How to find 1,000 True Fans of your brand.
Hey Pod Pals!
This newsletter was lovingly curated (without the use of any AI) in real time on Thursday morning at 8:46 am CST.
My morning walk was extra motivational for me today. As I strolled through the neighborhood I saw a lot of parents rushing off to work looking stressed out.
The summer schedule for parents is NO JOKE...we've got to figure out our own work situation plus the kids are home for summer break.... and they also have 1,000 activities going on.
Does anyone else have a kid doing swim meets that last 16 hours??? 😆
My walk today made me feel extra proud of all of the hard work I've put into building this brand so that I can be my own boss, work from home, and set my own schedule.
Building the Podcasting Business School brand has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life........but DAMN I'm so happy I didn't quit during all the tough times early on.
So...If you are a parent that is still rushing off to work in the AM and dreaming about eventually exiting the 9-5....hang in there!
I will show you the way!
This week's newsletter is being sponsored by ME! ⤵️
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Podcast launch/rebranding 🚀
Podcast growth 📈
Leveraging your podcast to build your online biz and get more clients 💰
Sign up for a FREE 20 minute Podcast Profit Potential Discovery Call.
The Podcast Profit Potential Discovery Call is for you if you are ready to be coached by a podcaster with:
🎯 10 years of podcasting experience.
🎯 Over 1,000 episodes recorded.
🎯 Over 1.1 million downloads.
🎯 Over 1 million dollars earned.
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This week we are going to talk about how to attract your 1,000 True Fans.
As service providers that are trying to leverage our podcast to attract our ideal fit clients we don't need to try and generate HUGE audiences.
I get it....we all want to be able to brag to our brother in law about how we've become a famous podcaster with millions of adoring fans......but that just isn't in the cards for most of us....LOL.
The concept of finding your "1,000 True Fans" has been around for a decade or so. The basic idea is that if you can curate an audience of 1,000 people who really get YOU and are really into YOUR content.....the monetization possibilities are endless.
So one of my challenges for you today Pod Pals is to continue to dream big about your audience growth goals....but lets set our sights on that 1,000 true fan mark as our next goal.
Now....how in the hell do we get there?
My suggestion is that we set our sights on three goals:
🎯 1. Getting 1,000 true fans on our email list.
🎯 2. Getting 1,000 true fans to subscribe to our podcast and listen every week.
🎯 3. Getting 1,000 true fans on ONE targeted social media platform.
Here are some of my favorite ways that I've attracted over 1,000 true fans to join my email list.
I've said this before, but I will say it again, podcasters (and content creators in general) are neglecting building their email list.
This is a GIANT mistake....so let's get to work on fixing it.
I've built up my email list to just a shade under 4,000 at the time of this writing (3,821). Here are the techniques I've used to do this:
1. Quick Win Lead Magnets: Early on most of you joined my list via my Podcast Growth Scorecard.
This is a simple Google Sheet that I created to gamify podcast marketing and growth activities.
This type of a lead magnet is great because it allows your new audience member to get a quick win as they enter your ecosystem.
Here are some suggested action steps to leverage this strategy:
✅ Create a resource that will help your audience achieve a quick win and solve a problem.
✅ Create an opt-in page where people have to give you their email address in order to get the new resource you created.
✅ Promote your lead magnet on your podcast and on social media to drive traffic to it and add people to your email list.
You can also run FB/IG ads to the lead magnet to attract new people from outside of your ecosystem.
2. Audience Connection Lead Magnets: Many of you have come into my ecosystem (and joined my email list) via events like Pod Pals Zoom Parties, Podcast Audits, and my free workshops I host at the end of each month.
These types of lead magnets have "less leverage" because you can only put a certain amount of people on your list at once (based off of how many people can attend the event).
But where this technique lacks scalability, it makes up for with a ton of true fan developing super power!
➡️ These are people that are ready to get off of the sidelines and get into the game (and interact with you!).
One superpower of small audience podcasters is that we can give our audience direct access to us.......and they will love us for it!
Start out simple and just plan out ONE single group connection event. Here are a few Ideas ⤵️
✅ Host a podcast listener meet up on zoom where they can ask you questions or ask questions to a guest speaker.
✅ Host a free workshop where you educate your audience on how to solve one of their main pain points.
✅ Host a community podcast episode where you have a group discussion on a topic and air it as an episode of your show.
3. High Value Weekly Newsletters: Most of you know that this is my #1 email list builder right now.
The cool thing about leveraging a newsletter as my #1 lead magnet is that anyone that opts into my list actually wants to OPEN my emails.....that is essentially what they are signing up for because this is where the VALUE is delivered!
Compare this to a quick win lead magnet where many people just want the free tool and then they opt out of your list or never open anything.
Here are some suggested action steps to leverage this strategy:
✅ Start creating a weekly newsletter that delivers a tremendous amount of value.
✅ I suggest that your newsletter and your podcast cover DIFFERENT topics each week. We want to train your audience to want to consume BOTH.
✅ Create the version of your newsletter that you love writing and your audience loves reading.
