Podcasting is a journey. And every great journey starts with a single step.
You've taken the first one by launching your podcast, but you might now be wondering how to grow your audience. In reality, creating good content is just half the battle. The other half is ensuring your podcast echoes through the headphones of countless listeners. But the million-dollar question is: how do you reach them?
In this guide, we've picked out 10 proven strategies to help make your podcast stand out in a crowded market. We’ll also provide you with everything you need to know on how to grow your podcast audience and turn them into a dedicated, engaged listenership.
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Before we dive into the art of growing your podcast audience, it’s important to establish who your ideal listener is. We don’t just mean their ages or geographical locations, either. You need to have a solid understanding of their wants, needs, and pain points. After all, how can you grow an audience you don't fully comprehend?
Your target audience is the heartbeat of your podcast. These individuals aren't just random listeners - they’re your loyal fans, eagerly awaiting each new episode.
Identifying your audience's demographic and psychographic characteristics is important. You can use tools, surveys, and social media insights to draw a vivid picture of your listener. On top of that, you should also understand your audience's pain points. Why? So you can tailor your content to provide valuable insights and solutions for your ideal listener.
Remember, the key to a thriving podcast lies in the hearts and minds of its listeners. So who are they, and why are they listening to your show?
10 Ways to Grow Your Podcast Audience
Navigating the world of podcasting can seem daunting, especially when trying to grow your audience. But don’t worry, because we've put together a list of 10 proven strategies guaranteed to help your content reach more ears.
1. Submit Your Podcast to a Directory
This is a straightforward yet crucial strategy that often gets overlooked. Podcast directories are essentially libraries of shows that podcast listeners visit to discover new ones. They're like the search engines of the podcasting world. So, submitting your podcast episodes to these directories will increase your podcast's visibility, making it a great way to grow your podcast audience.
Some of the most popular directories include Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. These three options attract a significant portion of podcast listeners, but they’re not the only ones. So, make sure your show is available on all of them. This includes the less popular, but still important, platforms like Stitcher, Podchaser, Overcast, and Pocket Casts.
2. Nail Your Podcast SEO
SEO isn't only for blogs and websites. It's also a crucial factor for your podcast's visibility. And the best podcasts are those that are easily discoverable by search engines. It all starts with optimising your podcast’s name, description, and episode titles.
Your podcast title and description should be catchy and contain keywords relevant to your content. Episode titles and podcast descriptions are also great places to include your keywords. Ensure your episode titles are appealing, while your descriptions should provide a clear summary of what listeners can expect from the episode.
It’s also important to note that leveraging SEO extends to your podcast website or landing page. Having a dedicated website for your podcast allows you to offer more detailed show notes, blog posts related to your chosen topics, and additional content for your listeners. More of this next.
3. Create a Podcast Website (Or Landing Page)
Speaking of websites, podcasts and websites go hand in hand. Having an online home base for your podcast is a great idea. As a podcaster, you can opt for a fully-fledged website or a simple landing page.
The easy way is a landing page - which is a single, standalone web page providing essential information about your show. This would include its description, a host bio, and links to various podcast directories. It's an excellent option for a more straightforward and time-efficient solution.
On the other hand, a podcast website provides a much more extensive overview of your show and episodes. They typically consist of multiple pages housing information like show notes, blog posts, contact details, links to social feeds, a list of helpful and relevant resources, and much more.
Podcast websites serve as a central hub for listeners to explore more about you and your podcast, while providing avenues for them to show support. Plus, by incorporating show notes and blog posts, you’ll increase your chances of ranking higher on Google, effectively attracting new people to your content.
4. Build an Email List
If you do decide to create a podcast website, you should also include an email sign-up prompt. A direct line of communication with your audience can be a powerful tool in growing your podcast listenership. The secret here is to offer value in return for their email address. So, what can you offer? It could be exclusive content, insider news, or even a free resource relating to your podcast's niche.
Once you've started building your email list, the key is to use it wisely. Email marketing is a great way to keep your audience updated, but you must ensure your emails provide value and aren't solely self-promotional. Try not to spam, either. Doing so will just annoy people, and potentially result in them unsubscribing. Instead, only make a send when you have something valuable, relevant, and interesting to say.
The content of your email will depend on what your show is about. But it works well to engage in a conversation with your subscribers. You can do this by sharing behind-the-scenes information, soliciting feedback, and involving them in the podcast creation process. Having a back-and-forth with your audience can create a strong bond between you and them, helping to foster a loyal listenership that's more likely to share future episodes.
