The audio content creation market is massive–new podcasters are debuting their forays into the industry every day. So, how can you differentiate yourself and successfully promote your brand?
Of course, building a loyal audience takes time. Hit the ground running by developing a podcast marketing strategy that initiates the growth process immediately after you press “Share.”
By following 9 simple steps, you can captivate listeners, drive engagement, and boost visibility across multiple platforms.
Let’s dive in!
What Is Podcast Marketing?
Podcast marketing focuses on telling your story to popularize your brand, reach your audience, and stay relevant among the countless other online creators.
You’ve invested so much time, soul, and even tears into your podcast “baby.” Naturally, you want your efforts to prove fruitful and worthwhile. However, as with any content creation, marketing is a key aspect of success. Merely emitting your podcast into the ether does nothing other than further expand the digital abyss.
Still, you may automatically assume advertising is expensive from what you know about traditional print marketing strategies. Rest assured–you can both save money and turn profits with effective online self-promotion.
How to Market a Podcast: 9 Effective Strategies
Now, to the nitty gritty. How do you market your podcast?
Raising awareness is not as simple as knocking on neighbors’ doors and saying, “Hey, listen to my podcast.” In fact, avoid doing this–not everyone likes visitors.
From afar, online promotion can sound incredibly intimidating and, for some, too cumbersome. Perhaps to your surprise, creating a marketing strategy can be easier than you think.
Utilizing social media, collaboration, and simple SEO techniques can help you craft content that hooks listeners and establishes loyalty. So, grab your pen and paper for some serious note-taking as we enter the podcast marketing arena.
1. Start With the Background Research
Your target audience is the first thing to establish before drafting your marketing strategy. Who would be most interested in your podcast? What answers or information are they seeking from you? When do they normally listen to podcasts–while driving, at work, or before bed?
Gather as much information about potential consumers as you can–their age, behaviors, preferences, and specific challenges. With this data, you can tailor content to fit their niche characteristics.
Next, determine the media your audience enjoys. Does engagement peak when you publish bite-size videos on your Instagram? Or, do listeners gravitate toward promotional offers on Facebook like “One Free Month of Subscription?”
Combine these findings to determine the best means of reaching the masses.
2. Create a Unique Brand Identity
As we delve into the juicy bits of podcast marketing, we cannot overlook the importance of a brand identity. This term encompasses your voice, personality, color scheme, and overall creative direction online.
You want to cultivate an image that represents the mission and purpose behind your podcast. But, don’t forget to incorporate elements that resonate with your listeners.
In the wise words of Thomas Umstattd Jr., host of Novel Marketing, “Thrill your audience first and everything will line up from there. Don’t do that and you’re wasting your time.”
Here are a few ways to craft a strong podcast presence:
- Craft a memorable podcast name
- Prioritize unique cover art for episodes
- Create an immersive podcast teaser
- Write (or hire someone to write) a theme song
- Set and maintain a brand tone and voice
- Provide episode descriptions
3. Leverage Social Media Engagement
Each person has a unique approach to social media. Some shy away from online activity entirely, while others make sure they’re constantly up-to-date on every platform.
Study your audience to determine where they fall on this spectrum. For example, if listeners are most active on Instagram, posting reels from your latest episode is one route to drive engagement. Similarly, YouTube loyalists may enjoy fun or educational videos with “Insider Information” about merch drops, upcoming in-person tours, or bloopers.
For older or professional audiences, LinkedIn may be a more appropriate approach. Here, you can ask for their take on chosen topics and explore networking opportunities.
Whatever the case, social media is an open playing field for content creators. Expand your reach exponentially by meeting listeners where they are, no matter their location.
Below are a few words of advice for marketing a podcast on social media:
- Be authentic–embrace your humanness!
- Avoid gimmicky language and sales pitches
- Reply to comments, likes, and subscriptions
- Keep things visually appealing
- Maintain a consistent voice across platforms
- Offer helpful information
- Ask questions and interact with responders
4. Don’t Forget SEO
SEO isn’t reserved for massive corporations or brands that can hire experts to grow their online presence. Small and large-scale podcasters alike can also benefit from targeted keywords.
