Why Your Business Needs A Podcast This Year

Now more than any other time in history, it’s important that our potential clients see us and engage with us. 

With over 1.8 Billion websites online, over 800 million users on Instagram, 42 million Facebook pages, and 19 million company pages on Linkedin – it’s not enough to have a website or a social media account. We need more ways to get in front of our potential clients. 

Ideally, you have multiple ways to reach your ideal client (and stay in touch with your current clients).

One way companies and influencers all over the world are standing out is through a podcast.

Companies and influencers who know their stuff have started podcast shows. Big brands like; Netflix, Umpqua Bank, eBay, Slack, General Motors, Sephora, and even Shopify have podcasts. Those are just a few big boy companies out there who have shows, and the list of influencers is also enticing, enough that back in 2014 I knew podcasting would help me in my first business venture.

The list of influencers and business leaders with podcasts includes the likes of Tony Robbins, Neil Patel, Russell Brunson (with three shows), Grant Cardone, Hal Elrod, Marc Maron, Joe Rogan, Tim Ferris, Todd Brown, Ben Settle, John Carlton, and this list extends out around the block like an iPhone release party.

Podcasting is not new, but for some reason, it’s still niche. The competition in the podcasting world is small, and while prominent leaders in just about every industry have podcasts, it’s still fair game for anyone who gets into it. Unlike YouTube that has hundreds of videos uploaded every minute, or the world-wide web with close to 400 new websites every minute, and Facebook boasting millions of users every day – Podcasting is the low-hanging fruit with only 550,000 total shows out, which means when you launch a show you are very likely to get found, be heard, and stand out.

When you have a podcast, you have one more way to reach your ideal clients, fans, and current clients. Unlike most marketing channels, a podcast gives you attention that no other medium currently rivals. The statistics are clear, the average podcast listeners are earning around $75,000 a year or more and will spend at least 20 minutes once a week listening to a podcast. And one more thing that makes podcasting is the coming of more AI and voice command tools like Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Homepod (Derek Halpern, a big-time blogger, says everyone online needs to prepare for the massive growth of voice command technology).

When I first started thinking about podcasting for business and marketing, I knew that the statistics were clear – my ideal client was tuning into podcasts.

Now, after creating numerous shows myself, producing podcasts for people like 7x New York Times Bestseller, Marianne Williamson, and helping influencers like UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten get on podcasts – I’ve created a company that has a full suite of podcasting services. Podcasting is an exceptional marketing tool for any business that wants more clients and better marketing tools.

While you can podcast to attract clients, you can also podcast for many more reasons. For example, on our show here at Thriving Launch, we interview leaders in business. By having a show that hosts hundreds of interviews, we’ve now been able to connect with thought leaders who have become friends, clients, and allies in our business ventures.

On top of meeting incredible leaders who would otherwise not reach us, our show has also helped us land sponsors. Put simply, a sponsor is a person or company who pays to have a short commercial spot on your show – some sponsors are spending thousands of dollars for a 15-30 second commercial spot on podcasts. In the case of Tim Ferris’ podcast, sponsors have to pony-up $36,000 per episode. And in the case of most shows, it can range from fifty dollars to a few thousand dollars for a commercial spot. When it comes to sponsors, it’s the wild wild west and people can charge what they want – take for example my client, Nancy May, who hosts a very niche podcast has been commanding fees of $2500 – $5000 for sponsorship spots.

When you have a podcast, you have one more marketing channel available to you. It’s a marketing channel that attracts your ideal clients and helps you stay in touch with your current clients in a way that you can’t do with YouTube, social media, a blog, or even email.  With podcasts, your listeners are likely to tune in longer and are likely earning more money than the average user on social media or YouTube.

A podcast is a marketing channel, a networking machine, a PR machine, a fan growing machine, and it’s also something you can use to promote your services, reach your ideal clients, and be heard by your fans where the competition is minuscule compared to all the other mediums available today.