6 Easy Ways to Promote Your Podcast

After slaving away for many hours, your podcast is now live.

You excitedly anticipate seeing hundreds of downloads and opening emails coming from new subscribers congratulating you for a job well done and thanking you for an awesome podcast.

However, weeks passed and none of the great things you looked forward to has happened. Your email list hasn’t grown and no one has subscribed to your podcast. You feel frustrated and begin to question if launching a podcast was a good idea after all.

If this is a scenario you can relate to, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you will learn how to promote your first podcast so that your target audience will surely take notice.

1. Find your podcast avatar

The first thing you need to do before recording your first podcast episode is to understand your avatar-–that single person who represents your perfect customer. Without this, you will not be able to properly promote your podcast.

One of the common mistakes first time podcasters make is they tend to be too general when describing their avatar.

The avatar of a seasoned and successful podcaster would be similar to this:

“My avatar is a 35-year-old man named Bill. He has been working as a manager in an assets management firm for the past 10 years. Although he is very successful, his long and often unpredictable working hours caused friction in his marriage, which ended two years ago in a bitter divorce.

He loves what he does and he is highly praised for the advice that he gives his clients. But now that he is considering settling down with his current girlfriend, he doesn’t want this relationship to end in another divorce.

Bill has been wanting to resign and set up his own consultancy business. He has been reading about podcasting and he has been considering it as his way of getting his name out there so that he would have a solid customer base that he can offer his services to. He just doesn’t know how to begin and how to do it because he is not what anyone would call a ‘tech savvy’ person.”

As you can see, a well-described avatar goes beyond demographics. If you want to probe deeper, you need to figure out the avatar’s challenges, weaknesses, and pain points. These would not only help you determine what kind of topics to discuss in your podcast episodes, it will also help you find your avatar so that you can promote your first podcast to them.

Here are some places you can look for your avatar:

· Social media networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)

· Networking events

· Your inner circle

Interviewing your avatar

Although there are some people that listen to podcast episodes to be entertained, many search for podcasts where they can find solutions and answers to their current problems and challenges. You can dig deeper by interviewing people that resemble your avatar.

Doing this will achieve several things. First, it will show your professionalism and willingness to help them out with whatever challenge they are currently facing. Second, it will give you an idea of the type of content to produce so you are able to deliver quality content that your avatar would love to listen to.

Now that you understand your avatar and have created content they would eagerly consume, it’s now time to promote your podcast to him or her.

2. Ask your friends and family to support your podcast

Depending on how close you are, this can be a bit awkward. However, it pays to remember there’s no harm in trying. Besides, there is always the possibility that your friends and family know people who closely fit your avatar. Since personal recommendations are very powerful, they can effectively encourage people within their circle to also tune in and give your podcast a listen.

3. Set up a blog or website

Even if you have chosen to deliver your content through a podcast, you still need to have a self-hosted website or blog for two reasons.

First, your blog or website will serve as your hub on the Internet. This is where you can direct your audience at the end of each episode to download additional resources in exchange for their email address. When they do that, they become part of your email list and will be kept updated when your next episode goes live.

Second, it can help ensure people who fit your avatar can find you more easily. When searching for information related to the content you are providing, they might find your website or blog. Not only will this successfully drive traffic to your site, you’ll also increase your chances of enticing more potential listeners.

4. Have a presence in different media platforms

Don’t limit uploading of your podcast episodes in iTunes because believe it or not, there are still people out there that don’t have access or use iTunes. Uploading your podcast episodes in other audio channels like SoundCloud increases the probability of people finding you.

Leveraging your podcast episode across different platforms also helps you use the popularity of these platforms on the Internet. One good example is creating a video that you can upload on YouTube. Since YouTube is owned by Google, it will include videos in the search engine results so you will get more exposure.

5. Offer a teaser

When you write your emails promoting your upcoming podcast episode, give your email list subscribers a little insight about it. For example, you can give an overview of the topic you’re going to be talking about or a little backstory why you chose to tackle said topic. If you’re interviewing someone on your podcast, give your subscribers a little background about the person you’re interviewing.

6. Tap into forums and online communities

Forums and online communities are specific to a particular niche. They give you a venue where you can continue the conversation with your listeners and further establish your authority and expertise in the industry.

However, it is important to not join discussions just to promote your podcast. You need to actively participate in the discussions and contribute. Otherwise, your account can get suspended.

Now, it’s your turn

What is your favorite way of promoting your podcast? Share your tips in the comments below.

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