What Is Podcast Marketing And Promotion?
So, you've recorded, edited, and published your episodes. How do you advertise your podcast and increase visibility? This is where a talented agency that offers content marketing services comes in to take care of your podcast marketing. Promoting a podcast requires different marketing strategies and techniques aimed at attracting audiences and hooking them with your content. However, marketing a podcast and bringing it to the top of the charts takes time and requires a systematic effort from your marketing team. Many companies make the mistake of starting out strong with their releases and promotions and then fading away as listeners don't increase at the desired rate. This phenomenon is known as "podfade," and it shows why patience is a virtue. So, how do you promote your podcast and guarantee success? Your marketing agency can guide you in creating a detailed marketing plan outline and incorporating various tactics, which can vary based on your resources and team availability. Keep reading to dive deeper into the intricate world of podcasts.
The Benefits Of Podcast Marketing
Engagement
Podcast listeners are some of the most dedicated audience members, as once they get hooked on a series, they truly engage. Audience engagement is so elevated that 64% of them listen to all ads included in episodes, and 95% of them take actions related to the advertised products. But why are podcast listeners so invested? Think about how most people listen to their shows. Typically, they use their smartphones and wear headphones. This practice creates a listening bubble that allows people to stay focused and connect to the host as their voice becomes a companion. Even when ads come on, 34% of listeners don't bother skipping them and keep listening until the break is over. Even if they do have ad blockers installed on their devices, advertisements will still be heard on a podcast.
Trust
A study found that 48% of listeners trust podcast hosts more than presenters on traditional media, like TV and radio. This means that any marketing efforts are more likely to convert when promoted on a podcast by a presenter or through an ad. In other words, people trust their hosts' recommendations. Remember that hosts build a bond with their audience over months or even years of regular episode releases. So, when their listeners hear them read an ad, they are more likely to visit the sponsor's website and make a purchase. If you're thinking of launching a podcast or upping your marketing game, start by picking a great host. Their voice and speaking style should be relatable and engaging. Don't keep changing hosts, as continuity is vital to fostering trust and loyalty.
Lower Marketing Cost
Podcasts are completely free to record and release on multiple platforms. Still, you need to purchase good recording and editing equipment to guarantee excellent sound quality. And this is only the first step in your podcast marketing strategy. How do you promote your podcast and increase your monthly listeners? This is where you need to think about hiring an experienced marketing team to help you boost visibility. eLearning Industry has a large audience base of 850,000+ monthly visitors. Booking a sponsored podcast with us means that you get a Subject Matter Expert interviewing your thought leader. Then, our marketing experts promote the final product on social media, email sequences, and our website.
Brand Awareness
Small business content marketing aims to increase brand awareness and establish thought leadership and credibility. Releasing regular episodes on industry matters and conducting interviews with experts in your field create buzz around your name. Podcast marketers bring in new listeners that often turn into paying customers, while past buyers return to you. Your audience understands your expertise and begins to trust your services. Not to mention, they are informed on industry trends, news, and other interesting facts. Creating such a sense of community allows your listeners to understand what you do and feel confident that you can help them grow. You can also direct them to your registration page and increase your email signups.
On-Demand Content
Audiences nowadays have veered away from traditional content consumption, such as TV and radio, and shifted toward on-demand, mobile-friendly content. High-performing marketing teams know that podcast marketing is the future. Investing in this initiative allows you to be available to customers 24/7 on their preferred devices. This is especially important, as most people listen to podcasts alone while studying, working, or returning home from work. As consumers are immersed in the narration, they are less likely to skip the ad parts because they know how little they last. So, not only do you offer them unlimited availability, but you also promote your products and services seamlessly.
