As a podcaster, you are in the business of storytelling through sounds. You use audio to engage your audience, to share information and to evoke emotion. But are you making full use of the visual possibilities to enhance your audience’s experience and broaden your reach? One powerful but often overlooked tool is integrating video in emails. This blog post will guide you through the benefits of using video in email campaigns and tips on how to strengthen your podcast brand with this video marketing technique.
Why Use Video?
You might be wondering why podcasters like yourself should use video in the first place. Isn’t audio enough? As it turns out, a well placed and composed video can benefit your podcast significantly.
- Boost Engagement: When successful, videos are excellent drivers of user engagement. According to a study by Hubspot, 54% of consumers wanted to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
- Expand Reach: Videos can attract new listeners for your podcast, particularly those who have not yet ventured into the world of podcasting.
- Spice Up Your Emails: Videos can add an interesting dynamic to your existing email newsletters by showing behind-the-scenes footage, teasers of upcoming episodes, or visual aids that complement your podcast content.
Choosing Your Content
Now that you understand the benefits of using video, your next question may be what kind of content can you create for your videos? Here are some ideas:
- Teasers: Tease new episodes by giving a brief overview of the topic or guest.
- Behind the Scenes: Show your audience a sneak peek of what goes on during recording, editing, and brainstorming sessions.
- Tutorials: If your podcast content includes teaching or demonstrating something, a video tutorial can be more instructive and engaging.
Creating Quality Video and Audio
Creating a video with quality audio is essential for podcasters. You already know the importance of good sound in your podcast episodes, and this same rule applies for your videos. Here’s how you can do it:
- Invest in Good Equipment: Microphone and camera quality is essential. While there’s no need for high-end studio equipment, investing in a good quality microphone and a decent camera will significantly improve your output.
- Pay Attention to Lighting and Background: Good lighting ensures the viewer can see you clearly and that you look professional. Likewise, a quiet, clean, and not distracting background is crucial.
- Record Quality Audio: The built-in microphone on your camera might not provide the best sound. To ensure quality audio, record your voiceover using a standalone microphone, then overlay this audio on your video during post-production.
How to Embed Video in Email
After creating your video, it’s time to include it in your emails. Most email clients don’t support embedded video directly in the email. A reliable workaround is to include a clickable thumbnail image that links to your video.
- Upload your video on a video-sharing platform like YouTube or Vimeo.
- Take a screenshot of your video or create a separate enticing thumbnail image.
- Embed this image in your email and hyperlink it to your video.
Conclusion
Adding video to your podcast’s email marketing strategy has the potential to boost engagement, expand your reach, and add a dynamic layer to your content. Podcasting might be an audio-first direction, but incorporating videos in your emails serves as an effective support tool to enhance the user’s overall experience and engagement. Remember, the goal is to create compelling, quality video content that provides value to your audience. Making videos that resonate with your listeners, coupled with an efficient email marketing strategy, can significantly help your podcast grow.