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Are you ready to reach more people with your podcast? Whether you’re a seasoned podcaster ready to shake things up or a newbie wanting to expand your audience beyond your mom, we’re here to help you find and grow your audience! (I mean, your mom rocks, we know!)
Today we’re going to dive headfirst into 9 ways to grow your podcast audience – because what’s the fun in starting a great podcast if no one’s there to listen, right?
9 Ways to Organically Increase Your Podcast Listenership
1. Leverage Your Email List
Don’t have an email list yet? There’s never been a more perfect time to start. Entice people to sign up by offering bonus podcast content, behind-the-scenes access, or episodes exclusively to your email subscribers. Offer people something of value in exchange for their email. Believe it or not, email is still the most effective way to advertise your business and connect and leverage your most engaged audience!
2. Create Scroll-Stopping Social Media Posts
Next to email, social is one of the best ways to get the word out about your podcast. But think outside the box! Don’t just promote your podcast with the same static image every time you launch a new episode. (BORING! Your followers AND the algorithm won’t like that!) Use content from your podcast episodes to create social content!
- Record virtual interviews and release full and short interview clips
- Create reels with a tip from your episode
- Use audio from the episode to highlight themes and valuable insight
- Utilize branded visuals to share quotes from your guests
3. Leverage Your Guests’ Influence
One of the best ways to get the word out about your podcast is through the guests you secure. Invite other podcasters, influencers, or experts in your niche to join your podcast. If you’re starting out, you may need to make a personal ask or put yourself out there when you don’t have a large audience (yet!). But chances are that you know at least a few people in your sphere who would love to come on and share their stories, wisdom, and expertise.
Just make sure they’re relevant to your target audience and podcast goals! If your podcast is all about college football, it won’t make sense to have your first-grade teacher on… well, unless they were a college football nut!
Pro tip: We recommend you create a press kit to send to every guest when their episode launches. Make sure to provide links to the episode, show notes, quality video, graphic social posts, and quotes and highlights. Make it appealing and easy for them to share the episode with THEIR audience!
4. Be Strategic in How You LAUNCH Your Podcast
Make a great first impression with a few easy steps.
- Record a really well-produced trailer for your podcast
- Book your most significant, most engaging guests and release those episodes first. Send them your podcast trailer when you pitch them!
- Tease your podcast BEFORE you launch in your email and on socials to get subscribers before you launch your first episode
- Write a REALLY excellent show description
- Have your first four episodes already recorded and ready to release
Before you go! Download our Complete Podcast Starter Kit.
It includes:
✅ Podcircle’s Essential Equipment Guide
✅ The Ultimate Podcast Launch Checklist
✅ Content Calendar Template formatted for Google Sheets
✅ Remote Interview Preparation Pack
✅ 8 Tips to Improve Your Interviews
✅ Three Steps to Writing a Compelling Podcast Show Description
5. Use a Podcast Host That Distributes to ALL Podcast Directories
Meet your listeners where they are! Podcast directories are the primary way listeners can search and find you. Podcast directors are apps for listeners to search, find, and subscribe to your podcasts. (Think Spotify and Apple Podcasts…) For years Apple Podcasts held the market as the primary place people found and listened to their podcasts. But you might be surprised to discover that Spotify overtook Apple in terms of monthly listeners in 2022.
Partnering with a podcast host that distributes to all podcast directories is essential. (Our favorite is Transistor.FM!)
6. Network with Other Podcasters
A rising tide raises all boats! Podcasting can be a lonely venture. We love the idea of networking with other podcasters and forming mutually beneficial relationships! Not only will it help your morale, but it will help you optimize and grow your podcast!
Here are a few ways podcasters can support one another:
- Cross-promote podcasts to their audiences
- Be guests on one another’s podcasts
- Refer your best guests to other podcast hosts
- Form a monthly mastermind group and share ideas, wins, and insights
7. Optimize for Search
Whether utilizing SEO on your personal website or creating quality, clear, and informative show and episode descriptions, using the words your audience are searching for will help them find you.
Make sure to include relevant keywords. It’s fun to get quippy with your description, but you’ll lose out to shows that are clear and concise enough for the listener to know what they’re getting by pressing play!
8. Be Consistent!
This is something we can’t stop talking about! Consistency wins out, time and time again. Regularly showing up with quality episodes goes a long way in building trust and authority with your listeners.
If you’ve hit a podcast rut and can’t seem to consistently release episodes, schedule a free consultation with the Podcircle team to see how we can go to work for you! We take all the tedious parts of podcasting off your plate, so you can stick to what you do best!
9. Give Your Audience a Clear CTA
When you consistently show up for your audience, they’ll show up for you! You’d be surprised what your listeners are willing to do when asked! Provide a clear CTA in every episode!
Ways to activate the listeners you’re already serving!
- Ask them to rate, review and subscribe to your podcast
- Encourage them to join your email list for exclusive content
- Provide them ways to engage with you and the show on social media
We know your show is awesome – that’s why we want as many people to listen to it as possible! If you’re ready to take your podcast to the next level, we can help you take these tips to the next level! Reach out to the Podcircle team to schedule a free consultation!
Before you go! Download our Complete Podcast Starter Kit.
It includes:
✅ Podcircle’s Essential Equipment Guide
✅ The Ultimate Podcast Launch Checklist
✅ Content Calendar Template formatted for Google Sheets
✅ Remote Interview Preparation Pack
✅ 8 Tips to Improve Your Interviews
✅ Three Steps to Writing a Compelling Podcast Show Description
