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Strategically Rebranding Your Podcast to Take It To The Next Level

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Have you ever wondered how to breathe new life into your podcast without losing your loyal audience or missing out on potential new listeners? In this blog post, Angie Griffith shares her journey of rebranding her podcast after nearly 100 episodes. She explains pivotal moments that led to her rebrand decision and the steps she took for a seamless transition. You’ll learn valuable insights, including the unexpected marketing tactic that yielded remarkable results. Get ready to learn how a well-executed rebrand can reignite your podcasting passion and momentum!

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Read the Blog Post: How to Define Your Target Listener To Level Up Your Podcast

If you’re a podcaster who has been considering rebranding your podcast, you are in the right place. And before we get started, I want to clarify what I mean when I say podcast rebrand. So rather than creating a whole other podcast on an entire other podcast feed, what you’re doing is you’re essentially just flipping your current feed. You’re going to change your title, your cover art, your show description, your intro outro, and just reintroduce your audience to essentially a new podcast. Maybe just a slight pivot from where you were before.

Rebranding Your Podcast Doesn’t Have to Be a Death Sentence

When they think about a podcast rebrand, most podcasters immediately consider it a death sentence. Like they think they’re going to lose all these followers, and they’re going to have to start over from scratch. But in reality, at least in my experience, it’s quite the opposite. If done right, a podcast rebrand can be this unique, incredible opportunity to breathe new life into your show and drive fresh momentum back to your podcast. I want to start by telling you a quick story that I heard recently, and I thought it was perfect for this conversation.

“If done right, a podcast rebrand can be this unique, incredible opportunity to breathe new life into your show and drive fresh momentum back to your podcast.” – Angie Griffith

So, I want you to picture two spear fishermen. Every day, the fishermen go out, wade into the water, and spend all day. But each fisherman always comes home with five fish. So they wake up in the morning, they wade out into the water, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab. They come home.

The next day, go into the water, spend all day, and come home with five fish. Now, the first fisherman wishes he could catch more fish. But at the end of the day, he’s getting all the fish he needs. He can provide for his family and has his systems finally nailed down so that he’s confident he’s going to get five fish every day. So, he doesn’t want to do anything to disrupt what he’s already built. The second fisherman, however, is starting to think, maybe I can expand on this and grow my fishing empire.

Reevaluation

So, he decides to take a step back and reevaluate what he’s doing during that time. The first fisherman continues to go out onto the water; every day, he catches five fish. So, in the short term, it looks like the first fisherman has a more successful fishing business. The second fisherman is building a boat and sewing a net. And eventually, once he’s made his boat and sewed his catch, he goes back into the water.

He surpasses that first fisherman. He goes deeper into the water, and with one cast of his net, he gathers ten times as many fish. Not only does he collect ten times as many fish, but he saves all those hours in the day that he otherwise would have been spent waiting in the water spearfishing, and he can reinvest those hours back into building his fishing empire. So obviously, in the long term, the second fisherman, even though he took a step back, was more successful in his fishing business in the long run. So please look at your podcast like this, and maybe you relate more to the first fisherman. You’re like, I finally got all of my systems in place. I know that if I publish one episode a week, I get about five new monthly listeners.

Making Small Adjustments To Test The Waters

My listeners are happy this is working for me. But maybe you’re like the second fisherman where you’re like, my systems are in place. It finally functions like a well-oiled machine. But some pull in my gut’s saying maybe if I make a minor tweak and perhaps define my listener a little bit more narrowly or maybe try to make some pivot, that’ll make this huge impact in my show.

“Maybe I make a minor tweak and perhaps define my listener a bit more narrowly, or maybe try to make some pivot to make this huge impact in my show.” – Angie Griffith

Maybe I can go out there and catch more listeners in a shorter time and grow my podcast a lot faster. And so, if that’s you, you may be considering rebranding your podcast. So, in this episode, what I want to do is I want to give you one perspective, which is my experience of rebranding after just under two years and 100 episodes under my former title. And I want to share with you some of the things that worked some of the things that didn’t work as well so that you can go into your decision about rebranding, just more informed and decide if you do want to rebrand or not, and if you do, how you want to move forward with that process—a little about me.

