A Primer on Building Relationships with Other Podcasters

A-Primer-on-Building-Relationships

Hosting a podcast can be a lonely endeavor. It often involves hours sitting alone in the dark with your headphones on, listening to yourself talk about a topic. In addition, there’s a good chance that no one in your immediate circle of friends can relate to what you’re going through, as most people haven’t been involved in the production of podcasts.

That’s why many podcasters decide to build relationships with other podcast hosts. This connection provides something that is missing in the “go it alone” crowd and can really help people keep their sanity. However, what many people don’t realize is that these connections go beyond the mere psychological: they provide a business benefit that can be easily overlooked if you aren’t aware of it.

It’s because of this business benefit (and the benefit of relationships in general) that we’re going to use this post to get down to core of building relationships with other podcasters. Some of these lessons will be easier to grasp than others, but they’re all worth your full attention.

The Business Case for Build Podcasting Relationships

One of the common problems people run into in the podcasting world is a lack of accountability. Many are gung-ho about getting started on their podcast and even put in the time and effort to release a small handful of great episodes. Momentum is good and you’re looking forward to the recording session tonight – except that an email you just received means you have to push back the scheduled episode.

It’s things like this that change when you build up a professional relationship with other podcasters. These relationships provide a sense of accountability that you need to accomplish what you’ve set out to do – if you fall short you can be sure that someone will bring it up. This accountability can be incredibly important in the early days of a podcast, when your target audience hasn’t really discovered you yet. It can keep production on schedule and help you think through the challenges that your business is facing.

[content_upgrade cu_id=”1339″]Not sure what you should say to other podcast hosts? This email template will make sure that you create a connection on the first message.[content_upgrade_button]Click Here[/content_upgrade_button][/content_upgrade]

Identifying the Right People

Topical Similarity

Even if you’ve only recently begun podcasting, you probably have a list of topics that you’re working through. These are great to have on hand – and keep securely in your possession – but planned topics can also serve a purpose greater than editorial management. By looking at which topics you plan to cover and comparing them with the topics that other podcasts have covered, you can identify podcasts with hosts that share your interests.

The key to this is to look for similarities in topics that are very specific. If your latest episode was a brief overview of the sales process for clothing companies, it’s probably not enough of a connection to reach out to fashion companies. However, if your topics are incredibly specific and also evoke themes that are shared by other podcasters, then you’re probably in luck.

Partial Audience Overlap

The most straightforward way to find out which podcasters you should build relationships with is by looking to your audience. Your audience is probably listening to more than your podcast and they’ll typically be more than willing to help you learn about other podcasters. Not only does it make them look good, but making sure you ‘discover’ their latest favorite can mean that they’ll start to emulate your favorites.

partial-audience-overlap

Creating the Connection

Esteeming Others

Everyone likes to be asked for advice. Whether it’s a younger sibling asking for advice about a family-related issue or a young career-oriented individual going to their mentor to ask for counsel, people like to be on the receiving end of the question, “Can I get your thoughts on this for a second?” It’s practically human nature.

This type of flattery isn’t enough to build a million-dollar income off of your podcast, but it can help pave the way for lucrative partnerships with other podcasters. It’s because of this that you should make every effort to show the partners you are courting that they are your number one priority. This can be done by simply stating that you think they can provide valuable advice that no one else can. With a little flattery, people will be much more receptive to working with you.

The Cross-Promotional Opportunity

Every podcaster is constantly looking for a leg up over the competition. Whether it’s by getting the best guests on their show or publishing podcasts more frequently about a set of themes, everyone should be aware that if you aren’t growing, you’re shrinking.

This desire to be the latest and greatest is your opportunity. By making it clear that having a relationship between your podcast and another podcast is going to result in a surge of listeners for your potential partner, you’ll be laying the foundation for a strong, mutually beneficial relationship. These cross-promotional opportunities may be hard to explain in the very first email you send, but most people will understand that introducing new audiences to shows can be a formidable advantage for growth.

[content_upgrade cu_id=”1339″]Not sure what you should say to other podcast hosts? This email template will make sure that you create a connection on the first message.[content_upgrade_button]Click Here[/content_upgrade_button][/content_upgrade]

Final Thoughts

No one ever said that building a podcast would be easy. It takes guts and determination to build a great podcast – and even then, most podcasts don’t see meaningful success. That’s where relationship building comes in. Not only is it a driving force for great content, these networked connections build off of the guts and determination to produce something even greater: sales.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.