Know your viewers
It is essential to know your viewers so you possibly can present them with beneficial content material. These methods will help you get began.
28. Determine a distinct segment
“I had a broad, basic matter once I first began podcasting: tales of feminine entrepreneurs. After I switched to particularly instructing entrepreneurs tips on how to begin, launch, and market their podcasts, I noticed a shift in numbers nearly instantly.
…The ethical of the story is to area of interest down as a lot as potential so listeners know precisely what sort of worth you provide them and why they need to maintain coming again each week.”
–Krystal | The Proffitt Podcast
29. Get inside your viewers’s head
“Know your viewers like they are a buddy. Know their struggles, needs, fears, and mainly be of their thoughts.
This may make your content material important and binge-worthy to your viewers, who will then share it with like-minded individuals.”
–Kim | Lecturers Want Lecturers
30. Use knowledge
“Construct a Google Analytics-backed touchdown web page on your library of episodes. This helps you perceive the place your listeners are coming from, which will help you optimize primarily based on channel.”
–Jake | Convoy Radio
31. Discuss to your listeners
“It might appear apparent, however the quickest option to study what your clients like and need to hear is by speaking to them.
Use a Fb group, arrange a Google Type, or e-mail them on to solicit suggestions and study what you are able to do to serve your viewers at a better stage.
Your podcast host ought to have the power to incorporate a hyperlink to your type inside your present notes.”
–Travis | Buzzcast
32. Launch a podcast hotline the place listeners can go away voicemails
“I launched a podcast hotline the place my listeners can name in and go away a voicemail that can be featured in a future episode.
That is one other superb manner for my listeners to really feel like they’re part of my group and my podcast. These kind of participation options herald new listeners who’re inquisitive about all my choices.”
–Melissa | Mimosa Sisterhood
33. Begin a Fb group on your podcast to foster group
“Begin a Fb group in your material proper now and begin constructing a following earlier than you ever begin the podcast.
Be useful in different teams and reply questions different members have in your matter. This may construct your status as a educated and reliable individual in your matter.”
–Cynthia | True Hauntings & Scary Tales
34. Respect your viewers’s time
“First, know and respect your viewers. Everybody’s time is valuable and beneficial. Respect your viewers’s time by giving them beneficial info that helps them…”
–Julie | Paw Claws & Moist Noses
35. Interact together with your DMs
“Even with a small social media following, your followers will seemingly reply to your content material with questions and concepts, and it at all times makes listeners glad to get a well timed response from the host him/herself.”
–Buzzsprout
36. Get readability on very best listeners
“Get complete readability on their very best listener after which go on different podcasts with that very same sort of listener and interact on social media the place these sorts of listeners could also be.
If you happen to don’t know precisely who you’re attempting to achieve together with your podcast, you’ll by no means know the place to go to seek out these listeners, and no development technique can be efficient.”
–Rob | Contenders Needed
Digital and content material advertising
Contemplate these digital advertising and content material advertising methods that will help you get the phrase out about your podcast.
37. Use paid advertisements
“The one greatest tactic I’ve used to develop my podcast has been Fb Adverts. It might sound counterintuitive to pay for promoting, but it surely actually could make a distinction.
The superb factor about Fb Adverts is that you could get very focused listeners on your present for those who arrange your campaigns accurately. And this will result in loyal listeners who will go away opinions and inform their pals in regards to the present.”
–Nicholas | Progress Advertising and marketing Toolbox
PRO TIP
Develop your podcast by repurposing your spotlight clip as a podcast promo on Buzzsprout Adverts.
38. Inform everybody
“Simply point out your podcast both actively or passively. Getting a haircut? ‘Hey! Do you take heed to podcasts?’ At a celebration? ‘So what have you ever been listening to, Brandon?’ On a primary date? ‘Yeah, I produce my very own podcast.'”
–Brandon | Jesus Hotline
39. Leverage phrase of mouth advertising
“Now we have largely used phrase of mouth to unfold our podcast.
….We alternate friends that can assist us develop our podcast viewers base with different friends who present high quality content material however haven’t got a lot social media presence.
By doing this, our listeners get to listen to new concepts and see completely different views that are essential to us.”
–Tun | Artwork Grind Podcast
40. Use SEO
“I do key phrase analysis round varied matters to grasp what persons are trying to find and are looking for out extra about. I take that into consideration when figuring out material for brand spanking new episodes.”
–Travis | The Winding Highway Podcast
PRO TIP
Use focused key phrases in your episode titles to maximise your search engine optimisation and attain extra potential listeners.
41. Cross-promote with friends
“When we’ve friends on, the visitor usually promotes their look to their social circle as effectively.
Episodes the place we have had friends usually have double the performs, and we see elevated performs proceed slowly over time after visitor appearances.”
