Looking for the best podcast marketing techniques to build a solid audience and generate income from this venture?
We can help.
A podcast can be a great platform and audience building tool for a business.
But you need to know how to reach your audience the right way.
In this post, you'll discover the exact strategy you'll need to transform your podcast into a real asset for your business.
Most new creators focus more content creating, and less on actually promoting their podcasts and building an audience.
But if you want to grow a successful podcast, you'll need to do more than uploading an episode and telling your followers to go listen.
When you upload your new podcast content, you must remember that you're one among thousands of shows.
There needs to be a plan for what happens before (and after) you publish your first episode.
You need a solid podcast promotion strategy to stand out among the competition and build an engaged community.
According to Rob Walch, VP of Podcaster Relations at the podcast hosting company libsyn, a podcast episode that has been live approximately 30 days averages only 141 downloads.
So without a solid podcast marketing strategy, all you’ll likely get is 141 downloads…
For a new podcast, that might be a good start. But if you want to see your venture grow into something meaningful — and profitable — you’ll need to leverage a few digital marketing strategies.
If you’re new to all things marketing and aren’t sure where to start, keep reading.
This guide takes the most reliable marketing strategies, simplifies them, and shows you can use them to build a buzzing podcast audience base.
Breakdown: Key Podcast Marketing Tips You Can Start Applying Today
Podcast marketing can be straightforward and effective. From building a personal brand, to cross-promotion and building your podcast SEO, this guide covers all the essentials.
Let’s dive in.
1. Build a Dedicated Website for Your Podcast
Your website should be the anchor of your online presence.
While you will use social media platforms, Facebook ads, and other promotion tools to get word out about your new episodes, you must have a space you own for your brand.
A website serves as a central location where listeners can find all your episodes, show notes, transcripts, and more.
This makes it easier for your audience to access and engage with your podcast, especially those who may not use traditional podcast platforms.
If you’re looking for the right tools to build an impressive podcast website, without needing to code, then you should consider Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect.
This website-building duo helps you create a stunning WordPress website super quickly – no need to know HTML or CSS.
Create a consistent brand across your website using Thrive Theme Builder’s setup wizard and site templates.
And hop into Thrive Architect to customize your web and landing page templates and tailor them to your unique brand.
With access to hundreds of pre-designed templates, you’ll have no trouble creating a custom website that makes your podcast stand out.
Landing page template sets in Thrive Architect
These tools make it super easy for you to design a professional website without hiring expensive outside help.
You can purchase Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect as a bundle or as part of Thrive Suite, where you get access to eight additional premium plugins.
You also get a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to give these tools a spin risk-free.
2. Create a Lead-Generation Funnel to Turn Listeners into Leads
Running a podcast is all about building a community of engaged listeners, and a lead-generation funnel is a key marketing tool for achieving this.
A lead-generation funnel helps you connect with people who are genuinely interested in your content, offering them shareable material like downloadable guides or special gated content to encourage them to opt in.
This method not only attracts listeners but gives you a chance to further engage with them through email marketing.
You can send all kinds of content — teasers for upcoming episodes, links to audiograms in your social media posts, or even podcast ads from your sponsors. But be sure to include valuable information your audience can learn from as well.
Instead of relying on social media channels like Facebook and LinkedIn to provide updates on your current and future episodes, consider creating an email newsletter to relate with your new leads.
3. Submit Your Podcast to Directories
Podcast directories help get your podcast in front of new listeners.
Consider these directories as key platforms where potential listeners frequently search for new content.
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts are among the biggest podcast directories you should be submitting your podcast to.
All you need is your podcast’s RSS feed to get started.
Using these distribution platforms will help get your content on the right podcast apps so you can reach new audiences.
4. Repurpose Your Audio Content into Video and Text
Expanding the reach of your podcast involves thinking beyond just audio.
A strategic move is to repurpose your audio content into high-quality video and text formats. This content marketing strategy not only maximizes your content's potential but also caters to different audience preferences.
You can turn your podcast episodes into blog posts and share them on the same day, or a day after publishing the audio version.
With the video content, you can create short YouTube videos, TikToks, and even Instagram reels to reach a wider audience.
Make sure to include the relevant episode title in your repurposed content so listeners know how to find the right one in their podcast app.
5. Include Calls to Action in Your Podcast Episodes
Using calls to action (CTAs) in your podcast episodes is a key tactic for turning podcast listeners into active community members.
CTAs are prompts encouraging listeners to take specific actions, like visiting your website, subscribing to a newsletter, or following you on social media.
For example, direct listeners to a related blog post for more information or invite them to a social media Q&A session to deepen their engagement. Be sure to position these CTAs naturally within your podcast, either at the end or during a pause, avoiding overuse.
6. Collaborate with Like-Minded Creators
Team up with podcast creators in niches that complement yours.
This is a great way to reach different demographics while building your portfolio of podcast guest appearances.
You don’t need to reach out to podcasts that are in the exact same niche as you.
For example, if you have a marketing podcast, think of reaching out to podcasts in the productivity and business spaces. That way you aren’t in direct competition with your guests.
You can also host live or online events together, share each other's social media accounts and posts, or offer joint promos to grow your audiences and boost your brand awareness.
It’s a win-win situation for both of you.
7. Optimize Your Podcast Website for Search
If you want people to find your podcast through search engines, you need to optimize your website for SEO.
The easiest way to optimize your website for search engines is to use a reliable SEO plugin.
Most business owners don’t have time to learn the intricacies of search engine optimization, and that’s why tools like this exist.
Our top recommendation for WordPress websites: All in One SEO
AIOSEO handles all the technical aspects of optimizing your website and provides key tips on how to make your content SEO-friendly.
This plugin is easy to install, even easier to use, and will help you get your target audience in front of the right eyes, so you can convert them into leads and customers.
8. Run Giveaways on Social Media
Giveaways are a great way to grow your email list, increase social media followers, and drive more prospective customers to your podcast.
Most giveaways are hosted on social media, but did you know that you can run one right from your WordPress website?
RafflePress, the best giveaway WordPress plugin, handles the technical aspect of running a giveaway and leaves you with the fun.
This plugin provides a drag-and-drop builder, stunning pre-built templates, and seamless social media integration to help you set up your first giveaway or contest fast.
Once your giveaway is live, you can focus on engaging with your audience and getting more eyes in front of your business.
9. Create a Members-Only Platform to Share Exclusive Content
One of the best ways to turn your podcast into a profitable venture is to create a membership platform that requires listeners to pay for a subscription to access exclusive content.
This content can be premium episodes with experts in your field, live webinars, short courses, and other digital downloads.
You can also use this platform to gain feedback, conduct polls, and understand how your audience relates with your content.
If you’re looking for a WordPress plugin to create an impressive membership platform, you should take a look at Thrive Apprentice.
Thrive Apprentice is one of the best membership plugins for WordPress websites.
With an aim to make course and membership creation effortless, Thrive Apprentice offers pre-designed templates, multi-level memberships, interactive quizzes, and the ability to drip-feed content. Thrive Apprentice even offers content protection -- no additional membership plugin needed!
Next Steps: Build a Homepage for Your Podcast Website
Your next step should be to work on your podcast website’s design, starting with your homepage.
Typically, this is the first-page new site visitors will see when coming across your website – so you need to make it count.
Here are 4 free tutorials to help you create an impressive, conversion-focused homepage:
Podcast Marketing: Start Growing Your Audience Today
And there you have it.
With these tips, you can create a practical podcast marketing strategy that, with time, will generate long-term results.
Start with 2 or 3 of these recommended strategies and work up from there.
Let us know the ones that work for you.
Good luck!
