5 Podcast Promotion Tips to Widen Your Reach

Audio content is so compatible with today’s modern, fast-paced life that social audio has been on the rise. In fact, during the pandemic, there was a surge in the usage of social audio such as live audio conference rooms and especially podcasts.

Podcasts can be viewed as internet radio shows. They are audio recordings that usually span several episodes and can be accessed through streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify for Podcasters

The Value of Podcasts to Brands

Podcasts offer a number of benefits to both listeners and creators. For listeners, it’s convenient, portable, and can seamlessly be integrated into our busy lifestyle.

For creators and brands, it’s easy to create and it only requires minimal investment. In addition to that, podcasts can:

• Widen your reach: The number of podcast listeners is increasing: From 55% of consumers who actively listen to podcasts in 2020 to 57% in 2021 — and that’s in the US alone. The age range of listeners is also quite wide, beginning from age 12 to the older generations.
• Drive sales and conversions: In a study, brands that advertise their products/service through podcasts saw that customers’ purchase intent increased by 14%, leading to more sales and conversions.
• Cultivate brand awareness: The same study found that 69% of listeners discover and are made aware of a brand’s product/service through podcast ads.
• Be an effective way to advertise: Another study revealed that 55% of podcast listeners actually pay attention to ads in podcasts, which is 10% more than those who listen to ads on radios. The study also found that when ads are seamlessly integrated into the podcast script, listeners tend not to skip ads.

How to Effectively Promote Your Podcast

With all that’s been said, it’s certainly a missed opportunity for brands not to include podcasts and other social audio content in their digital marketing strategy. Creating an engaging podcast is the first step, but your efforts won’t be as effective if your target audience isn’t aware of it.

Here are some tips to effectively promote your podcast and widen your reach:

1. Promote on social media

Social media is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to promote your content. The key here is to strike a balance between timing, being promotional, and offering something of value to your target audience.

Before podcast
Create teasers such as soundbites, audiograms, and video content weeks or days before the event. There is no set rule as to how much time, but typically, a teaser post at least two weeks before is preferable. Spur the excitement even further by posting another reminder three days and one day before the podcast launch.

Here’s a short guide for the suggested teaser formats:

• Soundbites are short-form audio clips that you can post on Facebook. Soundbites can be up to 5 minutes long.
• Audiograms are a combination of a soundbite and a video. It’s also short-form and the video is usually a simple visualization, such as a soundwave or a still image.
• Videos are popular content on visual-centric platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Use this to your advantage.

After podcast
The days after the release of your podcast episode/s is critical as well, since this is a good opportunity to drive more engagement and build anticipation for your next episodes:

• Create behind-the-scenes (BTS) content: Leverage Facebook and Instagram Stories to show BTS footage while making your podcast, outtakes, and other candid content. Audiences will feel much closer to you if you show the “human” side of your brand.
• Repurpose your podcast: This is a practical way to use your resources and to maximize the opportunity to boost engagement. Podcasts can be repurposed into video format, blog content, quotable quotes content, etc.
• Transcribe the podcast or include show notes: Transcripts are word-for-word scripts of your podcast, whereas show notes are the highlights and are usually in bulleted format. Both are helpful for audiences who want to listen/read to your podcast after its launch. It also helps with SEO and web accessibility.

2. Build an email list

Around 4.3 billion people worldwide actively use their email every single day, which is why email marketing is still an indispensable marketing tool despite all the other channels available.

Way before you launch your podcast, it’s a good idea to build your email outreach first, if you haven’t already. Begin with your social media followers and existing product users, and create a dedicated landing page for your email opt-in. This is important for legal and ethical reasons.

Then create a campaign to promote your podcast. You can also make things special for your email list by offering exclusive content to them.

3. Release multiple episodes on launch day

In a study by Buffer, they found that a podcast is more successful if you publish 3 to 5 episodes during your first launch.

The multiple pilot episodes are intended to leverage audiences’ tendency to binge. Otherwise, when you just post one episode, you run the risk of your audiences losing interest in you.

Offering more content to listen to will increase the chances of them becoming invested in your content, and they will also be more likely to be excited about your next podcast episodes.

However, Buffer recommends that after the launch, you can lower the number of episodes to two afterward.

4. Submit your content to podcatchers

Podcatchers are another term for a podcast client, directory, or aggregator.

Aside from letting users stream and download podcasts from their platform, it also allows them to subscribe to creators. When you submit your content to podcatchers, subscribers to your RSS or XML feed will be immediately notified, increasing your exposure.

The most popular podcatcher is Apple Podcasts, which comes out-of-box with iOS. However, we mentioned other streaming services before, such as Google Podcasts, Spotify for Podcasters, and Pandora.

Other options include:

• Castbox
• iHeartRadio
• TuneIn
• Podbay
• SoundCloud

5. Network and leverage guestings

Networking with other creators and/or business owners is valuable not only for marketing but also for increasing your credibility as a podcaster/content creator. It’s also an effective way to promote your podcast and create business partnerships as well.

Guestings can also go both ways: You can invite guests to your own podcast to enrich your content, or you can pitch yourself as a guest to other shows too. There are online communities where you can find relevant podcast creators:

• Radio Guest List: When you subscribe to their newsletter, you can receive pitches from podcast creators who are looking for guests.
• Find Radio Guests: This works similarly to Radio Guest List
• r/PodcastGuest Exchange: This is a subreddit for podcast creators seeking to find guests.

Create Engaging Content for Your Brand

Podcasts are among the many kinds of content you can put out to boost your marketing. The catch is that constantly producing engaging and relevant content can be a huge struggle, especially if you’re a new business with limited resources.

If you need any help with any of your content marketing needs — be it podcasts, videos, blog content, graphic design, and more — Ilfusion is here to take the burden off your shoulders.

Send us an email at [email protected] or give us a call at 888-420-5115 to get started!

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