Greetings PM family,
It is that magical time of year. You know… that time of year between New Year’s and Valentine’s Day. It could be considered somewhat of a down time between major holidays, but it is all about perspective.
This past Saturday, I (Jared) took my 7-year-old daughter and her friend to a local playground. When we were walking up to the playground ready to have fun and check out all that this particular location had to offer, we were approached by 4 little girls in uniform. The girls represented Girl Scout Troop 10536 and they were on a mission. Their mission was to sell boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.
The Girl Scout Cookie sales experience can be a learning one for a few reasons.
First of all, the excitement that the cookies are back after such a long hiatus has most people excited. The scarcity has temporarily ended!
Also, seeing little girls hustle to raise money for their troop and other worthy causes is admirable. Who doesn’t want to support that in some shape or form? It is not uncommon to see people that may not have a desire to buy Girl Scout Cookies give in and purchase a box simply because they don’t want to say no, and possibly discourage the girls that are working so hard.
What can Podcasters learn from Girl Scout Cookies? We put together a few ideas from the overall Girl Scout Cookie experience that podcasters can relate to.
1) Anticipation
Girl Scout Cookie season is a great example of how to build anticipation. When we’re “in season”, people talk about Girl Scout Cookies with their friends, family, and neighbors. How can your podcast (or upcoming podcast launch) create anticipation like we see with Girl Scout Cookies?
It may be as simple as using specific episode artwork (check out this awesome post from Lauren Selfridge), or teasing the episodes through social media posts. Civilla Morgan will do a Facebook Live the day before a new episode. It gives her a chance not only to talk about the episode but also to talk about other things that are going on. Luke Scorziell will create polls on Twitter about the topic of the episode. Kito Delgado prefers to tease an episode using Instagram Story. Check out more ideas.
At Podcast Movement, we have the built-in seasonality that allows us to ramp up every summer, as podcasters get excited to come together as a community to learn and enjoy fellowship with each other. What do you do to build excitement for your podcast?
2) Community
The Girl Scouts in our local area are smart. They team up and stand outside of popular places such as the grocery store, and talk to everyone that walks in and out. The cookie sales are the individual’s responsibility, but the teamwork helps to create the “rising tide lifts all the boats” scenario for each girl to sell more boxes.
Did you know that Danny Pena from Gamertag Radio and his co-hosts would go to their local video game stores during popular video game releases, and talk to patrons in the store about the GTR podcast? Their teamwork helped get the word out about the show using the “tell everyone in gaming” strategy, and it compounded over the years to playe a massive part of the success that they enjoy today.
When is the last time that you and some supporters went to a place where your target listeners were hanging out so that you could talk to them in person about your podcast through natural conversation?
The visibility of a community tends to create a social dynamic that makes it much easier for your target listeners to agree to check out your show. What are some ways to grow your own community? Consider checking out this podcast episode.
3) Accessibility
The Girl Scouts make it pretty easy to get cookies. They come to you, but if you aren’t ready, willing or capable of getting cookies at that time, you still have options to get them later. You can order them through the website of the girl that you know, or find cookies through the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app!
Podcasters have the option to have their podcasts available on different platforms for discoverability. This continues to grow each year. Many new podcasters launch their show on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes) and Stitcher Radio. That said, is your show on Spotify? Is your show available on Amazon Alexa? Can your podcast be easily found on Android devices? What about Google Play or iHeart Radio?
One new option that we’re enjoying is Podbile, and what we like most about Podible is they are creator first! In fact, they have a contest for podcasters going on now that you should check out to help improve your accessibility.
4) Hustle is Rewarded
We mentioned this earlier, but it is worth taking note. Many people will buy cookies from Girl Scouts whether they actually like the cookies or not, simply because they want to reward the girls that are working hard and hustling. Hustle is admired and respected. It is easy to sit back and do nothing, but it takes a lot more effort to get up and make something happen.
As podcasters, this reminds us that it is ultimately up to you to not only record the best content possible, but to also tell the world about it. In most cases, no one else will do this for you, but you can rarely hit big download numbers and gain listeners without asking people to check out your show.
Top podcasters are organized. These podcasters plan ahead for the best content that they can deliver. They never leave their episodes to chance once they are published. They go the extra mile to tell as many of their target listeners about it that they can through word of mouth, social media, paid ads (if budget allows), guesting on other podcasts, cross promotion with other podcasters, and the list goes on.
What can you do to continue to go the extra mile for your show? Do you need a better audio setup? Perhaps the answer is being more consistent with your release schedule. Perhaps it is getting more feedback from friends and listeners to continue to improve the content of the episodes. Maybe you need to engage more with an existing community of podcasters to get more ideas and inspiration. Perhaps you could benefit from making the investment to come to Philadelphia this summer to learn and connect with the best podcasters and companies in the industry.
The Podcast Movement community (like the Girl Scouts) is available and diligent. We like to help each other do better. We cannot do the work for you, but we can share ideas and encourage one another when someone is stuck. At the end of the day, like Girl Scout Cookies, we think that opportunity is pretty sweet and worth sharing!
Bring your kids to Podcast Movement in Philly
We are excited to announce that this year, with the encouragement and requests from you all, we will finally be offering conference-day childcare services for anyone whose children are coming to the conference. We will have more information to share with you about this particular feature in the coming weeks/months, but if you’ve been on the fence about bringing your kids with you to the big event, we’ve got you covered!
Podcast Articles, Happenings and Tips
- New surveys from NPR and Edison Research confirm continued and rapid increases in ownership of voice-activated smart speakers, and reinforce the increasing impact these devices are having on consumer behavior across a variety of technologies and platforms. One-in-six Americans now has a Smart Speaker (16%), up 128% since January 2017 according to a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,010 persons ages 18 and older fielded after Christmas 2017. What does this mean for the podcast community?
- In a conversation with Podcast Movement 2018’s closing keynote speaker: Fresh Air host Terry Gross discusses the art of the Q&A, the guest that most surprised her, and how she salvages a tanking interview.
- Dave Hamilton shares why he believes podcasters should replace Skype with the Discord App for better audio quality and web-based interviews.
- Harry Leslie Smith is almost 95 years old. He is also the host of Harry’s Last Stand, which is a podcast that is attempting to sound the alarm bell about the rise of global fascism and the collapse of the welfare state. We hope that we are podcasting when we are 95.
Podcast Movement registration costs go up on January 31… get your fix before that happens! The Super Early Bird Discount Registration Sale is going on now!
Register for a low price, and don’t miss any of the fun.
Reminders
The 28 Day Challenge is coming soon. Please remember to encourage your friends who are interested in podcasting to register for this free challenge. You can learn more about the challenge and the associated prizes here.
The Podcast Movement meetup in Orlando is taking place on Saturday, evening February 10 from 7pm to 10pm. If you are in the area… we want you to hang out and fellowship with us! We heard a rumor that celebrity Patty Elizee will be there!
Check out this hilarious video from Mike Rowe (host of the Way I Heard it podcast). He shares a story about a brutally honest girl scout’s attempt to sell cookies. This is worth your time!
As always, thank you for being a part of this great community. Thank you for supporting Podcast Movement!
Grateful,
Team PM18
