Recording a podcast takes time, effort, and a lot of hard work. Once you manage to launch your podcast on various platforms like Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts, comes the toughest part, promoting your show. The goal of any podcaster is to grow their audience in order to guarantee their show’s success. The competition is fierce since there are millions of podcasts available for the audience to listen to. For this reason, you need to focus on your material to present something different that will attract listeners.
Additionally, you will also need to find ways to attract an audience and come up with a marketing strategy to reach this audience. You will need to work on creating a huge and loyal fan base that won’t only listen to every episode of your podcast but also tell their friends and families about it to help you gain more listeners. As more and more people release new podcasts, and some have become more popular than others, it has become apparent what makes a podcast a success. So keep reading for tips that will help you reach a wider audience and make your podcast a hit.
1. SEO
One of the most popular marketing tools that have proven its effectiveness in the last couple of years is SEO or search engine optimization. In order to reach a wider audience, you will need to make it easy for them to find you online. Your goal should be to make your podcast appear on the first page of Google’s search. The best way to achieve that is by optimizing your podcast for searches on all the platforms you are using, like Google and iTunes. Optimizing your podcast will require you to use the right keywords in the name and description of your podcast and the episodes.
2. Choose the Right Name
Choosing the right name for your podcast is one of the most important aspects that will guarantee your show’s success. It is what your audience will use to find you, and it will also give them a hint of what your show is about. Therefore, you will need to spend some time brainstorming until you find the right name. Write down all the names that you can think of according to the tips on Wired Clip until you can come up with one that will grab the audience’s attention and make them want to listen to your show. Put yourself in the listener’s shoes, and think of what they will type when searching for a podcast like yours. Remember that people make decisions fast on the internet so if your podcast’s name doesn’t pique their interest, they will not bother listening to it.
3. Promote Your Podcast
If you want more people to discover your podcast, you need to promote it. Two ways can help you do that; social media and classic ads. One of the fastest ways to reach a wider audience is through social media since there are billions of people that use it every day. Therefore, take advantage of all the different features on every platform to promote your podcast. For instance, you can also do a Q&A on Facebook or Twitter to engage with your current audience and attract new ones, or create a trailer for your podcast and post it on Facebook or Instagram stories. Additionally, you can post one of your episodes on YouTube to introduce your podcast to new listeners as well. There are various platforms out there with really cool features so make sure that you take advantage of all of them.
The next method that you can use to promote your content is classic advertising. Google, Facebook, and Instagram ads are great tools that will help new listeners discover your podcast. You can also promote your show on blogs or other podcasts as well. However, advertising your podcast won’t be free but it is worth it if it will allow you to gain new listeners.
4. Use Your Current Audience
You can ask your current audience to help you promote your show. There are different and effective ways that can help you achieve that. For instance, you can offer prizes for listeners who will share an episode on their social media page or get any of their friends to subscribe to your podcast. You can even make a marketing campaign to get more people interested and participating. You should also announce the winners so people can see that it is a real contest. That said, having a loyal fanbase will make them more than willing to help you with or without a prize. Therefore, at the end of every episode, ask your listeners to leave a review on your social media page.
5. Engage With Your Audience
Listeners tend to feel that they have a close and personal relationship with the podcaster. So try to take advantage of this close relationship and nurture it by engaging with your fans. You can do this by asking your listeners to send you questions that you can answer on your show, creating engaging content on your website or social media pages, or asking your audience to send you the kind of topics that they want you to talk about on your next episodes. This kind of engagement will create a strong bond between you and your audience and will make them feel like they are part of your show. As we have mentioned, loyal fans will be more than happy to tell people in their circle about your podcast.
6. Create an App
There is basically an app for everything now, even podcasts. Many podcasts listeners use these apps to find something interesting to listen to. If you want to reach a wider audience, upload your episodes on as many apps as possible to make them available for as many people as possible.
There are new podcasts coming out every day and the podcast market has been very competitive lately. For this reason, you need to work hard to make a quality show to keep your current listeners and gain new ones. Additionally, you should also promote it using all the marketing tools available to you. Getting the word out there about your podcast isn’t so hard thanks to social media and the internet. There are many tools and features available to you, all you need to do is learn how to utilize them to your advantage.
