Did you know that as of summer 2022, there are more than 2.4 million podcasts with over 66 million episodes across them? That's a lot of competition! So, how do you make sure that your podcast gets the attention it deserves? In this blog post, we will discuss some tips and tricks for promoting your podcast and building an audience.
What is podcast promotion and marketing?
Podcast marketing and promotion is the process of getting your podcast in front of potential listeners. This can be done through a variety of means, such as social media, search engine optimization (SEO), guest blogging, paid advertising and more.
Why is promoting your podcast important?
If you want people to listen to your podcast, you need to promote it! Just like with any other product or service, you need to let people know that your podcast exists and that it is worth their time. It's disheartening to put time and money into your podcasting journey and not get the rewards you were expecting.
If you have;t already launched your podcast then NOW is a great time to start thinking about your marketing strategy.
Podcast marketing strategies for 2022
Since the covid pandemic started in 2020, the podcast industry has seen a huge surge in popularity. More and more people are turning to podcasts for entertainment, information, and connection. This trend is only set to continue in the coming years, which means there will be more opportunities than ever to promote your podcast and reach a new audience.
This has changed the world of podcasting strategies because promoting your podcast is no longer just about submitting it to iTunes or promoting it on social media. If you want to be successful in the coming years, you need to be thinking about how to stand out in a crowded marketplace and how to reach new listeners.
How to implement podcast promotion:
Use your podcast reviews as marketing material
If you're getting positive reviews for your podcast, make sure to share them! Posting them on social media, your podcast website, or in promoting emails. This is a great way to show potential listeners that your podcast is popular and worth their time. They act the same way as testimonials do to your business or brand.
If you have a 5-star rating on iTunes, that's a valuable tool to market your podcast. Also, start or end your podcast with a positive review to further show your listeners how others feel about your content. This shout-out can also entice others to review.
Submit Your Show to Every Podcast Aggregator & Directory that You Possibly Can
There are many podcast directories and aggregators, such as iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. The more places your podcast is listed, the more likely people are to find it. You can also submit your podcast RSS feed to directories like Podchaser and Listen Notes and other podcast apps.
Some more popular podcast streaming platforms include:
- iHeartRadio - TuneIn - iHeartRadio - Mixcloud (for music-based shows) - Podbay - Podtail - Castbox |
How to Submit Your Podcast to Google
Google has a directory for podcasts, which is separate from its main search engine. This means that if people are searching specifically for podcasts, your show might come up in the results. You can submit your podcast by following these steps:
Create a Google account
Visit the Google Podcasts manager
Click "Add a podcast"
Enter your podcast RSS feed
Submit your podcast
Even though over two-thirds of podcast listeners use Apple Podcasts it is extremely important to make your podcast as accessible as possible to reach a wider audience. You can use hosting platforms such as Buzzsprout to make sure that your podcast is compatible with all major directories and aggregators.
Run a giveaway contest
Who doesn't love free stuff? Running a contest is a great way to get people engaged with your podcast. Promoting your contest on social media and your website can drive listeners to your show. Make sure to choose a prize that would appeal to your target audience.
For example, if you have a business podcast, you could give away a free month of your business coaching service. This will keep listeners coming back for more and possibly even subscribing to your podcast.
Be involved in relevant online communities
Join online communities that are relevant to your podcast topic. For example, if you have a marketing podcast, you could join an online marketing group. Once you've joined, be active and contribute value to the community.
You can also promote your podcast in your signature or in relevant threads. Just make sure that you're not spamming the group and that you're promoting your podcast in a way that is helpful and relevant to the discussion.
Use live streaming to promote
Live streaming is a great way to promote your podcast and engage with your audience in real-time. You can use platforms like YouTube Live, Facebook Live, or Instagram Live to stream your podcast.
You can also use live streaming to do interviews with guests or other experts in your field. This is a great way to reach a wider audience and get more people interested in your podcast.
Be a guest on other podcasts
One of the best ways to promote your podcast is to be a guest on other people's shows. This will give you exposure to a new audience and help you build relationships with other podcasters. When you're looking for guests, make sure to find shows that are similar to yours in terms of topic and audience.
You can also use podcast directories to find shows that you might be a good fit for. Once you've found a few shows, reach out to the hosts and pitch them on why you would make a great guest. This can also be beneficial for their podcast and can double up as a great networking tool.
Transcribe the audio
Transcriptions are a great marketing tool because they make your content more accessible to people who prefer to read rather than listen. They can also help people who are hearing impaired or who don't speak the language that your podcast is in. To do this you can transcribe your podcast episode yourself, hire a transcription service or use ai transcription services such as Otter.ai if you are on a tighter budget. Once you have your transcriptions, you can post them on your website, social media or use them for blog posts.
