6 Reasons Why Your Podcast Needs an Email List

Last updated: September 14, 2020

Every week, or perhaps every few days, your listeners of old and new are tuning into your podcast. Each time they tune in, you deliver the words they have been waiting to hear since the last time you uploaded an episode. However, if you’re not directing your audience to an email list as a call to action at the end of each show, you’re missing out on some huge opportunities.

You Own Your List

Far too many podcasters we see only promote their show on social media. There are two problems with this. First, as OptinMonster explains, “You can go for a few days without checking social media or video chatting with your friends and family, but most people check their email several times a day.” If you’re not promoting your podcast via email, your listeners could forget to tune into your latest episodes.

The second problem with only promoting on social media, is that you don’t own the platforms you’re using for promotion. You could work hard to build up a Facebook page, and gain a significant amount of traction only to suddenly lose all of your reach with the next Facebook update. Or you could end up like some Instagrammers did in February 2019 and lose some if not all of your followers overnight due to an internal glitch (or worse being flagged as a spammer!).

Your list however, is something that you own, and that as you build it will continue to be yours. Sure, people might unsubscribe to your emails. But, it’s highly unlikely you will open your mail service of choice one day to find all of the people on your list disappeared without warning.

You also won’t have to worry about whether or not your messages show up in someone’s news feed. If someone is on your email list, there won’t be an arbitrary third party filtering your updates from being visible because you didn’t want to pay for advertising.

Engage Directly with Your Audience

Have you ever wondered if people like your show? Aside from listening analytics, subscribers, and downloads, maybe you’ve been curious about what people think of specific elements related to your content. For example, you could send an email asking listeners if they like how you cover your topics. Or you could ask if they feel overwhelmed by sponsored material in your show. You could even find out what type of content your listeners would like to hear in the future. If they want to give feedback regarding how they feel, email gives them a way to reach out to you.

Make Offers, Get Paid

Your podcast needs an email list so that you can earn more! When you have a sizable email list built up, that’s money in the bank. You can create highly targeted offers to your list that can get you paid. Whether this means including an offer to buy your products or services, directing your audience to an affiliate partner, or even just sending a sponsored email, your email list can be a gold mine if you want it to be. While the focus on your email list should be to deliver value, there’s no harm in sending offers to products and services that your ideal audience might benefit from.

Increase Your Traffic, Downloads, and Subscriptions

The phrase out of sight, out of mind has never felt more accurate than when we release new podcast episodes only to have no one listening to them. Emails are a fabulous way to generate repeat traffic to your latest podcast episodes. When you stay top of mind, you’re more likely to enjoy increases in downloads and subscriptions to your show as well.

There’s No Time Limit

If a listener misses an update from your podcast profile on social media, good luck finding it again. This becomes more difficult if they don’t have the podcaster’s social media handle memorized. But an email – that will be in their inbox when they have time to read it, delete it, or save it in a folder for later. Even if your listener is on vacation or too busy to read their emails right now, your email to them will be in their inbox waiting for them.

Bottom Line The Conversation Stops

At the conclusion of each episode, your audience goes back to their “regularly scheduled programming.” They finish their chores. They pick up the kids from soccer practice. Perhaps they arrive at work. The time of you being the only voice in their head stops.

Wouldn’t it be nice to give your listeners a way to continue the conversation with you? That’s the power of email, and the most important reason your podcast needs an email list. With emails, you are given a direct line to your audience to keep the conversation going as long as you would like. Start building your list now, and you will reap the rewards for years to come.