April 15, 2025 • 7 mins
Most creators don’t love talking about marketing funnels—but if you want your podcast to grow, you need a plan that works from the top down.
Start broad: think paid ads, social posts, and discoverability. That’s the top of your funnel, the awareness phase. As listeners move through the funnel, your strategy should get more specific and more targeted. That’s where real growth happens: turning casual clicks into loyal subscribers.
So don’t shove your podcast where it doesn’t fit, instead:
Top of Funnel = Awareness
Use ads, SEO, and social clips to get attention. That’s how new listeners find you.
Mid Funnel = Consideration
This is where your podcast starts to shine. When someone hits “follow” or subscribes, they’re curious and want more. Your show keeps them engaged and builds trust.
Bottom of Funnel = Conversion
A loyal listener becomes a client, supporter, or fan. Your podcast is a powerful relationship-builder. It's not viral content—it’s long-form, high-trust storytelling that leads to action.
Questions? Email tips@strawhutmedia.com
Start broad: think paid ads, social posts, and discoverability. That’s the top of your funnel, the awareness phase. As listeners move through the funnel, your strategy should get more specific and more targeted. That’s where real growth happens: turning casual clicks into loyal subscribers.
So don’t shove your podcast where it doesn’t fit, instead:
Top of Funnel = Awareness
Use ads, SEO, and social clips to get attention. That’s how new listeners find you.
Mid Funnel = Consideration
This is where your podcast starts to shine. When someone hits “follow” or subscribes, they’re curious and want more. Your show keeps them engaged and builds trust.
Bottom of Funnel = Conversion
A loyal listener becomes a client, supporter, or fan. Your podcast is a powerful relationship-builder. It's not viral content—it’s long-form, high-trust storytelling that leads to action.
Questions? Email tips@strawhutmedia.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Your podcast isn't just content, it is a relationship builder.
Today we're breaking down where podcasting actually fits in your
marketing funnel and why it's not at the top, and
that's exactly why it works. Hello and welcome to another
(00:32):
episode of pod Tips Weekly. My name is Ryan Tillotson.
So let's talk funnels for a second. Maybe you hate
them because you're kind of like me, a creator. You
want to just create great content and you don't want
to learn or know about the marketing strategies and how
they work and all this crap. But on the other hand,
you could also be an entrepreneur and you kind of
(00:54):
are forced to learn this information, which is also kind
of like me. But if you're I'm familiar with the
term marketing funnel, it is a way to map out
the stages your audience goes through before they become a customer,
a client, a fan, whatever your goal is. Here's a
quick breakdown. Okay, so the top of the funnel. Let's
(01:18):
imagine a funnel and we're talking about the top. If
it's a funnel, the top is the largest piece of it. Right,
Let's break it into thirds. The top is going to
be the biggest it's the biggest piece of the funnel.
I hope you have a good visual image of what
that looks like. And this is where you are going
to generate awareness. This is where someone discovers you for
(01:38):
the first time. Think paid ads or organic social media
posts or SEO traffic to your website. Maybe a friend
sends them a clip. This is top of funnel. It's
going to be the most it's wide, it's fast, and
it's built for attention. Okay, now let's move down mid
(01:59):
f f it's going to be less people. Mid funnel
is where people are going to start to engage. Maybe
they start following you on Instagram, maybe they subscribe to
your newsletter, or maybe they follow your podcast on Apple,
Spotify or YouTube. Basically, now you have got their contact
(02:21):
info or at least a consistent way to reach them. Somehow.
They're not just aware of you, they are considering you
all right, And now bottom of funnel, this is the smaller,
smallest piece you can really get. Bottom of funnel is
where relationships get built. It's where trust leads to action.
