How Rankings.io is getting 10x ROI from Podcasts with Lower Street

Branded podcasts can help achieve your business goals. Podcasting is an efficient medium to add to your marketing mix, but there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to make them happen. Rankings.io knew they needed a hand, and they saw that investing in their podcast strategy, and bringing on a production agency would greatly improve their results.

Rankings.io is a platform that assists law firms in growing through digital marketing, SEO tactics, and analytical insight.

They already had a concept for a podcast to reach a greater audience, but they weren’t seeing the results they wanted.

After just a few months working with us, they saw a 10-times return on their investment, over $1 million in new business revenue, and connected with hundreds of thousands of their target audience. The success even inspired them to expand and launch more podcasts.

But how did the Personal Injury Marketing Mastermind podcast bring all these results? Read on and learn the strategy we applied to help Rankings.io reach their branded podcast goals.

I've definitely generated a ten times return on my investment. There's no question that it's effective. Many of our prospects tell us they heard me on our podcast.
Chris Dreyer - CEO, Rankings.io & Host of Personal Injury Mastermind

Key Highlights:

Rankings.io had a vision, but their previous podcast partners couldn’t bring it to light, the show wasn’t bringing new clients or recognition
Lower Street ran an audit and broke down the show for a custom strategy to revamp Personal Injury Marketing Mastermind
Through quality interview prep, guest vetting, and high-quality production, we were able to realize Rankings.io podcast vision
Promotional campaigns helped relaunch the podcast getting it to the right audience
The Personal Injury Marketing Mastermind podcast brought 10x ROI, more than $1 million in new customer revenue in just 18 months, and had over 22,500 monthly downloads

Challenges

When Rankings.io began podcasting for their personal injury lawyer audience, they had ambitious plans. They wanted to produce an outstanding listener experience and a steady source of original content that would fuel their social channels and attract prestige clients.

Chris Dreyer, CEO of Rankings.io had already given podcasting a go. He founded the Personal Injury Marketing Mastermind (PIMM) podcast, but it wasn’t shaping up to be as he hoped.

As a serial podcast listener, he knew the power of a high-quality show.

I knew how effective it could be. A podcast is like giving a keynote speech every week without even having to leave the house.
Chris Dreyer

He was willing to invest significant time and money into a podcast strategy but struggled to find a partner who understood his vision.

I had used other podcast companies in the past, but they weren’t focused on the level of quality I was looking for.
Chris Dreyer

Many agencies were focused on helping Chris network with industry experts, but he was determined to make an impact on his listeners by giving genuine value. He also found that they lacked the expectations he had for high-quality production. Chris sought to create a phenomenal show that could reach thousands of potential clients and grow his business.

I was looking for more than a one-to-one connection. I was looking for distribution leverage—creating a great show that could reach thousands.
Chris Dreyer

So, while the show wasn’t performing the way Chris hoped, he kept searching for an agency that could help him bring his vision to life.

After listening to some of our shows, Chris turned to Lower Street - he was sold on the caliber of our work.

Finally, he’d found a level of professionalism that could represent his brand.

With no hesitation, Chris signed with Lower Street.

Solution

Right away, Chris saw an enormous difference in how Lower Street approached his podcast.

Everything was focused on quality. From the sound of the music to the cover art, the voice-overs, research of the guests, and the audio engineering; all these little nuances and granular things they recommended made the show exponentially better.
Chris Dreyer

Lower Street got straight to work. The first thing we considered was a rebrand. We looked at the current podcast, the audience, and the target goals.

Considering the concept

We started with a detailed audit of the existing show alongside the team at Rankings.io. This included an assessment of their audience archetype and the competitive landscape within their industry. With that data in hand, Rankings.io developed a new strategy to turn the show into a binge-worthy hit.

The Rankings Podcast was rebranded to focus on these goals and speak directly to the target audience.

One of the biggest changes was implementing a whole new name and angle. Thus was born Personal Injury Marketing Mastermind (PIMM): a podcast that focused on giving value to the law professionals who were listening. On PIMM elite personal injury attorneys and leading-edge marketers share exclusive access to growth strategies for law firms.

At its inception, it was The Rankings Podcast. But we came to the realization that the show needed to rebrand to focus on my audience and make it about them, not me.
Chris Dreyer

Once the concept was locked down, we looked at other ways of improvement.

Adjusting the audio

While refining the show’s content strategy, Lower Street also made tweaks to audio quality to level up the show.

They were small adjustments, with a big impact. It’s something that many podcasters might overlook while trying to develop a stand-out concept, but Lower Street knows how important it can be.

