Are you looking to grow your podcast audience? If so, there are three non-negotiables that you need to focus on. In this blog post, we'll discuss what those three things are and how you can go about achieving them. So if you're ready to start seeing growth in your podcast audience, keep reading!
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
- The three activities all podcasters should be doing regularly to grow their audience
- What you shouldn’t do when pitching to be a guest on other podcasts
- The podcast promotion plan I’m currently testing and why you should have one too
TUNE IN TO THREE NON-NEGOTIABLES TO GROW YOUR PODCAST AUDIENCE
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How do I grow my podcast?
One of the most popular questions I see on a daily basis in podcasting Facebook groups is - how do I get more downloads? And I’m here to tell you that if downloads are all you’re focusing on, you’re podcasting for the wrong reasons.
What if instead, you asked the question - how can I get more engaged listeners?
Today, I will be sharing with you three things that I believe every podcaster should be doing in order to grow their podcast audience.
Number 1 - Leveraging other people’s podcasts (otherwise known as being a guest on other podcasts).
This is the best way and easiest way to grow your listenership. A lot of podcasters think it’s the other way around i.e. inviting guests on to your show and whilst I believe that can work, your guesting on other podcasts is a lot more powerful.
And in case you’re wondering how you can get started pitching yourself to be a guest on other podcasts, check out episode 20 for tips, plus an email pitch template that will set you up for success.
Here are a few podcast pitching mistakes you want to avoid:
- Using generic copy and paste templates
- Spelling the host’s name wrong or being over-familiar by abbreviating their name in any way. Double check it’s correct before you hit send.
- Not being genuine. I often receive pitches from people that say ‘I really enjoyed episode XYZ where you talked about XYZ’. It’s obvious to me that they haven’t listened to the episode but just repeated the episode title back to me. That doesn’t make them stand out and it’s an immediate tap of the delete button.
- Pitching for the wrong shows. Do your research beforehand and make sure that your speaking topics match the show and that their audience will take value from what you have to say.
And when those yeses start rolling in, be sure to check out episode 21 to learn more about being the perfect podcast guest.
Number 2 - Track your data.
If you haven’t listened to episode 63 as yet, give it a listen as I go into a lot more detail about what data you should be tracking so you know how your show is performing.
If this is something you’re not yet doing, start doing it from where you are right now. Whether that be episode 3 or episode 53, start tracking your data from where you are right now and when you have a quiet moment, you can always go back and fill in the blanks.
If you’re struggling with knowing where to even begin creating your own podcast analytics tracker, check out my Podcast Stats Tracker.
Number 3 Promotion and audience engagement
Promotion is something a lot of podcasters struggle with. Hey, me included!
I get it. There is so much to do when it comes to producing each episode, especially if you’re a one-man band: there’s the prep, recording, editing, show notes, graphics, blog post, email newsletter, managing your guests…let’s not kid around here. There’s A LOT that goes into creating one podcast episode.
BUT one thing you have to know is if no one knows about your podcast, your listenership will not grow.
It’s been said (and I can’t recall the source right now) that podcasting is 20% preparation and 80% promotion.
There’s basic marketing that all podcasters do, which is to post about the episode the day it’s released. And then we forget about it. No shade - because not that long ago, that was me too!
But what I’ve learnt through my clients and research is posting once is not enough, even if it’s across multiple platforms. You have to take into account algorithms. First of all, not everyone in your audience will see your post, which means your post won’t be pushed out to more people. Secondly, people consume content in different ways. So if you post a single graphic, someone who prefers video may gloss right over it.
Here's what I'm testing at the time of writing this blog post.
I have unarchived the Instagram profile for the podcast. Please do give @toobusytopodcastpod a follow if we aren’t connected already.
1. I’m posting three times a week across all platforms. Once on release day, usually a video clip from the episode or a reel and then another post two days later and a third two days after that. I’m mixing up the formats depending on the episode. But the third post would usually be a carousel with the key highlights of the episode.
2. The first post is from my business account as I have a bigger following there and add the podcast account as a collaborator. For the additional two posts, I post them from my podcast account and share them to my stories on my business account.
3. I'm engaging with my audience on my podcast account every day for at least 5 - 10 minutes. I’ll admit that I never prioritised this before and it’s why I decided to archive the account because I felt like I was stretching myself too thin but honestly, in order to grow your show you need to get in front of more people. And that’s where engagement with your audience and new people is key!
It’s still early days as this promotion plan has only been in effect for season three of the podcast but I have seen an increase in engagement in the video content on Instagram than when I’ve posted a new episode graphic. I’ve also noticed a small increase in engagement with the carousels on LinkedIn but I have updated my graphic templates so it might be that has played a factor.
Look out for a full debrief on this experiment in the new year.
My biggest piece of advice for you is to create a promotion plan that works for you. Posting about your podcast once a week, as a single graphic or audiogram, is unlikely to get you the results you want. If you’re comfortable doing video, I highly recommend it.
Here’s a quick tip for recording video clips for your podcast without recording the entire episode.
This is something that I picked up from a content creator (I’ll link the full episode in the resources section so you can take a listen) so I can’t take the great but it’s really quite genius and so I wanted to share it with you here.
Here’s my process:
- Transcribe your episode using Descript or Otter.AI
- Highlight 2-3 sections that you want to use for the video clip. Make sure they’re punchy and will grab someone’s attention as they’re scrolling through social media
- Record the video for each section separately on your phone. Set it up as though you’re recording your podcast episode in real-time.
- Upload the clips individually into Descript, add a transition, subtitles, music, a graphic and export as an mp4.
The key here is simplicity. I don’t want to spend hours cutting and editing a full episode. I know that’s what put me off doing video a lot sooner. With Descript, you could do this in 30 minutes. Nothing fancy but eye-catching and helps you to stand out.
Conclusion
Podcasting is a great way to build an audience of loyal fans. But, just like any other marketing activity, it takes time and effort to see results. By implementing the three activities we’ve talked about today, you’ll be on your way to growing your podcast audience in no time. And don’t forget, having a promotion plan is the key to success! Which of these strategies are you going to try first?
Resources mentioned in this episode
Related episodes
Connect with Rosemarie
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