This might come as a surprise to you, but people won’t likely find your podcast without some work on your part to promote it. Long gone are the days when great SEO alone will drive people to your content.
That said, there are a lot of things you can do to make sure people are listening in. And when you set aside time to do multiple promotional activities, you’ll get to steadily see your download numbers rise.
As always, today’s podcast includes a non-exhaustive list of some of the top ways to promote your podcast. Of course there are other ways to promote your podcast. There will always be more ways. It takes work and time but like anything, putting in the work is essential for success.
Mentioned In This Episode:
Transcript:
Welcome to episode 197 of the Content Experiment Podcast, a podcast for podcasters that supports the idea that content and marketing are ever-moving targets in any business, and it’s okay if you don’t feel like you’re doing it all right, all of the time.
This is the fifth episode of a 10+ series all around bringing more ease into your podcast. Podcasting CAN be time consuming and it can feel really challenging, especially if you’re DIYing most or all of it.
And I’m putting an emphasis on that PLUS. As of right now, the solo series is going to run through at least episode 205, which goes live in early November.
I had some help when I started this podcast, and that allowed me to launch with some confidence. But it was the weeks and months early on where I really struggled. I didn’t feel like I had a go-to resource to help navigate some of the early challenges. Thankfully, I have a background in content marketing so I was able to work through a lot of the challenges with ease…but I know not everyone is in the same situation.
So I wanted to bring you this series to help, leading up to the three-year anniversary of the podcast AND the 200th episode.
But there’s only so much I can cover on a single podcast episode. AND I know that your business and your podcast are unique. You might have more questions after listening. So I’m inviting you to my weekly Podcast Ease Q&A sessions. We got started on July 28 but it’s not too late to join us because we’ll continue through late September. We get on a Zoom call and you can ask me any questions you have about podcasting for the next hour. All calls will be held at 8 a.m. Pacific and they’ll be recorded if you can’t make the call life or want to go back and re-listen.
Are you in? Want to make your podcast feel a little easier? Join me for only $99 for the entire 10-week series at thecontentexperiment.com/ease and you’ll get access to the recordings of previous sessions too.
This week, in the seventh episode of the series, we’re going to talk about promoting your podcast. Some of the best practices and tried and true methods.
Before we get into it, I want to remind everyone that a podcast is NOT a lead generation activity. It’s a way to nurture the people who have already found out. It’s a place to share your expertise and give value to your listeners.
It’s not typically a way to get found online or to grow your business and/or revenue.
That might make it feel like a thankless, expensive, time-consuming activity. And sometimes it is.
BUT podcasting is such a great way to stay in front of your audience, prep them to work with you, give them added value, have your voice heard, and so many other positive things. So whether you’re thinking about starting a podcast or want some validation that you should continue, consider this the validation you need!
So why bother promoting it?
Not everyone is subscribed to it (yet) and you likely have followers on social media an don your email list
Promoting lets people know that there’s a new episode for them to listen to. THis is especially important if your podcast isn’t weekly
Someone who’s following you on social media may take your promotional post snd share it with their followers–especially if you ask them to!
Now let’s talk about HOW to promote your podcast. First, the obvious.
Post about it on social media, usin a static image and an engaging caption
Include a link directly to the episode in a weekly nurturing email to your email list
Also include a link to your podcast in the footer of your regular emails
Create Reels and/or TikToks that spotlight one or two big ideas from each episode
This is something that I’ve started doing (on Reels) and while there’s a learning curve, it’s fun and I’ve gotten a lot of traction out of it – if you’ve seen some of them, I’m on a bit of a hiatus as I prepare to move. I’ll be back
If you host guests, be sure to share links and graphics with them in advance of the episode going live and tag them on your posts too
And now the not so obvious:
Be a guest on other people’s podcasts. This is THE way to grow your own audience. People are listening to a podcast, you show up with all your amazing thoughts and ideas, it’s a natural transition for them to listen to your podcast. But you have to actually talk about your podcast. Mention it! “I talk more about this topic on episode whatever of my podcast, then state the name”
Speak on a stage and talk about your podcast. Apply to be a speaker at a conference or on a summit or in someone’s private Facebook group. This is really helpful if you’re not allowed to pitch on your appearance. A podcast is free. Dropping the name of th podcast or an episode is usually fine…and expected
Host a contest for people who have left ratings and reviews. I’ve seen some people go through all the new reviews from the last month, then choose one at random and give them a prize. Ratings and reviews help your podcast get on the charts, which means that podcast players will recognize it as valuable and recommend it to more people.
Have really great show notes. They should be engaging, include keywords and links to resources, and a transcription at the end. This makes them actually useful to others and more accessible to everyone.
Now, do I do all of these things? Nope. Can you? Sure. But you also need to be really aware of your own bandwidth. With the right systems, you could absolutely do all of this, likely with some help. Right now, I don’t have the space in my work day or life to do everything I mentioned. But I hope to be able to soon.
Feel like you need help creating a strategy for your podcast or getting your systems down? I can help! I’m currently helping two clients launch brand new podcasts and another one relaunch one she put on hold for a while. We’re starting with all the little minute details that are important in a podcast, then moving on to strategy. There’s a lot of moving parts and it helps to have help!
If you found value in what you learned here today, be sure to share it on social media. Take a screenshot of the episode on your phone and share it over on Instagram stories. Tag me at thecontentexperiment. The more you share, the more we can get the podcast into the hands of more business owners, just like you, who need to hear the message that they are not alone.