Chris was blown away by the difference it made.

Together with new music, voice-over segments to narrate the story and inject thought leadership, and a more sophisticated episode structure, the refinements added up to the polished production Chris had wanted for the Rankings.io brand.

But there was still work to be done if PIMM was going to stand out as a leading podcast.

Content is key

After a rebrand, it was time to consider the core content of the podcast: the guests and interviews.

Unlike other podcast production companies Chris previously worked with, Lower Street provided in-depth research on each topic and guest coming onto the show. We offered a customized prep sheet and set of questions for each interview, creating a unique and engaging content flow for each episode.

This improved dialogue, storytelling, and overall content. Preparing the host and guests saves time in the post-production editing as well.

Lower Street’s unique approach to guest research is driving more impactful interviews than Chris had in the past.

With our other podcast companies, I had to do the research, and there were fixed questions for every guest. But with Lower Street, my producer does very thorough research and gives me a customized set of questions. It helps me draw out the best information, get away from familiar soundbites, and give the audience something different.
Chris Dreyer

That thoughtful process is the reason why audiences are swelling for PIMM (and Rankings follow-up podcast - LawHer!)

Every single time I go into an interview, it’s organized. There is a flow. And we give listeners something unique and interesting.
Chris Dreyer

With increased quality and the help of Lower Street, Chris now interviews high-profile guests including top personal injury attorneys and individuals who make an impact in their industry, including prominent attorneys such as Darryl Isaacs and Joe Fried, or entrepreneurial leaders like Seth Godin.

Accelerate Growth with Promotions

On top of planning and producing Rankings.io podcasts, Lower Street stepped in to manage strategic ad campaigns to significantly increase the reach of the show.

I know the promotion has worked, because I’ve seen significant jumps after each campaign. We’ve done things with Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms, and it really speaks to the expertise of their team and the trust that I have with them.
Chris Dreyer

Outcome:

Chris Dreyer saw a 10 times return on investment from what he’d put into podcasting

LawHer was launched as a second successful podcast for women in Law.
Rankings.io saw over $1 million in new customer revenue in just 18 months
PIMM and LawHer see over 22,500 downloads monthly

Thanks to their partnership with Lower Street, Rankings.io re-launched their flagship podcast, added a second show, and achieved an incredible 10x ROI. Rankings.io also captured $1MM in revenue in just 18 months, along with 22,556 downloads per month.

But for Chris, the value went even beyond numbers.

Off the back of the success of PIMM, Chris and his team decided to double down and create a second podcast focused on a specific subset of their audience.

LawHer was launched to serve the community of female attorneys. The podcasts provided an opportunity to serve and represent the female law community in a male-dominated industry.

There were a lot of male-oriented, male-dominated podcasts in our space, and we wanted to serve and represent the female law community. We’ve seen tremendous results from both podcasts, not only from a lead-generation and social media perspective, but also in terms of education for our industry.
Chris Dreyer

As a result of LawHer’s popularity Rankings.io’s' COO, Sonya Palmer, host of LawHer, was given multiple keynote speaking opportunities at some of the country's top legal industry conferences.

That glowing credibility is driving great results throughout the company’s entire digital strategy.

The two shows provided significant results from both a lead-generation and social media perspective.

A large portion of the incremental leads came from social media where Chris and his team are using Lower Street-produced video clips. The distribution of the podcast and the opportunities it presented on social media were keys to the business growth Rankings.io experienced.

With our partnership yielding not one, but two highly successful shows, it’s no wonder that Chris is absolutely thrilled with his Lower Street team.

It’s been an incredible investment. When I factor in the costs of what it would take to bring this in-house, to get the expertise they have in strategy, audio, engineering, producing... it’s a no-brainer. Absolutely go with Lower Street. They are the best.
Chris Dreyer

Conclusion - Invest in podcasting, it’s worth it.

Starting over with a whole new name, approach, and equipment can be a little nerve-racking But never be afraid to start again. Our strategy of breaking down The Rankings Podcast and building it back up as Personal Injury Marketing Mastermind made an enormous impact on Rankings.io success.

Ultimately investing in your podcast will be the best decision you can make. It might seem simple at first - record a few chats with experts and get it out there, who wouldn’t love it?

But there is a lot more that goes into making branded podcasts a success. Trust the podcasting professionals to help you reach your goal.

If you want to create a phenomenal podcast that delivers real incremental revenue, contact us today.

How Rankings.io is getting 10x ROI from Podcasts with Lower Street

Contents

Key Highlights:

Challenges