Building Your Following: Top Ways to Grow Your Podcast Audience

Nowadays, many people would agree we are now living in the so-called golden age of podcasting. In a lot of ways, blogs have become somewhat obsolete and podcasts have taken over. In fact, the popularity of podcasting continues to skyrocket and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Anybody who has a story to tell can easily use this fresh, creative, and exciting medium. And they don’t necessarily have to be experts at it. Today, competent professionals like the team from Podcast Engineers are just a mouse click away if anyone needs podcasting guidance and help.

However, while experts can provide guidance and help when it comes to the technicalities, there are a few components you have to be accountable for like growing your following.

Thankfully, there are so many things you can do to achieve said objective and you can find some of the most effective ones below.

Incorporate keywords in your title. If you want to make it easy for people to find your podcast, this is one of the best tactics you can apply. In line with this, think of the possible keywords your target audience would search for when looking for a podcast to listen to and make sure you incorporate them in your title.

Be creative with the description for your shows/episodes. You need not write a really long description for your shows/episodes. However, consider it ideal to include some interesting or “juicy” details that can capture the attention of your target listeners. Keep it short and creative and you’ll be able to entice more people that way.

Take advantage of podcatcher directories. Understandably, the more places people can find your podcast in, the better it will be for you. Check where popular and successful podcasts have a presence in and ensure your target listeners can also find you there. Podcatchers you can check out include tunein.com, podchaser.com, and castbox.fm.

Be active on iTunes. Find podcasts you like that are in the same niche as yours and post reviews. Make sure the username you use is that of your podcast so people who are reading the reviews can also familiarise themselves with at least the name of your podcast. Once you get people interested and they find your content exactly to their liking, you can expect your numbers to skyrocket.

Additional tip: From the time you launch your show, you are given 8 weeks to work your way up to the top of the 100 New and Noteworthy list. While no one knows the exact formula for you to secure a place in the list, there are a few things that can increase your chances.

For starters, aim to prepare and release a minimum of 3 episodes on launch day. Also, during your first week, reach out to people and ask them to download your episodes and leave a review and rating.

Engage with people on social media. You don’t have to be active on all the available social media platforms. Just pick at least 2 or 3 where you think your target listeners will often hang out in.

This might not be common knowledge but social media is more than just a powerful tool you can use to increase the number of your followers. It is also a very effective tool you can use to build trust and establish loyalty.

Additional tip: Get more page views and increase the number of your followers dramatically by using hashtags. On Twitter, a lot of podcasters tweet #FF each Friday. #FF stands for “Follow Friday.”

You can also include other podcasts on your tweet and you’ll get some much needed exposure once it gets retweeted. Other prevalent hashtags many podcasters use include #PodcastShuffle and #PodernFamily.

Do guest spots and audio swaps. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best things you can try to grow your audience. Reach out to your fellow podcasters and check if they would be willing to be a guest on your show.

You can also check if they’d agree to an audio swap. In a nutshell, an audio swap is when they feature a 30-60 minute clip of your show on their show and vice-versa.

Have you tried any of the techniques above? What has worked well for you? Do let us know in the comments below!

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