Are you looking for a simple way to increase your podcast’s revenue? While advertisements and sponsor messages are excellent ways to monetize your podcast, email marketing enables you to sell even when you’re not on the air. Email provides you with another “product” to sell to advertisers, as well as new revenue streams from your audience. Here’s how to use email to monetize your podcast.
What does email marketing entail?
Email marketing is a cost-effective, time-tested strategy that enables you to maintain contact with your audience on a consistent basis. For podcasters, this means that when you’re not broadcasting, you can maintain contact with your listeners via another popular channel. It’s an excellent way to promote your brand, tease upcoming episodes, and stay current.
To begin with podcast email marketing, you must first build an email list. That should be straightforward if you already have a following. Create an opt-in subscribe form and promote it throughout your podcast episodes. Inform your audience of the benefits of subscribing: exclusive content, insider knowledge, helpful tips and tricks, a freebie, or some other incentive. Additionally, you can create a lead magnet to help you grow your list.
Once your podcast email list is established, you can send regular emails that engage and interest your audience, ultimately keeping them engaged with your podcast.
You can even use email automation tools to schedule the delivery of a series of pre-written emails. This way, you can concentrate on your podcast while still leveraging email marketing to supplement your content.
What’s the best part? You can monetize your podcast through email marketing. Here are five methods.
Paid ads and sponsored content
You’re probably already monetizing your podcast with paid advertisers and sponsor messages. With a podcast email campaign, you can increase the number of ad spots and sponsored content you sell.
Inform your advertisers and sponsors of your email list’s existence. Inform them that you have the ability to deliver their message to hundreds (or thousands) of subscribers eager to learn more about their products and services. You could sell advertising space as an add-on to their existing advertising packages or as a stand-alone product.
Your email must provide value to your subscribers, so establish clear guidelines for paid content. You could limit it to a brief advertisement at the start, middle, or end of your content. Alternatively, you could require sponsors to create relevant content for your audience in exchange for a brief mention of their products or services.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to solicit discounts from advertisers for your audience. This way, you can continue to provide value through paid advertising.
Affiliate links
If you recommend products or services on your podcast, you should consider joining their affiliate programs. You can then use email to promote the same products and services and earn a commission when your audience makes a purchase.
If a business does not have an affiliate program, inquire about a joint venture in which a custom link is created for you. That link can be tracked, ensuring that you receive credit for any sales generated through it.
As with sponsored content, it’s a good idea to collaborate with affiliate partners to offer an exclusive discount to your audience. The benefits are twofold: you can add value to your subscribers and increase the likelihood that they will click on your affiliate link and make a purchase.
Exclusive content
Another effective method of monetizing your podcast through email marketing is to provide subscribers with access to exclusive content. Create a series of niche podcast episodes or an online course jam-packed with valuable information that your subscribers will pay for.
Promoting exclusive content to your podcast’s email list is a great way to grow your audience. You already have a trusting audience that has invested in you enough to subscribe, so it’s likely they’re willing to pay for content that isn’t available through your regular broadcast.
Encourage a prompt response by offering a limited-time special. Perhaps your exclusive content is only available for a limited time, or you offer a 50% discount to email subscribers who purchase access by a certain date. Make certain to include the benefits they’ll receive to pique their interest and influence sales.
Donations
Numerous podcasters rely on audience donations to survive. You can use your email list to solicit donations that will help you continue to create high-quality content.
Patreon is a popular donation platform that enables you to reward donors with exclusive content, merchandise, and even advertisement spots or sponsor messages.
A novel concept: Choose a charitable cause that resonates with your audience and commit to donating a portion of the donations you receive to that cause. This way, you can increase podcast revenue while also having a positive impact on your audience. Maintain engagement with your audience by providing regular updates on how much money they’ve contributed and how the funds have benefited their world.
Merchandise
Email marketing is an excellent method of promoting your podcast merch. You may sell online courses, books, digital services, or even tangible products such as coffee mugs, T-shirts, and keychains. Perhaps your product is inextricably linked to your niche. For instance, a podcaster focused on productivity may sell a day planner based on the principles he or she preaches.
Create an online store and then promote it to your podcast’s email list. Again, you can increase sales by offering special discounts and/or donating a portion of proceeds to a charitable organization.
Email marketing enables you to monetize your podcast in a variety of ways — even when you’re not on the air. Utilize these ideas to increase your podcast’s subscriber base, keep them engaged, and earn more money.