According to Podcast Insights, there are roughly 1.75 million podcasts in the world. It’s fairly safe to say that they are a hot topic in the content world. Avid podcast listeners are always looking for the next great podcast, and with so many of them fighting for our attention, your podcast marketing strategy (and content) must be top-notch. 

Quality Podcast Content 

Promoting your podcast — or as we like to think of it, podcast marketing — starts with quality content. Let’s be honest, no one wants to listen to a podcast with boring content. Focus on creating content that is relevant and engaging to your target audience so you don’t waste your time and money on advertising for a podcast that no one wants to listen to. 

In order to produce content that is worthy of being promoted, think about what you have to offer as the podcast host. What will the audience gain from your podcast? What makes your podcast valuable and how will you distinguish your podcast episodes from one another? Podcast listeners should be intrigued, informed, well-learned, or entertained after hearing your show. They like to listen to shows that stand out. Perhaps you can identify what makes your show unique. Do you offer a new perspective on a critical topic? To promote your podcast, it is crucial that the information disseminated is relatable to your target audience. Your podcast listeners should be intrigued by what you have to say and offer during your show. Leave your audience hungry for more and entice them to come back after every episode.

Once you have a good podcast content calendar in place, it is time to get started on your podcast marketing efforts. Let’s dive into a few of the ways you can promote your podcast to the right audience. 

Launch more than one podcast episode on the first day

The first day of anything can be super nerve-wracking, and the same goes for podcasting. Prior to launching your podcast, it is best to have at least a few episodes recorded and ready to go for listeners. When podcast listeners come to dive into your podcast, they want to be able to listen to more than one episode to see if your show fits their interests. In other words, uploading a few podcast episodes — perhaps three, four, or five — on launch day will help listeners stay intrigued by what you have to offer; thus, providing them with a sneak peek into what they can expect by following your podcast. The trick, then, is to keep your target audience engrossed in your show so they are starving for more content. Your job as a podcaster (or podcast marketer) is to have listeners invested in your show. 

Apply for a spot on podcatchers

Utilizing different podcatchers, or apps that play podcasts, are the best way to get your podcast seen. You should submit your podcast to a handful of podcast directories so your show has the opportunity to be visible to a wide variety of audiences and listeners. Some of the most common podcatchers include Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts, as well as Spotify and iheartradio. When you submit your podcast information to a variety of podcast directories, you will improve your chances of recruiting new listeners and exposing your content to followers beyond your niche. 

Establish strong calls to action

When promoting your podcast, calls to action can be critical. They can be the difference between your listeners engaging with you and walking away after podcast episode five. Podcast-specific calls to action include telling your audience to share, subscribe and leave a review. These actions kill two birds with one stone. Not only will your listeners be excited to come back to the next episode, but they are also encouraged to promote your show to others. For best results, try releasing these calls to action twice during your podcast episode: once at the beginning when you introduce the show and once at the end when you sign off. The key to a great call to action is to be authentic, honest, and transparent so as your audience grows, so will your show. 

Research high engagement times

Similar to other content marketing strategies, research when engagement will be highest among your listeners prior to publishing your podcast. To effectively promote your podcast, you should be strategic in uploading your episodes. Research other podcasts in your niche and figure out when they are publishing their episodes. If they are uploading their shows within a certain time frame, then it is probably best to do the same. Following the trend here is important for maximizing your exposure and capturing the right audience. Alternatively, you can also experiment with different times to see when listenership and audience engagement are highest. 

Cross-promote other podcasts

There’s a good chance your podcast is similar or complementary to other podcasts in your niche. Connect with other podcasts who explore similar topics and share themes by inviting other podcast hosts to be your podcast guest or researching the other podcasts’ websites to see what type of content they curate. Consider networking with other podcasters to cross-promote. In other words, you promote each other on your respective shows to appeal to the same target audience and extend your exposure.

Convert your podcasts to social media

Utilize social media and other traditional marketing channels for promoting your podcast. Whether you reference your upcoming podcast episode in a blog post on your website, share a snippet on Facebook, or share your podcast link to your email list, there is no doubt that social channels can be powerful for promoting your podcast. Whatever you choose, be sure to consistently cross-promote on other channels that you already have a following on. 

Add your podcast to your website 

Your podcast needs a home online, and there is no better option than adding it to your website or creating its own website. The website can include an online forum to encourage listeners to engage with you, a blog that delves deeper into each episode’s topic, a section for uploading every episode as a YouTube video, or simply a page that includes links to cross-promote other shows and guests. Including your podcast on your website also helps with your search engine optimization (SEO), which is another great way to promote your podcast. 

Promoting your podcast doesn’t have to be difficult. Rather, there are a variety of ways to do so with today’s technologies and digital resources. Like other content marketing strategies, focus on your target audience and use digital marketing technology to measure the success of your podcast so you know if and when you need to pivot. 

Do you need help promoting your podcast? Contact us here.