In this episode, we talk with Alanah Joseph, Head of Creator Partnerships at HubSpot, about the ins and outs of building a podcast network through unique partnerships.

You’ll learn why HubSpot started the network, the innovative ways Alanah and her team form mutually beneficial relationships with the hosts, and how they’re taking it all to the next level with their new HubSpot Creator Network.

Name: Alanah Joseph

What she does: Head of Creator Partnerships at HubSpot

Connect with her: LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

When looking for podcasts to add to their network, HubSpot focuses on finding talented hosts who are dedicated to bringing educational content to their audience. Instead of looking at downloads, they analyze reviews and comments on social media to see how engaged the audience is and to gauge whether or not they appreciate the content the host works hard to create.

As an advertiser, HubSpot collaborates with the podcast hosts in its network to ensure their ads fit the personality and audience of each show. They work hand-in-hand with their podcasters to figure out who their audience is, what they care about, where in the world they are, etc., and then create ads that will be valuable to the listeners.

Of course, you can measure the success of a podcast network based on acquisition and lead generation. However, it’s equally, if not more, important to understand how the hosts feel about working within the network and the value they see from it. Do they feel supported? Is it a collaborative partnership? HubSpot, for example, has a match program where they help match a podcaster’s ad budget so they can run larger campaigns on Facebook or Spotify.

While downloads are an important number to keep track of, it’s also important to monitor the qualitative data from your show. What sort of feedback are the listeners sharing with you? Are they leaving positive or negative reviews? Are they sharing your episodes on social media? Because the tech behind podcast analytics isn’t quite where it should be, you need to be able to go off of instinct based on what you hear from your audience.

HubSpot’s newest initiative, HubSpot Creators, is a program for emerging business-related shows and creators. They want to make an effort to bring forward smaller, more diverse voices that are offering valuable content and support them as they reach success.