It is possible to market your podcast in a variety of creative ways, but how do you know which strategies are best for your show?

Currently, millions of podcasts are available for download. However, even though the industry isn’t completely saturated, the battle to get noticed is escalating. There has never been a better time to have a strong podcast marketing strategy. A podcast’s marketing strategy isn’t always straightforward. With so many options available to podcasters, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Some are quick and easy, while others necessitate some forethought and preparation.

The question is, how do you effectively market your podcast in order to increase your audience and your company?

A Plan to Promote Your Podcast

There is no better option than hiring a professional podcast marketing service. So why not let them handle it all? They’re experts and can handle everything from planning to implementation to tracking to tactics. However, for those who prefer to do things on their own, there are a few straightforward methods for promoting a podcast. According to the folks at Spotify, a podcast promotion strategy should focus on the following four tactics:

• Using the right advertising channels.
• Making social media promotional content that people want to share.
• the audience you have at the moment.
• This article discusses collaborating with other creatives and guests.

That is all covered in this article.

Quality and Time

Quality and time are two of the most important foundational pillars in the promotion process. You’re ensuring that a) your podcast is worth promoting and b) that you have a realistic timeline for success by considering these two factors.

Quality

Before you can even think about marketing your podcast, you need high-quality content and audio production, which may seem self-evident. After conducting content audits, we often discover that our clients have a lot of room for improvement in their podcasts. Although it’s possible to achieve perfection, there is almost always room for improvement. Prior to focusing on paid promotion, we recommend that you first try out the free route.

A few things to keep in mind, as a result of this:

If you want to effectively market your podcast, you must meet the following three criteria:

• Listeners should always walk away with something of value from your podcast, whether it’s information, advice, or entertainment. If you want to provide your listeners with something extra, ask yourself if the conversations you have are doing so. Is there something new you’re imparting to them? Are you getting your audience to rethink something? Is the purpose of your content to amuse or to inform?
• Retain: Make an effort to capture and maintain the interest of your audience. Keep an eye on your hosting site’s metrics and data. Listeners may switch off at specific points in an episode, so keep track of the timestamps and re-listen to the content. You may want to change things up and try something new if it’s becoming a regular occurrence. The best way to improve your podcast is to take cues from other successful ones.
• We like our content to be fresh and unique, despite the fact that we are often creatures of habit. Podcasts that stand out from the crowd do better, especially if they offer listeners something they haven’t heard before. Uniqueness, on the other hand, can vary greatly depending on the subject matter. The first step is to look at other podcasts in your niche and draw Venn diagrams to see how many data points fall in the middle. First, focus on enhancing and expanding your unique selling points.
• Pro Tip: Don’t get sucked into the latest marketing fads because they won’t last. Instead, concentrate on developing a long-term plan.

Time & Consistency

No matter what approach we recommend, we’ll always include the disclaimer that becoming famous for your podcast takes time. Unlike video or social media, podcasts don’t grow or “go viral” in the same way. Most podcasts, in our experience, don’t see any organic growth in their listenership for at least 5-6 months after their debut.

As a result, the podcast industry relies heavily on word of mouth. Running competitions, encouraging social media shares and reviews, and so on are just a few of the many ways we can get started. Instead, you should put your efforts into creating new content on a regular basis, as this will pay off in the long run.

As long as you’re willing to put in the work and aren’t discouraged by the lack of immediate feedback, your efforts will be rewarded in the long run.

Know Your Audience

The truth is, your podcast will never be enjoyed by everyone. I’m sorry. That’s the sad reality of podcasting. Even Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the podcast industry’s most well-known pioneers, isn’t universally popular.

Your focus should be on fishing out the people who are most likely to tune in, rather than casting a wide net. The wrong kinds of listeners aren’t going to subscribe, review your podcast positively, or even think about sharing your podcast in the future. As a result, your task is to zero in on those who are most likely to respond positively.

Ideal Podcast Personas and Avatars

To write effective content, begin by focusing on who you are writing for. If you want your marketing to have an effect on your ideal customers, you must always keep them in mind. Aiming for the entire world is pointless. Instead, target a smaller group of people. Putting yourself in your customers’ shoes and imagining their problems will help you better understand the type of content you should create.