17 Marketing Tactics To Promote Your Podcast
1. Build Your Ideal Persona
Podcast marketing follows the same rationale as most marketing strategies, starting with researching and segmenting your audience. Customer profiling helps you identify your target buyers and their shared characteristics. Surely you can try to appeal to everyone and gain thousands of listens and downloads. But how many of these people will actually turn into loyal listeners and buying customers? Your podcast marketing strategy should be targeted at the audience most interested in your niche and services or products. Identify their demographics, interests, needs, and preferences by utilizing social listening tools. You may start sending them surveys and requesting feedback so you can further understand them and tailor your promotion efforts. Ensure your messaging appeals to their requirements and provides them with actionable insights and practical tips.
2. Create Your Branding
You shouldn't be thinking only about how to promote your podcast, but how to promote your brand as a whole. Your marketing leader will tell you how important it is to build a recognizable brand with unique graphics—your name, logo, color combos, and tone of voice are all part of your branding. Your content may be groundbreaking, but the first thing your audience sees is the name and cover picture of your podcast. Additionally, you may need to release a captivating trailer that gives them a glimpse of your episodes. Make every element of your podcast growth strategy feel unique and outstanding. Just because people listen to the podcast doesn't mean that you should pay less attention to its visual elements.
3. Promote On Social Media
Marketing a podcast on social media is a surefire tactic for increasing visibility and attracting listeners. Based on the age and preferences of your target audience, you can promote your podcast on different platforms. For instance, if you have many Gen Z listeners, TikTok is your top choice for a promotional campaign. You may collaborate with popular creators or produce short videos accompanied by trending sounds and music. You can follow the same tactic on Instagram by uploading reels with snippets of your upcoming episodes. Of course, you should remember to share links to your website and Spotify profile so people can find you effortlessly. And what about Facebook? How can you leverage it to promote your podcast? You can join groups dedicated to your niche and share snippets and descriptions of your episodes to spark interest. But that's not all. LinkedIn is another platform you can utilize as a podcast marketing tool. You may share entire episodes and start genuinely interesting conversations with professionals looking to purchase services like yours.
4. Optimize Your Spotify Page
Your Spotify page is your introduction to the world. It's what potential listeners see and read before deciding to give your podcast a chance. For this reason, you should try your best to make it captivating and descriptive. This is how you can get more podcast listeners and grow your following. Preferably, under your show description, you should link to your social media profiles so people can engage with you on their preferred platforms. The Best Place to Start section is ideal for directing listeners to your best episodes. It can be your favorite or your audience's most popular. Next, under Host Recommendation, you can add other podcast episodes, playlists, or shows that you enjoy listening to. Moreover, make sure to reply to people's comments promptly and add chapters to your episodes so listeners can navigate your content easily. Lastly, you can choose an engaging 30- to 60-second preview to appear at the top.
5. Invite Famous Guests
How can you promote a new podcast and guarantee its success in such a saturated market? Think about who the most respectable and popular thought leaders are in your niche. Invite them to your show to have insightful dialogue, where they can share their depth of knowledge with you and your audience. Most of these figures probably have large followings on social media platforms, so if they decide to jump onto your podcast, ask them to share it on their feed for their fans. Provide them with the images and graphics they should share so they won't have to do extra work. This way, your podcast marketing efforts are simplified, and you promote your product without having to spend resources on advertising.
6. Make Guest Appearances
Just like you can invite leading figures in your niche to come talk on your podcast, you can appear on other relevant shows as a thought leader. This podcast marketing tip appeals to other podcasters, too, as finding new guests weekly can be challenging and time-consuming. So, being proactive and suggesting yourself as their guest can take a massive load off of their backs. Additionally, you have the opportunity to position yourself as an expert in your niche and strengthen your credibility. Naturally, you should pick popular and well-regarded shows that appeal to audiences similar to yours. Simply visit Spotify or iTunes and start searching for podcasts using relevant keywords. For instance, if you're in a MarTech company, you may use search words like "marketing technology."
7. Leverage Directories
One of the best free podcast promo examples is to submit your content to as many directories and aggregators as possible. You first need to search manually for the most popular of these apps. For instance, Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes), Spotify, YouTube, Google Podcasts, Overcast, and Stitcher are a few of the most popular ones. Some of these platforms locate and list podcasts automatically, but you'll have to check if this is the case. As a result, you ensure your episodes are visible on every possible app or website people use to discover and listen to podcasts. You may try out as many of these directories as possible to check how smooth their operation is and how easy it is for visitors to listen to your episodes.