(02:43):
Maybe they book a discovery call, maybe they buy a product,
or if you're in the creator space, maybe they become
a paying subscriber, client, or supporter. Okay, so where does
podcasting fit into all of this, Well, it is not
the top funnel. That is the awareness section. And if
you listen to last week's episode about discoverability, podcast is
(03:08):
not an easily discoverable thing unless you're utilizing those algorithms
and maybe you're getting discovered there. But the easily discoverable
thing is the ads. That's the top funnel, and a
podcast is not that you're running ads or you're just
posting to Instagram, but generally people are finding you on
the social media platforms, maybe YouTube shorts. Podcasting is not
(03:29):
a quick hit attention play. It's not built for mass
discovery the way TikTok or YouTube shorts are. Sure those
platforms help push people to your podcast, but the podcast itself,
it's a relationship tool. I would say it is mid
to bottom of the funnel. Why well, let's think about it.
(03:51):
If someone subscribes to your podcast and they're listening every week,
that's time, that's trust, that's depth. They are opting into
twenty thirty, maybe sixty minutes of your voice, your ideas,
your perspective. You are in their ears while they drive,
(04:12):
walk the dog, clean their kitchen, do the dishes. That's intimate.
You can't get that kind of connection from a Facebook
ad or a tweet or a TikTok post. This is
why podcasting isn't about grabbing strangers. It's about deepening the
connection with people who already know you. So you need
(04:32):
to get those ads out there, post on the social media,
the tiktoks, the YouTube shorts to then lure them in
to trust you. And for those of you who are
podcasting because you want more ROI for your business, which
I highly encourage, I think is a very good way
to do it. More ROI for your business, not just
to monetize the show itself. This is where the magic happens.
(04:57):
Your podcast becomes the conversation. It's the thing that moves
someone from I'm interested to I trust you enough to
work with you, buy from you, or tell my friends
about you. Okay, so what should you be doing? I
guess that's a good question. Here's what I would do.
I would use social media and ads to drive people
(05:17):
to your podcast, use your podcast to then build this relationship,
and then capture emails, offer something on your website that
gives them more value and keeps you connected and then
use those relationships to drive actual results. Did that make sense?
I think so. I'm repeating it in my head and
it makes sense to me because here's the truth. A
(05:38):
podcast episode may not go viral, but it will create
loyal fans, and loyal fans will take action. Think about it.
I think it works. It's a strategy that we use
for almost all of our shows. Okay, here we go
to recap. Number one podcasting not top of funnel. It
(05:59):
is where people go after they found you to get
to know you more. Number two, use your podcast as
a trust building tool. Don't expect it to generate leads
out of nowhere. Feed it from your top of funnel platforms.
And number three podcasting is where the conversion happens. It's
(06:20):
slow burn, high trust, relationship driven media, and that is
what makes it so powerful. Thank you so much for
listening to this episode. If you've got questions, ideas for
future episodes, or want help figuring out how your show
fits into the funnel, email me anytime at tips at
(06:41):
strahumedia dot com and don't forget. If you liked this
episode or you found it valuable, please share it, subscribe
to this podcast, write a comment I see them all.
I hope you're doing well, and UH be back next
week with another tip. MS Dependopoy The Biding m
Your podcast isn't just content, it is a relationship builder.
Today we're breaking down where podcasting actually fits in your
marketing funnel and why it's not at the top, and
that's exactly why it works. Hello and welcome to another
(00:32):
episode of pod Tips Weekly. My name is Ryan Tillotson.
So let's talk funnels for a second. Maybe you hate
them because you're kind of like me, a creator. You
want to just create great content and you don't want
to learn or know about the marketing strategies and how
they work and all this crap. But on the other hand,
you could also be an entrepreneur and you kind of
(00:54):
are forced to learn this information, which is also kind
of like me. But if you're I'm familiar with the
term marketing funnel, it is a way to map out
the stages your audience goes through before they become a customer,
a client, a fan, whatever your goal is. Here's a
quick breakdown. Okay, so the top of the funnel. Let's
(01:18):
imagine a funnel and we're talking about the top. If
it's a funnel, the top is the largest piece of it. Right,
Let's break it into thirds. The top is going to
be the biggest it's the biggest piece of the funnel.