5. Interview Guests That Have Established Audiences
Recording a guest spot on your podcast is an excellent way of tapping into new audiences. When you interview guests (especially those with big followings), you're not just gaining their insights, you’re also accessing their listeners. Once your episode featuring them goes live, ask them to share it with their audience. If they do, you’ll be exposed to a host of potential listeners.
Consider preparing a guest package for your interviewees to make this process smoother. Once an episode is live, email them the episode link, any visual assets, and pre-written social media posts or quotes they can easily share on their platforms. This makes the process effortless for them and increases the likelihood they'll promote the episode.
You can also tag them in your posts on any social platform, making it easy for them to re-share your content. Remember, the easier you make it, the more likely they'll help promote your podcast episode.
6. Cross-Promote Episodes With Other Podcasters
Cross-promotion is a podcast discovery strategy where two or more podcasters promote each other's shows. It's one of the best ways to grow your audience because it allows you to tap into the listenership of similar podcasts.
This process can involve shout-outs, guest spots, trailer swaps, or even co-hosting special episodes. The idea is that exposing your podcast to another's audience increases your potential listenership, and vice versa. It's a win-win situation.
MatchMaker.fm is a platform of 70,000+ podcasters and guests ready to collaborate today. It’s simple to use, and guaranteed to make finding the right partnerships easier. Sign up today by clicking here.
7. Utilise Social Media to Build a Community
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Twitter provide a vast pool of potential listeners. So, why not take advantage of that?
Facebook Groups are a goldmine, and creating one specifically for your podcast can foster a sense of community among your listeners. It's a space where fans can discuss your content, engage with one another, and deepen their connection with your show. This sense of intimacy often leads to increased loyalty and word-of-mouth recommendations — the most effective way to attract new podcast listeners.
8. Repurpose Content Into Videos & Upload to YouTube
The concept here is simple - repurpose your podcast episodes into YouTube videos. So basically, create a video podcast.
A good place to start is by recording your episodes with video. Tools like Zencastr, Riverside, and Squadcast make it easy to record high-quality video and audio content simultaneously. If you're a new podcaster, or you just like to keep it simple, you can even just upload your audio clip and add a static image (or simple visuals) to accompany it.
Remember, YouTube is more than just a video hosting site. It's also the second-largest search engine in the world, and one of the main podcast listening platforms out there. Make sure you optimise your video’s title, description, and tags with specific keywords relevant to your content for better search results.
9. Create & Run Ad Campaigns
Ad campaigns can offer a powerful boost to your podcast's audience growth. You can directly connect with your target listener by harnessing the precision of Google Ads and social media campaigns.
Google Ads uses specific keywords tied to your podcast, which places your content in the right search results. Similarly, ad campaigns on social channels can be customised to reach an audience that fits your ideal listener profile.
However, it's important to balance ambition with budget. Begin with smaller, experimental ad campaigns, evaluate the strategies that yield the best results, and gradually scale up from there.
10. Join a Podcast Network
The good news for podcast creators is that there's such a thing as a podcast network, which can significantly aid in audience growth. Often, this becomes a viable option when your podcast gains some traction. Joining a network when you’re a new podcaster might seem like a distant goal, but it's something worth working towards. Being part of a network can provide access to a larger listener base, marketing resources, and a community of like-minded podcasters.
Creating an Omnichannel Podcast Strategy
Ultimately, remember that in the podcasting world, the hard work begins after you hit 'publish' on your latest episode. That's the starting line, not the finish. It might seem overwhelming, but these growth strategies aren't intended to stand alone. They're pieces of a much larger puzzle. The trick is assembling them together to create an omnichannel podcast strategy.
What Is an Omnichannel Podcast Strategy?
Think of it this way. Each of the ten proven strategies above aren’t standalone tactics. They all play their own role in a bigger strategy - all working together to amplify your podcast. It's about coordinating these tactics to fit together to create one single puzzle (aka - your podcast marketing strategy) with the end goal of growing your listenership.
Every time you publish a new episode, it's not just about creating high-quality content. It's an opportunity to connect, engage, and grow your audience in all the right places.
Final Thoughts: How to Grow Your Podcast Audience
Growing your podcast audience won’t happen overnight. The truth is it takes a lot of time and effort to build an engaged following.
That being said, if you follow the above strategies and work them into your overall podcast strategy, you’ll be off to a great start.
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