Are you struggling to market your new podcast? Need a little help? In this article, we’ll take you through some tried and tested strategies that you can start using right now. So, if you are ready to get more listeners to your podcast, make a real impact, and grow your podcast community then let’s get started.
Tried and tested ways to market a podcast
Release at least 3 episodes on launch day
Start off with a bang. By releasing at least three episodes as part of your launch you give your listeners enough content to spark an interest. They get a chance to see your style, learn about you, and decide whether they want to hear more. Releasing just one episode is not enough to grab their attention, which means that you can be easily forgotten.
Submit your podcast to podcatchers and aggregators
Podcatchers are apps that collect and play podcasts. There are several of them, so make a list and find the ones that are right for you. Here are 10 of the most popular ones:
- Podcast subreddit
- PodcastLand
- Overcast
- Stitcher
- TuneIn
- Castro
- Podcast Republic
- Bello Collective
- Downcast
- Podcast Addict
Customize posts to each social media channel
What works for Twitter may not work for Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. For this reason, make sure to customize posts for each channel. You can even hire someone to do this for you.
Don’t forget about the back catalog
A back catalog plays a significant role in helping you market your podcasts. For example, when you mention an interesting topic you previously covered and add a quick aside (#11), you make it easier and faster for your listeners to explore your prior work. This simple strategy can be extremely effective in encourage listeners to stick around, but as well getting mentions on other podcasts.
Find partners to mention you
This is as simple as scratching your partners back, and in turn, they will scratch yours. In other words, once you find partners to mention you in their podcasts, equally mention them on your podcasts.
Leverage your guest audience
Your listeners, especially those who get the most value from your shows, can help to promote your podcasts. Learn about your audience. What are their likes and dislikes. What is it about your podcasts they like. The better you know your audience the easier it is to customize your episodes to cater to their needs.
Optimize your podcast website for search
You are making a big mistake if you are forgetting to optimize your podcast website for search. This has to be a top priority. When you optimize your podcast site you make it easier for Google to crawl and rank. That means you need to know which keywords to rank for. Take the time to research the right keywords. As well, don’t forget about the importance of updating your content regularly.
Throw a two-week rating party
Getting your podcast up in the charts on iTunes and into the “New & Noteworthy” section is very easy. Just focus on growing the rate at which your podcast is downloaded and reviewed positively in the first few weeks.
Basically, you have 8 weeks after launching your podcast to get the “New and Noteworthy” standing with the first two weeks counting the most. Throwing a rating party can go along way.
Here are some party-planning components that will make the first couples of weeks count:
- Email 10 friends per day
- Throw a real party on launch day, either virtually via Facebook Live or in-person
- Run giveaways
- Swap the email signatures on your personal email and on your team’s support emails
- Publish two weeks of podcast-themed blog content
- Get your company executives and teammates to post and tweet about it
Convert the audio to a YouTube video
It is very simple to do this. Just convert your MP3 audio file into an MP4 format and then add a branded image that appears for the video’s entire duration. Remember, to also include links to your website, show notes, social channels, and subscribe links to other listening platforms in the description.
Transcribe the audio
While it is o.k. to offer a full transcript of your entire show, as most successful podcasters do, we recommend you pull out highlighted portions of the transcript and include them in the show notes.
Run a giveaway contest
We just talked about growing the rate at which your podcasts are downloaded on iTunes. One way to increase that rate is by enticing your listeners to leave positive reviews using free giveaways such as, t-shirts, discounts, stickers, etc. You can kick off this contest by mentioning it on the show or posting on social media.
If you are on a tight budget and unable to give away free stuff, you can do the following:
- A 5-minute guest spot on the podcast
- Mention in the show notes
- A shoutout at the end of the show
Be a guest on other people’s podcasts
Simply find like-minded podcasters (preferably those in your niche) and make a guest appearance on their podcasts. This way, it will be easier to market your content, especially by leveraging your host’s audience.
Advertise on podcast apps
Are you currently on podcast apps such as, Listen Notes, Overcast, Castro, etc.? You can effectively boost your show’s position by purchasing ad space. How those ads appear will depend on the app you settle for. Often, most apps display ads at the top of your category list, while sometimes they can appear in the “most popular” or “what is hot” categories.
Get media exposure with HARO
HARO, which stands for Help a Reporter Out, is a service that connects journalists with authoritative sources. When you join this platform as a source, media people will reach out to you when they need comments for articles, TV, or radio and when they have questions. In return, they will quote you and link to your website.
Start an email newsletter
It is very easy to send newsletters to your followers when you collect their email addresses. Apps like Thrive Leads, HelloBar, and OptinMonster come in handy helping you collect as many addresses as possible from your website. Once you have their email make sure to connect with your followers regularly. Most email providers now also have newsletter templates so you can create and send directly from one software.
Buy Google AdWords ads
Buying AdWords ads is fairly easy. Essentially, you purchase ad space on Google for terms or keywords people search for. This can be your podcast’s primary topic or something more specific from a featured episode. Then if someone is searching for that keyword they will see your ad displayed. By clicking on the ad they are taken directly to your website.
The two pillars of podcasting
There are two pillars of podcasting: quality content and time.
Quality content
You can’t market a bad product and expect to get the results you want. No matter how much money you have invested or the different marketing strategies you have tried promoting a bad product is not worth it. That said, always create quality podcasts. Make sure that you provide valuable content, be unique, and sticky (meaning to capture and retain your listeners attention). So, think about how you will create valuable content that leaves your audience wanting more.
Time
Your patience is paramount when promoting your podcasts. Even when you have invested in creating quality content, you need to trust that promoting takes time and growth largely depends on repetition. It’s an endless circle of creating quality content and then promoting it. Sometimes you may have to wait up to 6 months to see real results. Don’t give up!
Conclusion
It is never hard to promote a podcast if you have a set of tried and tested strategies to execute. Hopefully some of the strategies we have shared will prove to be exactly what you need to get your podcast soaring.
Happy podcasting!