–Chris | Detroit Arcade Membership
42. Implement e-mail advertising
“Each time I publish a brand new podcast, I ship an e-mail to everybody in my e-mail database to announce the podcast.
I embody details about the podcast in my quarterly publication in addition to my weekly e-mail to my database.”
–Allison | Center Growing older
43. Add calls to motion (CTAs)
“Embrace one particular name to motion on every podcast episode to create interplay together with your listeners.”
–Juliette | The Unwritable Rant
44. Hand out enterprise playing cards
“I’ve designed and ordered some enterprise playing cards with a QR code on them handy out to companies and folks domestically. The QR code takes them to our podcast web site.”
–Aaron | Pilgrim’s Digress
45. Ship press releases
“Each time I publish a brand new podcast, I ship out press releases to native media retailers explaining what the episode is about to see if I can get some media protection.”
–Allison | Center Growing older
46. Collaborate with different manufacturers
“Join with different podcasters to create these visitor alternatives.”
–Brad | Queer Writers of Crime
47. Create a media package
“We created a media package with details about us and our podcast. Subsequent, we developed a database of organizations that characterize the focused demographic we wished to achieve.
We despatched the media package with hyperlinks to our episodes and requested individuals to share the podcast.”
–Justin | Class Is…
48. Create an internet site on your podcast
“We arrange an internet site and are asking listeners to subscribe so we will ship them notifications once we launch a brand new episode.”
–Rene | The Tough and Actual Podcast
49. Leverage running a blog to maximise your attain
“We publish a linked article to our podcast in a weblog put up every week. We attempt to leverage our established WordPress weblog to drive site visitors to the podcasts.
We at all times hyperlink to related articles on the weblog from the podcast in order that listeners can see the medieval church buildings that we focus on.”
–Dennis | Gentle & Stone
50. Do reside recordings
“I do reside podcasts in order that I can repurpose them. I report reside, after which edit and add for rebroadcast. It has been very profitable and our reside podcasts have been probably the most listened to episodes.”
–Tanya | Mother Your Enterprise
51. Promote merchandise
“Creating a very catchy merch merchandise like a hat, tote bag, or shirt with the identify of our podcast begs passersby to ask about our podcast and begin the dialog.”
–Cate | Present of Gab with Cate and Kenya
PRO TIP
Do a podcast merch giveaway to reward listeners that promote or tweet your podcast to their followers.
52. Create a welcome e-mail marketing campaign
“Welcome e-mail marketing campaign, attending to know my listeners and together with them as usually as potential within the podcast. What’s their favourite podcast, which friends would they wish to see, and so forth.”
–Danny | Podcaster Tales
53. Create a podcast trailer at launch
“Releasing a brief podcast trailer on or previous to launch (along with some full episodes) helps set up what your content material is about, and acts as a teaser to get listeners excited for extra future episodes.”
–Buzzsprout
54. Leverage star energy
“Star energy. Our present’s recognition elevated incrementally as soon as we began bringing in ‘celeb’ crossovers of relevance to our group. It actually is so simple as their followers develop into your followers.”
–Paulo | That 80s Present SA
55. Create & promote an e-book associated to content material
“I self-published a fictional horror e-book in October 2020 and used the identical tactic to put it on the market together with some paid Fb and Pinterest advertisements, too.”
–Cynthia | True Hauntings & Scary Tales
56. Make a “promo squad”
“I began with a “promo squad” earlier than launch (family and friends that had been on board to assist me get the phrase out).
I arrange social media accounts to remind individuals I am nonetheless alive and doing the factor, I’ve printed constantly every week for 91 weeks & I create a number of social media belongings for my friends to share earlier than their episode comes out.”
–Meredith | Meredith for Actual: The Curious Introvert
57. Ship new episode alerts to contacts
“Discoverability is without doubt one of the largest points for brand spanking new podcasters. So take into consideration your distribution plan (how you are going to get your podcast in entrance of latest eyeballs) as a lot as potential.”
–Blythe | Digital Dispatch Podcast
58. Study podcasting search engine optimisation fundamentals
“If you discover ways to optimize your podcast search engine optimisation, you lively one other helpful avenue for attracting the best listeners.”
–Buzzsprout
59. Ask listeners to depart opinions (can create an incentive)
“Be per placing out exhibits. Whereas being constant, educate your listeners on tips on how to go away opinions, tips on how to share the exhibits, and so forth.”
–Al | Clear Visions Podcast
60. Create a lead magnet to develop your e-mail checklist
“Have a freebie/lead magnet to develop your checklist…Construct an e-mail checklist and ship out common newsletters and new episodes. Put up about each new episode in your private social handles…”
–Hannah | Beginning Your Imaginative and prescient Podcast
61. Get assist from specialists
“When you’ve got the price range, you possibly can rent podcast promotion providers (like Decrease Avenue) to do a number of the heavy lifting for you.”
