Around this time of year, I remember one of my favourite Christmas stories.
It was 2015. I was in my first ever office job as an intern with a small company in Monaco. There were a few other Brits, but most of my colleagues were Italian.
In the run-up to Christmas, one of my bosses wanted to do something festive and remembered a fun tradition from a job she’d had in London, a workplace Secret Santa.
She delegated the legwork to me.
I stood up in front of the office and talked about when we would draw the names of our gift recipients. So sure was I that Secret Santa was inherently logical, I didn’t provide a fulsome explanation of what we were actually doing.
One particular colleague, an absolute dead ringer for Joey from F.R.I.E.N.D.S., asked for clarification: “So, I buy everybody a present?"
“No”, I answered. I realised the problem and turned to the whiteboard.
I drew a Secret Santa diagram. I mimed. I provided example scenarios. I used my best teaching voice.
Joey’s doppelganger piped up again: “Ah, I get it! So everybody buys me a present?”
That December day, I assumed that everyone I was talking to knew what Secret Santa was. Clearly, I was wrong.
And the listeners who just discovered your podcast won’t know the rich history locked away in your episode archives.
They won’t be familiar with your specific terminology or the inside jokes that your members quip to each other, and that can be discouraging. It’s alienating when you’re the person who doesn’t get it.
That feeling can push new listeners right back out of your orbit before they learn about the value of your paid services.
But you, as the community leader, can help your new followers stay connected to your message.
There are so many ways you can help newbies get up to speed on your podcast and what your community stands for:
- A welcome sequence: Automated emails that introduce new subscribers to your podcast, story and services
- Podcast episode reruns: A rerelease of old podcast episodes, perhaps with a new introduction for added context
- Podcast playlist emails: An email on a particular theme with links to relevant episodes
- A downloadable guide: A PDF to help new members make the most of your advice and your community.
If you want help with your emails so they set every person in your community up for success, book a free Connections Call with me.
I’ll help you create emails that make sense to every single subscriber and show the value of the services you provide.
Let’s help every new listener feel like an insider from their first episode.
Wishing you and your community all the best for the festive season,
~Sarah at CopyHop~
I'm Sarah Hopkinson and I write meaningful emails that help podcasters increase their revenue and build a community around their podcast.
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