A persona or avatar, known as a “Ideal Listener,” allows you to do just that. In your podcast, there is one person you would do anything for, whether it’s yourself or someone else. Focus on the person you’re trying to reach when developing your marketing and content strategies. In order to create a single persona for your ideal customer, you must list all of their demographics. Be specific, even if it means creating multiple podcast personas. Marketers use ideal listener personas only 44 percent of the time, according to a survey. By having an identifiable voice and personality, your podcast is ahead of more than half of other podcasters.

Reaching Your Target Audience

In podcast marketing, the most important goal is to ensure that your messages are delivered to the right audience members As previously stated, understanding your target audience is the most important thing you can do for your business. Then, finding the right places to reach your audience is a close second.

Define Your Niche

Your niche should be defined and refined as soon as possible. Your ideal listeners will be more likely to find you if you focus on narrowing down the content you’re providing. One of the most common errors we see in podcasts is the attempt to cover too much ground. Many people believe that by tackling a broad subject, they will be able to reach a larger audience, but this is not always the case.

If you’re not providing your customers with what they want and need, they won’t sign up. Making another marketing podcast would be a waste of time; instead, focus on a narrow niche. Instead, target IT consultants or even lawyers with a marketing podcast! As a result, they’ll be more likely to stick around for the duration of the event.

What Are Your Ideal Listeners Listening To?

It’s a good idea to do some research into the types of content that your target audience consumes in order to identify them. Other podcasts are an excellent place to start your search. Listening to other podcasts that have a similar audience or topic can help you get a sense of what your listeners are looking for.

For the best podcast audience, here is a list of tools:

1. Apple Podcasts

In the podcast industry, Apple Podcasts is a major player with a wide selection of podcasts. You can use Apple Podcasts to find podcasts that are similar to your own by searching for either your podcast or a similar show( Apple Podcasts). Make your way to the end of this page. In this section, there are two rows. The first one, “Top Podcasts In [your chosen category],” shows similar podcasts within your topic. The second is “You Might Also Like.” You’ll be able to use this network of related podcasts to expand your own show’s reach.

Find some podcasts that appear in your search results and listen to them to get an idea of the quality of production and the topics they cover. An understanding of the world of content in your subject area will be gained by doing this.

2. Podnews 

PodNews.net is known for its daily global news for podcasters. As a great source of industry information, it also has excellent search capabilities for narrowing down your podcast research. Searching is as simple as typing a keyword into the search bar and then browsing through the results. If you only want to see podcasts, for example, you’ll have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the list of results. You’ll find a variety of podcasts that fit your search criteria in this section. “Marketing” is a popular topic on podnews.net.( “Marketing” )

3. Podchaser

If you’re interested in discovering new podcasts and finding out who’s been on them, Podchaser is an easy-to-navigate resource. We strongly recommend that you purchase a subscription. Although it can be expensive, the information you receive about a podcast’s audience demographics is extremely valuable. This tab provides you with a wealth of information about a podcast including its expected number of monthly listens, contact information and the Apple and Spotify Chart Positions they are currently occupying as well as a list of countries in which they are currently ranked.

It’s not uncommon to see demographic information like gender, income, and median age among the most popular podcasts’ audience members.

4. Rephonic

Programs like Rephonic are ideal for scoping out your competitors. Search for a podcast on their “Audience Graph” option and see all the “Listeners Also Subscribed To” data in an interactive 3D map.

It’s easy to see what podcasts your target audience is already listening to thanks to Rephonic’s simple web-like interface. That means that you can conduct some thorough market research.

5. Listen notes

Listen Notes – If you want to find podcasts about a specific person or topic without having to subscribe or randomly skip through hours of audio, use Listen Notes, a free tool that offers multiple search options. As a result, you are not obligated to use a specific podcast or category when conducting a search. It’s much easier to find podcasts by searching for your industry or topic keywords!

You can think of Listen Notes as a sort of podcast Google. Using the Listen Explorer search option, you can find podcasts that are similar to your own. Enter your preferred podcast’s title into the search bar to generate a list of related podcasts.

Basic Podcast Promotion Tactics

Submit to Podcast Aggregators and Directories

The best way to build an audience is to post your podcast to as many podcast directories and aggregators as you can. It’s an app that plays podcasts, which is known as an aggregator or podcatcher. Apple Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, the default podcast app on iOS, is the most well-known podcatcher. Your podcast should be available everywhere people listen to podcasts, regardless of where they get their podcasts from.

