10 Smart Methods To Promote Your Podcast And Reach More Listeners
If you’ve ever thought about launching or kickstarting your Podcast, then you probably realize that content marketing and advertising your Podcast is much harder than the experts and gurus declare!
That’s why I’d love to brainstorm a handful of nifty Podcast marketing methods with you. However, remember that content marketing requires consistency, effort, hard work, and even a little bit of luck to pull off effectively.
The best part is that these Podcast promotional methods don’t require much if any budget. So, even if you don’t have much leeway in terms of ad spend, you can still try your best to get the word out about your content.
With any luck? People love your stuff!
Let’s look at 10 clever methods to help get more Podcast listeners even with a meager a budget.
10 Smart Ways To Promote Your Podcast And Reach More Listeners:
- # 1 – Turn Your Podcasts Into An Audio Book
- # 2 – Submit Your Podcast To Apple Podcasts
- # 3 – Transcribe Your Podcast And Post It On Your Blog
- # 4 – Submit Your Podcast To Stitcher
- # 5 – Post Your Podcast On Tumblr
- # 6 – Build Your Email List
- # 7 – Submit Your Podcast To Google Play
- # 8 – Promote Your Podcast On Pinterest
- # 9 – Publish Your Podcast On YouTube
- # 10 – Share Your Podcast On WordPress.com
Why These Podcast Methods Are Relatively Risk-Free
The best part about most of these Podcast marketing methods is that they don’t cost much (if any) money. We all know how expensive the world of paid advertising can seem these days.
If you’re just getting started in the world of blogging, content marketing, and Podcasting, then the last thing you want is shell out additional cash. Can you relate? That’s why I’m always super excited to brainstorm content marketing methods that don’t require opening (or going deeply into) my wallet.
Let’s brainstorm a handful of clever Podcast promotional methods in deeper detail, shall we?
# 1 – Turn Your Podcasts Into An Audio Book
If you want to think way outside the box, then one of the coolest ways that you can get more promotional juice out of your Podcast is to turn your Podcast content into an Audiobook.
The reason I love this strategy is that the hard work is already finished. You’ve already taken the effort to record your Podcast. Taking your Podcast content and repurposing it into an audiobook is like taking a victory lap.
All you have to do is take inventory of your episodes. Are they already in chronological order? If so, then creating an audiobook is a piece of cake.
Once you have your audiobook organized, you can then publish your audiobook using the page builder of your choice. For example, you could create a fancy download page and gift the audiobook to your subscribers. Or, if you want something easier and more direct, you could use a service like Dropbox, Onedrive, or Google Drive to host your audiobook.
Use your audiobook as a lead magnet, as a bonus, as a gift for your readers, or as a surprise piece of content for your students and buyers. Your true fans will appreciate the effort, and hopefully, they’ll love your content!
# 2 – Submit Your Podcast To Apple Podcasts
The number one way to promote your Podcast is arguably the Apple Podcast directory. The Apple Podcast directory is easily one of, if not the largest Podcast directory on the planet.
Submitting your Podcast to Apple Podcasts is much easier than you think. One of my colleagues was under the false impression that you need to shell out big bucks or otherwise have a massive following to get listed in Apple Podcasts!
The truth is that it’s much easier to get listed in Apple Podcasts than you think. Their website is very easy to work with, and there’s no messy coding required. Copy your Podcast RSS from your Podcast host, and then follow the instructions on the Apple Podcast Partners website to get started.
The Apple Podcast directory connects your Podcast to some of the most listeners anywhere. Once your Podcast is running in the Apple Podcast directory, your new Podcast episodes automatically update on your Apple Podcast feed as you upload them to your Podcast host. The entire process is much easier than you think.
# 3 – Transcribe Your Podcast And Post It On Your Blog
If you’re recording astounding Podcast content, then you may as well turn your Podcast content into blog content. You can either transcribe the content yourself or hire someone on the cheap on Fiverr to transcribe your content for you.
Podcasting is also a great opportunity if you’re a blogger at the moment. In other words, if you’re a blogger who writes a ton of fantastic content, then you may as well turn that content into Podcast episodes.
Another hidden bonus of turning your podcast episode into a blog post is that you can naturally promote the blog post URL in the description of each Podcast episode. In other words, if you go through the trouble of transcribing a Podcast episode, you may as well cross-promote that blog post URL in the description of your Podcast episode.
Your blog post can also help to promote your Podcast episode! On your blog, you can embed your Podcast episode into your blog post. Therefore, your blog can help promote your Podcast and vice versa, which is a beautiful synchronistic harmony and a nice marketing touch. 😉
# 4 – Submit Your Podcast To Stitcher
Stitcher is another massive Podcast directory that will happily help you curate your Podcast. Stitcher is easily one of the most popular Podcast directories around and submitting your Podcast to their nifty service doesn’t cost you a single penny.
