How to Run a Media-Led Growth Strategy with Rachel Downey of Share Your Genius
Jan 5, 2024
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Rachel Downey, CEO and Founder of Share Your Genius, discusses how podcasts can be a powerful tool for building a brand, expanding an audience, and driving demand. She emphasizes the importance of strategizing based on one focus and shares insights on metrics of success and scaling strategies. Plus, learn about the role of podcasting in building relationships, challenges of scaling a media-led growth strategy, and the benefits of partnering with others.
When developing a media-led growth strategy, it is important to have a clear focus on building brand awareness, growing an audience, or driving demand.
To measure success in a media-led growth strategy, focus on reach, engagement, and conversions across all content channels, rather than relying solely on podcast downloads.
To scale a media-led growth strategy, start with a launch and workflow phase for the main media product and then stack additional offerings or channels while optimizing content creation and distribution.
Deep dives
Developing a Media-Led Growth Strategy
Rachel Downey, CEO and founder of Share Your Genius, joins the podcast to discuss how to develop a media-led growth strategy. She emphasizes the importance of using content, such as podcasts, to build relationships and attract clients or talent. Rachel suggests starting with a clear focus, whether it's building brand awareness, growing an audience, or driving demand. She explains that media-led growth is about leveraging various content channels, including podcasts, videos, and written text, to maximize reach, engagement, and conversions. Rachel also highlights the value of collaborating with partners to extend brand reach and tap into new distribution channels.
Measuring Success and Overcoming Challenges
Rachel addresses how to measure success when implementing a media-led growth strategy. She advises setting expectations based on the specific objectives, such as building brand awareness or driving revenue, and establishing relevant metrics for each goal. Rachel emphasizes the importance of focusing on reach, engagement, and conversions across all content channels, rather than solely relying on podcast download numbers. She also discusses the challenges of scaling media-led growth, suggesting a maturity model approach and the involvement of other team members as thought leaders to expand brand visibility and likeability.
Building Brand and Creating Quality Content
Rachel explores using podcasts as a channel and content to build brands and drive growth. She highlights the need for creativity and attention-grabbing content to build immediate brand awareness. However, she also cautions about the challenges of sustaining such content over time and suggests focusing on leveraging the podcast as a content generator for other platforms. Rachel explains the importance of considering reach, engagement, and conversions across various channels to measure brand growth effectively, rather than relying solely on podcast downloads. She emphasizes the power of creating thought leadership strategies for each individual or thought leader within the organization to amplify brand visibility and increase market awareness.
Scaling Your Media-Led Growth Strategy
Rachel provides insights on scaling a media-led growth strategy. She suggests approaching it as a maturity model, starting with a launch and workflow phase for the main media product, such as a podcast. To scale, she advises understanding the signals of growth and stacking additional offerings or channels on top of the existing ones. Rachel also emphasizes the importance of creating systems to optimize content creation and distribution, while engaging other team members as voices within the brand. She recommends running thought leadership workshops and defining content pillars and strategies for each individual thought leader to scale creative output.
Key Mindset for Starting a Media-Led Strategy
Rachel's key advice for those starting a media-led strategy is to approach it with an open mind, understanding that it is never just about a podcast. She encourages thinking beyond traditional approaches and being open to creative and unconventional strategies. Rachel highlights how impactful and rewarding a media-led strategy can be when thinking outside the box and leveraging different channels and opportunities.
Rachel Downey is the CEO and Founder of Share Your Genius, an end-to-end podcast production company that helps brands refine their media strategy. Her tagline is, 'It’s never just a podcast.' Podcasts, the modern-day business card, function as both a channel and content. When devising a media strategy,
consider your primary objective—building a brand, expanding an audience, or generating demand. Once you have clarity on your focus, you can drive the podcast forward accordingly.