Every podcast marketing strategy changes depending on the type of content and its listeners. If you are a beginner, you may be wondering what it takes to start a successful podcast, and we’ve got the answer for you…
It’s all in the marketing strategy.
You may have the best episodes in the world, but without a proper strategy, you won’t be able to attract or maintain a relationship with your listeners.
Luckily, this article contains all the tips you need to build an effective podcast marketing strategy.
Shaping your Podcast Marketing Strategy
Starting and growing a podcast is not easy.
You may face many challenges from disliking the sound of your voice to coming up with fresh content.
But it is all worth it.
Podcast advertising, for instance, has a higher customer conversion rate compared to other advertising channels like radio.
The effort you put into growing your podcast will pay off once you establish a dedicated audience.
So how do you get there?
There are many marketing strategies to pick from including email marketing, paid media advertising, internet marketing, storytelling, and more.
When you are ready to take your podcast to the next level, you may want to test out different marketing strategies before settling on one.
The goal is to consistently get hundreds (or thousands) of listeners to tune in, and this is where to start:
Do you Have a Podcast Site?
A dedicated podcast page allows you to streamline all your work.
When listeners land on your site, they should be able to find everything they need with ease; from previous episodes to the subscribe button.
The point of distribution platforms like iTunes is to get you new listeners, but what you do with them is up to you.
A website helps you engage with your audience.
You can use your site to upload transcripts of your episodes as blog posts, upload episode updates, as well as publish marketing messages.
A website gives listeners multiple ways of listening to your content, helps you easily build an email list, and it is great for podcast SEO.
And let’s face it, podcasts have been short-handed when it comes to discovery tools.
It’s easier to find video content than audio content, but Google might have already found a fix for this.
Google’s Solution
Podcasts rarely come up in search results, and the only sure way for listeners to find audio content is to include the word ‘podcast’ in the search query.
Earlier in 2019, Google designed a system that indexed podcast episodes as long as they were published with an RSS Feed.
But even with this feature, it’s still unlikely that listeners will be able to find unpopular podcasts – which is why you need a marketing strategy.
Strategy #1: Quality over Quantity
Before you actively get into marketing your podcast, you need to get the house in order.
You don’t want to waste your effort only for listeners to turn back after skimming through your site, and why?
…poor quality content!
So before you tell everyone about it, ask yourself this: is your podcast good? Does it offer any unique value to the listeners?
Get to know some famous podcast hosts and their secrets of success.
The number one marketing strategy for any podcast is to consistently put out good content. Teach them something new, entertain them, or contribute something to an important conversation.
You can easily spot a successful podcast through the statistics and download numbers.
Are people listening to your episodes in full? Do they skip the intros?
The best podcasts not only capture the attention of listeners – it also sustains this attention through time.
New podcast marketing trends are always going to emerge, but before you get on the latest frenzy, make sure your content is solid.
It’s all About SEO
Optimizing your podcast for search engines is one way to make sure your potential listeners find you.
There are many ways to improve your podcast SEO including:
Use Catchy Titles and Cover Art
The first impression is everything; but don’t clickbait your audience.
Write Better Episode Descriptions
Use relevant keywords to make it easier for your content to show up on search engine results.
Transcribe your Episodes
Transcribing your episodes will not only improve SEO, it also makes it easier for your audience to share the content.
You don’t have to transcribe the audio word for word. A summary is often enough to give your audience an idea of what to expect.
Transcribing audio to text could have massive benefits for your podcast.
Always Repurpose your Content
After working hard to create that amazing episode on your podcast, are you only going to use it once?
We have a better idea.
You can repurpose your content in a number of different ways. Use your transcripts as blog posts, upload the episode on Facebook, or create a video out of it and upload it to your YouTube channel.
Here are some more creative ways to repurpose your podcast audio:
- Design infographics that summarize episodes for your listeners.
- Create image quotes and share them on social media.
Podcast Marketing Strategy for iTunes
As you launch your podcast on iTunes, it’s better to release a lot of episodes at once. This way, your podcast can be featured on the ‘New and Noteworthy’ section for as long as two months.
Having a lot of content means showing your listeners variety and diversity, and they will love you for it.
After a few months of consistently putting out a lot of content, you can bring it down to one or two posts per week.
This may seem like too little, but after building a dedicated audience, you need a content strategy that keeps them interested.
Post episode teasers more and give your listeners a sense of anticipation before dropping new content.
It’s Trial and Error
What works for another podcast might not work for you.
Establishing a regular schedule, and sticking to it, can help you determine the best days to post new content.
New music releases on Tuesday in iTunes, meaning there is a lot of traffic that day. This could be a good day to upload new podcast episodes, but you should always go with what the numbers say.
Social Media Podcast Marketing Strategy
Podcasters can easily share their content on social media and build a huge following. You may be asking yourself if this is even necessary at all.
After all, iTunes and other iOS Podcast apps are where it’s at when it comes to podcasts.
Why would anyone waste time promoting on social media?
Well, for starters, you are right. YouTube and SoundCloud only account for a small percentage of podcast listeners.
According to Nieman Lab, iTunes accounts for 70 percent of podcast listens.
Social media channels, however, can help increase audience engagement and create brand awareness.
Social media is also a great customer service tool.
You get to interact with your listeners, answer their questions, and address their concerns one on one.
And if you are lucky, your content might just go viral.
You need a killer social media campaign that can attract a lot of listeners, and we have a few ideas to get you started:
Regularly post updates on relevant social channels.
Let your followers know when you first air an episode. You can also post episode teasers 24 hours ahead of time, and ensure you reshare the post multiple times.
Give shout-outs to loyal fans.
Is one of your dedicated listeners celebrating a major event in their life? Congratulate them on it. This lets your audience know that it’s about them too – it creates a real connection.
Authenticity is important for podcasts. Listeners need to relate to the content and the person behind the podcast. Acknowledging and appreciating your supporters conveys a sense of realness.
Behind the Scenes Video
A lot of podcasters incorporate video into their marketing strategies. You can choose to record your podcast episodes and show snippets on Instagram stories.
This will give your audience a different perspective on your podcast, allowing them to connect with your content more.
Interact with your Followers
The comments section exists for a reason. Respond to the messages you get, both private and public. You need to stay active on social media, and if you do take a break, let your audience know in advance.
Bonus Tip: Multi-Launch Campaign Strategy
You want to get as much traffic as you can on day one of launching your podcast. One way to do that is to give listeners more than one episode to enjoy.
“I actually received negative reviews from people who had listened to the first episode and were upset that there was only one.”
– Pat Flynn, Smart Passive Income
People need enough content to bite into so they can really see what your podcast is about. So how many episodes should your release on launch day?
Between 3 and 5.
You might already have an existing audience even before you launch, and uploading multiple episodes keeps your current listeners entertained as you work on new content.
Grow your Podcast with Bunny Studio
Between planning the next episode, looking for the next guest, and marketing your podcast; it’s easy for podcasters to lose track of their initial goals.
But you don’t have to do it alone.
We have a wide pool of talents; transcribers that will have your podcast transcripts ready in no time, as well as voice-over artists that can bring your audio trailer to life.
Leave your podcast marketing strategy with us and focus on creating good content for your brand.
All you have to do is reach out and submit your project details.
