NEWSLETTER PODCASTS: THE FUTURE OF CONTENT

How newsletter podcasts are becoming one of the best ways to build an engaged audience...

Author

Niall Ratcliffe
May 07, 2023

Morning!

How has your week been? I spent the last few days at a friend’s wedding in the mountains of North Carolina. I also turned 22. Combined, they both made me feel pretty old.

Anyway, today I am going to break down a strategy that I think will be the future of content.

And no…

– It’s not AI
– It’s not short-form video
– And It’s not posting on BeReal

This is something that seemingly no one is talking about yet everyone should be thinking about doing.

Let’s get into it…

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Breaking Down The Strategy

There are 2 key factors when you’re looking for a channel to distribute content on:

- Scale (can you reach millions)
- Connection (how well the content resonates)

But really the most important one is the latter. Because if your content doesn’t hit home, if it doesn’t resonate - then it doesn’t matter if 1 million people see it, because they aren’t going to care about it.

They aren’t going to check out your work, they aren’t going to buy from you and they aren’t going to come back for more content.

This is a huge problem for most TikTok creators.

They are able to get millions of views and likes on some videos, but really struggle to build their following and more importantly - monetize it.

That’s because their content scales, but doesn't resonate.

So what content resonates? What content creates those die-hard superfans?

The answer right now is plain and simple: Podcasts.

Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper (Call Her Daddy), Ben Shapiro.

Spotify superstars Joe Rogan & Alex Cooper

All 3 of these people are making 10’s of millions every year solely through their podcasts.

But more importantly, they have millions of people listening to them talk EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

But when it comes to podcasts there’s one massive problem…

They’re a nightmare to scale when you’re getting started.

Few people actually go and listen, when they do they don’t subscribe, and even when they subscribe they often don’t tune into every episode.

Which is why only 50% of podcasts get over 32 downloads. (Source)

And only 5% get over 1,083 downloads. (Source)

Yep, 95% of podcasts are essentially colossal failures.

But what most people haven’t realised is that you can combine the aspects of a podcast with a channel that scales.

Introducing: Podcast Newsletters.

The thing that makes podcasts resonate with people is the fact that you are literally listening to someone whisper in your ears for 10+ hours every week.

Just think for a second, how many people talk to you for more than 10 hours per week?

Your partner? Your parents, maybe?

That’s probably it.

It’s literally only the people closest to you. So when you have someone whispering in your ear for 10 hours per week - well, you honestly can’t get much more intimate.

It builds a real connection. A connection that is tough to build with any other platforms.

When you combine this with the benefits of a newsletter you solve all the negative aspects of podcasting:

Few people listen? 
Now it’s much easier to get people to subscribe through a simple landing page.

People don’t subscribe?
Now they HAVE to subscribe if they want to listen.

People not tuning in for every episode? 
Now they get every episode right in their inbox.

It’s this beautiful combination of an owned audience that you can easily scale with the intimacy of people hearing your voice on a weekly basis.

It ticks all the boxes.

Not many people have cottoned on to this strategy yet, but 3 people are absolutely killing it using this method, all in slightly different ways:

Anthony (AKA Pomp) has one of the most die-hard newsletter audiences on the planet. A huge reason for this is the way he adds audio snippets to his newsletters.

Pomp keeps it simple, all he does is dictate his newsletter and add the audio clip at the top (you can do this in Substack).

It probably takes him an extra 10 minutes each send. But that 10-minute investment leads to 250,000 people having a more intimate relationship with him.

Without mentioning it makes the newsletter more accessible - people can listen, read or both.

Bobby takes a completely different approach to Pomp in his “Monologue” newsletter.

Instead of just dictating the newsletters he writes, he sends separate emails that he labels “Out Loud:” which are literally mini-podcasts (or monologues) that he sends out to his subscribers.

Lenny runs one of (if not the) most popular one-person newsletters on the planet. But one simple way he has taken his newsletter to the next level is by adding a podcast element to it.

All he does is send his email list a link to his YouTube podcast and includes:

  • A quick summary of the guest

  • A brief overview of what they talked about

  • And some timestamped moments

Now, he doesn’t just have half a million newsletter subscribers. But he’s also got a growing YouTube channel with 23,000 subscribers too.

These are the few people I could find who use this tactic, but I am VERY confident that over the next 6-12 months this will become a popular method for lots of businesses and creators.

Luckily for you, you now know about it before most people have figured it out.

So give it a go, let me know how it goes and you’ll never know… maybe you’ll hear my voice dictating this newsletter very soon.

Right, that’s all from me for today.

Until next Sunday,

— Niall

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This has been a breakdown of Newsletter Podcast marketing strategy’s. I hope you have learned something and can implement a similar strategy in your business!

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