How Podcasters Can Network On & Offline
Author: Dayana Preval
As a podcaster, it may be hard to connect with your audience on and offline. Why? Well, I don’t know about you all, but when I’m recording episodes, I am in my comfort zone because the content and the conversation still belong to me. The moment I share and promote my episode to the world, it now becomes a conversation for us all. Sometimes that can be intimidating because our content is our baby and we want to get the best feedback. Today, I encourage you to step outside of your comfort and network with your community on and offline. Here are some tips to get you started.
Networking online:
When promoting your podcast episode, ask an open-ended question to encourage engagement. Allow your audience to get excited about your content and provide feedback. The content is for your audience, right? Act like it.
Utilize your IG Story and consider going live from time to time. I’m adjusting to using video because I fear freezing up, but I’ve been pushing past it. Video is what’s in, so it’s important to hop on the trend. Your audience wants to see you live and talk to you in real-time. I find this to be an opportunity for you to learn who your audience is and vice versa.
With COVID-19 going on, it’s the perfect time to utilize virtual meetups. It’s a great way to connect and it takes the pressure off you. This is an opportunity for your community to learn from one another.
Networking offline:
Use Eventbrite and have a FREE event. This is the best way to get people out off their phones and at your event. Create an event based on one of your episodes, have free food, icebreakers, and allow people to mingle.
Volunteer. Sometimes it’s good to connect differently and give back. On my podcast, I always discuss the value in helping and building each other up. This is a great way to fellowship and shows the values of your podcast and overall brand.
Ask the people what they want. Are you stuck on how to engage with your community? Ask them. Use your IG Story poll to see what the people have to say and create an event from there. People love to feel seen and heard.
I hope these tips help you to achieve new goals with your podcast this year!