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“How do I know podcast interviews are working?”

In order to understand how to measure success with podcast interview marketing, you need to know what we’re talking about in the first place. Find out what this new category is in the video below.

Why podcast interviews? According to the 2017 State of Podcast Interviews Report, getting booked on podcasts beat out other marketing tactics like email, Facebook ads and Google AdWords.

Additionally, 67% of respondents plan to increase their efforts in podcast interview marketing. The industry is poised for growth. As it grows, are you ready to measure it?

What Metrics Matter?

Podcast Metrics

When planning your podcast interview marketing strategy, consider a few metrics for the shows you’re planning to focus on for interviews.

Show relevance – If you’re a business coach, are you targeting shows that reach an audience of entrepreneurs, business owners and/or C-level executives? As a subject matter expert in online courses for health and wellness, an interview on a show that reach runners and yoga fans might bring in new leads. Relevance is key.

Show popularity – Download numbers are not yet publicly available. Self-reporting can be fine, but KPIs aren’t always measured the same way (monthly downloads, per episode, per season, evergreen), so it can be difficult to focus on the size of the audience. However, popularity through the number of reviews and the quality of ratings can help. If a podcast has none, is anyone really listening to it? There isn’t a magic number, but we’d suggest at least a half-dozen reviews. We also would hope for most or all 5-star ratings.

Experience – Numbers vary, but the common belief is that a podcast should have 10-20 episodes before it’s considered a viable show. Too many podcasts start off as a great idea with a passionate host, only to shut down in the single digits.

Audience presence – Much like the popularity discussion above, audience presence can seem subjective. However, looking at the social media and website numbers for a show can help. Moz score, Alexa ranking and social media followers all matter because the bigger the presence, the more people will hear your interview. Another part to this is the engagement – does the host promote their shows in these areas?

Marketing Metrics

Traffic to your website – Each interview should include a chance for you to direct listeners to connect with you. Rather than list off every social media channel, your email, a phone number and a website, directing listeners to a “welcome” page on your website will help in several ways.

These “Welcome Pages” are similar to a landing page, but include navigation and more than one conversion offer (more on that below). This is your chance to capture the attention and build the trust of those listeners. Each welcome page will have a different slug that connects to the show name (easy to remember and easy to measure traffic). These pages should include an image from the show as well to build that trust.

Conversions – Each welcome page will include multiple conversion offers. These calls to action should start small (low barrier to entry and little time commitment) and grow. Examples may include an infographic, a toolkit, a free chapter from your book, the full book for purchase and “book a consultation call,” depending on your specific needs.

More interview requests – Each interview that goes well is the next step to a future interview. Whether the host knows other hosts and may suggest you as a guest, or hosts hear you on other shows and want you for their audience, building a reputation as a good podcast guest could likely lead to new requests. Much like other inbound marketing tactics, podcast interview marketing helps build awareness and trust, leading to new deals.

Social media growth – Your podcast interviews and the promotion of them (from you and the host alike) will lead to new connections in social media. From more Twitter followers to adding to your LinkedIn network, you’re consistently building your audience.

Set your benchmarks – Each of these metrics will need a benchmark. Podcast interviews take time to bring traffic and leads, as hosts turn episodes “live” at different times in relation to the recording date. You may have to wait 6 months for an episode to go live, or it may be a live radio-style podcast. However, they’re evergreen. Measuring your metrics will take time, and setting your benchmarks will help.

All in all, knowing these metrics is one thing, it is very important to track them as well using a marketing dashboard.

Example: Craig Cody

Craig Cody is Certified Tax Coach, Certified Public Accountant, Business Owner and former New York City Police Officer. In 2016 he turned to leveraging targeted podcast interviews to gain new clients beyond his geographical region. His focus included tax planning, tax preparation, and part-time virtual CFO Services.

Craig offered a free copy of the book he co-authored called The Secrets of a Tax Free Life on the podcast interviews to move people from being a passive listener to an active visitor.

• During the first 6 months, 601 listeners opted in with name, email, and address
• 8% of Opt-Ins went on to a complete a discovery (sales) call
• ROI for the first year was over 600%

This includes call costs excluding the time value of Craig’s time invested for each interview (approximately 1 hour per interview).

This does not include sales that will close after later or the additional year over year revenue as clients typically have a high lifetime value.

How to Start Podcast Interview Marketing

You’re ready to start and to measure your success with a marketing dashboard software… now what? Pitching yourself to podcast hosts shouldn’t seem impossible.

• Research the kinds of shows where you can bring value and will help you spread your message.
• Find out how to reach the host or the person who does the booking.
• Ask – nicely. Include a pitch sheet and the value you bring to their show. This is more than a “Do you know who I am?” situation.
• Truly explain the WHY behind having you on as a guest.

Of course, if you don’t have the time or team, you can always look into an agency like Interview Valet to help. But if you want to try your hand at it, be sure to check out the resources we have available to help. Our goal is to see podcast interview marketing become a viable marketing tactic for inspiring thought leaders and business around the globe.