One of the main reasons I love Stitcher is because they’re one of the original podcast directories. Their audience is well respected, and they love Podcasts! Stitcher has been in the Podcast game for a while and they’ve built a beautiful brand for Podcasters and listeners alike.
Like Apple Podcasts, submitting your Podcast to Stitcher is a piece of cake and you don’t need any fancy tech skills or a mega-guru brand to get started with Stitcher.
# 5 – Post Your Podcast Episode On Tumblr
As an old school blogger and as someone who loves to write, I’m a massive fan of Tumblr. A lot of Podcasters overlook the massive reach of Tumblr because they think that Tumblr is for blogging only.
However, you’ll be happy to know that you can easily create posts with your Podcast and audio content embedded in your Tumblr posts. If you’re not sure how to use Tumblr, it’s kind of like a mix between Twitter and WordPress.
Your blog can attract followers like other social media posts. Tumblr gives you a lot of flexibility as to the content that you can create and publish including different media formats. You can attract followers, follow other bloggers that you like, and publish your Podcast episodes without fuddles or tech stress.
Tumblr has been in the blogging game for a long time and they have a big audience of end-users who read content on a wide variety of topics. Bloggers and Podcasters rejoice!
# 6 – Build Your Email List
Email marketing is still the best method I know of to spread the word about anything. Whether you want to promote your latest Podcast episode, blog post, social media group, or affiliate marketing offers, email marketing reigns supreme.
Have you ever thought about promoting a lead generation funnel, or a lead magnet during your Podcast episodes? Your Podcast listeners might love to know about special bonuses, gifts, updates, and newsletter content. You never know until you launch and plug your email newsletter invitation.
You can also use your email newsletter to promote your Podcast episodes.
Every time you produce and publish a new Podcast, make sure to include a link within your next email newsletter issue! That way, you can give each episode a fresh promotional jolt and hopefully, your subscribers will love your content.
# 7 – Submit Your Podcast To Google Play
Google Play is quickly becoming one of the most popular sources for listeners of music, streams, political talk, and Podcasts.
If you’re a Podcaster, then you’d be bonkers not to let Google help curate your new episodes. Google Play is also effortless to get started with and configure so that your Podcast looks swank on the Google platform.
One of the main reasons I love Google Play is because its audience is massive. Google’s website states that its android app reaches millions of potential listeners.
Once one of your new listeners finds you on Google, they can begin to follow you there. It’s then elementary for your listeners to listen to your new episodes as you hit publish.
Submitting your Podcast to Google Play is as easy as submitting a brief description and your RSS feed. If you want a quick and simple way to get the word out about your episodes, without spending a penny on ads, then don’t skip Google Play!
# 8 – Promote Your Podcast On Pinterest
I’m always ranting and raving about how much I love Pinterest! Pinterest is one of the only social platforms that I use these days. I’m an outspoken fan!
If you’re not sure how Pinterest works, it’s a platform where you can share ideas, artwork, projects, and other stuff that you love. If you create artwork for your Podcast episodes, then Pinterest is easily one of the best social networks to showcase your art.
One of the best things about Pinterest is that you can share your artwork for every Podcast episode that you create. If you’re not the best at creating Podcast artwork or graphics, then use Canva.
I’ve used Canva to create countless dozens of beautiful graphics for different projects. Canva is incredibly effortless to use, they’re free to try, and they’re 100% cloud-based so they work on mostly any device that you like.
# 9 – Publish Your Podcast On YouTube
YouTube is quickly becoming one of the most popular platforms for publishing your content. One of the main things I love about YouTube is that it’s free to publish your content. Yes, it’s true, I’m a blogger on a budget!
If you’re going through the hassle of publishing Podcast content, then one of the easiest ways to increase your potential impact is by publishing on YouTube. If you’re not sure how to turn your audio files into an easy video file, check out one of my favorite tools for the project called The Headliner App.
The Headliner App is cool for helping to turn your Podcast episodes into a video quickly, easily, and entirely from the cloud. From there, it’s simple to publish your content on YouTube and other social channels.
There are other ways that you can turn your Podcast content into videos. You can also create a PowerPoint presentation and then use a screen recording app like Camtasia to help turn your audio into nifty looking video content.
# 10 – Share Your Podcast On WordPress.com
A lot of my colleagues mix up WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.org is the self-hosted version of WordPress. WordPress.com is the version of WordPress that is hosted for you. I’m a huge fan and I love both! That said, WordPress.com has a few nuances and advantages for Podcasters that most bloggers don’t know about or consider.