Some History About Angie’s Podcasting Experience

I come from over a decade in the music business, and I moved into podcasting in 2020 when I built out a podcast division for the company I had been working for for about eight years. And then, in 2021, I pivoted that department into my own business in the podcasting space. So, when I started my entrepreneurial journey, my priority was making money. I’m leaving this cushy career with these benefits and a salary.

How do I do this on my own? So I had it in my mind because this is what all the professionals tell us. I would create a scalable group coaching program teaching people how to start a podcast. In my mind, I was going to be the how to start a podcast girl. So I thought, if this is my end goal, I should have something in the podcast listening apps.

Make Rebranding Your Podcast a Strategic Move

So that if someone searches the podcast apps, how to start a podcast, they’ll find my podcast, they’ll listen to an episode, they’ll download my freebie, they’ll enter my funnel, and then eventually they’ll enroll in my coaching program. That’s the dream we’re sold. So when I first decided I needed something out there in the podcast listening apps, I knew it wouldn’t be the podcast of my dreams. Yes, I wanted to have the podcast of my dreams one day. I was so excited to do that.

But it wasn’t the right timing. I needed to get clients first. So I decided in about five minutes. Barely thinking about it because I was never planning on sharing this podcast with the world, I said, okay, I’ll title it Four Things for Your Podcast and do short episodes—four things for your podcast in four minutes or less.

Surely, I’ll be able to do this on the side…

It won’t be that big of a deal or much more work for me to do weekly. But because of the intention behind why I started my podcast and the timing of when I started my podcast, it ended up feeling like way more work than it should have. So, this was the most draining, grueling process. I wouldn’t say I liked every minute of it.

I did publish a four-minute episode weekly, but it was tough for me, and I did not feel aligned. And I think the reason for that was because the energy behind my podcast was, what can my podcast do for me? How can I get clients through this four-minute episode I’m sharing with the world? Why isn’t it working quickly? What’s going on?

Rather than, hey, how can I build a community and serve others through my podcast content? I had it all backward. So, on a whim, again, it was in January of 2022. So, this is nine months after I started my podcast. Initially, I decided, hey, I need to switch up the energy here and want to have the podcast of my dreams eventually.

Deciding to Pivot My Podcast

I have a podcast. Why don’t I pivot this podcast into something I will enjoy and get something out of showing up to weekly after week? And so that’s what I did. I started to take my podcast more seriously. I started releasing full-length episodes, mostly guest interviews, to fit the title I made for myself.

Four things for your podcast. At the end of every episode, I decided to recap my four takeaways from whatever the topic. Now, that served me for some time in the stage of business and the stage of my creator journey that I was in. This helped me develop myself as a better podcaster and interviewer. And I think this was what I needed to do then.

But eventually, about 13 months into doing that, I started to build up this resentment for my podcast. I felt like I was fitting into this box of this title I created for myself in April of 2021: four Things for Your Podcast. I had this whole extra workflow step of recapping the episode at the end, which I didn’t want to do, but I was doing it just to fit into this title I made for myself. And not only that, but I felt like the former podcast was speaking to an entirely different podcaster. So, like I said when I first started my podcast, I thought I would be the how-to-create-a-podcast girl.

Two Years Later

After almost two years of podcasting, developing this craft, and developing myself more as a creator and a business owner, serving clients, and working with clients, I realized that I don’t enjoy the how-to, and that’s not really what I want. People come to me for what I enjoy and where my skill set lies from the music business, where I managed high-profile clients and their careers, putting together these big deals and working on them. The level of scale where I can serve podcasters is taking them from having a podcast as a hobby to building this thriving brand and business around their podcast. And so I started to think, hey, I’m talking to the podcaster who’s already out there sharing their message, making an impact, they’re influencing people, they’re building a business.

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And so I was thinking, okay, the influencers of podcasting—podcast influencers. The word PodPros just came to me, and I was excited about this term. And immediately when I came up with this word, I was like, this is the title of my podcast. This is who I’m speaking to.

That’s When I Knew It Was Time To Rebrand

I need to rebrand my podcast immediately. So this was on February 2. I had the idea. I was so on fire about it. The very next day, I started the process of filing the trademark for my podcast title.

About a month later, I contacted a good friend, Lauren Purcell, who you may be familiar with. She is just this genius when it comes to podcast promotion. So I asked her if she wanted to go on board and help tackle some of the promotion and outreach for me, and she did, which was awesome. And then, on April 18, I relaunched my podcast under the new title PodPros Society, along with a new description, intro, logo, branding, cover art, and everything. So, if you want to talk about my exact steps, it’s straightforward.

