No seriously, you probably have! I listen to podcasts in the shower and in the bathroom in the morning while I get ready and I bet you do too.
The average podcast listener invests around 5 hours and seven minutes per week listening to their favorite shows. They listen at home, in their car, while they are walking, at work, and at the gym.
You, the podcast host are in their ears in so many different locations (a lot longer than someone who’s in a video). They can hear your actual voice (unlike in some blog they decided to read) and you have a lot of time in a podcast to be real, personal, authentic, etc. You can share your stories. You can tell your potential client who you really are and make a connection.
After a few 15 – 30 minute episodes, that is a lot of intimate hours with your listener.
The best description of this I’ve ever heard came from Elizabeth DiAlto (http://untameyourself.com). In an interview with my podcast client Katie Krimitsos, Elizabeth talked about her connection with her listeners, at one point saying “I’m literally hanging out with you in your bra while you are curling your hair in the morning.”
Hilarious… but also a deep connection. They are naked and vulnerable while you are talking to them. And if you are also sharing your own vulnerable stories… maybe the reasons you were inspired to start your business, or stories of people you’ve helped. That’s pretty powerful.
A lot more powerful than watching a 3-minute cat video while you sit on the toilet…
Think about it another way… If you are spending hours hanging out with someone, at their house, in their car, at the gym, and while walking around, how long would it take you to build a real bond with them? To know, like, and trust them? Not long at all.
And not only that, but the average podcast listener subscribes to 6 shows. And when someone subscribes, that means your content is pushed to their smartphone or other device. So unlike video or a blog, they don’t have to seek you out. They are connected to you.
So let me give you an example of this in action.
Katie Krimitsos (bizwomenrock.com) is a business strategist and coach. She’s one of thousands of business consultants and coaches out there trying to find clients. They are all running facebook ads, staying active on social media… almost all of them build their email lists by offering freebies on their websites and then communicate regularly via email.
But Katie is different. How did she build one of the largest online communities of women business owners in the US? And how does she convert a huge number of them into clients?
Through her podcast.
Her clients trust her before they ever hire her because they’ve spent hours listening to her authority and expertise on her podcast. They gain clarity on her thinking AND experience. Katie gets to paint the picture of how life can be for her listeners if they do the things she talks about. Her listeners get the experience of seeing behind the curtain and it makes it easier for them to understand her offers and the value she delivers.
Because of her podcast, Katie is always talking with warm leads who want to listen and learn about what she has to offer them.
If you are using podcasts in your business, I’d love to hear your success stories and challenges.
Please comment below!