As a longtime blogger, I’m a huge fan of WordPress. I’ve been using WordPress for years, and I never intend on going back to static HTML websites! WordPress websites are beautiful, dynamic, and easy to deploy.
It’s also a piece of cake to embed your Podcast episodes into your WordPress.com posts. You don’t have to worry about pesky tech skills or coding required to publish your Podcasts easily. You can also add a description and any text or copy that you wish to make your blog post look awesome.
One of the biggest reasons that the WordPress.com platform rocks that it’s easy for your fans and listeners to follow you on the platform. If someone likes your content, they can get email notifications every time you publish a new post. As a diehard fan of email marketing, I love this feature!
Podcast Promotion FAQ
I’ve been brainstorming the topic of content marketing and Podcast promotion for a long time and I’m happy to help answer some of the most common questions that you’re likely to encounter.
# 1 – What’s The Best Podcast Host For Beginners?
There are a few Podcast hosts that I recommend for beginners. Libsyn is easily one of the most affordable Podcast options, which is why they’re the one I recommend most often for beginners. They’re also easy to use, and they have great instructions on publishing your content to various Podcast directories.
Buzzsprout and Blubrry are two of my other favorite Podcast hosts that offer beautiful features and they’re both easy to use. I think that these Podcast hosts are great starting points and you can’t go wrong with any of these three options.
# 2 – Does Paid Advertising Work For Podcasting?
I remember the first time I heard about Podcasting; it was a super rare thing. These days, everyone knows about Podcasting!
So, I say that heck yes, paid advertising works for Podcasting. That said, I don’t advise anyone to advertise their Podcast unless you have experience with paid ads and marketing budget to spare!
That’s because the cost of advertising is sky high! You must be cautious.
I would also consider researching further into marketing funnels and lead generation funnels for Podcasters if you intend on going the paid advertising route. That way, you can try to generate leads or build your email list, and then you can promote your Podcast episodes via email marketing.
# 3 – Does Email Marketing Work For Podcasting?
Absolutely! If you’re a fan of my work, then you know that I’m a huge fan of email marketing to help spread the word about anything!
I honestly think that your email list is easily one of the smartest ways that you can share your new Podcast episodes. Email marketing and Podcasting complement each other.
I also have a secret suspicion that compelling Podcast content makes for some of the best email newsletter content. Podcasts can help brand you in a way that’s different from plain text.
Something is enchanting about your subscribers hearing your voice, listening to your stories, and getting to know your style week after week. Try to use this mystical connection to skyrocket your brand, goodwill, and good karma!
# 4 – What’s The Best Way To Monetize A Podcast?
If you’re reading this, then I’m assuming you’re not the biggest Podcaster in the world. Maybe you’re a new Podcaster or you’re a prospective Podcaster planning your first Podcast.
If that’s the case, then you probably don’t have any of the mega gurus or big sponsors lining up to stuff cash in your pocket for product placement or paid spots on your show.
For those reasons, I’m a huge fan of affiliate marketing for Podcasters. Podcasting is one of my favorite ways to help monetize anything!
Affiliate marketing is when you promote a product, service, or company and you get a piece of each sale. Companies like ClickBank, Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Udemy have huge affiliate networks that you can tap into without having a big audience.
# 5 – How Often Should I Create New Podcast Episodes?
A lot of my students ask me how often they should write email newsletters. Or, how often they should write new blog posts. Maybe you’re also wondering how often you should create Podcast episodes?
How often can you create fantastic, unbelievably awesome content? That’s the main question to ask yourself. My answer to all scenarios is the same. Produce and create new, fresh content as frequently as possible.
If you can create content daily? Then create content daily! If you can create content weekly? Then devote yourself to one episode per week.
I try my best to write one blog post per day! I usually spend an hour or more writing each day. Can you do the same? It’s a lot tougher than you think! Sometimes, I try to write or create some content, but I end up dropping the ball and letting myself down. It happens.
Be honest with yourself, and try to maintain a level of consistency so your listeners (or readers, students, subscribers, followers) know exactly what to expect when they’re looking for your new episode schedule routine.
Conclusion
Creating a Podcast is easily one of the coolest ways to build authority, build a following, and attract your ideal fans. Especially if you cherish the notion of helping your listeners while expressing yourself with an amazing creative outlet.
That’s why I’m so happy to share my favorite Podcast marketing methods with you. I do hope that you had a ton of fun reading this guide!
As always, I invite you to contact me if you have questions about Podcasting, content marketing, blogging, or any other nerdy marketing topic.
I write for an hour or more per day, and I invite you to reach out if you have any requests.
I love to hear from you, and you’ll be shocked to learn that I try my best to reply to everyone who contacts me!
Thanks again, and please have a divine day!
Cordially and humbly…
Mike “The Podcast Promotion” DeVincent
MrComputerScience.com