The Private Podcast Strategy: Good or Bad?
Hey Pod Pals!
This newsletter was lovingly curated (without the use of any AI) in real time on Thursday morning at 8:35am CST.
I was up late watching my Indiana Pacers WIN an amazing playoff game last night.....so I've consumed a little extra cold brew coffee to get my creative juices going at full speed!
Time to write!
This week's newsletter is being sponsored by my NEW 21 day bootcamp ⤵️
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Coming June 9th: The 21 Day High Value Newsletter Bootcamp for Podcasters.
I will teach you how to implement the newsletter system that has allowed me to:
🛑 Stop creating/using lead magnets.
🛑 Stop creating/using email funnels.
👍 Reduce time creating podcast content by 50%.
📈 Increase my email list by hundreds of subscribers per month.
💰 Get new clients and ramp up revenue every week.
Check out all of the bootcamp information HERE.
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This week we are going to talk about a very trendy topic right now in the world of podcasting: Private Podcasts!
In this deep dive I'm going to attempt to explain:
✅ 1. My definition of what exactly a private podcast is.
✅ 2. When a private podcast makes sense.
✅ 3. When a private podcast does NOT make sense.
SO...what exactly is a private podcast??
A private podcast, also known as a secret podcast, is basically a show that hides behind either an email opt in wall or a pay wall.
It is VERY important to understand that this means that a private podcast CANNOT be found via SEO, search, or organic discovery on any podcast player apps like Apple or Spotify (we will come back to this issue in a minute).
When does it make sense to use a private podcast?
In my opinion the best use case for a private podcast is as a bonus value add within an existing offer.
I know many podcasters that have a regular public show and then they have a private podcast just for their clients or for their membership.
I've done this before with my membership offers in the past where I've taken all of the group coaching sessions and turned them into a private podcast feed for the clients.
They enjoyed the convenience of being able to catch up on the coaching sessions with the private feed.
Another strategy that I'm sure you've noticed is that many popular podcasts have a normal show and then "bonus" content for that show available with a private podcast feed.
This is really popular in the health podcasting space. The expert will do the normal episode and then promote a bonus segment or something like audience Q&A in the bonus content as a pitch for the private podcast feed.
When does it NOT make sense to use a private podcast?
This is where things get interesting Pod Pals!
I think that the majority of private podcasts are being used inefficiently because podcasters are trying to use them as a lead magnet/email list building tool.
I 100% agree that a podcast can be an AMAZING lead magnet...I often preach this with my content....
👉 So why would we hide this amazing lead magnet from the top podcasting search engine (the Apple/Spotify search bar)???
This would be like having a website that cannot be found with Google or having a private Instagram account and expecting people to find you!
When you are using a private podcast feed as a lead magnet it means that growth is 100% dependent on TWO things:
➡️ 1. Effort based marketing (YOU have to promote it).
➡️ 2. Paid ads (YOU have to pay for it).
On the other hand if you have a public podcast and understand my Organic Discovery and SEO strategy then your ideal fit listeners can find you... 24 hours per day.....7 days per week.... for FREE...while you are sleeping!
I leverage my public podcast every week to:
✔️ 1. Build expert positioning.
✔️ 2. Build my email list.
✔️ 3. Book discovery calls.
✔️ 4. Get clients.
Now if you are saying something like "Adam...I'm not going to do a weekly show like you and I like the idea of a private podcast with just a few episodes!"
I get where you are coming from and I suggest looking at creating a PUBLIC, not private, Limited Series Podcast Funnel like I did with my show Podcast Monetization Tips.
With my Limited Series Podcast Funnel strategy you have the best of BOTH worlds:
⭐️ 1. You get all of the SEO and Organic Discovery power.
⭐️ 2. You can still run paid ads and use effort based marketing to promote it.
I launched Podcast Monetization Tips with 21 episodes almost two years ago and it still organically generates email list growth and leads for me weekly!
OK Pod Pals! At this point I feel like I've properly educated you on all things Private Podcasts.
Now you can make an informed decision as to whether or not this is a good step to take for your brand.
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🤩 Client testimonial of the week: My client Meredith Edwards has a show called Meredith For Real: The Curious Introvert.
Check out what she has to say about working with me inside of my Download Growth Club:
"I signed up for the Download Growth Club because my numbers had totally plateaued. Since joining my numbers have nearly tripled! I find continued value in the support that Adam offers to the back end business piece of podcasting and that's helped me make real actual money!"
➡️ If you are ready to get some help with learning how to get your podcast downloads up over 1,000 downloads per episode..... 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 570: Five Content Collaboration Strategies for Podcast Growth.
🚀 Podcast Launch Tips EP 092: Tips for your podcast show notes.
✍🏻 SuperThread Of The Week: How to create a simple paid community structure for your podcast.
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I hope that you are enjoying this weekly newsletter!
I tried a simplified format with this one. Hit REPLY and let me know if you prefer this simplified format.
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.