ListsPodcast Marketing Strategies to grow your Audience

Podcasts are in trend across industries for quite some time and it is proven, being used for various marketing and knowledge driven communication, that this trend is here to stay.

Did you know?

Podcast listeners, per week, spend an average of 6 hours and 37 mins. listening to podcasts.

Let’s find out what are some of the best Podcast marketing strategies to grow your audience. But before that let’s also understand what’s a Podcast!

What is a Podcast?

Podcasts are any forms of audio created for the web broadcasting. Podcasts are in high demand for various reasons and one of them is because people can engage with them on-the-go, during work or whenever they can take out some spare time- since these require less attention than a video or a blog.

Main types of Podcasts

Interview Podcasts:
Most common type of Podcasts where the host conducts an interview.

Solo Podcasts:
In this type of Podcast, the host himself runs the show- like a monologue.

Multi-host Podcasts:
As the name suggests, this is a more dynamic and conversational type of Podcasting where two or more hosts discussion of different topics.

10 Best Marketing Strategies to grow your Podcast audience:

1. Focus on the content:

Nothing can beat a good content. So first and foremost, ensure you upload regular and relevant content that resonate with your audience and keep them engaged.

Upload the Podcasts in a structured fashion that will help users find them easily and also share as much a related information possible. For example, if you use a WordPress platform, upload the Podcast along with a blog content. In this way you can not only give information about the Podcast to the audience but this will also bolster your SEO initiatives.

Some other pointers to keep in mind:

– Add relevant CTA so that you can drive desired response from your target group
– Try and post a full series of podcasts together
– Ensure quality audio while recording
-Seek feedback from your audience to optimize your content

2. Plan For SEO:

A solid SEO plan can take your Podcast to another level. Start by adding the right keywords, something that you think your audience must be already searching for, in the title, description, blog etc. This will help in the discovery of your Podcasts.  

Some other pointers to keep in mind:

– Post Podcast links on Social Platforms
– Write unique and original title as search engines penalize duplicate content, in any form
– Try to add a transcript to your Podcasts that will have the targeted keywords. To make your life easy, you can use various apps for this like Rev.com or Fiverr
– Go for long-tail keywords which have less competition
– YouTube videos of your Podcasts can also be very helpful for SEO activities

3. Promote your Podcast:

The obvious thing would be to post the Podcasts in all the major Social Media platforms. However, there is more to it. You should also post teasers, quotes from the podcasts, updates on who is appearing on your next Podcast or when are you publishing the next one. In this way, you are keeping your audience engaged and excited.

Also Read – How to Promote a Podcast to get more reviews and Grow Your Audience

4. Promote to the audience of your guests:

If your podcast has other speakers, it’s a great idea to leverage their audience pool. You can request your guests to share posts on their own social media. They can create announcement posts, reels from the Podcast, teasers, stories and so on. This will amplify your reach manifolds. And if there are celebrity guests then your scope is even better.

5. Collaborations for your Podcast:

They say collaboration is the new currency and we agree! Whether it’s a brand or another popular Podcast, collaborations are always a win-win. You can very easily reach out to an existing engaged fan base, create additional value for your own Podcast and so on. Mentioning other brands, Podcasts etc. might fetch you some shout-outs too.

6. Advertise your podcasts:

Another great way of promoting your Podcast is through paid advertising. Though, of course, you will have to allot some budgets for this, however, if done correct, this can yield great results from your Podcast.  For starters, you can choose to promote your Podcast in Spotify. With 406M monthly active users, it can prove to be a perfect advertising platform.

7. Unlock the power of Podcatchers:

Yes, this is a valid term! Podcatchers act like Podcast aggregators. The best example will be Apple iTunes. Did you know, Nieman Lab’s data shows that iTunes might contribute to 70% of a Podcast’s listeners and downloads? They are perfect to gather new audiences for your Podcasts and help with discovery too. Some other prominent Podcatchers are:

– Overcast
– Stitcher
– Podcast Addict
– Podcast subreddit
– PodcastLand (your podcast is automatically listed here if it’s in iTunes)
– TuneIn
– Bello Collective
– Castro
– Podcast Republic
– Downcast

8. Convert your Podcasts to videos:

Another creative way you can increase the effectivity of your Podcast is to convert them into YouTube videos. You can convert the mp3 files to mp4 files very easily using free tools that are widely available on the internet. There are a few ways how converting to a YouTube video can help you:

– Better SEO
– You can share the links more easily on the social media
– Easily create closed caption for all your videos
– It has been seen that Google may value videos, that too 53 times, over text

9. Run contests:

Running various contests, quizzes, Q and A etc. have always proven to create a buzz and good amount of engagement. You may plan a weekly or fortnightly contests whereby participants can win freebies. Ensure to keep the theme in-sync with your Podcast topic. You can also include hooks like the participants who will tag most numbers of friends to your Podcast post will win a prize. This way you can gather more audience as well.

10. Choose the right frequency:

Your uploading time, day of the week and most importantly how many episodes you’re putting up make a lot of difference. Generally, it is suggested that you should be ready with 3-5 episodes and start uploading them together if you’re just launching your podcast. This will also help you with the discovery of your Podcast.

Podcasts are becoming an easy, interesting engagement tool and if you use these correct strategies and avoid mistakes, you can see a good amount of traction in your Podcast channel, even if you’re just getting started. 

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