Podcasts are on the rise. In fact, recent data shows that 44% of Americans have listened to a podcast at some point, and 80% of those people listen to at least seven podcasts a week.
Those are pretty huge engagement numbers, especially when you consider many podcasts are over an hour long.
With that in mind, many brands are starting their own podcasts to share valuable information with their audiences, and in turn improving their brand reputation and getting their name in front of new ears.
But growing a podcast isn't easy. After all, there are over 500,000 podcasts on iTunes, and chances are someone already runs a successful podcast in your brand's niche.
Don't get us wrong though: just because there's competition doesn't mean you should ditch your podcasting dreams.
You can still make a successful podcast in any niche, you just need to make the best content possible, and market your content to the right audience on social media.
And that's where we come in.
In this article, we'll show you 11 awesome ways to promote your podcast on social media. These tips focus on finding new listeners for your podcast—whether it's just starting out or on its 100th episode.
Host guests, and leverage their name and audience
In this podcast episode, I talk about voice technology, marketing and flash briefings with social media marketer extraordinaire, @onlinedrea— Alexa in Canada (@AlexaInCanadaCA) November 7, 2018
We cover a lot of ground! You don’t want to miss it!! Link in the profile. https://t.co/SW8Bzz4YFe pic.twitter.com/IV886ntNZ9
Guest hosts are one of the best ways to keep your podcasts interesting...and growing.
Strategically pick your guest hosts. Make sure they have good insights to share, but also have a well-known name and a large social following.
Why do this?
Simple: chances are your guests will share the finished podcast with their own audience. Their audience will be excited to see their name, and will be more likely to check out your podcast.
It's like influencer marketing: you're essentially piggybacking off your guest's audience's trust.
Share your episodes to the right social networks
Learn how Facebook Watch content compares to content on Facebook pages and YouTube channels. You'll also discover tips for measuring Facebook video performance and running ads on Facebook Watch 🎥 📺 by @thestayhomechef #facebookmarketing #FBWatch https://t.co/0ImdO8PMKr— Social Media Examiner (@SMExaminer) November 2, 2018
Speaking of sharing to social media: make sure you're sharing new podcast episodes to the right social networks.
Are you running a business podcast? Share to LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Are you a comedy podcast? You can skip LinkedIn, but make sure you're hitting Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram hard.
Check out our guide on what social network your business should be on for more inspiration.
Share new episodes (and sneak previews) to your personal social media channels too
Don't just share your podcast to your podcast's space—promote them on your (and your co-host's) personal social media accounts as well.
This lets you leverage your personal brand to promote your podcast, and vice-versa. If people like your voice and insights on social, they'll want to check out your podcast too.
Likewise, share your personal social profiles on your podcast. Because—if people enjoy your voice on the podcast—chances are they'll want to follow you on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networks for more.
The guys at the B2B Growth Show do this well. Co-hosts James Carbary and Logan Lyles often share video previews and links to their podcast on their personal LinkedIn profiles. This has helped the duo build a huge audience, providing real returns to the parent company.
Record your podcast on Facebook Live
Create FOMO (fear of missing out) by recording your podcast live on Facebook Live, Instagram Live, or another streaming service. For bonus points, consider taking live questions on-stream to encourager a live audience.
This gives your audience a reason to log on and watch your podcast at a specific time. Live adds excitement, and interaction makes your audience feel like they're a part of the show.
Post your podcast to multiple networks
iTunes is the king of podcasts, but don't overlook YouTube, Instagram TV, and SoundCloud.
Sharing your content to these networks lets you put your content out to a larger audience, and makes your episodes more sharable and accessible.
Even cooler, many of these networks will make your podcast listenable right from the link preview—making it easier than ever for your social following to check out your content. See the example above.
Run a giveaway
Give back to your audience and host a giveaway on your podcast's social media accounts.
You can announce the contests on the show itself, and then have your viewers retweet or share a link to your episode to enter. It's an investment, but you're driving traffic to your social channels and getting your podcast in front of new people.
Some things you can give away are gift cards, subscriptions to your product, or a hot product in your industry. Just make sure to keep these quirks and legalities in mind when running a social media giveaway.
Create accompanying blog post
New episode of @MusicCityGold! No PBR live show tonight, so get your hockey talk fix right here. Rinne's contract, best/worst game and a great interview with new #Preds in-arena host, @deannakaytv.— PenaltyBoxRadio (@PenaltyBoxRadio) November 7, 2018
Listen to the podcast powered by @IngramagencyTN https://t.co/O4igdrdhvH #Preds pic.twitter.com/vIoFTyCT2g
Have a blog? Cross-promote, and make blog posts for each of your podcast episode.
The blog post can act as a preview for the full episode. So if a reader is on the train or at work, they can read the excerpt in your blog posts, and bookmark the podcast for listening at home.
This also helps SEO and makes your content easier to share on social media. After all, Google likes text content, and your readers are more likely to share things they can quickly read.
Share quotes and short clips from your shows
Give your followers a preview of your episode by sharing quotes from your episode alongside the link. Make it a catchy quote, and chances are you'll drive some interested minds to your show.
Use the right hashtags
When sharing on Twitter and other social networks, use hashtags in your posts. Do some research to find the best related hashtags and—when used correctly—your podcast will appear in hashtag searches, further driving new listeners.
Connect with the right people
Don't be afraid to manually reach out to people that you feel would like your podcast. You can do this by manually following Twitter and Instagram accounts using your podcast's social accounts, or by sending InMail to industry influencers on LinkedIn.
This is a pretty common growth hack, but it's surprisingly useful. When people see a new follow, there's a good chance are they'll check out your profile and (hopefully) give it a listen—it's that simple.
Finally, never stop a/b testing!
Most importantly: keep trying new things.
It might sound cheesy, but this is often overlooked when creating social media marketing campaigns for podcasts, blogs, or any other medium.
If you find that one social network isn't working out, drop it. See a new an interesting ad platform or live streaming service that can drive more views? Give it a shot.
Remember: you have nothing to lose dropping something that isn't working out, and successes to gain when testing the right things.
We want to hear from you
You now know the basics of promoting podcasts—whether it's a project you've been working on for years, or a new podcast you plan on jumpstarting in the new year.
Use these tips in-tandem with great content, and you'll see your podcast grow quickly and efficiently.
But now we want to hear from you!
Do you run a podcast? If so, how do you promote your podcast to bring in new listeners?
Let us know on Twitter or in the comments below. Make sure to include a link to your podcast too—who knows, we may feature it in a future article!
Use Social Report to better manage your podcast's social media, blogs, and more.