Arts & Entertainment

How to Promote a Podcast: 7 Podcast Promotion Tips

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Sep 17, 2021 • 2 min read

Once you've finished recording and editing your podcast, the hard work of promoting it begins. Podcast promotion is crucial to gaining new listeners and ultimately producing a successful podcast.

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What Is a Podcast?

A podcast is a collection or series of digital audio files that are made available for downloading or listening via the Internet. Each individual audio recording is known as a podcast episode. Podcasts are typically hosted by an individual or individuals who lead a conversation, share stories, or report the news. The creator of a podcast is known as a podcaster. Podcasts are hosted on streaming applications such as Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts (the podcast app that comes with iOS).

How to Promote a Podcast

If you’re ready to start promoting your own podcast, consider these tips.

  1. 1. Start by making great content. High-quality podcast content is the foundation of any podcast marketing strategy. Producing great content will help you gain and maintain your listenership. This includes having interesting and engaging podcast guests, compelling stories, and well-produced audio. Consider including a transcript of your audio for each episode and helpful show notes, the written description that accompanies each new podcast episode.
  2. 2. Know your target audience. With millions of people listening to podcasts every day, podcasting has become one of the most ubiquitous forms of news and entertainment. Narrowing your focus can help you identify the most meaningful topics to your audience and tailor your content accordingly. Identify your audience by researching the typical age range, education level, geographic location, and related interests of your ideal listeners and competitors’ listeners.
  3. 3. Create a podcast website or landing page. Creating a podcast website can help boost your podcast SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it's a content marketing tool for making your content easily discoverable online. Start by creating a podcast website or landing page that has relevant content. Include keywords your potential podcast listeners are searching for online.
  4. 4. Do a giveaway contest. Giveaways can help engage your audience and gain new listeners. Consider giving away a service or product that is related to your podcast's theme in exchange for a review of your podcast. Giveaways are also a great opportunity for cross-promotion. Reach out to podcasts that may be similar to yours, and see if they'd be willing to partner with you to promote the giveaway on their podcast as well.
  5. 5. Take advantage of email marketing. Give your existing audience and potential listeners the opportunity to join an email list via a sign-up link on your podcast website or episode show notes. Email can be an effective way to give listeners early access to new episodes, announce upcoming podcast guests, and promote giveaways.
  6. 6. Promote your podcast on social media platforms. One of the most affordable ways to promote your podcast is via social media channels. Social media allows you to build a community around your podcast. You can post snippets for free, but you also have the option of using paid ads to reach an untapped podcast audience. Social media influencers are also a resource for promoting your podcast online. Find an influencer whose audience overlaps with yours and reach out to them to establish a mutually beneficial partnership.
  7. 7. Encourage word-of-mouth promotion. Old-fashioned promo methods are still a great way to spread the word about your own podcast. Encourage listeners to spread the word about your podcast.

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