How to maximize podcast productivity using a contact management tool?
Podcasts are clearly gaining popularity among both listeners and producers these days. Advertisers have quickly adopted the trend as big brands, companies, and entrepreneurs have embraced this audio media in their digital marketing campaigns.
While the popularity of podcasts continues to grow, some people are still wary of starting their own because they lack the organizational skills necessary to get things rolling. Many hands go into the production of any given podcast. There are researchers, authors, editorial staff, operations, producers, and more. And if the podcast is an interview, there is the additional work of tracking down and contacting potential guests, coming up with thought-provoking questions, etc.
A typical podcast workflow will look something like this:
- Prepare for a podcast interview
- Look for possible guests
- Choose a guest through group brainstorming
- Find out how to get in touch with the guest
- Confirm the guest’s attendance
- Prepare a list of potential topics to ask in the interview
- Finalize the interview questions
- Schedule the interview
- Give reminder to the guest
- Record and edit the podcast
- Publish.
Your podcast process might look a bit different, but this should give you an idea of how many bits you will have to organize for your show.
Problems that podcasters typically encounter
When creating a podcast, you must plan ahead of time and be prepared for any situation. Setting off without a strategy and without backups for when something goes wrong can result in the scheduled podcast being canceled.
Can you imagine losing the contact details of the potential guests you plan to reach out to? Or you shortlisted a few guests that you decided to invite but their details got all messed up with thousands of other contacts? And here comes the worst-case scenario: You scheduled an interview with a guest but it slipped out of your mind or even the guest’s mind for that matter. What will you do in such a situation? It’s the worst nightmare for any podcaster and can cost them big time if not managed properly.
Thus you need to make sure everyone on your team is on the same page by outlining a plan for how and when things will get done. Whether you're just getting started with your podcast or are in the middle of a long-running series, it's always a good idea to organize everything to ensure the highest quality of delivery. Recognizing potential sources of burnout and setbacks early on will help you better prepare for them if and when they occur.
How do you manage a podcast to avoid pitfalls?
There are numerous elements involved in making a podcast successful. While you and your team discover the sweet spot for elements like episode duration, the ideal audience to target, and themes - you will need a fantastic tool to keep everything organized.
There are many CRM tools available that businesses use to store customer information and manage relationships and interactions with their customers. But CRMs are incredibly difficult to use, simply because the tools are built to house hundreds and hundreds of complicated features, instead of simple and easy-to-use processes anyone can get a hold of.
Podcasters can use a simple contact management tool to keep track of their guests' contact information, availability, and any relevant notes for future collaboration. A good contact management system can help you manage and organize your guest’s information in multiple different ways.
ContactBook - The best contact management tool for podcasters
Whether you are planning to start a podcast or have several podcasts running under your belt, ContactBook will help you manage your contacts and make things so much easier for you and your team. ContactBook will help you manage and organize your business contacts in the cloud and lets you share them with relevant teammates so they always have access to updated information. ContactBook makes contact sharing extremely easy and hassle-free. You can use ContactBook to
- Keep a track of your guest’s contact information. This includes their name, phone number, and email address.
- Organize contacts in relevant Groups based on guests’ professions like authors, bloggers, doctors, economists, etc, and keep them shared with your team.
- Share contact or group of contacts with your team while assigning permissions.
- Quickly search guests or any contacts with their details like company, job title, or email address.
- Get notified about scheduled interviews using reminders.
- Add collaboration notes for your guests using the notes feature. This includes any subjects you wish to talk about with the guest, any questions you have for the visitor, and any other notes that will help your team prepare for the interview.
Wrapping up
Podcasting has its ups and downs, just like anything else. This medium's complexity and its many moving pieces can be off-putting at first. When it comes to handling guests for a podcast, a contact management system can prove to be an invaluable tool. Not only will it help keep a track of important details and interactions, but it can also save a great deal of time and effort in the long run. If you are looking for an affordable and easy-to-use contact management solution, your best bet would be to go with ContactBook!
