I imply, Ahrefs is a reasonably mature model within the search engine optimisation trade, and most of our channels are measured in tens of millions:
So once we reached that 10k milestone I felt each completely satisfied about it, and upset concerning the quantity being so low. It was kinda just like the “third Place Celebration Meme” scenario (which I believed can be very becoming to re-create for the event on LinkedIn):
My important takeaway: getting a podcast off the bottom could be very, very exhausting.
It doesn’t compound in the way in which search engine optimisation does and the format of “Zoom interviews” doesn’t carry out very effectively on YouTube.
So when you have been pondering of launching a podcast, I can provide you 10 compelling explanation why you shouldn’t do it:
I’ve observed that too many individuals deal with podcasts as “straightforward content material”—get on a name, report, publish. Executed!
Nicely… for us at Ahrefs, the precise interview is possibly 40% of work.
Inviting company, scheduling time with them, doing first rate analysis, creating a fascinating introduction, designing a thumbnail for YouTube, transcribing, including timecodes, writing titles and descriptions, importing to a bunch of podcasting platforms, chopping out snippets for promotion, writing copy for these snippets…
Operating a podcast is A LOT of labor (if you wish to create a high quality present, after all).
I can’t think about doing Ahrefs Podcast alone. It’s a group effort from fairly a couple of folks:
- Michelle (our neighborhood supervisor) is doing a lot of the heavy lifting by way of researching company, enhancing the recording, and managing the entire course of end-to-end.
- George and Nikita are those producing these cool intros.
- Sergey is designing thumbnails for YouTube.
- Helen helps with uploads.
Sure, you may reduce corners right here and there. However you threat compromising the standard. And a low-quality present will make all of your promotional efforts loads much less efficient.
Earlier than beginning Ahrefs Podcast I did in all probability over 100 interviews on different folks’s podcasts. And I can inform you that being a bunch is a lot more durable than being a visitor. The strain to make the interview fascinating is fully on you, not the visitor.
The visitor is generally in a “reactive” mode—they simply have to reply no matter is thrown at you. However the interviewer is the one in the end answerable for the success of an interview. You must keep sharp all through, ask fascinating questions, and know the place to dig deeper (and when to vary topic).
Too many podcast hosts like to chop corners right here and simply default to asking each visitor the identical set of generic questions, with out attempting dig somewhat deeper into the solutions they get.
I like how Ryan Vacation described it:
“They’ll ask you a query, you’ll give a solution after which you may nearly hear their eyes scan the paper they’ve in entrance of them as they transfer on the subsequent query on the record.
It’s disrespectful to the visitor, however that’s not my actual drawback with it. My drawback is that it makes for actually boring audio. Who desires to take heed to somebody actually cellphone one thing in? Why do you have to take heed to a dialog that the host isn’t even listening to?”
You may disagree with me on this one, as a result of there are undoubtedly some good brief podcasts out there.
However after I tried interviewing my company for one hour, I spotted that it was not sufficient to squeeze some actually good data out of them. Particularly when your visitor could be very talkative and so they prefer to digress—that may simply throw your complete interview plan off the rails.
However getting folks to decide to talking with you for 2 hours is an enormous ask. Many excessive profile folks received’t chunk until your podcast is very well recognized.
And when you do get somebody to spend two hours with you, staying sharp and alert for this lengthy with out a break could be fairly difficult at occasions.
Some folks assume that touchdown an enormous identify is all they should get their podcast off the bottom, and that may mechanically assure views. No, it received’t.
For those who search round on YouTube, you’ll discover many podcasters who interviewed all the massive names within the digital advertising area. And but the views on these episodes are principally in double digits.
However my greatest gripe is individuals who demand that their company assist them promote the interview. As soon as the episode is printed, they observe up with a visitor, asking them to “please share it together with your viewers.”
Sorry, however no.
I did 5 podcast interviews this month, and so they have been all practically the identical. And if I have been to share every certainly one of them on my social channels, I’d solely irritate my viewers. And moreover, most social networks don’t actually prefer it while you submit hyperlinks, so the engagement and attain on these sorts of posts is tremendous low.
