In this week's episode of The Podcast Trapper, I'm talking about how I market my podcast studio, Adode Media.

I know a lot of people are interested in opening their own studio, and while finding a space and equipment is important, marketing is equally crucial.

If you want to learn more about the actual costs of opening a physical studio, check out my episode on the subject! You can also navigate to my Amazon storefront for easy purchasing links to the equipment I recommend.

I’ll be specifically discussing the marketing aspect of opening a studio in this episode, focusing on two aspects: Ads and content.

Let’s dive right in…

Ads Versus Content

When most people talk about marketing their podcast production services, they talk about social media ads.

But I’m here to tell you - there is another way!

This may surprise you, but I don't do social media ads at all. Instead, I use Hulu and YouTube ads to target specific areas and demographics. I also create high-quality content that showcases the studio and its capabilities. This approach has been quite effective, and we've seen an increase in bookings and clients.

In my experience, many social media platforms take a lot of money to run ads that don’t result in much. I don’t feel comfortable running ads for hundreds or thousands on Facebook or Instagram hoping that they’ll pan out. I also don’t feel like paying an agency to manage ads on social media for us, so I have done my research and found a different method that works for us.

Currently, our studio is running ads on both Hulu and Youtube. I’ll share my experience with both so that you can make an informed decision.

Hulu ads are great because they are affordable mini commercials for your business. Here at Adode Media we recorded a recorded commercial of me talking about our business and the studio services we offer. We’ve only been running it for a week or two - and we have already signed 4 clients from it! To me, those results speak for themselves. We are new to running Hulu ads but so far we’re excited about how promising this return on investment has been.

We’ve also been running ads on Youtube since January and spending about $5-6 a day. The benefit of using Youtube is that their ads can be very specialized. As a brick-and-mortar business marketing primarily to locals in Atlanta Georgia, it’s important that we reach the right audience. When setting up your ads in Youtube, you simply indicate your area and the target demographic.

Just last week, 8 people booked a studio because of our Youtube ads. I call that a success!

We are also exploring LinkedIn. In addition to the services we physically offer at the studio in Atlanta, we’ll be working with corporations and larger businesses to launch their podcasts - offering strategy, ideation, audio engineering, and marketing for their shows. Since we’re looking to work with companies far and wide, LinkedIn is a great place to find people who take their businesses seriously and have a budget commensurate with quality podcasting. In our ad that we are creating for LinkedIn, we’re getting straight to the point - explaining our services and how we deliver excellent work to our clients.  I look forward to seeing some results, hopefully soon!

How to choose an ad platform

Okay, so you might be wondering - in a world full of different ad platforms, how do you choose one?

The answer is actually pretty simple. Where is your audience?

If you need help figuring out how to niche your business, be sure to listen to the episode we did on that topic. It’s a great way to get started. I also suggest downloading the free Podcast Advertising Workbook by SXM Media, linked here. This workbook can help you figure out your target audience.

Once you know who you’re talking to, consider their habits. Where do they shop? What social media platforms are they most likely to use? What services and products do they need the most, that should be mentioned prominently in your ads? What businesses have you most successfully worked with in the past? This information should help you get a jump on where to test out advertising your studio.

For example, my background is in healthcare. Before I launched Adode Media, I was a corporate executive in the healthcare field. This means that I am able to understand the rules and regulations of advertising in healthcare - making me an excellent fit for a growing healthcare company looking to launch a podcast!

Healthcare companies are likely to be full of extremely busy people. They aren’t scrolling absentmindedly. They are probably not on Instagram or Pinterest, so my ad dollars would be wasted there. They are probably active on LinkedIn, though - so I need to focus my time, money and attention on reaching them there!

Be sure to do the work up front to determine who your target audience is. It will make decisions so much easier, and help you save time and money.

How do you know your ads are working?

How do I know where our bookings come from? Sure, I can ask - but there’s an easy way to find out.

Here at Adode Media, we use bitly to track all of our links. bitly is a link service that shortens your links and helps you track exactly where people clicked!

For example, let’s say our team is designing two ads: One for Hulu, and one for Youtube. We want to be sure which bookings came from which ad. We grab the link to our “Book Now” page and insert it into bitly. We generate one and label it “Hulu ad,” and we label the other one a “Youtube ad.” Easy, right?!

Then, when we use the links in our ads, we can see how many people used the links and where they came from. This helps us make really easy decisions when it comes to where to spend our ad money.

Using Content in your marketing plan

The other thing we use to get the word out is content.

Content is a long game. We use ads to drive quick results but see great longevity in the client relationships we build via content marketing. Besides running ads, content drives the best results.

People use the services of those they know, like, and trust. Using content can help your potential clients get to know you better, build the trust they have in your company’s product, and strengthen your bond.

Here at Adode Media, we release content on TikTok and Instagram. We also release content on our YouTube channel. While we love repurposing content across all channels, I have made some observations about what performs well on each platform.  

So what should you release, and where should you release it? Here are some quick and easy tips based on my own experience.

On TikTok, people love the tea. They want the salacious stuff, the wild claims to hook them in, and the drama. I suggest using TikTok to bust myths about your profession, start conversations in the comment section and say the wild things you want to say about the work you do. It’s a jungle in there.

Youtube is another great place for discussion. People love arguing on there, so this is a great time to start discussions. What funny or wild stories can you tell about your industry? Who can you have on your YouTube channel that will start big important conversations?

On Instagram, people love just to watch. They aren’t as interested in commenting and engaging as they might be on Youtube or TikTok. Don’t ask me why. The content that performs well for us on Instagram is the behind-the-scenes content, the work-in-progress shots, and the stories behind the work. They also love mini clips of your finished work, so be sure to show those off and ask them to react to your stories.

Ads and content both have their place in your marketing strategy. If you’re just getting started, build trust by releasing consistent content across the channels that make sense for you. Then, get started exploring ad platforms that fit your target audience.

Build more partnerships

The last thing I must say is this: Not all advertising is…well, advertising. Sometimes it pays to get out there, network, and build lasting partnerships.

Consider teaching a workshop at a relevant local business. I’ll give you a great example: Since we’re launching an executive-level podcast service for businesses, I will teach a workshop at my local coworking space. This space is full of entrepreneurs who are building their companies from the ground up. I’ll teach them how a single podcast episode can generate content for their social platforms. This might inspire them to book us at Adode for their all-inclusive podcast marketing needs!

What local or virtual business works with the type of clients you want to work with? How can you build a relationship with that business to reach their clients in the long run?

I hope this helped you create a marketing strategy for your podcast studio. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with questions at support@adodemedia.com.

That’s all for today’s episode!

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