Moving Forward Into a Rebranding Journey

I decided that I was going to rebrand. I took action without overthinking it. So, I just went with my gut. What I intuitively felt was going to be best for the growth of my show, drawing in more listeners by casting one net and just being clear with who I’m targeting and how I’m serving them. And then I went all in.

So I could have just kind of flipped my assets in the background, quietly soft-announced it, and didn’t make a big deal about it. That was one option. But I decided to put together a complete marketing plan because what an opportunity to get new momentum around my show. This is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And so, if you want to know everything I did, I recorded an episode on my podcast with Lauren.

Sharing My Full Rebrand Story

I brought her on as a guest and went through everything I did to promote my rebrand. And that episode is episode 100, titled Unveiling the Secrets. Insider access to my Podcast rebrand promotion strategies. And that was released on May 9, 2023. So, if you’re curious, that episode does exist for you. There is zero chance I could cover it all in this presentation.

So what I decided to do for you is I thought about if I had to pick the top three things I did to promote my podcast rebrand, what would they be? And here’s what they would be. So, I will work from number three to number one, my favorite. Okay. So, number three is I put together a press release.

#3. Do a Press Release When Rebranding Your Podcast

So, for the context of a podcast rebrand, it’s not really about having this whole campaign because that will, first of all, a formal press campaign usually takes about 60 to 90 days lead time, and I didn’t have that. I wanted to move much quicker than that and also to hire, like, a formal publicist, at least where I come from in the entertainment space, they’re on a retainer for like five to seven grand a month, and that’s not extra cash that I had lying around.

I initially considered a press release but not as part of a campaign; rather, I aimed to compile vital rebrand information. The goal was to efficiently communicate the announcement on launch day and for the long term, hyperlinking it in conversations. Additionally, if you have a partner—like a sponsor or network—joining in the momentum, a press release would be beneficial.

#2. When Rebranding Your Podcast Have Collaborators

It makes it much easier for that partner to help you cross-promote. Because if you think about it, let’s say you have a sponsor. They have so much going on they’re happy to give you a check and trust that you will meet those deliverables. So they won’t go out of their way to research all of the details behind your rebrand. But if they’re given a press release, that’s something that they can easily pull little things out of and send it out on their social media, or they can send it out to their newsletter. There are so many things that your partner can do if you take the time to give them something that they can work with to promote quickly so that you’re doing the work for them.

When You’re a Solo Podcaster On A Budget

And then also, if you have a partner and they’re included in your press release, that press release will make it easier for you to secure future partnerships because it looks immaculate, polished, and professional. Your future partner can know that you take your brand seriously. So, the third best thing I did was the press release. The second best thing I did was step out of my comfort zone because I hate asking for help. I’m a one-person show. I do everything on my own.

Of course, I would love to outsource, but I’m very particular and don’t have a budget, so I end up doing a lot of things on my own. So, asking for help is challenging for me. But I knew that if I wanted to make a splash, I would need help from my peers. So, I sent some requests to about 15 friends in the podcasting industry who have podcasts speaking to my target audience. And I asked for their support.

And I also went back to all of my previous podcast guests and asked for their support. So, the third best thing was the press release. The second best thing was requesting help from others. And then the final thing is something I almost didn’t do because I was like, what’s? The point is I bought a billboard.

#1. Get A Billboard To Announce Rebranding Your Podcast

In Nashville, there’s this area called the Gulch, which is right outside of downtown. It’s a high-traffic, beautiful place, and there’s a giant billboard there. So obviously, in my mind, I’m like, people driving by aren’t going to see this billboard, pull over, follow my show. And I wouldn’t want them to anyway. That’s dangerous. And also, they’re not going to go home and then remember to go back and follow my show.

But in my mind, it was less about the action of the drivers and more about, again, going back to market positioning. In my mind, it was all about the picture of the billboard that I could share online. So I bought the lowest-priced package, $250 for 30 minutes on a rotating screen. So, my podcast would get eight minutes of screen time. I showed up at that billboard. I got that picture within that 30-minute window.

