You started your podcast. So, now it is time to focus on growing your podcast audience. Your listeners are the engine of your podcast. They keep things moving forward and determine the success of many other moving parts. It is important to be creative and open-minded when seeking to grow your audience. With a bit of groundwork and a greater awareness of your brand and target audience, you can begin to see downloads increase, and your listener base will increase.
Here are ten strategies for growing your podcast audience.
Amp up your podcast website
A podcast website is the home base for all things related to your show. Think of it as the storefront of your show. This is where your listeners will go to seek out new information and discover what your show is about. Your website can provide links to episodes, blog posts, show notes, and complete transcriptions of episodes. This is the bread and butter of SEO. Research popular search words and phrases to use in your episode titles and blog posts. This will make your show accessible to potential listeners.
Your website provides content that search engines love, so it is important to add content on a regular basis.
Know your podcast audience
You are no stranger to this phrase. In fact, you probably can’t get away from it at this point in your podcast journey. Knowing your target audience is crucial and an inescapable task if you want to have a successful podcast show. Find your niche topic and focus on a highly specific audience. Attempting to appeal to a mass audience with an expansive topic can lead to difficulty when it comes to growing your audience.
Once you have your target audience nailed down, you can reach out to your listeners, connect with them and provide solutions in a multitude of ways.
Invade all platforms
Your show has to be available on multiple platforms. Don’t limit it to only a few. Submit your show’s RSS feed to all podcast directories. Apple, Google, and Spotify are the most well-known podcast platforms, but there are plenty of smaller platforms like Libsyn, Simplecast, or Podbean. Hosting platforms are highly efficient and make publishing episodes easy. Expand to as many platforms as possible so that it is easy for listeners around the globe to access your show.
Here is a tutorial that can help with submitting your RSS feed to multiple platforms.
Add a visual component to your show
Creating a video component for your show can throttle you toward the front of the podcasting market. A recent report by Podcast 360 found that 83 percent of podcast listeners say they listen to their shows, but 59 percent said they watch podcasts. It is official, YouTube has surpassed Spotify when it comes to how people are consuming podcasts. You can open your show up to a wider audience with video. Members of your audience might prefer watching a show instead of solely listening.
Add a static image to your audio file, film the actual recording of your podcast, or create content that is customized with the unique attributes of your company.
Stay active on social media
Your show has a social media presence. Congrats. But, are you posting regularly? Do you have an outlined schedule that allows you to publish content consistently? It is not hard to become lost in the scrolling feeds your social content inhabits. It is important to post multiple times a day to place your podcast in a competitive position. Your audience is bombarded with social content daily and they want to see your content!
Take your social media presence to the next level with these ideas:
- Tease episodes with trailers.
- Post quote graphics that showcase a highlight of a guest’s remarks.
- Utilize hashtags as a way for your listeners to find you on social media.
- Tag other companies or the social profiles of guests on your show.
- Post behind-the-scenes clips.
- Create an opinion piece where you share your thoughts on an episode.
Connect to grow your podcast audience
Create a community for your podcast and its listeners. Host forums of discussion on YouTube or Facebook. Email questionnaires that explore potential show topics or open deeper discussions on previous episodes. Encourage listeners to rate and review your podcast. The more you can engage your listeners, the greater sense of belonging they will experience. Creating communal places of conversation will encourage them to contribute and interact with the content you release.
Your listeners want to be a part of a community of shared interests, interact with your brand and connect with you.
Swapping hosts and podcast audiences
It takes a village to run a successful podcast. You can build valuable partnerships by collaborating with other shows, appearing as a guest, or interviewing a fellow podcast host. By placing yourself in front of another podcast audience, you can bring exposure to your show and company with ease. Reach out to other shows and pitch yourself as a guest. Offer to host them in exchange. Collaborate on a special series of episodes between your podcasts mid-season to spice things up for your listeners.
Tap into niche communities that can expand the focus of your show and open up your listeners to other perspectives.
Podcast audience incentives
Who doesn’t love free stuff? Giveaways and prizes are a great way to keep your listeners coming back for more. It is important to offer incentives in exchange for listener engagement. The incentives you offer should benefit your show and your listener community. Fans of your podcast can leave a review in exchange for being entered into a drawing for brand merch or a gift card. You might not retain every listener but listener reviews are a permanent contribution to your show.
Get creative with your incentive and giveaway ideas. Cater them to your audience and their interests.
Organized marketing strategy
No surprise here. A marketing strategy might be the most important tool for growing your podcast audience. Your marketing strategy is crucial to the success of your show. It is the vision that pushes you through static moments when creative ideas seem sparse. The organization of your marketing strategy is just as important. Set important deadlines and make sure you have accessible calendars for your team that clearly lay out your plans for social media, networking, and listener engagement.
Hire people to be the brains behind your podcast marketing strategy. Your marketing approach can lead to the rise or fall of your podcast.
Pay for ads
At a certain point, you might find your podcast audience is not growing at the speed you would like it to. Paying for ads can shift your audience growth into the next gear. Overlap audiences. Pay for ad space on shows you collaborate with or shows that have a similar demographic to your listeners. Ads familiarize listeners with your brand and generate content preferences. Research shows that purchasing at least 4 ads for your podcast can be a great starting point.
Keep it simple and start with Google and Facebook ads. Keep in mind that whatever ads you choose need to align with the content of your show.