–Buzzsprout
62. Promote to social media channels constantly
“Now we have 4 social media accounts that we put up to constantly.
We put up the brand new episode covers, episode audiogram clips, unique memes, episode quotes, and we lately began polling on Twitter to ask listeners for his or her ideas on matters mentioned within the episode.”
–Josie | OL’ SOUL FLO’
63. Get featured in a newspaper
“I received featured in a free newspaper that’s BANG ON for my goal market. Listenership grew by a 3rd.”
–Jessica | Comeback Coach
64. Create visible soundbites
“[I’ve grown my podcast using] audiograms, reside streaming, clubhouse reside, showing on different pods, and writing articles for publications.”
–Zaiba and Uzma | Mommying Whereas Muslim
65. Construct a Google Analytics-backed touchdown web page
“Construct a Google Analytics-backed touchdown web page on your library of episodes. This helps you perceive the place your listeners are coming from and you’ll optimize primarily based on channel.”
–Convoy Radio
66. Publish on a number of platforms
“One technique I exploit to develop my podcast is to make it obtainable on a number of podcast platforms similar to Apple Podcasts (previously iTunes), Stitcher, and Google Play Music.
Listeners can obtain episodes straight from my web site as effectively. Podcasting remains to be a medium in its nascent stage with many distribution retailers, so it behooves podcasters to make consuming their exhibits as straightforward for his or her audiences as potential.”
–Rod | EYE ON SCI-FI
72. Put up on Reddit
“[We post] on related subreddits; for instance, once we report an episode a few particular television present, we put up it to any pertinent pages on Reddit.”
–James | Fsobriety
73. Search suggestions
“Social media is a superb place to collect suggestions. Persons are at all times keen to share an opinion. Be open, take heed to all of the suggestions, however solely take out the elements you suppose will enable you.”
–Beau | Trend in Transition
74. Use hashtags
“I be sure that I promote each episode on social media by way of fastidiously positioned hashtags and photograph content material. Each put up and each hashtag is as essential because the week earlier than.”
–Brian | Let’s Discuss About Chef
75. Discover influencers
“You need to discover influencers inside the trade to validate your podcast content material and get their tackle the trade. Their recognition and data enable you develop.”
–Jason | Communications Academy
76. Touch upon different podcasts’ pages
“Go to the remark part on social media pages the place persons are speaking about your material and suggest your podcast in a constructive manner that’s extra than simply plugging.
Be inventive and seamless. I and others have loved studying these feedback and have found new issues primarily based on what others have really useful.”
–Remi | Two Birds Flock
77. Don’t neglect about video
“I’ve used soundbites that Buzzsprout has created for my episodes and uploaded them to YouTube to share as movies throughout all my social media platforms.
I’ve additionally began to stream on Twitch the place I promote my podcast on my web page and inside my stream. I’ve observed that streaming on Twitch and being lively inside the group that’s particular to my style has been actually useful.”
–Jordyn | Homicide is My Signal
78. Use quotes from an episode and make 3-5 social graphics
“[Use] quotes from the episode into 3-5 social-friendly graphic/picture galleries. You may make these on the fly with a graphic design device like Canva.”
–Blythe | Digital Dispatch Podcast
79. Create beneficial TikTok movies
“Social media however particularly Tiktok! Began placing out three movies a day again in December & have grown to 134.5k followers.
…I simply inform quick tales associated to the theme of the podcast (paranormal/myths/legends), nothing fancy…I’ve additionally seen podcasts put clips of themselves recording and that does effectively, too.”
–Cristina | Espooky Tales
80. Contemplate getting on Twitter
“Courageous it and get on Twitter. Begin on the lookout for an viewers who will respect your output.”
–James | Fsobriety
81. Comply with individuals on Twitter who take heed to exhibits like yours
“Create a Twitter account and comply with people who find themselves following exhibits just like mine. This grew me from zero to 7,000 month-to-month views in a yr.”
–Kenny | [Abridged] Presidential Histories
82. Don’t be afraid to share your episodes on social channels greater than as soon as
“Do not be afraid to share the episode greater than as soon as! Social media algorithms are a beast, and chances are high solely 5-10% of your viewers (if that) noticed the put up the primary time round.
Share an episode a number of instances, and you should definitely tag any friends/firms/instruments talked about throughout that episode to assist with extra natural increase.”
–Blythe | Digital Dispatch Podcast
83. Run a contest
“This month, we’re operating a contest to win one in every of three signed copies of the e-book written by our visitor professional. His e-book may be very stunning to take a look at and can make good imagery for our social media channels, so it will assist loads.”
–Helen | The Wildlife Group Podcast
Social networking
Making connections with podcasters and specialists in your matter is a good way to unfold the phrase about your podcast. Listed below are some tips about tips on how to develop your podcast by way of networking.
