Growing your podcast audience thanks to Facebook Ads with Andrea Vahl

Timestamps

1:45 About the consensus in the industry that FB ads don’t work to grow podcast audiences
2:31 Obvious pitfalls podcasters should avoid when using FB Ads to grow their podcast audience
6:14 the FB Ads pixel
9:30 Capturing email addresses for later re-engagement and audience and content research
12:39 The Right Facebook Ads Campaign objectives to capture leads
18:07 How to reduce your cost per listener
20:21 Tools to create ads
22:45 How media groups can leverage FB ads to grow the audience of their podcast

Key ideas:

About the consensus in the industry that FB ads don’t work to grow podcast audiences

• Facebook ads are usually deemed not very effective for growing podcast audiences, at least not when leveraging the traditional approach.
• The traditional approaches consists in directing traffic to podcast pages. The environment switch creates friction.
• The average cost per click on FB is fairly high so the economics of a click to podcast funnel don’t work out

Obvious pitfalls podcasters should avoid when using FB Ads to grow their podcast audience

• Avoid boosting posts. You’re missing out on targeting and campaign optimization options
• Avoid using traffic campaigns. They bring you people very likely to click but unlikely to taker the action you expect from them. There’s one exception mentioned at the end of the episode.
• A smarter approach involves using Facebook Ads Manager with specific targeting and campaign objectives tailored to your podcast marketing goals.
• Don’t run campaigns without using the FB pixel before. The FB Pixel provides invaluable insights into your audience’s behavior, leading to more efficient and effective ad campaigns.
• Pro tip: install the pixel on your website today, so FB has gathered plenty of visitor data by the time you start using FB ads.

Capturing email addresses for later re-engagement and audience and content research

• Instead of directing traffic directly to your podcast page, focus on using ads to capture email addresses from potential listeners.
• Building an email list is an essential asset for podcasters, as it facilitates listening re-engagement, content research, and targeted communication.
• Use a lead magnet to incentivize the sign up

What Facebook Ads Campaign objectives should you use to capture email addresses?

• Opt for Facebook’s “lead generation” campaign objective when aiming to collect email addresses from your audience.
• Decide between using instant forms (native lead capture forms on FB) or sending users to a dedicated landing page on your website for email capture.
• Both have pros and cons
• Instant form pros: lower friction, cheaper cost per lead
• Instant form cons: lower quality leads, potentially complicated setup to get the double opt-in depending on your CRM
• Dedicated landing page: the opposite

How to reduce your cost per lead

• Experiment with various audience segments to optimize your campaign’s performance. Example: Andrea’s podcast is geared towards people who start a business later in life so she only targets +40 individuals.
• Be open to testing different ad formats, including images, videos, and carousel ads, to find what resonates most with your audience.
• Continuously refine your targeting and creative elements based on performance metrics to drive down your cost per lead.

Tools to create ads

• Canva is an accessible and user-friendly platform for creating ad graphics and visual content.
• AI-powered tools like Midjourney can assist in ad creation, especially for those who lack design skills.

How media groups can leverage FB ads to grow the audience of their podcast

• Adopt a holistic approach to podcast growth within the context of your overall business goals.
• Blend paid advertising strategies with organic methods to maximize your podcast’s reach and impact.
• Consider running traffic campaigns when launching new podcast shows to make a splash, and kickstart a positive organic feedback loop (start trending thanks to paid downloads, get organic downloads, and keep trending). See our interview with Joni Deutsch for more details on how NPR does it.