PodQuesting Lab: Testing Facebook Ads for Podcast Promotion

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Welcome to PodQuesting, where I'm on a quest to conquer the podcasting realm.

(00:06):
Bringing you along the journey, this episode is part of the ongoing series, PodQuesting
Lab, where I conduct experiments and research to help us on our quests.

(00:27):
In today's episode, we are diving into a topic I've been experimenting with, and that is
Facebook ads for podcast promotion.
Are they really worth the time, effort and money?
So I ran a four day ad campaign for one of my podcast episodes and the results were,
well, interesting.
So let's break it down.
The challenge of marketing for a podcast, we all know marketing a podcast can be tough.

(00:51):
It's not just about creating great content.
You've got to get that content in front of the right audience and there are plenty of
strategies out there from organic social media growth to collaborating with other podcasters.
But today I wanted to focus on a method that many of us podcasters consider, but we hesitate
to dive into and that is paid advertising on social media.

(01:16):
So I tried a Facebook ad and I set a very small budget of only $20 for a four day ad
campaign to promote an episode of this podcast, podcasting.
So what were the results?
Let's dive into the numbers.
So according to Facebook's metrics, I spent $19.95 over four days and reached 3,391 people.

(01:40):
And so that sounds pretty good, right?
But let's talk about what really matters and that's engagement.
So out of those 3,391 people, 31 clicked on the link in the ad, leading to a cost per
click of about 64 cents.
So that's where things kind of got interesting because the link directed people to my podcast

(02:00):
episode on Spotify.
Of course, what I was hoping for was I wanted those link clicks to turn into actual episode
downloads.
Unfortunately, when I compared my Spotify stats for the same period, there was no noticeable
bump in downloads.
So while people were clicking, it doesn't seem like they were converting into listeners.

(02:23):
So I thought that was a very weird and unexpected result from this ad.
One of the most surprising details from the ad was the age demographic.
So the majority of people the ad reached were over the age of 65.
And I didn't apply any specific targeting for the age group.
So it was a bit of a shock, especially since podcasting cover topics that I thought would

(02:46):
attract a wide range of audience from 18 to 65.
And while it's interesting that I reached an older audience, it's not really what I
was aiming for specifically.
Now it's not a problem, of course, but this highlights the important lesson when using
paid ads, you've got to be super creative with your targeting.

(03:06):
And I didn't apply any specific filters.
And so that might have impacted the campaign's effectiveness a little bit.
Did it really pay off?
I mean, so what did I actually gain from this ad?
Well, I mean, I did get two new Facebook followers from this ad from this campaign on the podcasting
Facebook page.
I do want to plug that if you are interested, go check out the Facebook page.

(03:29):
But let's kind of be real here for $20 for two followers isn't exactly a huge win.
On the other hand, you know, over 3000 people saw my podcast and that's exposure I wouldn't
have had otherwise.
If you look at it from a brand awareness perspective, the campaign wasn't a total loss.
And it's all about kind of managing expectations really, because if you're looking for a quick

(03:54):
conversions and downloads, this might not be the way to go.
But if you're trying to build long term visibility, there might be some potential here.
I mean, what can I do differently next time if I do do another ad on Facebook?
So there are a few things that I would do differently if I ran another ad.
First, I would apply more targeting.

(04:15):
As targeting is kind of key, I'd refine my audience based on interest in podcasting and
or whatever my episode is about or my podcast is about.
A more specific audience would likely improve engagement.
The ad itself could be tweaked, for example, maybe instead of linking directly to Spotify,
I could create a landing page that actually provides more context and includes an embedded

(04:39):
player.
So people can listen right away.
Lastly, I think consistency and a larger budget are factors to consider as well.
If I had a recurring monthly budget, I could experiment more and kind of tweak the ads
and get gather better data and really refine my strategy over time.

(05:01):
So that's kind of it on that end.
But should you try a Facebook ad?
I mean, if you're a podcaster wondering whether to try a Facebook ad, here's what I would
do.
It really depends on your goals and budget, right?
So if you got the funds to experiment and you're looking to build a awareness around
your podcast, Facebook ads could help.

(05:23):
But if you're looking for quick downloads and immediate results and engagement, you
might want to look elsewhere or explore other strategies like organic Facebook growth or
community building or partnerships with other podcasters.
And remember that paid ads are just one tool in your marketing tool belt and your toolkit.

(05:47):
They're not a silver bullet, but they can complement your overall strategy if done right.
So that's kind of my take on this ad experiment that I did on Facebook.
Anyways, thanks for tuning into this episode of podquesting.
Have you tried Facebook ads or any other paid advertising for your podcast?
And what were your results?
Let's chat about it.
You can find me on social media, podquesting.

(06:09):
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe and leave a review.
It really helps the show.
And as always, this is podquesting where I'm on a quest to conquer the realm of podcasting.
Catch you in the next episode.

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