Even the most popular podcasts in the world cannot get thousands of downloads without strategic podcast marketing. So launching a podcast is rewarding and exciting- but not without a lot of elbow grease.
You can not simply sit back and expect the listenership to skyrocket without promoting and marketing your podcast. Successful podcast marketing is the holy grail to make your podcast discoverable by a wide audience.
That’s why here, we are sharing the top 7 podcast marketing strategies to help new podcasters get acquainted, and veteran podcasters fuel in more listners with podcast marketing:
What is Podcast Marketing?
Marketing for podcasts is exactly what it sounds like: getting your podcast in front of new listeners through marketing tactics. As a podcaster, you need to deploy a variety of creative strategies to get people to press play-from writing blog posts to partnering with other like-minded podcasters.
Let’s explore those in more depth below.
Top 7 Podcast Marketing Strategies
Social Media
Which marketing medium is the best for you to promote your podcast (or, well, anything these days)? Social media.
Social media is a great medium to share your podcast episodes, engage with your audience, and generate more interest in your podcast.
Nonetheless, you cannot just pop in, share the link, and leave. After all, social media is social. Essentially, you need to actively engage with your target audience on the platforms. Sharing links to your most recent episode is fine, but you also need to discuss interesting subjects and engage in outside-the-box conversations with your followers.
You should start by focusing on one or two social media platforms – preferably those where you already have high engagement with your listners.
It’s a good idea to create a profile on platforms where you don’t choose to actively participate, so people can still tag you in posts on those networks. Be consistent across all your accounts by using the same photo or logo, and if possible, the same username. Your goal is to make your podcast easily discoverable and recognizable.
Podcast episodes can be shared across multiple platforms, not just when they first air but also afterward. Following are some ideas for using social media to market a podcast:
- Include guest quotes in eye-catching images.
- Create soundbites to share on Twitter and Soundcloud.
- Use your Instagram story to show behind-the-scenes content.
- Promote your podcast on Twitter or Facebook with a tweet or post.
Add Value
Connecting with new people through social media is a great way to grow your audience. Nevertheless, for many hosts, it is nothing more than an advertising platform. The host simply, announces its new episodes, promotes its promotions, pushes its merchandise, and advertises for its sponsors.
Want to know the SECRET to successful episode promotion?
Instead of posting an announcement on your preferred social media profile, start a discussion on the topic. See what the community thinks or what else they know about the topic. Make them the focus instead of you.
Giving away some things is also a part of adding value. Don’t panic – it’s unnecessary to reveal the big secret/lesson/story of your episode, but it is smart to show how much value they can expect from your episode.
We go into more detail about the best social media strategies for podcast marketing in the article below:
Giveaway
Free stuff is always a hit! With the right giveaway, you can gain more reviews and reach a wider audience and it doesn’t have to cost you a lot.
To get people interested, just post about the contest on your podcast or social media. People can enter your giveaway by leaving iTunes reviews, and they can also gain additional entries by tagging their friends in the comments.
Inexpensive giveaway ideas:
- Product discount
- Branded podcast merchandise
- Stickers or stationery
- Free premium membership of your podcast for a limited time
Or be creative. You are a podcaster, after all!! There are different rules and laws regarding giveaways in different countries, states, and platforms. Do your research before starting a contest, especially if you’re offering a monetary prize, and ensure that the contest terms and conditions resonate with those regulations.
Blog Posts
Content is what makes your podcast interesting. Utilizing content marketing as a means of marketing your podcast may seem a little meta.
The creation of other content-notably blog posts-is an undeniably powerful tool for supplementing podcast topics, ranking well with Google and other search engines, and attracting a new audience to your podcast.
Confused? Here are some ideas. Your podcast marketing plan can include blogging and content marketing, such as:
- publish a blog post or series of blog posts based on the research you did for a podcast episode.
- Describe the process of starting a podcast for other websites.
- Prepare a written Q&A based on an especially compelling podcast conversation.
Convert Your Episodes into Youtube Videos
You can use the effort you’ve put into an episode to create multiple forms of marketing by repurposing it into different types of content.
One way you can leverage that existing content is to upload every episode of your podcast to your YouTube channel. This offers multiple benefits, including:
- Google gives more weight to video than text, so creating videos is great for SEO.