In case your solely promotion technique for the podcast is “my company will assist put it up for sale”—I’ve unhealthy information for you. They received’t.
Take any “massive” visitor that’s in your thoughts and go seek for their current podcast interviews. They in all probability did a couple of dozen of them simply this yr. So why would anybody be considering YOUR interview with that particular person?
There are solely two causes:
- You’re an fascinating particular person your self, so people would take heed to you even when it was a solo podcast.
- You’re excellent at selling (extra on that later).
Taking a look at my very own habits, 80% of podcast interviews I take heed to are by hosts I already know and respect: Nathan Barry, Eric Siu, Dave Gerhardt, Kipp Bodnar & Kieran Flanagan, and so on. Solely 20% are by hosts I haven’t heard of earlier than, however they promoted the episode effectively sufficient to get on my radar.
Podcasting is a reasonably ineffective strategy to develop your individual viewers and recognition. However, quite the opposite, it’s a reasonably good strategy to leverage no matter current viewers and recognition you have already got.
I think about your finish aim is rising your online business. Which means it’s essential develop your gross sales. Which implies it’s a must to pursue essentially the most high-converting advertising ways out there.
Nicely… a podcast is just not certainly one of them.
Throughout my two-hour-long conversations with my company, there’s really little or no alternative to squeeze in some form of Ahrefs gross sales pitch. I attempt to point out related use circumstances the place it matches the dialog, however there have been fairly a couple of episodes the place our product didn’t get any shoutout at all.
A podcast is a superb device for branding and constructing belief together with your target market. However I’m not anticipating any gross sales to return from the episodes that we’ve printed so far.
For those who want gross sales, you’d be higher off sponsoring some related podcasts in your area of interest (however even then, we tried it and didn’t see many gross sales from it). It’s a good way to boost consciousness, however not make any fast gross sales.
Every episode ought to be targeted in your visitor and THEIR enterprise. I imply… you didn’t invite some high-profile particular person on a name to only discuss your self for a pair hours, proper?
And moreover, in order for you the episode to land, it’s a must to concentrate on making your visitor look good. Your listeners are right here to be taught out of your visitor, and it’s a must to be sure they’ll be taught loads.
In my very own interviews, I attempt to dig actually deep into my company’ companies and careers. I’m genuinely considering what they do, why they do it, and the way they do it. All the dialog is all about them.
Consequently, my company have loads of room to advertise themselves and their enterprise with out feeling salesy. That’s one of many important explanation why they comply with be interviewed within the first place: they need to faucet into my viewers and promote their factor.
So in case your aim is to advertise your individual factor—it’s essential be a podcast visitor, not a podcast host.
Examine podcasts to search engine optimisation. An article you printed 10 years in the past can nonetheless deliver you guests (and gross sales) at the moment. However as quickly as you cease publishing new episodes of your podcast… everybody will neglect about it.
We simply crossed a measly 10,000 downloads. It took us 3 months, 10 episodes, and a TON of promotion to get there. And Ahrefs already has a reasonably large viewers. If I have been ranging from a clean slate, I’d have barely reached 1,000 downloads by now.
Why is it so exhausting to advertise? Nicely, we principally mentioned a lot of the causes above:
- search engine optimisation doesn’t work for podcasts.
- “Zoom interviews” don’t fly on YouTube.
- Your company are not often eager that will help you put it up for sale.
- Podcasting platforms don’t have a very good “discovery engine”.
In different phrases, with out an current viewers to faucet into, it’ll take you a large number longer than three months to achieve 10k downloads.
So there’s that.
“However Tim… if podcasting is so troublesome, why are you doing it?”
Nicely… I didn’t say that podcasting was fully ineffective and completely not price it. I merely shared 10 explanation why it is best to assume twice earlier than stepping into it.
There’s clearly the opposite facet of the coin. I’ll share my 10 explanation why YOU SHOULD begin a podcast as soon as we attain the 50k milestone. Keep tuned! 😉
