Do you have a podcast? If so, you’re not alone — there’s no telling how many shows exist on the web, so you want yours to stand out from the crowd. That’s why marketing for podcasts is key.
From creating SEO titles to tracking listener data, you can use numerous techniques to help your podcast grow. No matter the content, you should rely on a few tried and true measures to attract new listeners. Check out how to boost your show on the charts.
Why Should You Have a Podcast?
When Apple first launched its podcast app in 2005, you had to search hard to find people who listened to them regularly. But more than 15 years later, podcasts have taken over the world. Whether you enjoy true crime or news stories, you’ve likely listened to one yourself.
But why should you bother with a podcast for your brand? It’s simple. The majority of podcast listeners tune into episodes for educational purposes, so you have an opportunity to teach them about a topic relevant to your business.
If you’re a Facebook SEO veteran, for example, you can take the stage to give your audience a more in-depth look at strategies they can use. It’s the perfect way to showcase expertise. Plus, you’re not late to the game, as the number of listeners will grow 16% year-over-year in the U.S.
Determine Your “Who,” “What” and “Why”
There are three key components podcasters should consider before they launch their shows.
- Who’s your audience?
- What’s your podcast’s topic?
- Why do you want to start your podcast?
To ensure you’re successful from the start, you should identify your core audience. Try not to convince everyone to love your podcast — because that just doesn’t happen. Instead, you should focus on a high-quality audience with people who’ll support both your podcast and brand.
Know your podcast’s topic before you begin. It’s OK to evolve over time, but you’ll want to stick with a general idea so you don’t confuse or mislead listeners. Conduct research in your industry so you can see what’s already been done. If you figure out a niche you can explore for several episodes, you’ll hit the jackpot.
Additionally, you should determine why you’ve decided to start your podcast. Do you want to talk about what you’ve learned in your career, or would you rather interview guests to showcase their knowledge? Be sure to think about the “why” for each individual episode, too.
These points will help you prepare yourself to market your podcast. It’s crucial to know what you plan to market beforehand. This way, you’ll achieve the best results possible.
Which Platforms Are Best?
Between Apple, Spotify and other audio platforms, you have various options in regard to where you upload your show. The best idea will be to showcase them across more than one platform, as your audience likely uses different services. Here are the most popular directories:
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
- Google Podcasts
- Stitcher
- TuneIn Radio
It shouldn’t take more than a few weeks to add your podcast to the podcast directories listed above. Do your best to track desktop and mobile data to see which one your audience uses the most. Then, you can pick one or two so people can access your podcast from anywhere.
10 Techniques to Help Your Podcast Reach New Heights
After you’ve recorded a few episodes, you want to focus on podcast SEO tricks and organic search techniques to help your show reach as many people as possible.
- Boost Across Social Media
Between Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites, you can plug your podcast on various platforms. Once you upload an episode, you can send out a link to your followers. It’s also smart to use your social media to update people about future guests, brand partnerships and more.
Try to pair each post with a high-quality image to gain more engagement and shares. Take the time to clip a soundbite from the episode to add to the post, as well. This way, you can give your listeners a quick preview — and introduce new people to your podcast.
- Create the Right Titles and Descriptions
Keep SEO in mind as you craft each episode’s titles and descriptions. These words will help listeners find your podcast as they search, so you want them to be informative. It’s your chance to draw them into the show, especially when you can use keywords to attract new listeners.
Some podcasters label their episodes with numbers, like “Episode #30.” However, you want to be a bit more descriptive. “Episode #30: How I Got 1,000 Subscribers in a Month” would be better for SEO’s sake — and to entice people to click on that episode.
Additionally, you should include a description for every episode. This caption can be super brief, with a glimpse into the episode’s contents. “Learn the strategies I used to gain 1,000 YouTube subscribers in 30 days!” works perfectly. It’s short and sweet but still effective.
- Don’t Forget About YouTube
As a content marketer, you already know that video matters. It’s the most popular content type worldwide, so you want to intertwine your podcast with your video content. Luckily, podcasts are perfect for platforms like YouTube.
For each episode you upload to Apple or Spotify, you should also upload the audio to Youtube. This way, you can increase your reach. If you want, you can even record yourself when you make the podcast so viewers have a visual experience, as well.
These days, 35% of businesses use advanced analytics to achieve results. Be sure to use data to help your videos shine. Experiment with different upload times, meta tags and more.
Keep in mind that YouTube has its own SEO requirements to help videos rank on the site.
- Use Your Guests’ Networks
Do you have guests on your show? If so, you’ll want to tap into their network and audience. Let’s say you interview an author with 500,000 followers on Twitter. Those are 500,000 potential new listeners!
Once you upload the episode, you can send them an email with a link. For an added touch, you might want to add designs for the podcast they can upload to their social media accounts. It’s the perfect way to thank them for their time while you promote the episode.
This idea also works for SEO purposes, since someone could search “guest name interview,” and your podcast will show up.
- Start an Email Newsletter
Did you know people send over 300 billion emails every day? This avenue may be the best way to promote your podcast alongside the other content you publish. Send out a newsletter every one or two weeks with information about your podcast, blogs and whatever else you want.
If you already have an email newsletter, you should introduce a section about your podcast.
- Transcribe Each Episode’s Audio
A transcript helps listeners navigate the episode’s content with the need to scrub through the entire show. It’s also a smart way to highlight keywords for SEO so people can find your podcast online. Look for services that will transcribe the show. Then, add that section to your website.
This way, your listeners will be able to find the podcast in search results easier.
- Track When People Listen
Keep in mind that marketing for podcasts will differ for each person. The people who love your content might only listen on certain days and at specific times, so you want to track that data. If you find out your audience prefers morning episodes, you can adjust to fit their needs.
Look at when similar podcasts launch their episodes so you have a general place to start.
- Go on Other Podcasts
Once you’re comfortable with your new role as a podcaster, you might want to be a guest on other people’s podcasts. This move gives you yet another opportunity to promote your podcast. Plus, you can learn valuable information from how others in the industry run their podcasts.
If you don’t know anyone else with a show, you could try a quick search on Apple or Spotify to see the other podcasts in your category, whether that’s business or marketing. Reach out to the hosts to see whether you could set up an interview with them. Many will say yes!
- Try a Giveaway Contest
On podcast platforms like Apple, your podcast will have a place where listeners can leave reviews and ratings. While Apple says the ratings don’t affect chart placements, you can obtain valuable input from the scores you receive for your show. But how do you get that feedback?
Try a giveaway contest. As a brand, you might sell certain products or services. If not, you could always include merchandise instead. Either way, you can put together a package that listeners can win. To enter, they must leave a rating and review for the podcast.
As a result, you should see more listens, as people prefer to check out well-reviewed podcasts.
- Repurpose Past Episodes
The best trick for podcast SEO involves repurposed content. It’s a technique that many content marketers use to drive results, as they can reach a fresh set of eyes. There are various ways to use your podcasts to create new content for your website.
For example, you could expand upon a topic you covered a few episodes ago in a blog post. If you mentioned an important tip, you could even make a social media graphic. Feel free to turn a clip from your podcast into a snippet for your Instagram, too.
These are just a few ideas for repurposed content that adds more SEO value to your podcast.
These Tricks Will Help Your Podcast Take Off
With a few SEO tricks, you can grow your podcast into a show people won’t want to miss. No matter the topic, you’ll have numerous ways to promote your podcast in search results on various podcast apps and websites. Before long, you’ll have a consistent, dedicated audience.