Podcast Link Building: What Is It And Is It Right For Your Brand?

While relatively unknown since its inception in 2004, in the last five years, podcasts have grown to be an essential listening platform with over 6 million people in the UK tuning in to a podcast each week. As well as offering entertainment and education, podcasts are a highly effective way for your brand to reach a new, highly engaged audience while boosting your search rankings too. So, just what is podcast link building, and how can your business capitalise on the trend?

The rise of podcasts

Across iTunes, Spotify, personal websites, and listening platforms, podcasts cover almost every subject imaginable. This is why over 11% of UK adults listen to at least one podcast once a week. They are are not just for adults either. One in five young people between 15- and 24-years old listen to podcasts on a weekly basis. This number has doubled in just five years.

Consequently, podcasts are now one of the fastest-growing marketing channels out there. What’s more, it is easy for businesses to make the most of this exciting and effective marketing channel to boost their brand.

What are the benefits of podcast link building?

People listening to podcasts are doing so because they choose to and enjoy the content that podcasts offer. It is a captive and highly engaged audience. So by hearing a person, company, product or service on a podcast will typically encourage people to search for more information which can really help to drive search rankings.

What’s more, you are reaching an audience that may not be keyword intent yet, but soon will be after listening to the engaging information that the podcast provides.

As well as reaching those who are listening, podcast link building can also improve organic search results too. A podcast will usually link to the guest and their website, while the guest will link to the podcast and encourage fans to listen. It’s a mutually beneficial way of building high-quality links.

In summary, the benefits of podcast link building are;

• Building brand awareness and industry authority
• Reaching a highly engaged and new audience
• Potential increase in search results and, therefore, rankings
• Links on high DA/DR websites.

How to build links on podcasts

Essentially, there are two ways to build links on podcasts. The first is to create your own podcast. This is not only time-consuming but can also take years to build up a captive audience. The second, easier, option is to be a guest on a podcast.

So, how do you become a guest on a podcast?

1.     Why do podcasts need you?

To be a guest on a podcast, you need to offer a benefit to the audience. How will what you say help the listeners? Create a few pitches with unique angles that would encourage podcasters to welcome you as a guest and ensure that listeners actually tune in.

2.     Find your niche

There are so many podcasts out there. You need to find the ones that are a great fit for your business and have the audience that you want to reach. Take time to compile a list of these podcasts. The more you try, the higher the chances of you becoming a guest and getting those links.

3.     Get pitching

If you have lots of podcasts on your list to choose from, focus on the podcasts with high DR (ideally above 20) or with lots of monthly listeners. However, it is important to remember that popular podcasts receive lots of guest applications. Don’t just apply to a handful and do prepare yourself for rejection.

Then it’s time to start pitching. With some key rules to follow;

• Make every pitch unique to the podcast
• Follow the requirements on how to pitch (each podcast will have different pitching instructions)
• Make your pitch all about the end-user – how will you help them, not the other way around
• Be personable and show why you’re a good fit for the show – build in connections
• Come up with show ideas that incorporate what you want to say (this way it’ll be easier for the host to create the show)
• Finish with a compelling call to action, which makes it easy for them to say yes.

4.     Be the guest!

Once you have been invited onto a podcast, be an engaging and interesting guest for the show. Do your homework to ensure you make the best impression.

5.     Enjoy the link

Thank the host for their time and make sure to send them all of the links to the content and resources mentioned, make sure the majority of these links are to your own websites.  Include any resources or call to action for the reader if they want to find out more. Then, when the shows out and the links are in place, share with your audience to increase visibility.

You can even create a script of the podcast with contextual links to further boost your podcast link building.