You’ve put in the hard work to produce a high-quality podcast and to create really great content for your audience - how are you going to make sure your podcast gets heard?
Although podcasts themselves are powerful marketing tools, they also must be marketed to build a strong audience.
In this article, we look at 10 Podcast Promotion and Marketing Strategies you should be using to ensure the greatest reach and commercial success for your podcast.
The first thing you need to do is give your podcast the best chance of being heard by as many people as possible. Everyone has their preferred app when it comes to listening to podcasts, so make it easy for your audience to find and listen to your podcast. No matter who your target audience is, you need to get your podcast onto different Podcatchers, or Podcast Directories, to maximise your potential listenership.
Podcatchers are the apps you use to listen to and subscribe to podcasts, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts. There are many Podcatchers out there, so find the ones your target audience is using and create accounts on each of them.
To get your podcast onto a Podcatcher, you will need to grab the RSS feed from your hosting platform and submit it one time manually to each directory. Keep in mind each podcast directory requires a one-time manual setup process that takes 1-2 weeks for their teams to approve, so be sure to plan ahead if you are aiming for a launch date!
Now that it is easy for your audience to find and listen to your podcast, they need to know it exists! Social media is one of the best ways be promote your podcast. If you want your podcast to grow, it needs a strong online presence across your social media channels. There are many ways you can get creative with promoting your podcast. From audiograms, key quotes, episode release announcements, teaser bites and sneak peeks, creating hype around your podcast is more achievable than ever.
You will need to decide if you are using your own pre-existing social media accounts or if you want to create new standalone profiles for the podcast. We think it’s a good idea to start by leveraging your existing audience and marketing channels, and then build from there.
Make sure to leverage all forms of content. If you’re recording video along with your audio, harness the power of Youtube and the engagement that comes from posting clips such as behind-the-scenes footage across your socials as well. Think of Instagram reels and Facebook videos. Find out more about the benefits of Launching a Video Podcast in our guide.
Having a website for your podcast has multiple benefits. If you don’t have a website yet, WordPress is a great place to get started, with its nearly unlimited customisation and flexibility, affordability, and the numerous tutorials out there.
Your podcast website becomes a home for your podcast where you can establish clear brand packaging for the podcast, and give clear instructions to your audience on what to do (listen to this episode first, subscribe here, join our email newsletter here, etc.).
For each episode you release, create a corresponding blog post on your website. This gives your audience more than one way to engage with your content and makes it more accessible to a wider range of people. Posting show notes and transcripts of your episodes (or even selected excerpts if you prefer) will also mean that any topics that you’ve discussed in the show will appear in web searches.
The benefit of having a podcast website extends to optimising your SEO. Having a website is going to help your podcast appear in web searches and be discovered by more people. Even if someone is not searching for a podcast at that time, they could still find your website and you could gain another listener. With each episode’s blog post be sure to find a keyword related to that episode's topic and use it throughout the post, in headings, subheadings, alt descriptions, and meta descriptions.
You should also track data wherever you can. Whether it’s through your website, your socials, or your email marketing you should measure traffic patterns and levels of engagement to see where and how you can continuously improve.
Your website can also help you build your email list of your listeners, with a “subscribe to our email list” pop-up or through a contact form. An email list is critical as it allows you to own direct access to your audience.
Create a podcast newsletter to send out to your listeners to build the connection and keep them informed and excited about upcoming content. Each time you release a new episode, send out an automated email so they are aware of its release. It is also a way to connect with your listeners no matter what social media platforms pop up or disappear in the future.
Check out Mailchimp or Mailerlite to get started.
If your podcast style is such that you have guests on your show, leverage the extra reach and audience that comes with it!
Ask your guest to promote the episode to their audiences. Be sure to make it easy for your guests to promote your podcast - let them know when the episode will be released and give them a simple press kit, with ready-made promotional material such as copy, audiograms, and episode quotes that they can post easily to their socials.
Make sure to tag your guests on your own socials when promoting the episode and ask them to repost your content which is even easier than posting it themselves.
Cross-promotion is a great way to market your podcast and grow your audience. You can run an ad swap/promo on other shows.This win-win strategy works ideally as you offer value to another podcast’s audience in exchange for the opportunity to get your podcast’s name in front of hundreds of potential listeners.
You should also be guests on other shows to build up your following! It can be difficult to find guests for regular, weekly episodes, so many podcasts will likely appreciate a proactive outreach of offering to be a guest on their show.
One way to do this is to network. This can be joining groups and forums online such as on Facebook, Reddit, or Quora. You can discover and build relationships with like-minded people and creators. You can share thoughts and stay on top of trends in your niche.
Make a list of the people you would love to collaborate with, who you could have a mutually beneficial arrangement with, and reach out to them. Find their contact information on their website or social media, or use websites such as Podchaser Connect to find the right people.
You should also explore brand partnerships. Like networking and having a guest on your podcast, mentioning a brand in your podcast could be a great way to reach their audience. If you mention them in your podcast, you can reach out to them informing them that they have been featured and they could reciprocate.
If you see a possibility for a strong, mutually-beneficial connection between your podcast and a particular brand, you could strike up an agreement beforehand for a brand partnership deal.
While joining a podcast network may not be for everyone, it can be extremely beneficial for promoting your podcast when you find the right match.
A Podcast Network, such as iHeartRadio, NPR, or WYNC Studios, is a group of shows under one umbrella company. Your podcast’s ad space is then made available to advertisers. The network manages all the marketing and advertising. The advertiser can target ads to specific audiences, you get automatic monetisation, and the network will profit off the earnings.
Another great way to promote your podcast is by submitting your podcast to a “Best of” list for your niche. If you see a blog or article that’s already published their “Best of” list, be sure to comment and commend the author for making the list, and mention yours to them to get your podcast known to them for the future. You could also write directly to the author asking how to get added to the list for the next time around. Even if they are unable to help you out this time, it goes back to the power of networking. If you get added to one of their future lists, be sure to promote them!
Follow these 10 strategies for Podcast Promotion and Marketing and watch your podcast’s success grow in no time! Remember though, no matter how good your marketing strategy is, or how much you promote your podcast, it will only grow its listenership if you produce a high-quality podcast with useful content for your listeners.
Follow our guide on how to “Launch a podcast for your business in 7 easy steps” to ensure you are creating the best quality podcast from the get-go!