Here are some of my favorite ways that I've attracted over 1,000 true fans to subscribe and listen to my podcast.
When it comes to attracting our ideal fit podcast listeners I leverage the Three Buckets of Podcast Growth.
Bucket #1: Organic Discovery. This allows our ideal fit listeners to find our show 24 hours a day...7 days a week...while we sleep!
We must optimize three specific areas (with keywords) to leverage this bucket:
1. The name of our podcast.
2. The host description of our podcast.
3. The individual episode titles of our podcast.
Check out episode 560 of Podcasting Business School for a deeper dive on this concept.
Bucket #2: Effort based marketing. This is where we PROMOTE our show...yep...that's still important!
The key strategy for me is using my 72 Hour Rule which states that I must promote each new episode with at least five unique assets within 72 hours of the new episode being released.
Promoting your show with a heavier dose of assets in a 72 hour window is MUCH more effective than promoting it every day over a one week period.
Here are two other effective strategies that fall into the effort based marketing bucket:
✅ Podcast guesting: I recommend that you should try to be a guest on 1-4 podcasts each month.
✅ Word of mouth: Try some contests or referral programs to incentivize your audience to share out your podcast.
Bucket #3: Paid marketing strategies. This is usually everyone's least favorite bucket...because it costs money....LOL....but it might be the missing link for your growth!
Here are some things that you can invest in (when you are ready) to help grow your audience:
✅ Podcast player app banner ads like Overcast FM.
✅ FB/IG ads.
✅ Ads in newsletters inside your industry/niche.
✅ Ads to sponsor someone else's show that is in your industry/niche.
Here are some of my favorite ways that I've attracted over 1,000 true fans to follow me on ONE social media platform.
I feel like this is the area where many content creators burn themselves out. We feel the pressure to be EVERYWHERE!
I understand the need to experiment with different/new platforms but the eventual goal should be to find ONE (ok...maybe two) social media platforms where we really show up.
This week I achieved a goal that I've been working on over the last nine months: My following on Threads surpassed my following on Instagram.
It took me 8 YEARS to build up my following on IG and I surpassed it with 9 MONTHS of focused effort on Threads!
Here are some strategies to focus on to find your tribe on social:
✅ Experiment with various platforms with the ultimate goal of finding the ONE that feels E.L.F (easy, lucrative, and fun).
You know you are in the right place when you actually enjoy creating the content, it doesn't take a ton of time, and you are building relationships that lead to BUSINESS!
✅ Create content consistently. I post 3X per day on Threads (it only takes me about 15 minutes total though).
✅ Create high value content. With my 3X per day Threads posts at least one will be a long form Super Thread where I deliver huge value.
My other posts aren't light on value either....they are usually just quick tips or inspiration for podcasters.
✅ Spend a dedicated amount of time engaging with other people's content each day. This is the most important step if you want to generate love from any social media algorithm!
Each day I set a timer for 15 minutes and I just search around for niche specific conversations to jump into and add value on Threads.
Pro Tip: I've noticed that if I do this right BEFORE I post long form content it tends to provide a bit of a boost!
OK Pod Pals......let's land this jumbo jet sized newsletter!
If you've read everything up to this point you are probably thinking "Damn Adam....this is a lot of work!"..and I would agree with you 100%!
If you REALLY want to find your 1,000 True Fans it will take work.
You can't just create content and pray that they find you.
Block off dedicated time each week to:
😎 Create your content.
😎 Build your email list.
😎 Promote your content.
😎 Find and connect with your 1,000 True Fans.
Even if it takes you years to find them....trust me...it is worth it!
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🤩 Client testimonial of the week: My client Stephanie Shaw has a show called Hello Hot Flash.
Check out what she has to say about working with me inside of my Online Business Academy for Podcasters:
"Working with Adam completely transformed the way I approach podcasting. He helped me focus on what actually drives revenue, and then laid out a clear step-by-step plan to help me get it done. I love having access to him with the group calls, office hours, and Voxer chats. I've invested in working with Adam more than once and he has never disappointed me. If you are ready to take your podcast seriously, Adam is the coach you want by your side."
➡️ If you are ready to get some help with learning how to leverage your podcast to build your online business..... Hop on my Podcast Profit Potential Discovery Call Calendar and we can talk about working together.
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New Content & Resources for this week:
🎙️ Podcasting Business School EP 576: Summer podcast content and monetization tips.
🚀 Podcast Launch Tips EP 098: How to be a great guest on other people's podcasts.
💰 Podcast Monetization Tips EP 007: The Three Podcast Brand Levels.
✍🏻 SuperThread Of The Week: 80% of podcasters earn $0.00 from their show. Here are four strategies that I've used that will help podcasters earn their first $1,000.
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I hope that you are enjoying this weekly newsletter!
I'm off to pour my 2nd dose of cold brew coffee so I can power through the rest of my day and prep for the holiday weekend!
Talk to you next week!
Your Pod Pal,
Adam
⭐️ P.S. Ready for some help with your podcast launch, growth, or with getting more clients from your podcast?⭐️
Sign up for a FREE Podcast Profit Potential Discovery Call.