super fans by name. The more you can humanize your show and build community through email, the deeper listeners' engagement will be.
Experiment with different types of emails and measure response to see what works best with your audience. Consistent, thoughtful engagement efforts will lead to an email list full of eager, loyal fans.
Track Email-Driven Metrics
It’s essential to closely monitor the impact your email efforts have on podcast downloads and engagement. With the right tracking using a platform like SendX, you can see what’s working and optimize from there.
Look at click-to-listen rates - the percentage of email recipients who click through to listen to your show. This metric indicates if your subject lines and content compel action.
You can also view downloads referred directly from links in your email campaigns. See which specific emails drive the most traffic to subscribe, rate, and listen.
Dive deeper by connecting email engagement to long-term listener value. Two key questions to consider are:
Do email subscribers have higher retention rates?
and
Do they listen to more episodes over time compared to non-email followers?
Evaluate the ROI of lead magnets and promotions by tracing how many recipients ultimately convert into long-term downloaded episodes.
A/B test different types of emails in your email marketing platform such as:
- New episode announcements
- Clips
- Recommendations
- Surveys and more.
See which result in the most clicks and downstream listens.
Monitor unsubscribe rates as well. If those increase sharply, your messaging may need reworking to properly engage your audience.
Follow the data to allocate more time and resources around what works. Double down on email content that repeatedly drives strong listener response and engagement.
Optimizing your emails will directly impact downstream podcast KPIs. Consistently analyze performance and listener behavior connected to your emails. Allow the data and insights to guide your strategy over time.
Email analytics take the guesswork out of optimization. Make the most of them to engage your listeners better while expanding your podcast’s reach and listenership.
Bringing It All Together for Podcast Growth
Integrating email throughout your podcast’s distribution and engagement strategy provides a proven way to expand listenership and grow your audience. And, use an email marketing platform to send bulk emails without spamming!
Focus first on making it easy to subscribe right from your website and delivering new episodes directly to inboxes. Keep fans engaged by sending exclusive content, facilitating two-way conversation, and inviting input. And don’t forget to closely analyze email performance using available metrics and analytics.
The tactics covered in this post are just a starting point to generate more podcast downloads. We recommend you continually test out new types of emails, content, and calls-to-action. Optimize based on data-driven insights into what resonates most with your audience.
A multi-channel approach is key for podcast growth. Email provides another invaluable touchpoint to capture new listeners and keep existing fans hooked. Add it to your promotional mix and watch those download stats climb.
Ready to launch your email list and grow your podcast simultaneously? Click here to start with SendX for free!
