🫶 How (and why) to allow vulnerability in podcast marketing

Get comfortable with a little bit of discomfort!

Hey! Shreya here :) 

Will you humor me by stepping outside the world of podcast marketing? And into an intersection of two my favorite things - Indian advertising and chocolates. 

Picture this: a young Shreya (visual aid below) sitting on the couch watching a cricket match with her folks. When she saw this Cadbury Dairy Milk advert, she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life invoking the same emotions this ad had in her. 

Okay enough referring to myself in the third person. 

Go check out that advert. You don’t need to speak any language in the world to witness the pure joy in it. Now, THAT is marketing to me. Being able to transfer intended emotion and doing so universally. 

Isn’t that the beauty of podcasting too? The power of sound is universal.  Just as is the power of emotion and vulnerability. My biggest takeaway as a marketer is what I want to share with you today – universally impactful marketing is hard to do without letting your own guard down. 

So, get comfortable with being a little uncomfortable because I’m sharing five ways (obviously it’s a list) to get vulnerable in your podcast marketing.  

1. Ask questions

Curiosity is a great sign of vulnerability and humility. Ask questions of your audience to know how you can do better. Ask questions of your fellow podcasters to collaborate with and learn from them. You might learn something that could benefit your content and communication. 

2. Talk about your mistakes

We celebrate our achievements but not always our mistakes. And why not! There’s more to learn from our mistakes than our achievements. So, consider sharing your mistakes with your audiences by way of either making bloopers or behind-the-scenes videos. It might create community in unexpected ways. 

3. Share the negative 

I’ll never forget this sign I saw outside a bar in Vancouver – 

It inspired me to write this whole post about how (and why) to make the most of ugly podcast reviews. In short: A podcaster sharing a bad review is, in the world we live in, juicier than a podcaster sharing a good review. Share the review and your response to it. 

4. Tell them what and when you don’t know 

Sometimes in hushed tones and sometimes in regular forums, the podcast industry is always talking about the ways in which we can improve. Especially when it comes to the analytics we can provide. When you’re dealing with potential sponsors, tell them what and when you don’t know the answer to the question. And to find it, refer to point #1. 

5. Take a break 

In the drab and dreary month of February when you find yourselves having to implement all those wretched new years resolutions, I am here asking you to consider taking a break if you need it. Audiences love and appreciate a creator who is transparent about their boundaries. Don’t worry though. Here’s how to set your feed up so you can take an actual break. 

A final note

Last year, we started working with a client who was coming from an unfortunate series of bad marketing experiences. Our relationship began a little strained but we were determined to smooth things out and prove our worth. Why? Because their work and stories meant so much to us. After a few internal conversations on how to conduct ourselves, we decided we’d do what we do best – be vulnerable and real and honest with them. Naturally, it was a little nerve-wracking. But boy did it pay off! I wouldn’t be lying if I said that this client has now become a source of inspiration and joy to us. Through vulnerability, our relationship is open and we’ve been welcomed into their team. Their support of us is one of the many reasons we continue to do what we do: create podcast marketing magic. 

More Magic:

• The Podcast Marketing Academy is inviting you to share your experiences and learnings from podcast marketing. They’ll use your responses to publish the Podcast Marketing Trends 2024 report. So go ahead and share ‘em! You could also win up to $9,000 in prizes woah.

• If you've been struggling with your Podcast SEO strategy, you're in for a treat. Ausha unveiled their PSO Control Panel, designed to master the art of Podcast Search Optimization (PSO). Plus, Ausha’s CEO Maxime Piquette is doing a live presentation of the PSO Control Panel on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 at 11:30am ET!

  

• Our second Podcast Group Therapy session is scheduled for February 23! It’s all about How To Launch Your Podcast. While this session is specifically about launching a podcast, it’s still relevant for those who already have one. Especially if you’re looking to release a new season or just even generate new buzz around an old one.

🚉 From the desk of Tink

I’m working with Lowlines right now and cannot tell you how grateful I am to be. This six-part sonic scrapbook is making me stop and think and it might do the same for you. Do you ever just wonder how the hell did we get here? Going from one efficiently digitized moment to the next, waiting for the next ping, the next dopamine burst. Petra Barran was wondering the same thing. She took it one step further, or rather, one step lower for her new podcast Lowlines. This is a fully independent audio production. The series follows one woman’s pull to tune in to the pulse of place. Tune in to tune out a little.

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Next week, Wil returns to address accessibility in podcast marketing.

Until then, stay real!

Shreya