Podcast marketing can be both exhilarating and terrifying, but that’s what makes it fun. We know that you aren’t really sure where to begin and what to say for quite a few episodes, but once you get the gist of things, it would get easier. But after a few weeks of continuous podcasting, you would see that while your podcasts are still top-notch, there isn’t much social growth. And this slump is quite common among entrepreneurs who find their products not as appreciated as they were before. But this isn’t the end of the road, for here are ways through which you can boost your social growth and ascend the ladder in podcast marketing
Love Your Topic
If you are not interested in what you are presenting, your work will simply fall into the group where millions and millions of people have their podcasts on. You need to love what you are doing, for the passion will come out for everyone to see. And if they see that you truly care about what you are doing, they will get more interested.
Do Your Research
You can’t produce sub-standard work if you really want your podcast to grow. The only way to create good stuff is to research it yourself. A major part of podcasting marketing involves looking up famous podcasters and checking their content. If the need arises, text them about the procedure, and get in touch with producers to make a list of all the stuff that you need. It is important to produce quality content.
Go Deep
If you want your podcasts to be different from the thousand other podcasts on the network, you need to be different. Here, the difference comes from having a far greater knowledge of what you are talking about, whilst also being extremely curious. You can’t afford to get complacent about things- for they would hinder the development of your podcast.
Focus on Quality
You don’t need to create ten different podcasts every week which all have an average rating. Rather, create three podcasts every week with superb quality. And unless you have a sound engineer at your disposal, you need to keep working on it. Until you find the sweet spot, focus on your quality. Your podcast will grow on its own.
Be Timely
Check up on the news to decide if the time would be appropriate for talking. You can always have a hook in place, but it would rather be more symbolic if you could time your podcasts to something happening around the globe. If your topic is about health and safety regulations, you can choose the aftermath of the Beirut explosion as a perfect moment.
Hook Them in First 60 Seconds
Make sure that you have the most interesting bits in the first one minute. No one wants to listen to something they have completely no interest in. Be convincing, but also mysterious- make it unputdownable. If you can make your audience wait the first minute without logging off, you have scored a hit. Then you can talk about whatever you want to- given that it matches your topic.
Be a Unique Voice
You can’t go a long way if you decide to emulate someone. You can emulate their gear and setting, but you need to have a unique voice. You need to place your own opinions, and you need to see that it connects and resonates with people. Else, you will simply be an impersonator with no original thoughts.
Theme Each Episode
You can put a theme around every episode that you shoot. The themes can be the major sections of what you are going to talk about. You would be able to compartmentalize what your audience wants, and you will get different people listening to different episodes- simply because they are interested in that particular voice.
Spend the Time to Book the Best Guests
If you want your public to listen to you, you need to bring in eminent personalities from the field you are concerned with. Bring out the best guests, and watch as your ratings soar. And make sure to conduct the interviews in person, for then you will have authenticity on your hand to back your research up. It is unfortunate the prices will rise up, but sometimes you need to give the audience what it needs- and they need to hear from someone who is an expert.
Invest in Audio
Since people will be hearing a lot of your voice, it would do you well to invest in some good quality audio systems. Always go for quality over price, and if you can find a good set for affordable rates- you have been blessed by the stars. Remember, it doesn’t matter if your content is uber great, if your audience can’t really hear what you are saying.
Be An Editing Perfectionist
There will be mistakes, no doubt about that. But the trick is to edit these out to improve your social growth. Be a perfectionist when it comes to that- don’t simply brush through. If you can hear your mistakes, others would too. And you need to prevent that from happening.
Keep Trying New Things
Don’t fall into a routine. Keep on changing things and mixing them. You can always put in extra snippets of information, confound the audience at times- or bring out some different sound effects. All of that should be aimed at shocking the audience and make them want more of your content. It isn’t everything to put something intelligent out there- the presentation needs to be top-notch too.
Produce 5-10 Episodes Before Launching Your Podcast
Try creating at least 5-6 episodes before you have seriously launched your podcast. These episodes can be used as behind the scenes later on, while at the moment you can use them to rectify your mistake. This is a tried and tested method by some of the most famous podcasters in the world, so this must work. When you actually end up launching your product, you will have created something exciting.
Publish at a Regular Cadence
Don’t shift around with the time. If you launched your first episode at 8 pm on a Friday, make sure that you upload the next episode at exactly the same time next week. If you want to add in extra scenes and want to put them early, inform your viewers in the episode. A set time would make it easier for both the audience and the creator to upload their stuff.
Have a Plan for Each Episode
Create goals for every episode. There can be nothing worse than speaking without any definite idea in mind. You would go completely haywire and the audience wouldn’t be able to follow you to the end. Make sure that you have a plan, and you stick by it. The rest will take care of itself.
Identify a Niche
You have to find your place in the podcasting world for people to sit up and notice. You can’t simply wake up one morning and decide that you would upload something on quantum physics. To have a loyal fanbase you need to find out where your strengths lie and stick to them. Else you would find it really difficult to navigate the treacherous waters.
Get Inside Your Audience’s Head
Understand your audience as if they were an extension of your own self. Relate to what they are going through, and make your content relatable to them. If they can’t understand where you are coming from, they will never think of listening to you. Mix in with the crowd, and find your true calling.