But there are plenty more, including:

• Google Play
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• TuneIn
• iHeartRadio
• SoundCloud
• Podbay
• Podtail
• Castbox

The RSS feed link generated by your podcast hosting service will suffice (Transistor, Libsyn, Buzzsprout, etc.). Then, create user accounts and submit the RSS feed to all podcast directories and aggregators. As a bonus, you only have to do this one time. After that, each time you post a new episode, the directories will be updated automatically.

Word-of-Mouth Recommendations

Word-of-mouth Use (WOM) marketing to your advantage. 50-90 percent of all purchasing decisions are influenced by word-of-mouth. Most podcast listeners tune in because they’ve heard about it from someone else. Is there a way to generate buzz around your podcast by using gossip?

Connecting with one another: Don’t ignore your audience if you want to establish a meaningful connection with them. Use your social media platforms to engage with them. The best way to get people talking about your show is to ask them questions and get them involved.

Discounts for Early Adopters Create a waiting list for your podcast’s release. By sharing the link on social media, emailing it to a friend, or liking a tweet about the launch, listeners can get early access to episodes and exclusive content.

Research online conferences, meetups, or local events that are relevant to your podcast and attend them. As many attendees and presenters as possible should be interviewed. Make sure to bring up your podcast and why you’re attending the event in conversation. Get your coworkers and internal networks talking about your podcast, depending on the subject matter. How quickly the word spreads will surprise you.

Produce Multiple Episodes Before Launch

“Be prepared” isn’t just a phrase for scouts; it should be used by everyone. This holds true for podcasting as well. In order to alleviate any stress you may be feeling, it’s best to have at least five to ten episodes ready to go before releasing your final product.

Three episodes should be canceled on the day of the show’s official debut. People love to binge, and even a small catalog will allow listeners to familiarize themselves with the host’s voice and the flow of your show.

“I actually received negative reviews from people who had listened to the first episode and were upset that there was only one.” – Pat Flynn, the founder of Smart Passive Income.

Pro tip: Before releasing your first episode, show it to your internal team and solicit feedback. This small deed can have a big impact. If the content is relevant and engaging, it will give you an idea of how to improve it.

Leverage Your Guest’s Audience

Utilize the audience of your guest to broaden the appeal of your content. Birds of the same feather flock together as the saying goes. There is some truth in this, as corny as it may sound. And this truth is excellent for promoting podcasts. Like-minded individuals do, in fact, congregate.

As long as the content of your podcast is interesting and relevant to your guest, they will gladly spread the word about your show. There will be a large number of people listening to their podcasts or listening to their social media posts if they have a large audience.

Building an active community around your content can be done by utilizing the audience networks of your guests. The more engaged your audience is, the more likely it is that your podcast will be discovered by new listeners.

Make Your Promotion Expectations Clear 

Do not take it for granted that your podcast guest is aware of proper promotion protocol and will automatically share your podcast.

As a result, you’ll need to keep the promotion process as simple as possible for your employees. Make it clear to your guests during the onboarding process that you expect them to share the episode on their social media accounts once it’s live.

Make sure to include some shareable media, such as graphic pull quotes sized for individual social media channels, Audiograms, audio clips and short videos in a friendly note on the day of release.

The episode’s URLs should be included (especially on Apple Podcasts). Make sure they know when and how to share the show’s hashtags, social media captions, and shareable links.

Present Your Guest In A Good Light

Create a well-structured onboarding process for new guests. Fill out a simple form with their social media links, as well as any products, services, or promotional offers they’re promoting. Also include a short bio and profile picture.

Your show notes should include all of this information. Use this content to build a well-thought-out guest section with links and bios. Add as much complimentary content from your guest as possible to your show notes to ensure that they are proud to share and promote them.

Prior to recording, you should strive to be an excellent podcast host by thoroughly researching your guest. Because so many interviewees are asked the same questions over and over again, this is the reason why.

Obtain as much information as possible about your visitor. Listen to other podcasts they’ve either hosted or been on, connect with them on LinkedIn, and read their books. Podcast listeners are more likely to spread the word about an episode if they believe the host has put in the time and effort to learn about the topic.

Be a Guest

Having a guest appearance on another show is a great way to get your brand in front of an audience that is already interested in it. Consider which podcasts will benefit your business before you pitch to the most high-performing of them all, however.

