Starting a podcast is itself a challenge, let alone with the difficult task of marketing it that comes after. There are multiple ways to market a podcast, while some are easy to implement, there are others that might prove to be a bit difficult to execute. Marketing a podcast is one of the crucial requirements, as it is a way of building awareness for podcast listeners.

Even though podcasting is an unexplored market with many opportunities. Thus making it easier for you to climb up the ranks quicker than you anticipated. The first step to entering this market is knowing how to start a podcast? Once you have started your podcast, the next thing on your list should be promoting it.

In this detailed guide, we will be listing out some of the tried-and-tested marketing strategies that will make it easier for you to achieve podcast listeners that are interested in listening to your podcast. Here are some of the marketing tips to ensure a successful podcast.

Promoting Amongst Friends and Family:

The easiest and simple way of promoting your podcast is by asking friends and family members to subscribe. There are 800,000 podcasts available at Apple Podcasts (formerly known as iTunes) which makes it difficult to get new subscribers.

Getting new subscribers is a crucial requirement for every new podcaster, you have to get more and more people to download new episodes once they are published. If you need a simple way to promote your podcast friends and family members are a great audience to start with.

Submit Your Podcast on Multiple Podcast Directories:

When it comes to podcast directories, Apple Podcasts stands as the top player in the game. Whereas, Spotify and Google Podcasts are gaining popularity. However, if you are looking to target more and more audiences you have to submit your podcast in as many podcasts directories as possible. Many other podcasts directories aren’t as popular as the top ones but others also have podcast listeners whom you can target.

Spreading the word is important and for a podcast, you have to submit it on as many directories as you can. Some of the podcast directories include. Stitcher, Podchaser, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Overcast Downcast, and more.

Leverage New Episodes:

It’s important to let your audience know about every new podcast episode that is being published. If you have an email list or a website where you can list the latest episodes, it’s great but if you don’t, you need to create an email list, a website, or any other medium to leverage new episodes to your audience.

It is an excellent way to build credibility and promote your podcast, as more and more people are always interested in new episodes. Therefore, you have to do your best to grab their attention.

Sharing Reviews and Testimonials:

We are living in an era where people prefer the word of other users rather than the brand itself. In a podcast, the reviews and testimonials can help you build credibility and user engagement. You can share positive reviews and testimonials of your users, as most people love to hear their name on a podcast. So just go out there and share their reviews, as this will increase the engagement of new listeners significantly.

You can ask people to tag you or mention you in their comments, as it is a great way that not only elevates podcast listeners’ engagement but will also grow their social media audience.

Invite Guests to Your Podcast:

A great way to promote your podcast is by inviting guests to your episodes. Although inviting big celebrities might be a tough task it is surely a great way to market your podcast. People are interested in listening to celebrities and a great game plan can be providing your guests with a pre-written script if questions or they can just share their stories.

People will be interested in your podcast when they know that you are inviting a celebrity or an individual who people recognize and would like to hear them. Even if you can’t invite huge celebrities, it would be best to go with individuals who are recognized by a majority of people.

Be a Guest on Other Podcasts:

The best way to promote your podcast is by targeting the audience that already listens to similar podcasts as yours. The best way to do this is by becoming a guest in other podcasts, as it will allow you to make connections and get recognized by the audience.

You can start by searching different podcasts to know which of the shows invite guests and reach them out. You can also seek out similar shows to your podcasts and contact them because being a part of any other show will make it easier for you to build a name for yourself in the marketplace.

Contest and Giveaways:

The best way to market your podcast is by engaging people and is there any better way to do that than prizes and giveaways. People love it when they are competing for a prize, you can start by building a challenge like subscribe to my podcast and share the screenshot and three of those people will win a prize related to a show.

This is an effective strategy that works every time. However, it is important to make sure that you don’t invest in giveaways too much and the prizes should be budget-friendly. You can go ahead and start giving away an iPad.

Promoting on Social Media Platforms:

Social media is home to an immense audience that can be your targeted audience for your podcast. You can create audiograms and short clips to cut out interesting parts of your podcast and share them on social media. It is a great place to promote your blog, as a majority of users will be interested in your podcast after listening to some interesting parts.

You can go with social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and more. Nonetheless, some podcast hosting platforms offer custom video clips and also offer video-sharing features so that you can spread awareness.

Paid Ads:

One of the fastest ways to market your podcast is by targeting podcast listeners through paid campaigns. You can target people using iOS devices, as they can directly access Apple Podcasts, while Android users can directly access through Google Podcasts. You can start paid campaigns with Google Ads, as it is a great way to boost your podcast.

Bottom Line:

Starting a podcast is indeed a difficult task but the real challenge is marketing it, there are many ways to market a podcast and a few of the tried-and-tested methods are mentioned, as above. These tips will help you promote your podcast. Here at ecommerceMD, we help you start and market your podcast, no matter if you are starting it to promote your brand, business, or personal hobby.