- Your episodes can be transcribed easily with closed captioning provided by YouTube.
- Sharing YouTube videos on social media and your website is a great way to get people interested in it.
Now, let’s face the fact for once. Cameras aren’t for everyone. Therefore, recording your audio while filming a live video is an option, but it’s also okay not to do that. There are tools you can use to convert your audio to video, add photos or subtitles, and upload it to YouTube.
All Directories are Important
You can make the best podcast in the world, but if it cannot reach the targeted audience’s ear, it will never get the love and recognition it deserves. Undoubtedly, one of the easiest ways to be discoverable to your listners is to publish your podcast on every podcast directory with your potential listners.
Podcasting aggregators, or podcast catchers, are apps that stream podcasts. One of the most popular podcatchers is Apple Podcasts, the podcast app included with Apple devices. However, there are many others, including:
You need to set up accounts on every podcast directory and submit your RSS feed so that new episodes will automatically appear on each platform. You will be exposed to new audiences as they browse their favorite listening app for new podcasts. The popularity of podcasts makes this a top marketing technique.
Website: Give Your Podcast a Home
There’s no place like home! Right? So, why doesn’t your podcast have a home?
Yes, your podcast should be available at all the podcasting directories. But, the development of a website dedicated exclusively to your podcast, gives your audio content a home. Furthermore, it enables you to make announcements, publish blog posts, and introduce your podcast’s episodes, team, and history to your audience.
Include a media kit on your website so that journalists and bloggers can easily find the assets they need (such as high-resolution logos and photo assets, facts and statistics about your listener, and boilerplate “about us” content). All this will help ensure accurate and appropriate media coverage of your podcast.
Networking
Be/Invite a Guest
You can introduce your content to a qualified audience by pitching yourself as a guest on another show. Likewise, including interesting guests on your own show will make your episodes more interesting and provide your listeners with a unique perspective. For guests to easily share the episode, create a podcast press kit.
Focus on collaborating with other podcasts that have an audience that complements yours and is in your niche. Check out these resources to identify your ideal podcasts guest:
- Radio Guest List
- Podcast Guest Exchange
- Facebook Groups
Note: All SayWHA Radio Network customers get exclusive access to our podcasting groups on different social media platforms, making it easy for you to connect with new podcasters and crafting worthwhile opportunities for perfect guest partnerships.
Influencer Networking & Marketing
Influencer marketing refers to the practice of marketing your show to new, related audiences through influencers. Find influencers with audiences that overlap with your target audience and contact them.
Reaching out to podcasters on similar topics may seem counterintuitive, but the fact is that listeners can consume podcasts at any time-just. Because someone is listening to another podcast right now doesn’t mean they missed your podcast. Promo swaps, content collaborations, co-hosting episodes, montage episodes, and more are all ways to collaborate with other podcasters and cater your podcast to an even bigger audience.
Word to the Wise
Podcast marketing is a trial-and-error process. Testing a few different strategies to discover what works for you is the key to finding the right podcast marketing mix.
Remember, consistently experimenting is the key to a successful podcast!
When it comes to promoting podcasts, top-notch content and patience are essential. A subpar product will not grow an audience no matter how many dollars you spend on marketing, so make sure the episodes are of high quality.
Keep your eyes open for new ways to connect with your audience and continually iterate your strategies that drive new subscribers.
The Secret to Successful Podcast Marketing
Do you consider yourself a good podcaster? The answer from most you must be yes, given you have reached the end of this article.
And, we bet, for anyone putting as much effort, creativity, time, and money into podcasting as you deserve to be one of the top podcasters in your niche.
But, do you consider yourself a good marketer? Well, if the answer is no, chances for your podcast to reach the ears of listners who will fall in love with your content, are thin.
We hate to accept it, but not all of the podcasters know what potential their podcast have until it is put forth by the right audeince. And, it sucks, seeing incredible podcaster’s effort going in vain!
That’s why, SayWHA Radio Network, is here for each of those awe-inspiring podcasters, aspiring to make their content a difference. Yes, we are talking about YOU!
Having assisted some of the most successful podcasters to reach their dream listenership milestone, we are now offering you the opportunity to get the listners your inspiring podcast is worthy of.
Book a consultation today, and unravel the true potential of your podcast!