1. Analyze the feedback: You can tell if a podcast’s listeners are enthusiastic about it by reading their reviews.
2. Their social media accounts can be accessed by searching for them: Examine the podcaster’s social media following and level of engagement with them. Is their content being discussed, liked, and/or shared by other users? They’ll be more likely to share your episode if they have a high rate of engagement.
3. Keep an Eye on Their Data! Find out what kind of information they’ve gathered in total. Do they have a large number of downloads and positive feedback? What are the demographics of the audience telling you?

To find relevant podcasts to work with, try out these resources:

• PodcastGuests.com: This service connects podcast hosts and producers with high-quality and relevant guests.
• Create a List of Prospective Podcasts: Make a spreadsheet to keep track of the podcasts you’d like to contact. Investigate similar podcasts to yours using tools like Podchaser and PodNews as well as Google, Apple Podcasts, and Rephonic. As you come across podcasts that you’d like to target, make a note of them in the spreadsheet.
• Radio Guest List: Sign up for their “Guest Request” newsletter and get weekly pitches from podcasts looking for guest hosts.

Consider collaborating with other podcasts that share your target audience and operate in the same industry as you.

Promote Your Podcast on Social Media

Making sure your podcast can be found in as many places as possible is the key to great podcast marketing The power of social media in promoting organic listenership is enormous. However, for many podcasters, social media promotion remains a mystery. How can you use social media to promote audio?

Rich media, soundbites, video clips, teasers, and more can all be shared across your channels with a little ingenuity.

1. In an upcoming episode, reveal the names of the guests you’ll be hearing from: Create a teaser trailer to entice viewers to tune in. Some podcasters use the audio from the episode to create audiograms. The guest of honor may be featured in a short video created by others. Make sure to tag or mention your guest on social media so that they can share or comment on your posts, whichever method you choose.
2. Highlights of your latest episodes in short clips or audiograms. If you’re looking to create social-friendly clips for free, Spotify’s hosting platform Anchor can allow you to do just that. Also, Headliner user-friendly enables podcasters to create shareable audiograms easily.
3. Revisit your show’s content and re-purpose it for a different channel. Twitter threads and Instagram stories are underutilized by podcasters. Twitter or Instagram Story series is a great way to share multiple viewpoints on a single topic, especially when you have a lot of them.

When the episode first airs, post an update on social media. Make sure to include a link to your podcast in your Tweet or Facebook status update.

For your social media posts, make use of free online design tools like Canva or Pablo. Each episode can use the same quote image or bold ad you’ve created in the past.

Audiograms, despite some debate, are a good way to add a bit of animation to your audio. Simply choose a great audio clip, animate it, and share it wherever you need to.

Publish a 15-25-second audio clip to Soundcloud, which you can then share on Twitter.

When the episode first airs, post an update to your social media accounts. Be sure to include a link to your Apple Podcast in any tweet or Facebook status update that you share with your followers.

Free online design programs like Canva or Pablo can be used to create social media posts that stand out. Quote images and bold ads can be created as templates that you can edit and reuse for each new episode.

Some people question the effectiveness of Audiograms, but they do help give your audio some life. This tool allows you to easily create animated GIFs from any audio clip.

Using Soundcloud, create a 15-25 second sound bite clip that you can immediately post to Twitter.

When the episode first airs, post an update on social media. Make sure to include a link to your podcast in your Tweet or Facebook status update.

For your social media posts, make use of free online design tools like Canva or Pablo. Each episode can use the same quote image or bold ad you’ve created in the past.

Audiograms, despite some debate, are a good way to add a bit of animation to your audio. Simply choose a great audio clip, animate it, and share it wherever you need to.

Publish a 15-25-second audio clip to Soundcloud, which you can then share on Twitter.

When the episode first airs, post an update to your social media accounts. Be sure to include a link to your Apple Podcast in any tweet or Facebook status update that you share with your followers.

Free online design programs like Canva or Pablo can be used to create social media posts that stand out. Quote images and bold ads can be created as templates that you can edit and reuse for each new episode.

Some people question the effectiveness of Audiograms, but they do help give your audio some life. This tool allows you to easily create animated GIFs from any audio clip.

Using Soundcloud, create a 15-25 second sound bite clip that you can immediately post to Twitter.