Start a blog
If you don't already have a blog, starting one is a great way to promote your podcast and drive traffic to your website. You can use your blog to write about your podcast episodes, share transcriptions, or write articles that are related to your podcast topic.
This is a great way to attract new listeners and get people interested in your show. This will also help SEO for your brands website to increase organic traffic which will ultimately increase revenue.
Experiment with the best time to publish
When you first start podcast promotion, it can be helpful to experiment with the best time to publish your episodes. You can use social media analytics tools such as Buffer or Hootsuite to help you track when your audience is most engaged.
Once you've found the best time to publish, make sure to be consistent so that your audience knows when to expect new podcast episode. If you keep to a very strict weekly/ bi-weekly or monthly schedule, you will notice your listeners will start to increase.
Release bonus content
Bonus content is a great way to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. You can release bonus content exclusively on your website or through a paid subscription service such as Patreon.
Bonus content can include behind-the-scenes footage, bloopers, outtakes, or extended versions of your episodes. This is a great way to give your fans more of what they love and keep them coming back for more.
Invest in podcast SEO
Just like with any other type of content, it's important to invest in podcast SEO if you want to be successful. This means optimizing your episodes and show notes for the search engines. You can do this by using keywords, tagging your episodes, and promoting your podcast on social media and other websites. The better your podcast is optimized, the more likely people are to find it when they're searching for related topics.
Get active on social media
Social media is a great way to promote your podcast and reach a new audience. Make sure to post about your episodes on all of your social media platforms, and use hashtags and keywords to make it easy for people to find your content.
As we mentioned earlier, you can also use social media to run contests and giveaways, or to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at your podcast.
Optimising your website for podcast growth
Making sure your website is optimised for podcast growth is essential if you want to increase your listener numbers. There are a few things you can do to make sure your website is set up for success:
- Use an RSS feed so that people can subscribe to your podcast and get new episodes automatically
- Optimise your website for SEO so that people can find your podcast when they're searching for related topics
- Include share buttons on your website so that people can easily share your episodes with their friends and followers
- Create a landing page for your podcast so that people can easily find all of your episodes and show notes in one place.
Email marketing
Email marketing can be a great way to impliment podcast promotion and keep your audience engaged. You can use email to announce new episodes, share blog posts or articles related to your podcast topic, or give listeners exclusive access to bonus content.
If you don't already have an email list, you can start building one by promoting a contest or giveaway on your website or social media channels. You can also offer something free, such as an ebook or mini course, in exchange for people's email addresses.
Publish Your Podcast on YouTube
More and more people are consuming their content on YouTube, so it's a great platform to promoting your podcast. Around 2 billion people use YouTube every month, so you have a huge potential audience. You can create a channel for your podcast and start uploading your episodes. Make sure to optimise your channel and videos for SEO so that people can easily find your content.
You can also include transcripts of your episodes in the video descriptions to make it easy for people to follow. Creating video versions of your episodes can be slightly daunting at first if you feel uncomfortable in front of a camera but it gets easier the more episodes you do. If you need help about what hardware you need to start your video podcast, make sure and check out our best podcasting hardware article.
Use your existing network
If you have a large network of friends, family, and colleagues, you can promote your podcast to them. This can be a great way to get started and build an initial audience. You can promote your podcast on your personal social media platforms, or even just mention it to people when you're chatting with them.
You never know who might be interested in listening, so it's always worth promoting your podcast to your existing network.
Repurpose your podcast content
If you're struggling to come up with new ideas for promoting your podcast, try repurposing your existing content. For example, you could take a popular episode and turn it into a blog post, or create an infographic based on the data and statistics you discuss in the episode. You could also make a video or audio clip of your best moments and share it on social media, or create an ebook with your best tips and advice.
It is also great to market your episode over the following months to gain as many listeners per episode as possible. You can easily take snippets of the best moments from each show and reuse them on your socials. There are endless possibilities for repurposing your content, so get creative and see what works best for you and your audience.
Include links in your email signature
It is simple yet powerful. Add links in your email signature to your podcasts to allow everyone to find your content easily.
Conclusion
There are a lot of ways that for you to promote your podcast and build an audience. These are just a few of the many options that you have. The most important thing is to be creative and to experiment with different marketing strategies to see what works best for you and your podcast. With a little bit of effort, you'll be able to quickly grow your audience and start making an impact with your podcast.