If you’ve been a long-time reader or listener, you likely saw that I stopped Podcasting a couple of years ago. A lot was going on in my personal and professional life when I made the decision. I had a new grandson, a new girlfriend (now fiancé), was remodeling my home, found a new hobby in landscaping, and I had merged my agency into a new business.

At its core, the time it took to record, edit, publish, and promote each episode was significant. A 20-minute interview could take hours to get out… and that was hours that were taking away from other important things in my life. I had a backlog of interviews that I recorded, but that never got published. I regret that – it wasn’t fair to the folks who had spent time interviewing me, and it won’t happen again!

When I analyzed where my business was coming from, there wasn’t direct attribution from our sales to my podcast, so I stopped doing it. Side note: I didn’t remove the podcast altogether and continued to pay for my podcast hosting, but I stopped producing more episodes.

In hindsight, that was a mistake.

The Power of Podcasting for Marketing

Podcasting can significantly enhance inbound sales strategies by leveraging the power of voice, capturing the attention of podcast listeners, and utilizing the necessity of repetition to get heard.

• Engaging Voice: Podcasting allows businesses to convey their message using a human voice, which adds a personal touch and authenticity to the content. A well-spoken host or guest can establish a connection with the audience, making the content more relatable and trustworthy. This personal connection can positively influence listeners’ perception of the brand and its products or services.
• Captured Attention: Podcast listeners are often highly engaged and attentive. Unlike written content, which requires visual focus, podcasts can be consumed while multitasking, such as during commutes, workouts, or household chores. This captive audience is more likely to absorb and remember the message, increasing the likelihood of brand recall when purchasing decisions.
• Necessity of Repetition: Repetition is essential in marketing, and podcasting provides an excellent platform for consistent messaging. By regularly releasing podcast episodes, businesses can reinforce their brand’s value proposition, key benefits, and offerings. Repetition helps embed the message in listeners’ minds, making them more likely to consider the brand when needed.

What I failed to recognize was that my podcast was having an impact. The momentum in reach and listenership was keeping my name and brand in the spotlight, getting me external podcast opportunities, and I was being invited to speak at regional and national events.

Why Stopping My Podcast Was A Mistake

That I could not directly attribute sales to my podcast was a mistake. After two years without a podcast, other interviews and many of the speaking opportunities dried up. As those dried up, I optimized Martech Zone, cleaned up thousands of old articles, and dove deep into client work. I was working harder than ever, but our pipeline was far too light. The momentum I built over the years with my podcast was dwindling.

I’m sure the economic challenges our country is experiencing compounded the issue. In the past, I had companies coming out of the woodwork to get my assistance. At my peak listenership a few years ago, I could hand-pick the businesses I worked with rather than just signing up with anyone. That luxury dried up over the last couple of years.

We’re still cautious about the clients we work with to ensure they will likely be long-term relationships… but I’d feel a lot more comfortable if I had a selection of companies to work with rather than just a few. Given the economy, companies have hesitated to invest in automation, customer experience (CX), and digital transformation (DX). They still do, but a negotiation that was a couple of weeks is now a few months. Companies are being far more cautious. I don’t blame them – we are, too!

Time To Rebuild My Podcast

With all this in mind, it’s time to rebuild the podcast. Moving forward, I will do more solo podcasts, do podcasts with my business partners, as well as interview industry professionals. I’m also going to get them on video for my YouTube channel. That’s taking a bit more time since I’m learning Adobe Premiere Pro and abandoning iMovie… which seems like it hasn’t evolved in over a decade.

And, of course, along with Highbridge, we’d love to have additional sponsors for the podcast. Feel free to connect if your company wants increased exposure as we grow. Getting in early will likely cost less, and we’re loyal to our sponsors who take that risk. I’ll be able to report on how many listeners I still have in a couple of weeks.

Listen To This Episode

©2023 DK New Media, LLC, All rights reserved.

Originally Published on Martech Zone: What Happened When I Stopped Podcasting? Hint: It Wasn’t Good!