Use Data
Use technology at your disposal. Most podcasters use Google Analytics to check up on their clients to see who is listening, and from which location. If you can get a hint of where your clientele resides, you would be able to optimize your content to make it more simple and accessible.
Talk to Your Listeners
If you want your podcast marketing to be one of the best in the market, you need to obviously ask for feedback. Your followers would be the best critics and you can ask them for feedback, criticisms, and suggestions on how to improve your podcast. You can create a google form to know more, or simply mail them after asking for permission. Either way, it’s all about building a platform.
Tell Everyone
Mention it to everyone you come across because word of mouth is still the best way to pass on information. Don’t bother someone with the news if they aren’t interested, but don’t forget to slip it into a conversation. Yes, it might come off as flaunting at times- but it is your hard work so you have a right to speak it out.
Use Paid Ads
Facebook Ads can be quite a headache in that you need to pay for it, but you will benefit from it hugely. They help in bringing forth a targeted audience that is tailor-made for your podcast. This clientele will follow you through your journey- but you need to be sure where your own goals are.
Leverage Word of Mouth Marketing
A trick to getting traction is to simply ask guests to your show who have quite a huge social following. If you can manage to rope them in, their followers would see to it that you are being followed. But, it doesn’t mean you only ask people who have millions of followers. Sometimes, you need to find someone who can provide quality content. This will balance out your podcast and ensure that it has both quality and quantity.
Use Search Engine Optimization
If you can manage keyword research to look up what people are searching for, you would be able to garner major social media growth, whilst also gaining enough information to talk about stuff. A win-win situation, if you ask me.
Cross-Promote With Guests
If you have guests, you have a chance of promoting both the guests and your own podcast. And this gets really interesting when you realize that your video gets more traction when guests promote it- for their social media following checks it out.
Implement Email Marketing
You need to realize that not everyone is glued to their social media at all times to get notifications. If people have signed to your weekly newsletter as well as an e-mail database, you need to make sure that they receive the notifications of your upcoming podcast, along with every information that can be important.
Add Calls To Action (CTAs)
If you want client interaction to go up, you need to put in Call To Actions in your podcasts. Followers would listen and definitely give in to it.
Hand Out Business Cards
If possible, make and distribute business cards among people you know. This will help build up a following, as people won’t forget you if they have something tangible with them. In fact, you could also scan in a QR code that will take followers directly to your podcast’s website.
Send Press Releases
Every time you bring out a new episode, you could inform the media for a press release which will inform people about it. The press release can also involve several important details which your followers would be careful enough to not miss. You could also go out for some coverage from the media.
Collaborate With Other Brands
The best way to improve your social growth would be to bring in other brands that are related to your goal. If you are talking about workout equipment, you could bring in brands like Under Armor and others. You could also get into partnerships with big brands to help your own podcast grow.
Create a Media Kit
A media kit can also help grow your podcast. Most podcasters have a media kit which contains information about them along with information about their products. You can send them to people and ask for feedback.
Create a Website for Your Podcast
You can also create a website for your podcast where you ask your followers to subscribe. This website will contain all information about upcoming releases, and other stuff that might be helpful for your clientele.
Leverage Blogging to Maximize Your Reach
If you can provide some written information along with your podcast, it will heavily benefit your followers. If you already have an established blog, you can always link it to your podcast, for this will provide additional information to people who are interested in getting to know more.
Do Live Recordings
If possible, organize live recordings because they tend to be the ones people tune in more. You can always edit them, and upload them for rebroadcast so you are not really missing out on anything. Also, live sessions show the raw side of your podcast, leading people to see how a podcast is created.
Sell Merchandise
One way to popularise your podcast would be to create hats, bags, or tee shirts with the podcast’s name on it. You could always expect people to stop and start a conversation about it. A trick would be to give away merchandise to people who share a tweet or promote your podcast.
Post on a Multiple Channels
A podcast can get massive social growth if it is shared on different platforms. Use all the social media at your disposal- Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, any social media platform that you have can be used to distribute and promote your podcast. You can also use news media to broadcast your podcast- all that is necessary is for you to provide correct information at all costs.
Post Regularly
Be regular in your posting. If you want a loyal fan base, you need to keep posting every single week. Maintain a routine when you want to post, and stick to it. It has been reported that a podcast which posts regularly receives much bigger traction than other podcasts. If you can maintain the quality of your podcast at the same time, you wouldn’t need to worry about anything else.
Share Teasers
To keep your viewers captivated, you can always share teasers of upcoming podcasts. Just remember to not give out important information, or spoil any mystery. Else, you would lose followers faster than you can blink.
Find Online Communities
If you can find online communities that have the same goal as your podcast, it will help you grow your podcast swiftly. You can always post about your podcast on those communities and expect a massive number of views. But you might have to scratch their backs if they scratch yours.
Podcast Marketing can be quite a lucrative endeavor if you know how to go through the processes. For social growth, podcasters take help from brands and guests who see them through. If you want to grow your podcast, you might have to do the same- and trust us, it is an enjoyable affair.
