How and where to promote your podcasts
Once you’ve started recording your podcasts and learned how to edit and publish them, you’ll need to promote them. You may already have a small list of subscribers or a group of friends who will listen to your episodes, and that’s a good thing. But to grow your audience and really make it worthwhile, some promotion is required. Here are a few different ways to promote your podcast.
Post it to iTunes (Apple Podcasts)
There are many people who listen to podcasts from Apple (formerly iTunes), including other podcasters, so this should be one of the first things you do. Even if you are not an iPhone user, millions of people are. Just having your Apple Podcast on the market can help you get noticed.
Many people do not know what podcast they are looking for and will simply search for a topic or browse the most recently published episodes on the topic of their choice. If they find yours, they may listen to it and then subscribe via Apple Podcasts to have your new episodes delivered automatically. If people find it this way, they may also report it to others. That is why it is important to have it in multiple markets.
Use of the social network
It goes without saying that most people who listen to podcasts also use social media. Learning how to share your episodes on social media will also help you grow your listener base.
Start talking about your podcast on different social media sites, like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even YouTube. Share the link on Reddit and use your Snapchat account to discuss what your latest episode is talking about. When promoting it on social media, use tags related to the podcast’s topic, your name, the podcast’s title, and the various topics you’re covering. This will help more people find you and your podcast!
Have your own website and blog
You need to have a place where you can upload the podcast right away and have others listen to it right away. If you have a pressing topic that you want to cover, it may not get all the attention you want on Apple podcasts.
When you start using Apple Podcasts, it can take up to 2 weeks for your podcast to be approved. They usually have a turnaround time of about 7 days, but it could take longer.
For urgent topics, have a website where you can upload it and then share the links on social media. This is also a good place to have a blog where you put text for your podcast topics, which can then be targeted and get more listeners through social media searches.
I also use links that take people to my website from my podcast. And links that lead people from my podcast to my website. In SEO circles, this is called a back-link, and it helps search engines find you better.
Include a link in your Google profile
All the different areas, formats, and properties of Google’s social media are linked together and searching for those backlinks all over the internet. Therefore, you have to link all your profiles with each other. This will allow you to be seen whenever someone searches for you using any kind of Google method, be it YouTube or Google. You want to have that link in as many places online as you can get it to start building your brand and grabbing the attention of more listeners.
As you gain more listeners through those links, you advance the algorithm towards more and more searches. This allows more people to find you, and as they do, it moves you even higher in search results. It is one of the best and fastest ways to increase your audience!
Post it on Pinterest
One of the most amazing ways to promote a podcast is through Pinterest. This is mostly used for images, although they can be linked directly to the website the images came from. Use this to your advantage by posting a simple image, with the title of the podcast or topic, and a few short notes from the show. If someone is browsing Pinterest, they might come across your image and then go to the link to listen to the podcast.
Include information about your Amazon author account
For those of you who are authors and sell your book (s) on Amazon, you can create an author profile. As part of that profile, mention your podcast and then include a link on your profile that directs people directly to your podcast. I know many people I have interviewed over the years who fail to do this. When I explain how simple it is, they are amazed!
You will be amazed at how well it works. For additional exposure to your book (s), don’t forget to talk about them on your podcast! That helps create those backlinks again!
These are just a few simple tips for increasing the number of listeners by promoting your podcast using resources that most people are already familiar with. You don’t need to invest in heavy and expensive advertising. In reality, all that advertising does is send someone to your website or podcast site to “review.”
Do the same on the platforms you are already using. Instead of “cat images” or funny memes, use these platforms to promote your podcast! Drive some traffic from those who already follow you. In the process, you will generate additional listeners, subscribers, and perhaps some additional income (which we will discuss in a future article).