Podcasts reach over 100 million Americans a month, according to Edison Research.
If you have one, there’s no doubt you want to reach as many people in that market as you can. The good news is learning how to promote a podcast doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.
Keep reading for thrifty ways to promote your podcast, and gain the following you’ve always dreamed of.
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Treat It Like Content Promotion
You need to treat it like content promotion because that’s exactly what it is. You’re creating content and then sharing it for others to see.
The key to content promotion is recognizing what your target audience enjoys seeing at that moment, or what’s trending on social media. Knowing current market trends takes research and flexibility, but there are other ways to get your answers.
Start With Social Media
Before you even begin promoting your podcast, ask your audience what they want. Start on your Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat stories. Take to Twitter and conduct a poll, or just ask what they want to see most.
Gather their answers, and then experiment from there. This is an easy way to conduct your market research and begin growing your podcast’s numbers, along with its platforms.
Creating separate accounts for your podcast is another idea for podcast promotion, but it isn’t essential.
Post Clips and Soundbites to Your Stories
Taking behind-the-scenes photos or videos are great to post after you upload. Posting a teaser of some sort before you upload gets your audience excited for the upcoming episode.
You could also share your podcast setup if you wish. As laidback or professional as your setup is, viewers are surprisingly curious about what you’re using to record your podcast. It can inspire them to start their podcast, which in turn shows you’re supportive.
Offer advice if you have any, and offer to answer any questions your audience may have. Again, you have to gain interaction. That’s when your numbers begin to grow.
For soundbites, utilize SoundCloud. Post a 10-15 second clip to SoundCloud, and from there you can share the audio directly to your Instagram story or Twitter profile.
Keep every person in mind for this one. Android users, Apple users, even guests you’ve had on the podcast. The easier it is for everyone to access your podcast, the easier it becomes for you (and them!) to promote it.
Create Promotion Packs
If you interview someone for your podcast, send them an email the day the episode is posted. Include sharable links, quotes, and photos they can post.
Ask them politely to share the episode, but don’t force them into doing so. Read the email over before you send it to make sure there aren’t any typos.
Post to Multiple Platforms
The three biggest podcast directories are Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify (though there are plenty more). Posting to these three directories are the best way to get a podcast downloaded, and potentially promoted by the platforms themselves.
YouTube is also a great platform to use. Posting a video version gives your listeners options for spending time with you and your content. As good as listening is, videos make people feel like they’re in the room with you.
If you have a blog, post the podcast there. Again, multiple ways of experiencing the podcast provides everyone with accessibility. You’ve got their back whether they want to read, listen, or watch.
Boost Your Rankings
There are a lot of ways to do this, but it requires some work. Ranking high enough to get on the Instagram Discover page or the first page in a Google search gives listeners a direct funnel to your podcast.
Utilize SEO
This is another reason to share the podcast to a blog if you have one. It gives you easy access to SEO and all it has to offer.
SEO itself is easy to accomplish, but you have to know how it all works before it can be your best friend. The easiest way? Include easy keywords in your title and throughout the blog post.
Think of things people are already googling, like “true-crime podcast” or “best food podcast.” This can help you get onto the coveted first Google results page.
Rank On iTunes
Between Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify, Apple Podcasts is the biggest podcast directory. It also connects directly to iTunes.
Though nobody knows the exact recipe for the iTunes algorithm, there are some guesses. Downloads, subscriptions, ratings, reviews, artwork, and podcast data all play a part in iTunes’ rankings.
Having professional artwork and the proper podcast data are the two parts you can directly control and make sure you get right. The rest is up to your promotion of the podcast, and how much people listen to it.
The biggest convenience for iTunes and Apple Podcasts is the fact that users can download from one device, and stream from another. It can even be accessed through the iCloud Music Library.
Mention the convenience factor when asking listeners to download every episode of your podcast.
Keep Researching How to Promote a Podcast
When it comes to social media and content creation (of any kind), it never stops changing. The promotion you used one month may change by the next, and you need to keep up with the trends.
Constantly continuing the research you conduct on how to promote a podcast is crucial for your success, and can be taken as far as you’d like it to go.
Just remember to have fun with whatever you do, and keep your listeners in mind when it comes to drastic changes. Without them, you won’t have any chance of success.
If you’d like to learn more about social media and promoting a podcast, keep reading our blog.