8. Create An Email Newsletter
One of the best ways to market a podcast is by launching an email newsletter and connecting with your listeners outside of your episodes. Addressing everyone with their first names and having messages delivered straight to their inbox creates a sense of community. Emails are a wonderful content marketing idea that informs audiences about your upcoming episodes and keeps them on their toes until the next release. This way, they get to know who your next guest and subject will be. Additionally, you can send them bonus content, such as behind-the-scenes images and videos. You may even ask your listeners to vote which topics are their favorites or make suggestions. eLearning Industry can help you increase your brand visibility by adding your podcast episodes as featured placements in our emails. Click here if you want to learn more and leverage our bundle deals.
9. Utilize Q&A Articles
Have you thought about the people who prefer reading instead of listening? Or who simply can't listen due to hearing impairments? Repurposing or twitching your podcast episodes into blog posts, Q&A articles, and infographics can help you appeal to larger audiences and share your content on social media. Q&A articles, in particular, are more targeted and offer answers to burning industry matters. After you've recorded your podcast, you can extract the most crucial parts and package them as an article. Try to keep questions and answers short, and make sure to include the link to the full-length podcast for those who want to listen to the entire conversation. If your audience isn't large enough yet, you can use the help of eLearning Industry to gain awareness. Our republished article services can bring you in front of hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors.
10. Perform SEO
No strategic marketing plan is complete without the implementation of your SEO skills. It's not only your website and landing pages that need to be optimized for search engines. Listeners often search for podcasts on Google, and adding relevant and powerful keywords and phrases to your descriptions and titles helps your product rank high. Try to include the best keywords closer to the beginning of your titles and make your descriptions as detailed as possible since they are your main selling point. Your descriptions shouldn't be longer than 3–4 sentences, while the main message should be understood within the first 120 words. To promote your podcast successfully, you may also think about building a dedicated website.
11. Paid Ads And Press Releases
When it comes to paid podcast promotion ideas, the pool is quite deep. Every social media platform allows you to create ads to promote your podcast, while Google Ads are a powerful tool in your arsenal. The latter is very effective for audience members actively searching for content in your niche. To target them, you should conduct keyword research and utilize the vocabulary they use in their search queries. In addition, if your budget allows it, you can create Spotify ads. Simply pick the genre of music and podcasts you want your show to appear in. ROS banners and popups are also a wonderful tactic to increase visibility on relevant websites. And how about press releases? There are many reputable online publications that attract your ideal audience. eLearning Industry can help you boost brand awareness through banner ads and press releases.
12. Publish On YouTube
If you're wondering how to get more podcast listeners and accelerate business growth, you can try publishing and promoting your content on YouTube. If you are just starting out, you can simply use the original recording along with a promo image. On the other hand, if you want to scale your promotional efforts, you can start shooting your podcasts so your audience can see who is speaking. Obviously, the second option has much bigger potential, as you can extract snippets from your content and promote them on social media platforms. Yet, even the simpler option allows you to transcribe your audio and add closed captions for enhanced accessibility. If you're conducting interviews with well-known industry figures, make sure to add their names at the beginning of your title to grab people's attention instantly.
13. Transcribe Your Episodes
Many podcast creators offer full transcripts of all episodes they publish to accommodate audiences with hearing impairments. Surely, they can watch your YouTube video and read the built-in text, but why not create an extra SEO-powered layer of promotion? You can create an additional category on your website for these articles and promote them in reputable publications for extra visibility. This option is similar to publishing Q&A articles but in a completely different format. Your goal isn't to summarize your episodes but to give people the chance to read your episodes.