Okay, you may be a bit confused. What does this term mean?
When implementing SEO into your podcast marketing strategy, your online content should only contain relevant information to the topic at hand. Let’s say you’re expanding the latest “Creating a Koi Pond in Your Backyard” episode via a blog post. You shouldn’t be diverting to a discussion about garden pest control.
Keyword research can be your best ally here. Find out what people hope to find when searching “Koi Fish Ponds.” What exact phrases or words should you include to promote website visitors and answer their most pertinent questions? This process can be the fire that fuels increased search engine visibility.
5. Collaborate With Other Podcasters
We’re all familiar with the idiom, “Strength comes in numbers.” This idea stays true when applied to podcasting.
Working with other like-minded creators is a surefire way to multiply and diversify your audience. Recording one or a series of episodes alongside fellow podcasters is a terrific networking opportunity, too. Not only can you reach new listeners, but you can also share in exciting discussions and make some friends along the way.
Below are some tips to get the ball rolling on collaborative podcast marketing:
- Have guest appearances on your show/appear on other creators’ shows
- Cross-promote with other podcasters
- Join a podcasting community online (e.g., SubReddits, Facebook, etc.).
- Conduct interviews with industry experts
6. Explore Paid Advertising
Sometimes, your efforts alone don’t translate into the massive gains you were betting on.
Paid advertisements are not a cop-out. Actually, innumerable creators use them to strengthen engagement and audience growth!
Consider investing in targeted campaigns to ensure your brand reaches the right demographics. You can finetune these ads to fit specific preferences, behaviors, and interests for a comprehensive podcast marketing approach, whether on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, or any other media platform.
With this strategy, you can also monitor engagement, click-through, and conversion rates to see what content hits and what flops. Leverage this data to bang out the dents in your methodology.
7. Repurpose Episodes
Perhaps unbeknownst to you, podcasts are recyclable! You can easily repurpose content into different media forms, including infographics, blog posts, newsletters, or Q&As (among many others).
Why let your hard work just collect dust in the Spotify archives? Expand the life of each episode while simultaneously saving time and effort. For instance, convert a quote from a guest speaker into a request for audience insight or opinions. Or, transcribe an episode into an ebook to sell on your website.
Check out these additional ideas for repurposed podcasts:
- Use dialogue as an integral part of a blog post
- Create an Instagram carousel with key takeaways
- Film an episode to publish on YouTube
- Transform segments into a LinkedIn newsletter
- Animate screenshots from an episode for cover art
8. Use CTAs to Drive Engagement
Keep engagement up by placing CTAs throughout episodes. Avoid sounding too needy, though. Your listeners should want to subscribe, like, or follow your brand–not feel obligated to out of pity.
Keep things fun, lighthearted, and short. Remind your audience why they started listening to you in the first place (e.g., “For more information about ____, tune in next week!”) and mention the perks that come with your CTA (e.g., “Remember, subscribers get an extra episode every week!”).
9. Create a Website
Think of your website as the epicenter of your podcast. Here, you can publish blog posts, provide episode descriptions, link to your social media, and implement SEO strategies to bolster your online presence.
Include beneficial pages that help market your podcast, such as:
- About Me: Your audience is interested in you! Share the vision behind your podcast, why you started, and the benefits of listening.
- Show Notes: Provide transcripts and extra episode information on a designated page. This can help listeners stay on top of what they may have missed or revisit useful information. You can also use this tab to incorporate keyword research!
- Subscriptions: Provide details about the subscriptions you offer listeners. Do they get additional content every week? What about special discounts on merch?
- Contact Me: Audiences may have questions about an episode or want to contribute to a “Listener’s Stories” or “Audience Opinions” series. Have a section where they can easily access your email, social media, or other contact information.
- Archive: Make finding old episodes simple for listeners by creating an Episode Archive page.
Remember, Success Takes Time
Podcast marketing is a process with multiple layers. Like an onion, you must pare the exterior shell to reach the tasty interior. Peeling through the background work of SEO optimization, social media outreach, and website building will eventually help you thrive as an audio creator.