84. Leverage private networks
“I’ve been utilizing my teams of pals to develop the podcast. I’ve discovered they’re much extra prone to share it with their pals as they need to assist me.
This has produced a knock-on impact that has grown my podcast greater than I ever would have thought potential.”
–Merry | Flying within the Face of Destiny
85. Attend conferences & public occasions
“We present up for craft beer occasions at festivals and brewery occasions to speak with brewers and friends about our present whereas carrying branded merchandise.”
–Charles | The ABV Podcast
86. Go on different podcasts
“Being interviewed on different podcasts which have giant audiences has been simpler than some other technique.
I’ve additionally labored very diligently for years to make sure my present constantly delivers high-quality content material, with high-quality audio, each single Monday morning. Consistency, high quality, and publicity to bigger audiences will at all times assist develop any present.”
–Jeff | The 5 AM Miracle With Jeff Sanders
87. Invite loyal followers on the present
“I began inviting a few of my most loyal followers onto the present to visitor host with me! The followers love being part of the present and attending to know me on a extra private stage.
It is helped encourage listeners to suggest my podcasts to their family and friends which has been an enormous affect on our development.”
–Melissa | Mimosa Sisterhood
88. Ship strategic pitch emails to podcast advice channels
“[Send] strategic pitch emails to podcast advice newsletters and podcast trade of us.”
–Arielle | Counter Programming with Shira and Arielle
89. Construct your LinkedIn profile
“Leverage all social media channels. LinkedIn has been particularly helpful for my business-focused podcast.”
–Andrew | The Actionable Futurist Podcast
90. Collaborate with different podcasters
“Collaborate with different podcasters and folks in related fields to the subject of your podcast…”
–Ragini | Barely Researched Details
91. Have a strategic visitor technique
“Go on exhibits together with your target market, convey individuals in your present who’ve following related to your present, and if not guesting, cross-promote one another’s exhibits.”
–John | Talking Affect
92. Create a profile on podcast visitor matching providers
“Becoming a member of websites like PodMatch or Podcast Friends could be serving to in connecting with different podcasters and discovering cross-promotion alternatives.”
–Buzzsprout
93. Comply with individuals on Twitter who take heed to exhibits like yours
“Create a Twitter account and comply with people who find themselves following exhibits just like mine. This grew me from zero to 7,000 month-to-month views in a yr.”
–Kenny | [Abridged] Presidential Histories
94. Use Podchaser to attach with followers & creators
“Podchaser is just like the IMDB of podcasts with an added social ingredient that helps to centralize your opinions, enable you work together with followers, and even join with podcasters.”
–Buzzsprout
Extra suggestions
The following pointers do not match neatly into the above classes however are good issues to bear in mind in your podcasting journey.
95. Don’t pay an excessive amount of consideration to statistics!
“Do not get too slowed down or disheartened with statistics, obtain figures or charts. Podcasting is a gradual burn for many and it takes persistence and studying to achieve these milestones.
Be humble – assist your fellow smaller Podcasters and actually take note of their work, they are going to respect it and, in flip, enable you develop.”
–Aaron | Zed 1 Podcast
96. Put concern and doubt on the shelf
“Put concern and doubt on a shelf! Hold creating and proceed attempting completely different methods till you discover one (or a number of) that give you the results you want! Hold shifting. A profitable podcast thrives on consistency.”
–Heather | Simply Breathe: Parenting Your LGBTQ Teen
97. Have a multi-year plan
“I established a two-year plan for the expansion and growth of my very own present that is extraordinarily practical. What this does is about an expectation.
Progress takes time, and each podcaster ought to keep their course slightly than chasing each little fad or technique.”
–Amee | One Damaged Mother
98. Be passionate
“I believe you simply want to point out ardour in what you’re speaking about. Ardour, persistence and revel in it! The listeners will come!”
–Christine | Women Talkin’ Leafs
99. Do not watch for natural development!
“…Get on the market and put up on all social media retailers and begin following others and interact with them. It helps to initially pay for some social media advertisements to widen your viewers past family and friends.”
–Peter | Musings and Different Nonsense
100. Be keen to evolve
“Be keen to evolve your podcast as your viewers grows…”
–Jesse | Unabandoned
Conclusion
Podcast advertising methods differ from conventional advertising techniques, and most value solely your time.
Earlier than you spend money on paid promoting, make one of the best podcast you possibly can and get to know the wants of your podcast listeners.
From there, you’ll be in a superb place to speculate your sources in different podcast advertising strategies that may assist develop your present.
Alban Brooke
Alban Brooke is the Head of Advertising and marketing at Buzzsprout and the co-host of Buzzcast. Have any questions on this information? Attain out on Twitter.
