Podcasting Q&A

How to Create an Email Newsletter for your Podcast

August 23, 2021 Buzzsprout
Podcasting Q&A
How to Create an Email Newsletter for your Podcast
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Brad from the Queer Writers of Crime podcast asks, "What is the purpose of having a newsletter for my podcast and what should I include in one?"

TL;DR
Building an email list allows you to maintain a direct connection with your audience without having to wrestle with any kind of social media algorithms.

In this episode, Ona and Gilon discuss the real value of having an email newsletter, what you should include in one, and how to leverage your email list to grow your podcast and get more listeners.

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Gilon:

In today's episode, you'll learn how to use email newsletters to engage your audience.

Brad:

Hi, this is Brad with the queer writers of prime podcast I hear so frequently it's important to have a newsletter. But unless it's a business podcast, I don't see where the benefit would be. And I don't even know what I would put into a newsletter. Could you shed some light on that?

Gilon:

Thanks so much for your question, Brad. So we have Ona whose Buzzsprout community and events manager here to answer your questions about newsletters. So why should we use a newsletter to engage our podcast audience?

Ona:

Well, first and foremost, thank you so much for having me here. And the first thing is, what if Instagram went away tomorrow? What if Facebook who is constantly changing what they do, they decided that they no longer wanted to allow you to utilize it to promote your podcast? What would you then do to get in front of your audience? And that's what I want most people to think about when you think of a podcast newsletter, it's a way to have direct contact to your audience without relying on a social tool. So this is where you can get their email addresses. I mean, hey, we can go as far as talking about having their phone number, so you can go right to their phones. But today, we're focusing on newsletters.

Gilon:

So what are some of your tips and strategies for engaging your audience with a newsletter?

Ona:

This is one that I think is so difficult, because it depends on what type of podcast you have. So let's talk about a few different things. One, let's say you have a true crime podcast or you have a podcast about being a doula, you want to make sure you're focusing on what's taking place within your industry and including that along with this, you want to include your episodes, what's going on in your community, those types of elements, I would even say take it as far as including other podcasts on the same topic, because it allows for you to cross promote with them, if they see that you're utilizing their content to promote they're more inclined to use you in other capacities.

Gilon:

So do you have any platforms that you suggest or would endorse to be used when you want to start a newsletter,

Ona:

I like free 99. So first and foremost, I would highly recommend MailChimp, that's who I utilize. I like them, because you're free up until 2000 subscribers. Another thing I like about that is that they allow for you to segment your audience. So for example, if you met an audience and you created a specific link for an event, you can know who you met at that event. So MailChimp does offer quite a few different options. And it's easy to use.

Gilon:

So it sounds like having a newsletter is a really good way to engage your audience. How can the newsletter function to help grow your podcast audience,

Ona:

I always say those two things are kind of synonymous. So when you think of growing your audience, innately when you've grown an audience of people who support you believe in the work that you're doing, they're automatically going to want to support different avenues. For instance, oftentimes, people are going to share your newsletter, but also it's like a trigger to say, Oh, wait a minute. This is actually super interesting. So though, I may have given you my email, because of this checklist that you provided that I really need it, but I'm staying because you're also providing me with more information. And if I find this super engaging, as they say, it takes seven times to create a habit. So after hearing it seven times, learning about your podcast seven different times, they'll then kind of convert over to listening to the podcast. I think oftentimes we're all fighting for the same audience of people listening to podcasts. But in actuality, if we can convert new podcast listeners, that's a much better way because then they're tapped in.

Gilon:

Thank you so much for coming on. You gave us a lot of good information, a lot of great resources and tips. So people wanted more of this kind of content from you, where can we find you?

Ona:

So I've recently come on as best press podcast, community events manager, I'll be hosting various Facebook Lives, Instagram lives and clubhouse rooms. And so through that, I'll have different people such as yourself and other industry experts who will be joining us to talk about things from newsletters to how to utilize Instagram to grow your reach, talking about building a brand story, audio engineering, and so much more. And so I'm super excited to be working with the team but also being able to bring this type of content to the community. So

Gilon:

if you want to connect with Ona and all that great content, make sure you join the Buzzsprout Facebook group. Thanks for listening to Podcasting Q&A. If you have a question that you would like us to answer on a future episode of the show, just go to speakpipe.com/Buzzsprout four click the link in the show notes to leave us a brief audio message. Make sure you're subscribed to the Buzzsprout YouTube channel to watch future episodes of Podcasting Q&A, or subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast listening app. That's it for today. Thanks for listening and as always, keep broadcasting

Intro
The value of newsletters
Engaging your subscribers
Grow your podcast
ore tips and strategies