5 Effective Podcast Calls to Action

Calls to action are wonderful marketing tools that can build an audience. Read on to learn exactly how a call to action can positively impact your podcast.

1. Use the Right Language

Using plenty of subjects and verbs, especially at the beginning of a sentence, lends strength to your call to action. Because verbs are quite literally action words, they encourage listeners to do exactly that; take action. Verbs create a sense of urgency. Without these action words, you aren’t persuading your listeners to take action. Depending on what your call to action entails, a call to action lacking verbs could negatively impact your podcast.

2. Make it Easy

Jason Hartman knows that no matter what you’re asking for in a call to action, it’s important to make it easy for listeners to accomplish. This way, they will have no excuse not to follow through. For instance, if you’re asking listeners to leave a comment or visit a web page, the tools should be readily available for them to accomplish this.

In this example, you could include a comment section on your podcast’s page, or a link directly beneath your podcast. If the example is a web page, repeat and spell the web address multiple times within the podcast, and let the listener know that the direct link is available on the podcast’s page. There are also call to action buttons available that allow a listener to complete the call to action simply by clicking a button.

3. Make it Short

Listeners and web-surfers today have short attention spans. They want to access information easily, with little or no effort on their part. For this reason, keep the call to action short and simple. Do your best not to bore listeners with a long description of what they should do. A good call to action can be kept to a sentence or two.

4. Use Numbers

Statistics and numbers can do wonders for a call to action. They can strengthen your call to action and your podcast by adding credibility to content. This doesn’t mean you should make up numbers. It just means that if related statistics are available for use,  don’t be afraid to take advantage of them. Give credit to the source, of course.

5. Keep it Simple

Keep your call to action simple and easy to understand for the best results. Explain clearly what you’d like the listener to do, but don’t go overboard. While the call to action should be related to your industry, it’s important to make the language more practical than technical. Your listener should be able to understand without having to break out a dictionary.

With the right tools and an effective call to action, you can positively impact your podcast. Remember to be clear and concise, and to tell listeners exactly how they can help. (Top image: Flickr | Allio)

The Speaking of Wealth Team