14. Run Contests
One of the best podcast marketing tactics is contests and giveaways. You don't need enhanced digital marketing skills to do this one, just a few valuable tips. You can run your contest either to build hype before the release date or to increase listeners after you've published a few episodes. Some podcast giveaway ideas are swag, gadgets, discounts to popular stores, gift cards, or subscriptions. Set a few rules in place for those participating. Ask them to follow you on social media and podcast listening platforms and leave a review. Hopefully, you will gain many positive reviews that will attract even more audience members. Announce the winner toward the end of your upcoming episode so that more listeners stay till the end. Then, you can give the winner a shoutout on social media and DM them.
15. Find Trustworthy Partners
A wonderful Spotify marketing strategy is cross-promotion. The platform hosts many like-minded people with shows of similar interest to yours. You can give them a shoutout on your show and social media and build friendships. As a result, they may start mentioning your content on their show and increase your listeners. As previously established, when people trust their host, they are more likely to follow their recommendations, which is especially valuable when the other show is bigger than yours. Additionally, you can make guest appearances on each other's shows and highlight your expertise. If you're also looking to gain sponsorships, you may start mentioning brands in your episodes and on social media—they may then contact you for an official collaboration.
16. Add CTAs
CTAs are powerful, not only in written but also in audio form. They are also a wonderful podcast marketing tactic that encourages listeners to take desired actions. Podcast marketers and content marketing experts would advise you to remind people to follow you on social media and subscribe to your newsletter. Having people's email addresses is pivotal to staying in touch with them and building a community. You may also ask your audience to share your episodes with their friends and family to expand your reach. On top of that, if they are satisfied with your content, they can leave a review. However, your social media and email sequences should be truly interesting. Keep your subscribers updated with industry news, Q&As, and behind-the-scenes videos and photos. And don't hesitate to ask listeners for their feedback so you can improve.
17. Tease Your Release
Event digital marketing is all about good timing. Don't just release your episode and expect it to be seen. Take small snippets from your episodes and tease them on your social media, trying to pique people's interest and promote your podcast. You can reveal the name of your special guest the day before the release to engage listeners and encourage them to listen in. Experiment with different times to see which one is more convenient for the audience and, therefore, more successful. These tactics are essential in driving excitement about your product.
Keep Tracking, Measuring, And Adjusting Your Marketing Techniques
How do you know whether your podcast marketing plan is working or if it needs altering? Tracking and measuring your content marketing performance allows you to pinpoint the tactics that generate interest and those that are worthless. Some key metrics you should track include downloads, listens, reviews and ratings, and engagement. The latter involves likes, shares, comments, and signups. But listens are obviously the most vital metric. Still, is it enough to know whether your podcast marketing strategy is working? Simply put, no. You must also track the average listening duration, completion rate, and subscriber growth. If audience members click on your podcast but leave it minutes after the episode starts, it probably means that their engagement suffers and they may unsubscribe.
Moreover, feedback is the backbone of any podcast promotion method. Read people's comments and reviews carefully, and check which areas require your attention. If you don't have many reviews, you can ask your listeners directly for their opinions. You can send out surveys, ask questions on social media, and send personalized emails. It's best to know what puts your listeners off before they start abandoning you.
Key Takeaway
If you've been doubtful about entering the podcast landscape, most of your worries have now hopefully vanished. Podcasts have the unique ability to engage listeners while creating a protective listening bubble. Thanks to this experience, their loyalty toward your brand increases, and they are more likely to purchase your products or services as they trust you and your viewpoints. Podcast marketing doesn't only help you become an influencer in your niche, but it also boosts your revenue while minimizing your spending. First, though, you should know exactly who you're targeting and craft a podcast marketing plan that is customer-centric. Then, utilize as many tactics as possible to generate interest and build your community. From guest appearances on other podcasts to social media giveaways, you have plenty of options to promote your podcast.
And if podcasts being audio-only concerns you, you can try filming your episodes and publishing them on YouTube. In addition, you can extract snippets and promote them on social media to pique your audience's interest.
If this content form is new to you, you may want to read about some tips you should follow to prepare for your podcast. An organized approach will help you curate the perfect material for your listeners.
