Places to Promote Your Podcast
"People say, 'Dream big!' But you have to think about the logistics. It's not just coming up with a great idea; it's how you can sell or market or promote that great idea." - Marley Dias
Promoting yourself can be hard, especially when you don't know where to start. A few weeks ago on our Instagram, we discussed places to promote your podcast but it was just a quick summary.
This week, we want to dive further into the places you can promote your podcast, how they are helpful, and how to get started!
Places to Promote Your Podcast
Your Guest's Audience
Your guest's audience is a great place to help spread the word. Not only are they on your podcast but they can share that information with their own audiences! Reach even more people with most likely an interest in a similar industry or a topic they would be willing to continue following.
How to utilize guest's audience:
Be a guest podcaster (reach people who already listen to podcasts!)
Ask if you can write a guest blog post (maybe your guest also has a blog - see if you can help contribute to it in some way!)
Have them post on their social posts (create graphics that they can share to make it even easier on their end)
Share on their email list (again, you could write up an email template to make it simple for them to spread the word to their newsletter!)
Do a collaborative giveaway with your guest and the episode you have together
Do a freebie together! You and your guest could create a freebie (PDF, a webinar, something related to their business, etc.) with a funnel that you both can benefit from.
Social Media Channels
Next is social media channels and there are so many possibilities when it comes to them. Not only are there a plethora of mediums (which in itself can get confusing) but there are a lot of potential listeners as well with whom you can share your podcasts too.
Plus, social media is a great way to reach your own audience on a regular basis for questions, concerns, saying hi/what’s up, and, learning what they want to know more of, etc. It’s a great way to build and connect with your podcast community!
Socials for podcasters: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest + X (formerly Twitter) are great starting channels.
What you can post on these social channels to promote your podcast:
audiograms
video clips/teasers
pull quotes
images
guest posts - quotes, teaser, their info, and a photo of your guest for some examples.
new episode alert
share fan art/ratings (such as testimonials)
giveaways (just like with guests above but for your own podcast)
tweets
reshare old episodes
utilize stories (on both FB + Instagram!)
Instagram carousels (share a summary of an episode, give more detailed information, resources, etc.)
use the live feature on any of the social channels to connect in real-time with your followers
Blog Posts
Another great option is blogs. They are a fabulous way to utilize SEO and keyword benefits. As well as reach audiences who prefer the written word over images + videos.
There are multiple ways you can utilize blogs from
write them yourself (basically show notes!)
reaching out to other blogs as a guest writer and writing to similar topics as your podcast
Share your blogs to publishing sites like Medium to have a broader reach of readers
Share on social channels like LinkedIn (as an article) or Pinterest
link it in your email newsletter (discussed more below)
Email Marketing
Email Marketing is a great way to let your current audience know what is happening with your podcast.
Whether that be new episodes, sharing your show notes (blogs from above!), asking for what they want more of, etc., you are able to connect with your audience on a little more personal level (but not to the same level as social media).
Other than sharing new episodes + show notes, email marketing is great for:
Freebies
Giveaways
Patreon or other paid ways of connecting with your listeners and fans
Getting to know your audience (you can ask Q+As) and even reply to them in a more personalized manner by email.
A way to ask for reviews
Share upcoming shows (virtual/in-person) and other fun or extra events that come up
Utilize YouTube
This could definitely fall under social media but we find that it really needs a category of its own. The fact they have 2.24 billion YouTube users worldwide (and is the second largest search engine) means YouTube in itself is a great source for a lot of people you can potentially reach, including new listeners.
How to utilize YouTube:
Convert your audio into a YouTube video (so now at least your sound is on YouTube!) or get your RSS feed listed on YouTube
Utilize the closed captions + transcriptions to reach more people such as the hard-of-hearing community.
If you actually record yourself (and your guest!) talking on video, then you can also post regularly the video format of your actual podcast
Answer Q+As or other listener inquiries on YouTube to make it more personalized and they can put a face to the Podcast.
Use YouTube Live to reach your audience in real-time (like social media)!
Your Listeners!
I know this doesn’t feel obvious as these are already your people, but that’s why they are so helpful! Recommendations are huge, even ImprovePodcast.com points out that 66% of those who listen to a show, got it recommended by friends or family. So having your listeners share that they love your podcast can make a huge difference in bringing in new and interested listeners.
Ways you can utilize your listeners:
they share with their friends + family (that 66% we just mentioned!)
have them leave reviews like on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Share your podcast on their social channels whether that is a post or even a story to help promote to their own followers
Giveaways - for example are a great way to get tags + shares on Instagram
Again, share the posts that your audience tags you in such as their fan art or reviews (make them feel a part of your world because they are!)
Your Website
Another way to promote your podcast is on your website. Whether you are a business that already has a website or you are strictly just a podcast, utilizing a website is a great way to get your podcast out there through search engines and other online audiences.
Here are some ways you can make use of your website:
Create a podcast landing page (or if you are just podcasting, create a website for your podcast!)
This way you can maximize your chances for search engine optimization.
Great way to share the above blog posts/show notes
Add the Podcast itself to your website to be able to have quick listening access. So, no matter how people find you they can also find your podcast!
A good place to have your audience sign up for your newsletter
Paid Ads!
The last way to get started promoting your podcast is through paid ads. Now, this is something you would have to put a little money into but it can be so worth it since you are reaching a more defined and specific target audience.
Here are some ways you can start using paid ads:
Social Media Ads! From Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, YouTube Ads, Pinterest Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc. Promote where your audience spends a lot of their time (almost 3 hours to be exact daily on socials!)
Start using Google Ads. You already are trying to get Google's attention from SEO + Keywords on your website so why not pay for some ads to expand your reach?
Not exactly an ad but maybe you team up and pay an influencer to either do a promotion with you or a giveaway to help reach more people in a similar industry. (Bonus if they are someone who already loves your show!)
Conclusion
Don’t be afraid to trial and error on any of the above promotion ideas. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to podcasting – there are so many different types of shows, styles, and topics. Try a few and play around to figure out what works best for you and your podcast! Every audience + podcast is different so what may work for some may just not work for others. If you need help promoting your podcast or if you want to hire us to help clear up time on your plate, click here!
Happy Promoting!
Aleea
This blog post was updated on November 28th, 2023
