“But I’m just doing this for fun”
You may well be publishing your podcast for fun but things can still go down the toilet when you least expect it.
An email list allows you to keep in touch with your most rabid fans.
Let’s imagine a situation.
You’re publishing your podcast on a free site. Your show notes are there, your audio is too, obviously.
Everything is fine.
The free site though holds all your content and interactions with your subscribers.
Now, unbeknown to yourself, the free site goes bankrupt.
Everything you have published has disappeared into the ether.
Seems unlikely?
Well at the end of 2017 Soundcloud was almost in this situation. A round of funding and job cuts kept the service going but what if?
An email list allows you to contact your fans, let them know whats happened and directs them to another site for your content.
If you have your own website, a wordpress.com free site is an absolute minimum and a paid site better, you have a place you control and own. Yes wordpress might go belly up, but that’s unlikely. They have advertising and funding models that appear to be self sustaining.
Asking people to sign up to an email list if they like your content is not a big step for them and you can sweeten the deal with a newsletter discussing upcoming shows to maintain interest and contact.
If the ship hits the sand you have a way of letting your people know what’s going on while you rearrange your affairs.
If your podcast is part of a business then an email list is essential.
Your audio content builds your brand. It creates a space where people come to know, like and trust you. The email list can then be used to drive funnels and so on. It’s not rocket science, it has been around since the interwebs began and, done properly, works.
Takeaways
- An email list gives you a safety net
- You can let your most attached fans know what’s comes
- Email lists are essential if you’re running a business through your podcast