I hope you have a good visual image of what
that looks like. And this is where you are going
to generate awareness. This is where someone discovers you for
(01:38):
the first time. Think paid ads or organic social media
posts or SEO traffic to your website. Maybe a friend
sends them a clip. This is top of funnel. It's
going to be the most it's wide, it's fast, and
it's built for attention. Okay, now let's move down mid
(01:59):
f f it's going to be less people. Mid funnel
is where people are going to start to engage. Maybe
they start following you on Instagram, maybe they subscribe to
your newsletter, or maybe they follow your podcast on Apple,
Spotify or YouTube. Basically, now you have got their contact
(02:21):
info or at least a consistent way to reach them. Somehow.
They're not just aware of you, they are considering you
all right, And now bottom of funnel, this is the smaller,
smallest piece you can really get. Bottom of funnel is
where relationships get built. It's where trust leads to action.
(02:43):
Maybe they book a discovery call, maybe they buy a product,
or if you're in the creator space, maybe they become
a paying subscriber, client, or supporter. Okay, so where does
podcasting fit into all of this, Well, it is not
the top funnel. That is the awareness section. And if
you listen to last week's episode about discoverability, podcast is
(03:08):
not an easily discoverable thing unless you're utilizing those algorithms
and maybe you're getting discovered there. But the easily discoverable
thing is the ads. That's the top funnel, and a
podcast is not that you're running ads or you're just
posting to Instagram, but generally people are finding you on
the social media platforms, maybe YouTube shorts. Podcasting is not
(03:29):
a quick hit attention play. It's not built for mass
discovery the way TikTok or YouTube shorts are. Sure those
platforms help push people to your podcast, but the podcast itself,
it's a relationship tool. I would say it is mid
to bottom of the funnel. Why well, let's think about it.
(03:51):
If someone subscribes to your podcast and they're listening every week,
that's time, that's trust, that's depth. They are opting into
twenty thirty, maybe sixty minutes of your voice, your ideas,
your perspective. You are in their ears while they drive,
(04:12):
walk the dog, clean their kitchen, do the dishes. That's intimate.
You can't get that kind of connection from a Facebook
ad or a tweet or a TikTok post. This is
why podcasting isn't about grabbing strangers. It's about deepening the
connection with people who already know you. So you need
(04:32):
to get those ads out there, post on the social media,
the tiktoks, the YouTube shorts to then lure them in
to trust you. And for those of you who are
podcasting because you want more ROI for your business, which
I highly encourage, I think is a very good way
to do it. More ROI for your business, not just
to monetize the show itself. This is where the magic happens.
(04:57):
Your podcast becomes the conversation. It's the thing that moves
someone from I'm interested to I trust you enough to
work with you, buy from you, or tell my friends
about you. Okay, so what should you be doing? I
guess that's a good question. Here's what I would do.
I would use social media and ads to drive people
(05:17):
to your podcast, use your podcast to then build this relationship,
and then capture emails, offer something on your website that
gives them more value and keeps you connected and then
use those relationships to drive actual results. Did that make sense?
I think so. I'm repeating it in my head and
it makes sense to me because here's the truth. A
(05:38):
podcast episode may not go viral, but it will create
loyal fans, and loyal fans will take action. Think about it.
I think it works. It's a strategy that we use
for almost all of our shows. Okay, here we go
to recap. Number one podcasting not top of funnel. It
(05:59):
is where people go after they found you to get
to know you more. Number two, use your podcast as
a trust building tool. Don't expect it to generate leads
out of nowhere. Feed it from your top of funnel platforms.
And number three podcasting is where the conversion happens. It's
(06:20):
slow burn, high trust, relationship driven media, and that is
what makes it so powerful. Thank you so much for
listening to this episode. If you've got questions, ideas for
future episodes, or want help figuring out how your show
fits into the funnel, email me anytime at tips at
(06:41):
strahumedia dot com and don't forget. If you liked this
episode or you found it valuable, please share it, subscribe
to this podcast, write a comment I see them all.
I hope you're doing well, and UH be back next
week with another tip. MS Dependopoy The Biding m
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