Facebooks's Formula For Podcast Success
Before I dive into Facebook's formula on how they grew their podcast, 3.5 Degrees The Power of Connection, there are two distribution channels you should be aware of.
These distribution channels will help you understand their formula better. I'll start with the basic definition of what a distribution channel is:
In the simplest way put, a distribution channel is a strategy that connects the product or service - that you have - with your end consumer.
Knowing this, we have to ask one question, how can we build a podcast that connects our product or service with the the most end users and have it make sense financially?
Let's dive into the 2 distribution channels so you can get a clearer picture of how you can achieve this; this will also tie in how Facebook used their winning formula to grow their podcast:
1) Direct Selling
Getting your product / service straight to your consumer without any 3rd parties. i.e. Fb achieved this by posting the podcast on platforms like Spotify, iTunes, iHeart radio, etc. & also through Ads.
Fb's Global Brand Marketing Manager, Matt Sutton, discussed that there are a few ways to approach direct channel distributions. One of the methods he put emphasis on was marketing to iOS and Android users differently. This was because the biggest question to podcaster's was where do I send people using a link.
The purpose of understanding that specific point is to understand that each platform requires a different approach. This means understanding the minds of the users that use different products.
Another method was to use different models to target new and existing listeners. Here's the process you can follow to achieve that:
“If you go into Ads Manager and you look for podcasts, there are options to target based on people who have indicated or appear to be interested in podcast content. The first step is to reach and test against that audience.” (Matt)
Lastly, for the direct sales approach, Matt addressed how “investments in some of the networks such as Gimlet and Panoply, where there’s an opportunity to negotiate either dynamic, programmatic, audio ad insertion, in other shows that are relevant to our target audience. Panoply has an awesome platform for that."
2) Indirect Selling
Using intermediaries to distribute your product or service aka 3rd parties. For example, Fb used coffee sleeves designed around their podcast to distribute through coffee shops in the area. This, out of the box, unconventional method, has helped Fb approach advertising in a whole different way. By creating coffee sleeves for the podcast, they were able to increase viewership for the episode both through their own coffeeshops @ the Facebook campus and through coffee shops they partnered up with. It also provided as a lower cost alternative to advertising through billboards and a handful of other methods.
Consider how you might use these methods in your business. Facebook used a few other strategies - in their strategy, to promote 3.5 Degree podcast. Here's a link to the full interview with Matt Sutton on the Pacific Content blog if you'd like to learn more: https://blog.pacific-content.com/9-marketing-lessons-for-podcasters-inside-the-strategy-of-facebooks-new-podcast-1a25391a5a53
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