Hello there! It’s the Friday after the 21st of September and Devin has got me singing that song, you know the one.
In today’s newsletter, we’re dissecting a pitch we love (and why), introducing you to a new team member, and making a special International Podcast Day announcement.
📆 A slight change of scheduling plans
Starting today, the Podcast Marketing Magic is going back to its’ bi-weekly schedule. Thank you for reading!
🎧 Celebrate International Podcast Day with #PodBreak
International Podcast Day is coming up - September 30th. We are obviously quite excited for it. Last year, to celebrate it, Tink encouraged folks to take an hour-long break to ‘walkout’ and listen to a podcast. This year, we're walking out again!
We'd love for you to join us.
So pick a podcast to worth walking out for and tag us on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) when you walkout. Remember to use the #podbreak23!
Have a break, have a podcast with us?
🟡 The unarguably awesome pitch (and what we love about it)
On September 5, Lauren received a fantastic pitch letter for her newsletter Podcast The Newsletter.
▶️ It was from Matt Cole, the co-host and editor of the podcast Debate This!.
Here’s the pitch, followed by what the PMM team loved about it:
Hey Lauren,
My name is Matt Cole and (to not bury the lede) I'm here to pitch you my video game slash comic book comedy podcast, Debate This!. (<--punctuation intentional)
Please allow me to first establish my credibility before explaining why Debate This!, and specifically our latest episode, is very much for you...
We crossed paths at Podcast Movement Nashville in 2021, which I mention because I've set aside 10 minutes every Monday since to read Podcast The Newsletter! I can't just read it as I clear my other emails because I need to have my phone ready to bookmark new shows. I'd give you the list of all the shows you've turned me on to, but it's literally a page long. I did recently pass along your rec for Believe in Magic to some friends because MY GOD.
Also, I'm going on a cruise in December, to Disney World in March, and Podcast Marketing Magic told me your cat is cuter than all of the other cats, but are they the best cat in all of video games?
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Debate This! is a podcast debating the questions about comic books and video games that no one is asking. Things like "Which X-Men villain would make the best college roommate?" or "Which Pac-Man ghost would be the scariest in real life?" or, most recently, "Which cat is the best cat in all of video games?" Let us be clear, you don't need to know anything about comic books or video games to listen to this show. We're just trying to make you laugh!
Episode 128: Four Weird Little Guys All in a Row released today and it will have you asking yourself "what really makes a cat the best?" and also probably "why aren't there more cats in video games?" I've waited two-ish years for an episode that I felt matched with Podcast The Newsletter, I promise this is the one.
Or it's not, but hopefully you'll at least laugh a bit :)
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Here's a link to the newest episode on our website!Here's a link to the newest episode on Pod.link!
Here's a link to an IG post about our latest episode!
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I appreciate your time and my apologies for the relatively long email! Please let me know if there's anything else I can send your way.
This pitch letter got Debate This! in the September 11th issue of Podcast the Newsletter. (It also got them in today’s issue of a newsletter they didn’t even pitch to!)
🟢 Here’s why this pitch works:
Matt specifically mentions Podcast the Newsletter, his love for it, and a specific show that Lauren has written about. He’s showing us that he’s actually read the newsletter.
He thoughtfully connects an episode with something that might interest Lauren - cats. Giving a specific episode can really help with the decision to listen. Even the fact that the cat part is mentioned/teased higher up in the email makes you want to keep reading.
He gives a concise description of the show that is compelling. The use of examples is very helpful in articulating the kinds of debates!
Matt mentions how the show welcomes new listeners (you don’t have to know a lot about comics or video games to enjoy it).
He provides multiple links and the inclusion of pod.link feels very attentive to the kind of link Lauren recommends people use! It also makes it easy for her to choose where she’ll listen. This is the kind of detail that would make a newsletter sit up and notice your pitch.
Even though it’s long, it is thoughtfully organized and divided up, which makes it feel less overwhelming.
In a way, it feels wrong to even call this a cold pitch, because this person has clearly been paying attention to and supporting Lauren’s work for long enough to know her.
Matt clearly waited to pitch. He took his time to read and study Podcast the Newsletter, and is a real member of the Podcast the Newsletter community.
Ergo, Lauren published a review for this show in the September 11th edition of Podcast the Newsletter. Debate This! then posted on their social channels.
So, go listen to Debate This!, leave them a review and tell them where you found them?
🫶 Welcome, Wil!
We are SO happy to share that the wonderful Wil Williams (they/them) has joined our Tink Team!
Wil has worn many hats in podcasting. From writing for Bello Collective to being the CEO of Hug House, they’ve sprinkled magic in different aspects of podcasting. We are SO pleased (and starstruck) to have them join our team.
🦄 52 Weeks of Podcast Growth
Pitch to two podcast newsletters! Use the momentum and creativity you’re feeling from Matt’s pitch letter to make magic of your own.
If you’re new here, read the previous weeks’ tips to start implementing them at your own pace.
🔭 From the Desk of Tink
From the team that brought you Not Past It comes Past Perfect, the trivia show that travels through time. Host and self-proclaimed “trivia freak” Simone Polanen invites comedians, writers, and podcasters to compete in a five-episode tournament designed to put their general knowledge to the test. Each episode covers a decade in history, beginning with the 1980s, traveling through the 2010s, and culminating in a grand finale covering trivia of the century. There's even a prize for the winner at the end!
Meanwhile, in Podcast Therapy…
Previously, we had an amazing Podcast Therapy session with:
Grit & Growth - On this Stanford Business School podcast, host Darius Teter shares the stories of entrepreneurial grit and growth from businesses in emerging markets like Asia and Africa.
Seraphina Speaks - On this very special show hosted by 10-y/o Seraphina Malina-Derben, we hear the stories meant to inspire tweens and early teens to examine social norms and ordinary everyday things.
Design Yourself - On this self-help podcast, host Sharon Lipovsky examines how we can create and lead a well-designed life.
In these sessions, we worked with the hosts to create an insightful marketing plan to grow their audiences.
Before you go…
PMM will always be free for readers but, we are also always looking for sponsors. Our sponsorship packages start at $50 (and are named after wizard classes.) Write to shreya@tinkmedia.co for more info!
Omg excited to see Will join the team, they've been up to so much good podcast stuff!