Boosting the number of listeners for your podcast is almost formulaic. Here are four tips to help you increase the visibility of your podcast and garner more followers.
We live in a day and age where podcasts are more popular than listening to the radio. Considering that 50 percent of people in the United States listen to podcasts and 26 percent of people report listening to a podcast every month, it's not surprising that more people (and businesses) are entering this arena.
The time has come: You've weighed the pros and cons, and you've decided that you want to start a podcast. Perhaps you've started recording episodes when you realize that you have no idea how to market your podcast to a general audience. There's nothing to worry about. Boosting traffic to your podcast is almost formulaic.
We are going to delve into how, exactly, you can increase the number of listeners to your podcast.
Leverage your social media presence.
First, start advertising on social media. There are 2.23 billion active Facebook users and about 336 million unique visitors who go to Twitter every month. You'd better believe that many of these people regularly listen to podcasts.
Depending on how often you broadcast your show, whether it's daily, weekly, or monthly, start planning ahead and drafting posts on your primary account that advertise the show. You can spotlight special guests, talking points or even cite quotes from the podcasts to entice potential viewers.
It's important that you post frequently in case someone forgets about the show or if they missed your previous posts. If you don't have time to draft social media posts, use a scheduling app to prepare them in advance so they go out on time even if you're busy and don't have time to do it.
Finally, consider advertising on social media. Facebook Ad Manager and Twitter Ads are just two of many tools and resources available that can help you set up your ad campaign. Both platforms make it easy to target your listener demographic, upload your custom ad and share your ad to tens of thousands of potential listeners. Make sure your ad campaign is flashy, informative and clearly shows what you're advertising.
Send out marketing emails.
Now is a great time to take advantage of your leads list. Most podcasts have a website with a link where visitors can provide their email address to receive updates and news. You can use this sign-up list to your advantage with an email marketing program. Once you have your list established, develop a high-quality email that advertises your podcast's broadcast time and date. Much like your social media posts, advertise special guests who will be on the show and highlight quotes from the podcast as a teaser to listeners, or, better yet, include a sound bite to give them a taste of what's to come if they listen.
To secure a high conversion rate, it's vital that you create a subject line for your email that draws in listeners. Your subject line should be short, sweet and flashy, and it should draw people into reading your email once they read the subject line. In fact, a good subject line is responsible for every single click-through.
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Put your podcast on iTunes.
Obviously, your podcast will be available on your website or Facebook Live, but that's not enough. You have to ensure that people can access your podcast from their smartphone. One study showed that a stunning 70 percent of people who listen to podcasts do so through iTunes.
iTunes is the most popular platform for viewing podcasts. Seventy percent of people who listen to podcasts do so through iTunes. You might think it's hard to get a podcast on such a huge outlet, but it's quite easy. Follow these five steps:
1. Have at least one published podcast available for upload.
2. Have one graphic image that has a resolution of 1400 by 1400 pixels and 3000 by 3000 pixels in JPG or PNG format.
3. Create a unique title.
4. Use a valid iTunes email address.
5. Select one category that best represents your podcast (business, health, kids and family, etc.).
That's all there is to it. Once you have completed all of the above, go to iTunes Podcasts Connect and follow the steps to submit your podcast. Most requests are approved within three days.
Use YouTube and SEO.
To drive even more traffic to your podcasts, you absolutely cannot ignore YouTube. YouTube has 1.3 billion regular users. There are 5 billion videos viewed each day. Why shouldn't you have a piece of that sweet visual real estate?
The truth is, you can. Uploading videos to YouTube is as simple as making an account, filling out some information, and uploading your podcast when you're done recording it.
But wait, it gets better. Because YouTube is in the Google family of products, it follows the same search engine optimization (SEO) rules as any website. What this means is that you can craft your titles and metadata so your podcast ranks higher in the search results.
If you need help browsing for good keywords to use, there are YouTube keyword analyzer tools available to help you make smart decisions. A general rule is to pick words that have a medium to high degree of popularity with a low degree of competition.
Another excellent benefit to using YouTube is that it adds in closed captions, which could expand your traffic and make your podcast available to an audience that might otherwise never consider tuning in.
In conclusion
Podcasts are becoming more popular by the day, and it's easy to see why. They are a great, affordable outlet for individuals and businesses. Now that you know how to drive more traffic to your podcasts, remember that these are not overnight success tips – they provide a great start. The only way to truly become successful is with hard work and dedication.
It's worth noting, too, that the more podcasts you publish, the better chance you have of being noticed. Keep planning and recording your daily, weekly, or monthly podcasts, delivering quality content, and marketing like a pro, and you'll soon see professional results.