5 Proven Ways to Grow Your Podcast Audience
A podcast needs an audience: either a dedicated fanbase or a whale of a new client that stumbles on that one poignant episode tailored just for them. But with so many podcasts out there competing for their attention, how do you connect with new listeners and grow your podcast audience?
Our clients ask us this all the time, and below are the strategies that consistently work.
How to grow your podcast audience
Spend time researching and defining your audience
Who is your audience?
That might be tricky to answer, so let’s try another question:
Who would benefit most from your podcast?
The more specific you are, the better. It’s much easier to stand out in a crowded space when your podcast is created for a specific audience. And that means you have a narrow focus, or a niche:
Mushroom foraging in the Rocky Mountains
Dog training, care and more for pit bull owners
Vegetable gardening in the desert
It’s very clear who those podcasts are for, what their interests are, and where they live (well, at least for two of them). From there, you can start working on the format, creating topics for your first few episodes, and drafting a marketing strategy to reach your audience.
Of course, your podcast’s audience must neatly fold into your own interests and expertise. Don’t try to force it, or it could quickly become a chore that you avoid at all costs.
Create a website
According to BuzzSprout, 30% of new podcast listeners search the internet to find new shows. That means your podcast needs a website.
Now, if you already have a brand and your podcast is part of that, a dedicated landing page on your brand’s current website is perfectly fine.
But if your podcast is a standalone brand, it’s time to meet with a website designer and developer. Your website is a great way for people to learn more about you and your process, but more importantly, it makes it easier for people to find you when they search for topics related to your podcast.
To maximize the “discoverability” of your podcast, be sure your website is optimized for search engines. A search engine optimization (SEO) specialist is invaluable when developing your website. They’ll be sure you are using the right keywords and following best practices (which change often).
You may want to add a blog, too. In addition to giving listeners another way to get to know you and take a deeper dive into episode topics, a blog is essential to your SEO strategy. Search engines (Google) like to see websites updated with new content on a regular basis, so it can help improve your site’s search ranking.
And lucky for you, your podcast creates regular fodder for your blog. Every time you distribute a new episode, you’ll embed the podcast player into a blog entry. Then you can add any commentary or show notes you’d like and follow it up with a transcript of the episode (which we provide in our Complete Podcast Package).
Announce new episodes via email and social media
While some people will discover your podcast on their own, it’s up to you to promote new episodes wherever your audience is.
Start growing your email list as soon as possible – even before you launch. Some podcasters share new episodes with their list first before promoting them on social media. Your list will come in handy as your podcast grows – you can invite subscribers to exclusive events or give them early access to new products or merchandise.
Now, when it comes to social media, you need to know where your audience spends their time. For a B2B podcast, your audience is likely on LinkedIn and maybe Twitter. For a B2C podcast, they’re probably on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and/or TikTok.
Focus your social media marketing efforts on the appropriate platform(s) – which might not be the ones you use.
And remember that social media is “social.” You can’t just post the announcement of a new episode and disappear. Monitor and respond to comments.
We also suggest you:
Create and use a branded hashtag for your podcast
Add other hashtags appropriate to the topic
Tag guests, companies, or anyone else you mention in episodes
Pull quotes and tips from episodes and create social media posts
Share behind-the-scenes photos and of course, photos with guests (if you record in person)
Invite your listeners to contribute
If there’s one thing podcast listeners love, it’s being included in the conversation. This can be done in a variety of ways.
Q&A: A question-and-answer segment or format is the most popular way to include your listeners in the podcast. Invite them to submit topics or questions for you to discuss or answer.
Listeners will keep coming back to hear their input addressed – and you can encourage them to share the episode with their friends, allowing you to reach even more people.
Future topics: Ask your audience to share topic ideas or suggest guests for future episodes. You can easily do this through social media and/or email surveys. And in the episode, you can give a hat tip to the listener who made the suggestion.
Create a community
With so much of our lives spent disconnected from others – working from home, on social media, streaming movies instead of going out – it’s gotten harder to find a tribe. Many people yearn for community and a sense of belonging.
Inviting listeners to contribute ideas for podcast episodes is just a start. Ask them for feedback on topics and recent episodes as well.
On social media, you can post recent video clips from shows and ask a question of your audience pertaining to that topic. You might be surprised at the conversation that ensues – just remember to stick around and answer and comment yourself.
Professional podcast production can also help you grow your audience
An expertly produced podcast with crisp audio isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential to delivering your podcast’s message with maximum impact, engaging your audience, and representing your brand. One of the top reasons people leave bad reviews for a podcast is poor audio quality. If you’d like to learn more about our process and services, get in touch today!
