What does a 19th-century Italian economist have to do with how you promote your podcast?

Efficiency.

Alfredo Pareto noticed that roughly 20% of the population owned 80% of the land. Was this some aberration? Nope. Pareto looked at similar land distributions in other countries and found the same distribution.

The world over, 80% of the results were attributable to 20% input. He would go on to find that this distributive phenomenon shows up in all sorts of places. For instance, when looking at his garden, he noticed that 80% of the peas were being produced by 20% of the plants.

This soft distribution rule came to be known as the Pareto Principle. Also commonly referred to as the 80/20 rule.

Because this principle is so common, we can apply it to how we promote our podcasts. After all, you put so much time and energy into creating the thing, it’d be a shame if nobody heard it.

Let’s dive in.

Step 1 – The Pareto Principle Is Not a Law

Right out of the gate, it’s imperative to remember that the Pareto Principle is just that. A principle. It’s not a hard and fast law like, say, the second law of thermodynamics might be a law.

Economics likes to pretend it’s a hard science with all of its equations, but in reality, economics is more like psychology than it is physics. So, don’t get hung up on the precision of 80 and 20.

Restated, we’re looking to focus our efforts on the smallest amount of work that nets us the greatest result. That’s simple enough. So just keep the problem framed in that way as we move forward.

Step 2 – Get Your Podcast Out There

In order to apply the Pareto Principle, you need data points. You can’t say what work is netting you the best result if you don’t have any results to evaluate.

With any new project, there is a tendency to wait until it’s perfect before you slap your name on it. Whether its to avoid embarrassment with something you aren’t proud of yet, or a fear of failure, or some other reason, waiting until there’s some ideal level of perfection derails a lot of projects.

Think of perfection as a journey, not a destination. There is no state in which you can look at whatever you’re creating and say “yes, that’s perfect, it is objectively done.” The same is true of promotion. Some stuff will work and some stuff you’ll fail at. It’s too easy to get stuck in the research phase.

Don’t let that happen.

Record a few episodes and get them primed and posted. Make sure you’ve got it out on all the basic distribution channels and podcast syndicators that are available. Apple, Google, Stitcher, Spotify if you can.

Throw it up on social media and promote it to your network. This part can be scary, but you need data. All feedback is good feedback, so get your podcast out there.

Step 3 – Splinter More Live Content

This next Pareto Principle strategy comes from the world of digital marketing. If it works for their Pareto Principle implementation, then there’s a good chance it will work for your podcast promotion.

Your podcast episode is your hero content. That’s the core product that you are promoting.

What does this mean? Think of your podcast episode as a log. And splintering would be hitting that log with an ax, breaking off small pieces of the whole to distribute wider.

For example, taking a few snippets of your interview with your guest and turning that into a video for YouTube would be an excellent use of a splintered piece of content that you can use to link back to the full show.

Another great strategy is doing more live content like Facebook Live, IGTV. The live, candid, videos add another layer of intimacy and depth that a standard audio podcast might not immediately tick off. It helps a potential audience connect to you.

Writing about your interview or topic is another effective way to take the same source material to create additional content.

If you’ve ever noticed how children’s toys have books, cartoons, toys, games, stickers, etc… you get the idea. Well, we never really grow out of that exposure reinforcement.

Step 4 – Continued Audience Research

When we start making podcasts it’s scratching a personal itch. Of course, the material we’re talking about has to resonate with us or we won’t stick with the project. But if we only pay attention to what we’re into, then there’s a good chance we’re going to max out at an audience of 1.

That would be using the Pareto Principle in reverse.

Courtney Sanders just did a great, straightforward, episode on her podcast on how to make your first $1,000 online. In that episode, she makes an excellent point. Yes, you need to niche down, but within that niche, you need to make sure that the niche audience is buying what you’re selling.

In fact, it’s one of the five points she makes on her show. If you don’t have a viable product, it doesn’t matter what else you do. Hmmm… 1 out of 5. 20%… How about that.

Once you’ve got your first few episodes out there, you need to dive into what’s resonating. What’s getting shared. What is driving comments and engagement? The answers to these questions won’t guarantee a hit podcast and they won’t mean you can’t do a podcast that you love.

Answering these questions will help you steer your subject matter in a direction people want to consume.

Coutney Sanders Show – Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher

Step 5 – Leveraging the Work of Others

Once you’ve got the low hanging fruit out of the way it is time to start applying some energy to a podcast promotion effort that garners excellent results.

Getting booked as a guest on other podcasts is a fantastic way to promote your own work. But it only works once you’ve got your foundation pieces in place. But you know what else works really well? Especially in the beginning?

Bringing guests onto your show.

You may not have a huge audience, but if you start with podcasts that aren’t huge, there’s still a solid chance you can get quality guests. Here’s why that matters.

You get social proof. Having someone on your show automatically cements you in a position of authority. Then, when people are searching for a particular guest on a huge podcast, your show comes up as related.

Target the podcasts that you’d love to work with. Then find the smaller, less well-known, related podcasts. Start with these with an email and LinkedIn outreach strategy.

Then climb the promotion ladder as you tighten up your offering.

Conclusion

When it comes to having a successful podcast, creating the best content possible is a necessary condition. Unfortunately, it isn’t a sufficient one. You still need to get out there and make sure people are going to find your creation.

The Pareto Principle is an excellent frame to ensure that your efforts are applied efficiently. There’s no reason to waste precious, irreplaceable, time on promotion channels that aren’t serving you well.

The Pareto Principle helps you to identify the channels that are working, and most importantly, those that aren’t.

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