It’s no secret that over the last ten years, podcasts have gained massively in popularity. Spotify alone has six million podcast titles and more than 100 million regular podcast listeners. It is said that at least half a billion people have listened to at least one podcast on Spotify since 2019.
It’s clear that listeners are spoilt for choice and the hardest job now for a podcaster is not only to consistently gain followers in a saturated market but to retain their audience by keeping them engaged. Podcast promotion has become more critical than ever, so to help you get heard, here are our top five approaches to successfully promoting podcasts.
Organic social media posts
Fun fact, a 2024 study by Statista revealed that more than five billion people around the world use social media, and this number will rise to six billion by 2028. Social media has become an integral part of people’s daily lives and routines. The average internet user spends 151 minutes per day on social networking sites according to Statista. With this much traffic, it should be no surprise that social media should be the first port of call for any new or established podcaster to promote their podcast.
For example, one of the podcast topics could simply be a conversation starter to gauge whether the audience agrees or disagrees with the views that will be discussed. This is a great opportunity to get feedback, engagement and comments in advance that can be used to inform the content and narrative structure of the next podcast episode, making the audience feel part of the journey.
Social media can also provide an opportunity to repurpose podcast episodes as YouTube videos, Instagram or TikTok reels, using them to promote your brand and podcast. This is a great way to build and nurture secondary audiences on other platforms whilst also generating more interest and listeners for the podcast. YouTube is often used as a search engine, so promoting your podcast on that platform can further boost your visibility.
Paid ads
One of the fastest and most effective ways to promote your podcast is through paid ads. In a perfect world, your audience would find your podcast through an organic search, aided by content marketing efforts. But as we all know this takes time. Paid ads, on the other hand, are a quick and efficient way to get in front of the exact audience you are looking for. The following is a short list of paid ad channels we recommend:
- Google ads
- LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook ads
- Podcast app ads
- Ads on other/potentially rival podcasts
Each paid channel can drive subscribers, and increase downloads and engagement. Messaging around the podcast can differ and will depend on what your goal is for each channel.
Blogs & newsletter promotion
Simple but effective blogs and newsletters are a great way to remind your customers of your most recent, and upcoming, podcast episodes. A blog can summarise the key topics that will be discussed in the podcast and a call-to-action link can direct your database of customers straight to the podcast episode that’s of interest to them.
A newsletter is also a great opportunity to share exclusive content and invite your existing audience to be a part of the podcast by listening in and engaging directly with you by asking questions.
Collaboration with other podcasters
With more and more podcasts emerging, collaborating with podcasters who operate in a similar industry can help you gain exposure and raise awareness to a larger audience. This can be done via advertising, or even being a guest on someone else’s podcast. This will add value to both audience groups as they are being introduced to new shows of which they wouldn’t otherwise have been aware.
Encouraging reviews from listeners
People still have power, individually and collectively. The more positive reviews you receive, the higher your podcast will rank. It’s as simple as that. Your listeners are the most powerful promotion tools you have, and good reviews essentially act as word of mouth by letting other listeners know what your podcast is all about and how much listeners are already enjoying it.
To take advantage of those positive reviews, our advice is to add a call to action at the end of each podcast episode, both verbally and in the podcast description, to encourage people to leave their own reviews and, if so inclined, recommend your podcast to their audience. You can also ask guests who may feature on your podcast to leave reviews once their episode has gone live.
These are only a few of the ways you can improve the visibility and take-up of your podcast. But these are great ways to get started in building a promotion plan.
For more information on how we support our clients in launching and promoting their own podcasts, please get in touch.
