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Successful podcasting isn't just about what you share in your episodes, but also what makes the entire experience easy, professional, and effective. Check out my ten suggestions for the email addresses and webpages your podcast needs.
Setting up
To make any of the following suggestions work, you need three things.
- Friendly permalinks activated in WordPress > Settings > Permalinks
- Pretty Link Lite, Pretty Link Pro, or similar friendly-URL-creation plugin
- Email forwarders with your domain or hosting plan
Each of the following URLs don't have to be the final slug for your page, but you should at least have redirections in place so they work.
The email addresses also don't have to be full accounts, but they can be forwarders you can send from and receive to with Gmail.
1. Your own domain!
Owning your own domain is the most important address you should have. Even if you use a third-party service like WordPress.com or LibSyn to host your website, you must have your own domain. Don't just make your domain forward to yourpodcast.wordpress.com, but make it stay on yourpodcast.com.
2. /contact and /feedback
If you want to accept feedback from your audience, you should share this in your podcast. But also make it easy with a single contact page. This can have all of your contact information.
- Email address (encrypted with CryptX plugin for WordPress)
- Feedback form (with Gravity Forms or Contact Form 7)
- Voicemail number
- SpeakPipe link or button (if not globally on your site)
- Mailing address (if you have a business address or PO Box)
3. /about
Don't make iTunes the only place where potential subscribers know what your podcast is about. You should have an “About” page that can be about the podcasts and the hosts.
4. /#
One of my biggest podcasting pet peeves (if you don't already know) is when podcasters tell their audience to find something. Don't make your audience have to look for your shownotes, just make an easy URL, such as /1, /50, or /150. I don't recommend leading zeros, though you can make this work with some fancy .htaccess or with some RegEx commands in the Redirection plugin for WordPress.
5. feedback@
If you want email from your audience, make an easy to say, spell, and write email address. The most popular choice is “feedback@yourpodcast.com.” I've seen other podcasts use their own name, or complicated terms like “suggestionbox” or “podcast.”
Do not use an @gmail.com address or anything other than your own domain. You can use Gmail, but use it the right way [tap091].
6. media@
If you want your podcast to be taken seriously and help you get press access to events and resources, make a “media@yourpodcast.com” address. Some companies won't even allow a press account without a “media” email address.
7. yourname@
For the more personal correspondence, and to make your podcast seem professional, I also recommend an email address with your name and podcast domain.
8. /amazon
Amazon.com is a great and easy way to generate affiliate income. Amazon provides many affiliate tools, including the ability to make your own store. Don't do that! It's okay to have a “store” page with recommended resources, but that makes it hard for shoppers to choose other items.
Many of your audience will be happy to visit your /amazon link before they shop on Amazon.com so that a portion of their purchase will support you.
9. /itunes
Remember my pet peeve about asking people to find something? iTunes links are the biggest offender. Make an easy iTunes link for your podcast (my video describes how to do it with LinkShare, but Apple now uses the PHG affiliate, which works almost the same).
10. /feed
Although you may never speak your /feed URL, it's important to have that standard provided from your site, and have it be a podcast-ready feed. “Podcast-ready” means it will work in iTunes, but it may not be your podcast-only feed.
Announcements
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Disclosure
This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship and may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.
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This episode itself will get you the award again this year! Fantastic information. Thank you so much Daniel.
Ha ha! Thanks, Chiaki!
I listened to this and I have implemented most of these items on my existing podcast site, and WILL implement them all. Thanks.
I also bought Pretty Link Pro through your affiliate link. (Their site is a little glitchy; I can’t login to the affiliate link area nor did it render well on my iPhone). My questions is: Since both Pretty Link Pro and Jetpack have social functions, what is your recommended way to configure them to not conflict or be redundant? Or do you recommend a third option to “publicize” post automatically?
I don’t like to let anything auto-publish to social networks. But if you want that, then pick whichever one works better for you.
Awesome information, glad I found your podcast and your tips
Thank you, Carol!