đ˘ The exciting world of feed swapsđ
đ¤¸ââď¸Podcast marketing: let's have some fun.đ
Bonjour!
Weâve talked a little bit about what to do with your podcast friends once you make them, but I want to dig a little deeper into one of those what-to-do ideas, because Iâve found it to be a really exciting way to grow your show. A reminder:
Feed Swap: You drop an entire episode of your partner's show onto your feed, and they drop an entire episode of your show onto their feed. *If you want your episode on the feed of another podcast but you donât want to return the favor, you can do that! Reach out to your podcast friend and ask them to see their rate card. Most podcasters will gladly take your money if itâs a perfect fit!
The thing about feed swaps. The content has to be a perfect match. This isnât an ad, itâs an entire episode. It has to feel right living in the podcast feed.
Be strategic. You donât want to alienate your listeners with an entire feed of other shows. Spread them out, and consider placing them after a final episode in a series, or when youâre taking a break.
Speaking of breaksâŚPlanning a feed swap if you know youâll be OOO is a great idea. If youâre going on vacation or are even just taking a breather, schedule a feed swap to fill in the gaps.
Set your listeners up right. Donât just throw the episode into your feed. Record an intro that explains why you are doing it, how much you think your listeners will enjoy the episode. Send them to where they can subscribe and follow the other show on social media. Get copy and links from your partner, and be sure to use them in the show description.
It doesnât have to be forever. Itâs up to youâyou are the negotiator. But remember that you can plan to take the episode out of your feed (and vice versa) after 30, 60, 90, or 369 days.
You donât each have to drop the episodes on the same day. Pick which day works best with your production schedule.
Nail the timing. Feed swaps are especially powerful during a launch of a new show (if you have money) or a new season. Iâm doing a feed drop campaign right now for a VERY COOL podcast Iâm working on, Adventure in Atacama from Studio Ochenta. The podcast hasnât launched yet, so I canât swap listeners for a drop in the Adventure in Atacama feed. But I can drop an episode of a show onto a different Ochenta podcast (if it makes sense.)
See examples. Wondery and Lemonada do a great job putting feed drops on shows within their networks. When they have a new show, I know about it! If you want to see how theyâre done, look at a few of their shows and notice when they release them and what they write in their copy.
THE BEST PART When I set up promo swaps, most people want an even deal. 50K downloads for 50K downloads, whatever. I have noticed that people care less if your show is smaller and youâll be delivering fewer downloads with the swap. I think this is because you arenât serving an ad, youâre serving a great piece of content. (Maybe the BEST content. Send over your greatest episode!) Often podcasters will think theyâll be giving their listeners a great experience listening to your show on their feed, and will be happy to help a smaller show. God I love podcast people.
Thatâs kind of it! Share your best feed swap/drop stories with me at lauren@tinkmedia.co, and search the database for people to work with.
Notes
âď¸Last week I launched the Podcast Swap Database, where you can find podcasts with similar sizes and themes to partner with them on promo swaps, feed swaps, whatever. Please enter your podcast here! The database will get better and better as more people submit. And if you have already submittedâTHANK YOU! Now I need you to go back and check the database and look for your next podcast friend. Learn more and hear me talk about it with Sam Sethi on Podland News.
âď¸If you want to hear me talk about podcast marketing for TWO AND A HALF HOURS!!!, sign up for my session of Radio Boot Camp on 6/6. I canât wait.
âď¸Courtney Kocak covered partnerships in Podcast Bestie.
âď¸Jeremy Enns tweeted about the podcast-listener relationship.
âď¸Maâayan Plaut tweeted about accessibility in podcasting.
âď¸For one of the most AHAAAA episodes of Sounds Profitable, Bryan Barletta talked to Steve Wilson (of QCode, formerly Apple Podcasts) about how to get featured in podcast apps. The trick? Think of it as a co-marketing opportunity between you and the platform. Listen here.
âď¸I hope you are all subscribed to Podcast the Newsletter, where I rant and rave about my favorite shows. Read/subscribe.
âď¸Feed the Queue, the podcast Iâm hosting with Adela Mizrachi of Podcast Brunch Club, is launchingâŚsoon. Subscribe!
From The Desk of Tink
ICYMI, Tink Media is a podcast growth and ideas company that helps shows with pitching to apps and media, setting up promo and feed swaps, advertising, wild out-of-the-box thinking, and more.
This week Iâm highlighting one of our clients, The Forwardâs A Bintel Brief. Starting April 28, one of the most historic advice columns is back for season two, completely modernized and hosted by two very different Jewish mothers. (Listen to the trailer here.) Each week Ginna Green and Lynn Harris will dish on the dilemmas of Jewish-American life, identity, culture, and politics, along with Chana Pollack, archivist of The Forward. It's a VERY cool show.) Let me know if you want to work with us!
xoxo lp
Thanks for the shoutout Lauren! Fantastic issue as always đ