#177: Chris Hutchins – A master of podcast growth and building relationships.
Jan 9, 2024
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Chris Hutchins, host of All The Hacks and an expert in life optimization, dives into podcast growth strategies and relationship-building. He reveals how he connected with big names like Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose, emphasizing the importance of authentic connections. Chris discusses his innovative experiments to boost listener engagement and simplify audience growth. He also shares insights on balancing content quality with strategic networking, making the podcasting journey both rewarding and effective.
Collaborating with other podcasters as guests on each other's shows is a highly effective marketing strategy for podcast growth.
Building relationships and leveraging existing connections with established creators can greatly boost a podcast's visibility and reach.
Content quality is more important than having well-known guests, with episodes featuring lesser-known experts often outperforming those with famous guests.
Deep dives
Targeting platforms within the same medium is more effective for growth
To maximize growth for your podcast, it is more effective to focus on marketing efforts within the podcasting medium itself. This includes cross-promoting or collaborating with other podcasters to reach their audience, as they are already inclined to listen to podcasts.
Guesting on podcasts is 10 to 40 times more impactful than cross-promotions
Being a guest on another podcast is significantly more effective than cross-promoting, with potential audience conversion rates ranging from 10 to 40 times higher. By appearing on podcasts in your niche or topic area, you tap into an audience that is already interested in the content you provide, and therefore more likely to become dedicated listeners of your show.
Guest swapping strategy: Co-create and air content across multiple platforms
A successful strategy for guest swapping is to collaborate with another podcaster to create content that can be aired on both platforms. By co-creating a piece of content that provides value to both audiences, you can maximize exposure and reach while not requiring an excessive amount of work from each party involved.
Make the ask: Leveraging existing relationships for growth
Building relationships and leveraging existing connections is a valuable approach for growth. By reaching out to established contacts and asking for support, such as featuring your podcast on their platforms or cross-promoting, you can tap into their audience and benefit from their endorsement, boosting your podcast's visibility and reach.
The Value of Big Name Guests in Podcasting
Having a big name guest on a podcast does not necessarily lead to increased sharing or algorithmic success. The guest's fame may help attract initial interest, but the content quality matters more for long-term success. Episodes with lesser-known experts who provide valuable insights often perform better than those with well-known guests. Having a few big name guests can benefit the show's credibility and help in recruiting other guests.
Paid Acquisition and Marketing Strategies in Podcasting
Paid acquisition strategies in podcasting can be challenging to measure and analyze. Different platforms offer varying effectiveness and audience engagement. Advertising on Overcast allows for small-dollar experiments that can help gauge show performance. Castbox, despite skepticism, has proven to be an effective paid advertising platform in terms of cost per subscriber. However, the long-term engagement and loyalty of subscribing listeners are uncertain. Paid cross-promotions and guest appearances may have limited success if not carefully tailored to the target audience and show content.
Chris Hutchins is an avid lifehacker, a financial optimizer, and he's the host of the top-ranked podcast, All The Hacks, where he shares his quest to upgrade his life without having to spend a fortune.
Chris has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. Previously, Chris was the head of new product strategy at Wealthfront after they acquired his company, Grove. Before that, he was an investor at Google Ventures, and cofounded Milk, which Google acquired. And he is also a member of my community, The Lab.
Chris goes fast. He digs in deep, and he applies a scientific lens to his work. He has a real experimentality.
In this episode, you'll learn
How Chris grew his podcast
How he was able to build and leverage relationships with high-profile creators like Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose
How you can build similar relationships yourself
And the experiments that he's run to grow his podcast
