Podcasting and Social Media Promotion
Getting your podcast up and running is a huge accomplishment but what happens after you do that? You will want people to listen to it!
However, unfortunately for podcasting, it’s harder to just “discover” a show. So, that’s where promotion comes in! For many, you have to find other ways to get the word out, and one great way is through social media.
Continue reading to learn tips to leverage social media platforms for your show!
Setting the Stage
Before you just hop on platforms and begin promoting your show, you will want to set the stage.
Start by defining your podcast goals and target audience. Your goals will help you know exactly what you should promote and why you want to use social media. It may not be for everyone but getting clear on what you are looking to use it for will help guide your content.
Plus, knowing your target audience will guide you on what social media channels to post on.
Especially since there are so many platforms to choose from, it’s easier to start with 1 or 2 so you can interact/nail those vs. “posting and ghosting”. And you’ll want to be on platforms your audience is on, otherwise, you will just be wasting your time!
Once you’ve figured out your goals and audience, also create consistent branding for your podcast. This will help people relate your content to your show - it doesn’t help if they come across a post but can’t remember who to listen to!
Leveraging Social Media Platforms
It’s now time to figure out exactly what platforms you are going to be getting on. There are a lot of them out there and like I said, you’ll want to go for ones that your listeners are on, so they can come across it and want to listen.
Here is an overview of some of the major platforms podcasters promote and some post ideas for each:
Facebook
Video teasers from an episode (could be interesting, value-packed, or even a topic that causes discussion).
Meme relating to the episode
Behind-the-scenes content
A quote from the episode on an image
Instagram
Video teasers (both on stories and as reels)
Key takeaways / valuable content in a carousel
Behind-the-scenes content
A story of you talking about what you took away/found valuable from an episode
Meme relating to the episode
LinkedIn
Video teasers
Audiograms
Key takeaways in a PDF carousel
A valuable quote from the guest
Infographic
Pinterest
Key takeaways as an idea pin
Infographic
Share your show notes from your website with a Pinterest pin
Audiograms
TikTok
Video teasers
something controversial, valuable, or even what you learned are great starting points
X/Threads
Video teasers
Quotes from guests
A question relating to the episode to spark conversation and then link to the episode
Behind-the-scenes footage
Crafting Engaging Content
You’ve picked your platforms and set your goals for your show. Next, it’s time to begin creating engaging content.
Remember, no matter the platform you will want to create eye-catching and valuable content.
Here are some tips for creating eye-catching and valuable content -
Utilize SEO + keywords in your captions and headlines
Create posts that your audience will want to interact with such as incorporating questions, polls, and challenges that help lead to engagement.
Be open to change! For example, platforms are ever-changing so explore new features when they come about and see if those work for your audience.
Build a Social Media Schedule
As you begin building post ideas, also create a social media schedule. Building a regular posting routine will help you stay consistent.
But make sure to create a schedule you can keep up with! It doesn’t have to be daily if that doesn’t work for your sanity or schedule. For example, if you have a bi-weekly show and you use Instagram. You could post twice a week on your feed some teasers and then also promote your show in your stories. This could look like…
A teaser before you launch the show to get the hype going for when it comes out.
A snippet on launch day to get people to go listen
Then share some thoughts or value in your stories to help keep the episode alive the next few days after the launch.
Then the following week, do something similar - promoting the current episode as well as getting people excited for the next.
And if you are struggling to stay on top of it all, consider using scheduling tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to allow you to batch content and stay consistent!
Measuring Success
Finally, don’t forget to analyze and track your social media performance. This will help you figure out what’s working (and not working) for your audience so you can adjust your strategies. You won’t want to keep posting the same thing if it’s not hitting the mark.
Some things you will want to think about when viewing your analytics:
Downloads - look at your downloads for the first 7 days, the last 30, 90 days, and all time (and by episode as well). This can help you get an idea of what your listeners are connecting with and not connecting with.
Listener stats - to know who your listeners are and their preferences as that helps make your show run (and what makes them come back for more!) Think about demographics and consumption rate.
Feedback from your listeners - are there comments or responses to your posts on social media or even ratings/reviews. This is a great way to see what your listeners are directly saying.
But don’t obsess too much over this. Strategies can take a while to stick or get any sort of response, so I would keep the same strategy for at least 3 months before making any major changes to it. Of course, if you notice that something isn’t working and you want to make small tweaks - I say go for it. But adjusting too quickly won’t allow you to truly see if your strategies are working.
Let’s get social!
It’s time to get posting! Take your new plan and begin putting it into action. Don’t be afraid to experiment, make changes, and enjoy the process of building your social media presence.
It’s a great way to connect with your listeners and collaborate with others in the podcasting community!
Let me know in the comments what is one of your favorite platforms and why?
Aleea