Run a Giveaway Contest

Free stuff has an irresistible allure that should never be underestimated. When it comes to encouraging listenership and building a following, we’ve found that giveaways are a powerful motivator.

What’s the deal? To be eligible for your giveaway, listeners must rate and subscribe to your podcast on Apple Podcasts. Your podcast’s social proof and Apple Podcasts’ attention will skyrocket if you encourage your audience to engage with your show.

You’ll find both free and paid options in the following list.

• T-shirts
• Discounts on products
• Snacks and other small merchandising items like coasters
• Show notes should mention this.
• An acknowledgment at the show’s conclusion
• The opportunity to make a 5-minute guest appearance on the podcast
• Headphones

Start by announcing the contest on your show and promoting it on social media with clear instructions on how to participate and when the winner will be announced. One piece of advice: Don’t give out Amazon gift cards as a giveaway. People who have no intention of following your brand will flood your inbox.

It can be challenging to monitor your giveaway entries, so use an app like Wishpond, Woobox, or KingSumo to manage the giveaway. 

Publish at Strategic Times

It’s not talked about much, but the timing of a book’s release can have a significant impact. The moment at which an episode is released can be critical, depending on your target audience. If you want to know when to publish your podcast, you can look at other similar ones to see when they do it. Do you see any patterns? There’s a good reason for it.

A large amount of data will begin to accumulate as you publish more episodes. Experiment with release times and days based on any patterns in listener behavior that you can identify.

When and How to Release Your Podcast Episodes

Every episode should be hyped up before it’s published, once you’ve established your preferred publishing days. Continue to share this post throughout the week to tease the upcoming episode. Ideally, you want to post three times on Twitter on the first day of your campaign. Then, within the first week, make and share two Facebook posts.

Despite the fact that some people avoid Instagram Lives, they can be a useful tool. Listeners and followers can get a better sense of the host’s personality by seeing a picture of him or her.

It takes a lot of persistence to promote a podcast on social media. Keep promoting your show and remaining visible to your target audience. The more you post on social media, the more likely it is that your content will be seen by others.

Instagram and Facebook stories are a great way to share behind-the-scenes information with your followers. Include your guests as much as you can in these Instagram posts.

Use HARO to Get Media Exposure

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is an expert-to-journalist service that helps journalists add credibility to their stories Sources (i.e., podcasters) can use HARO’s pitching process in order to find relevant content for themselves. People in the media who need an expert will approach you when they have questions; in return you’ll be quoted and have your website link prominently displayed.

Using Paid Ad Strategies To Reach Your Podcast Audience 

If you have the time and money, paid podcast advertising is an excellent option. Even if your podcast is just a small part of your overall marketing strategy, generating new leads and growing your email list is a major priority.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be used to promote your podcast.

• Banner Ads
• Programmatic Ads
• Sponsoring a podcast/ host-read ads

Using both AdWords and Facebook to advertise to people who don’t listen to your podcast is probably a waste of time and money. In-podcast ad networks are a solution to this issue. Your audience is already listening to and subscribing to podcasts, so it’s a win-win situation.

Advertisement placement or having the host read an advertisement for you can be extremely effective. In Midroll’s report, 61 percent of podcast listeners have purchased from podcast ads because they trust their favorite hosts.

According to the CPM (cost per thousand downloads) model, podcast ads are typically priced based on the number of downloads. Advertising on a television show with an average of 10,000 downloads per episode costs $250 at the CPM rate of $25. That works out to $2500 per download. For host-read ads, we’ve found that repetition is critical, so having a healthy paid ad budget is essential.

WE CAN HELP

• If you’re looking to promote your podcast VA FLIX growth specialists are right here and ready to help!

Going Forward

People who have never heard of your podcast are probably not interested in seeing your AdWords and Facebook ads. A solution to this problem is to use in-podcast ad networks. It’s a win-win situation because your audience is already listening to and subscribing to podcasts.

Placement of advertisements or having the host read an advertisement for you can be extremely effective methods of promoting your product or services. Listeners who trust their favorite podcast hosts are more likely to buy products from podcast ads, according to Midroll.

Podcast ads are typically priced based on the number of downloads according to the CPM (cost per thousand downloads) model. If the CPM rate is set at $25, advertising on a television show with an average of 10,000 downloads per episode would cost $250. That works out to a price of $2500 per download. Repetition is critical in our experience with host-read ads, so a large paid advertising budget is essential.