🏆 You won an award! Now...what?

How to effectively use your win or nomination. Part 1

Nov 15, 2024

Hi! Shreya here. Awards are pouring in for our favorite podcasts everywhere. There’s always much written about how to get nominated but not so much about what to do after you achieve that goal!

But, what’s next?

Season 4 Reaction GIF by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Today, we’re talking about what to actually do after you win (or are even nominated) for an award. There’s much to cover here because we’ve got SO many ideas for you. So, I’ll be splitting this topic up in two.

In Part 1, we’ll cover — how to build a great PR campaign around your win or nomination.
In Part 2, we’ll cover — how to leverage your win or nomination to score more promos and guests for your podcast!

Let’s get to it, shall we?

P.S - If you’re interested in placing an ad in Podcast Marketing Magic or Podcast The Newsletter, fill out this form.

🟡 Building a PR Campaign Around Your Win Or Nomination

Every good PR campaign has one thing — a reason to toot your own horn. And what better reason than winning or being nominated for an award.

I know if I ever win anything, I am the same person I used to be at the age of 5. Waving around my report card/trophy/certificate till my parents praised the living bejesus out of me. That’s the energy we’re looking to channel here!

➡️ With that in mind, here’s a couple crucial things to answer before you begin building a PR campaign.

What is the story behind your show getting that nomination? How did you make the show? Were you worried about the competition? Did you have any cheerleaders hyping you up along the way?
Start by identifying your goal for this PR campaign. Think about what you want: is it more listeners? More partnerships for promo swaps or placement at a network? Or even just more awareness for your podcast?
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🌚 Now, here are but a few creative ideas for you to build that campaign!

[Shoutout to Devin Andrade and Lauren Passell for sharing some with me.]

Release a podcast episode about it.
Publish a short episode sharing the news and your story. Or re-run the episode you submitted with a little intro about getting nominated or winning!
Craft a press release.
Write a press release, and send it out to traditional media outlets and podcast newsletters!
Craft a follow-up email for media outlets:
If you’ve pitched yourself to the media in the past and not gotten any bites, follow up with them and let them know of the good news. Don’t follow up more than twice, and make sure to give writers a few business days to respond before following up!
Reach out to other winners and nominees to see if there’s a way to work with them.
You could do a collaboration episode where you could interview each other about the application and nomination process. Works for both feeds!
Reach out to sponsors. Use this to make money, I mean.
Update or create a sponsorship deck that highlights this recognition. Explain how it gives the brand/sponsor the opportunity to be aligned with a high quality show where listeners are engaged and new listeners will be tuning in because of the award.
Host a listening party where people listen to the episode.
Hire a marketing agency to create and execute a full-fledged campaign for you! [Omg hi we happen to be one].

Phew. Okay, that’s a LOT of good ones. You’re welcome!

If you enjoyed these tips, you’ll LOVE the guide we made with Signal Awards. Check it out!

Thanks for reading Podcast Marketing Magic! This post is public so feel free to share it.

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Podcast Marketing Magic