This Billboard Provided More Engagement Than Anything Else

And that was the single thing that drove the most momentum to my show just because of how cool it looked. Not only that, but I put my sponsor’s logo on there, and it made them look cool. So, to everyone who followed me. It looked like Angie had this awesome sponsor, and they put this money behind her. But, in reality, I bought the billboard and made my sponsor look cool. But it was my highest-engaged post across all my social media platforms.

I’m talking like, ever, I think, not just around the rebrand. But at least 400% higher engagement than all the rest of my posts. And again, it just made my whole rebrand look more polished and professional and look like I had this massive support behind me, when in reality, it was just, hey, I paid $250. So, I couldn’t have known the billboard would have that impact. But it was such a fantastic promotion strategy that was awesome for my podcast rebrand. So, press release, asking for support, and then the billboard.

Other Ideas For Promoting Your Podcast Rebrand

If I had to say if there was anything I did wrong, definitely it would be this. So I’m sure you’re aware you can submit to Apple podcasts for promotional support to get on like New and Noteworthy. There’s just a simple airtable form that you can fill out. You can do this anytime. It doesn’t have to be for a launch or a rebrand.

However, I decided to take the opportunity to ask for promotion support from Apple podcasts for my rebrand. What I did was I told them all of my plans. I was like, hey, this date is important because this is when I’m rebranding. This is everything I’m doing. I stood out for them in every marketing strategy I would do, including the billboard, press release, and asking for support.

And I thought they would surely take me seriously and want to promote this for me. But then I heard Crickets, and then later on, I was thinking about it and realized I was moving too quickly. I didn’t know about this, good enough or hard enough. And really, what I should have done is instead of asking for a favor from Apple podcasts, I should have presented it as a win-win situation. So, I should have presented it as a co-promotion, co-marketing team effort strategy.

Like, hey, if you promote my podcast, I will, for instance, direct all of my listeners around my rebrand promotion. I will refer everyone to Apple podcasts. So, I’ll only service an Apple podcast link. If you, in turn, featured me on Apple podcasts, something along those lines, I think that would have had a more significant impact. I don’t know if that would have made Apple podcasts look at me any differently.

Level Up Your Chances of Getting Promoted

To up my chances with Apple podcast promotions, I considered their mysterious ways. If you’re a solo producer like me, facing the challenge of organizing a podcast rebrand can be overwhelming. In such cases, I do what I always do—I draw from my time in the music business. When dealing with tasks like tour announcements or album releases for clients, I create a simple Google Sheet. It’s a timeline with dates on the left and corresponding descriptions on the right, allowing for a systematic approach to work through the list.

Having things in writing makes it much easier to digest, especially with deadlines. So, I highly recommend creating a timeline for yourself. I have it’s free. It’s a podcast rebrand checklist, so there are just some things to consider if you’re going into a podcast rebrand. Linked in that checklist is an example of a timeline, so you can see exactly what I mean. And if you’re interested in that, go to PodProsproducts.com rebrand to wrap it up.

About Your Results

Podcasting results come in time for the most part, so we will see how this goes in the future. But I can say in the immediate. The month I went live with my rebrand, April, was my highest downloads ever. There is nothing to write home about again, but it is higher than every other month.

Zero negative feedback, all positive. This has been super beneficial for my brand. I feel totally in alignment now with my purpose and my community, which allows me to be more confident and creative. Thankfully, my podcast is continually growing and evolving, so by the time you watch this video, maybe I’ve already made another significant change. Who knows?

About Angie Griffith

Angie Griffith ventured into building her own brand and business in podcasting in March of 2021, after spending over a decade in the music industry and playing a key role in the launch of a Podcast Division at an elite artist management firm. Through her extensive experience in high-level entertainment, she offers a unique and valuable perspective to her audience of “podfluencers,” a term she coined to describe content creators, reality television personalities, and other influencers who are building thriving brands and businesses, with their podcast at the center of it all.

Selected by Apple Podcasts for inclusion in their curated list of noteworthy Podcasts For Podcasters and 2x nominee for the People’s Choice Podcast Awards, her Podfluencer Society podcast shares valuable insights for “podfluencers” about marketing, monetizing, mindset, rebranding, and beyond, through a mix of solo episodes and guest interviews with top industry leaders across podcasting, the creator economy, the entertainment business, and more.

Check Out Angie Griffith’s Podcast
Get Angie’s Free Podcast Rebrand Checklist
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