Getting people on your email list is one of the most crucial elements of running a successful podcast newsletter, and I discuss it in today's episode of Digital Podcaster. If you've ever thought about starting a newsletter or already have one, you've probably asked yourself, "How can I get people to sign up for this?" I meet a lot of podcasters who start a newsletter but don't do anything with it because they don't see the point... or they just see it as another uphill climb like growing their podcast.
The good news is that when you promote your newsletter, you make it easier for your podcast to grow and your community to get stronger.
Here are some ways to help people sign up for podcast newsletters:
- Include a sign up form in your Instagram Stories. Make a simple post sharing the value of being a member of your newsletter and include a link for people to sign up. Thankfully Instagram doesn't have a limit anymore on the number of followers you need to include a link in your stories, so this is available for everyone. What's important is that you save your stories as an Instagram Highlight after you post it so others can easily find it.
- Offer an incentive in exchange for an email address. Just simply asking someone to "sign up" or subscribe may not be very enticing so offer something of value in exchange; such as if you had business podcast make an accompanying PDF download that goes along with each episode where people enter their name and email address in exchange for the download and know they'll also receive weekly emails from you.
- Collaborate with other podcast newsletters - collaborate with other podcasters by doing cross-promos where both mention each other's newsletters which allows access each other's audience resulting in increased subscribers.
- Run contests or giveaways - run contests or giveaways offering something valuable such as special content, exclusive interviews etc….
- Include CTA (call to action) link - add call-to-action link in show notes directing people to signup form contact page or landing page.
- Add Link To Email Signature -add links in email signature letting contacts know about podcast & direct them right away to the instruction page or contact page.
- Paid Ads - run targeted paid ads on social media such as Facebook & Twitter with links directing them towards subscription forms etc...
- Facebook Group form - If you have an associated Facebook Group for your podcast, when they request to join your group you can ask them for their email and if they’d like to be added to your newsletter.
By using just a couple of these strategies, you can start to increase your subscriber base quickly and engage your audience deeper… which will result in better overall engagement and growth opportunities.
If you’d like to go deeper on this, click here to download a free 13-page guide that covers the current best practices for building a successful podcast newsletter.
