My Tips for Better Podcast Marketing

As you know, I call this podcast Note To Future Me because I needed a theme around why I do my business podcast. And recording future notes to myself seemed a reasonable and very practical way of reminding my future self of podcasting tips I should take note of, and implement.

Well, of course, these Notes To Future Me are just my way of talking to you, my listener, about what I see working, or not working, for podcasters. Whether they are my podcast clients, or I see and hear comments made by other podcasters in podcast groups.

In the end, we all learn from the successes and the misses.

Since the beginning of the year, I have been making quick notes to myself, observations as they are, about the successes and the misses I have experienced with my clients, as well as what I see commented on by other podcasters. And I now have enough to where I think they should be placed on a Note To Future Me episode - for you and for me.

Here we go…

Everyone wants a marketing silver bullet, but there isn’t one. Think about those mailers you receive from car dealers. You ignore them until you need a new car. Be consistent. Rinse and Repeat. Be consistent. Rinse and Repeat. Be consistent. Rinse and Repeat.

Tweeting about your podcast is not marketing. It’s playing around on Twitter.

Social media engages the audience you already have, it does not grow it.

Create a cool video trailer. YouTube Podcasts are now going to become a thing. Experiment early and often and see what works for your podcast.

Add your show to all directories. Yes, it seems like that would be a phrase that would not be necessary. But not all podcasters do. Don’t miss any potential listeners.

Listen to your own podcast and pretend that you’re a brand new listener to the show. What do you notice?

Be specific when asking for reviews. Podcasters tell listeners to ‘rate & review on Apple,’ but that’s it. Be specific with that call to action. It may help you keep the credit you’ve earned.

Your pitch to be a guest on a podcast needs to have a direct ask. Tell the person exactly what you want them to do with the information you are giving them.

On a Buzzsprout's Buzzcast podcast episode...46% of people surveyed said they discovered a new podcast by hearing about it on another show. Be strategic and creative with your targeted podcasts. Promo swaps work!

Start a mini-series using voice memos from your listeners and other podcasters. People will tune in to hear themselves and you can use your guest spot as collateral to be on other people's shows. There are some great tools available to do this - including Google Voice, Rumble Studio, and PodinBox.

When you are pitching yourself to be a guest on a podcast, word count may matter. In a survey, Muckrack found that 50% of podcasters like the email length to be 100-200 words. About 20% prefer shorter, and another 20% prefer the length of 201-300 words. So stick to under 300.

Additionally, the best pitch letters are personal, short, exciting, relevant, and really nice.

Think of each of your episodes as its own mini-marketing campaign. Depending on the subject or who is in it, you should reach out to different people. Who and what were mentioned in that episode, whether people, places, businesses. Tell them you talked about them.

Size doesn’t always matter. When you're thinking of shows to work with, don't just look at how big the show is. Look at the engagement they have with their audience.

And speaking of the size of the show and being a guest, don't underestimate the value of being a guest on tiny shows. Say a podcast episode has only 150 listens. That's 150 NEW people for you. If you could grow your podcast by 10-20% of those listeners every time you guest, your hockey stick growth would be the envy of all podcasters.

Drop the mic - and the headphones in your podcast artwork. It's a podcast...they get it.

Most people search by specific interest, not the word “podcast.” Find your search terms, hashtag them on everything, and own them.

Do not advertise on Facebook.

Create a playlist of your show's best moments. Highlight your best stuff and pull new listeners in, or remind fans why they love you. It makes a great podcast resume as well when you are trying to pitch yourself as a guest, rather than offering full episode examples.

What is your goal? Why are you doing podcasting? It may seem like questions that should already have answers, but many of my new clients don’t have the answers and come to us to put together a strategic plan to keep them on track. Figure that out and focus on it with every move.

Show off the best episode of your podcast. Figure out what it is, recall it in other episodes, and feature it on your podcast website.

Make sure your podcast website address is everywhere, in all your bios.

Spend 10 minutes today writing a fresh promo ad for your show. Here’s where the rubber hits the road. Is your episode 0 now outdated? Update that episode so you have the most accurate promo of what your podcast is today. It will be 10 minutes well-spent.

If you want to take your promo-swap relationship to the next level, work with the host(s) of the other show to create a special collaborative episode.

When you're asked what your favorite podcast is, don’t say it’s your own podcast. This is your chance to help your fellow podcaster with word-of-mouth marketing. Then, when you get the chance, tell that podcaster you recommended them. As you give you receive.

Engagement is more valuable than reach. But we tend to reverse this. It's better to connect with people who will become your superfans and champion you to their friends. And it takes work.

ave a rating and review is so: 2010

Allow yourself to take breaks. You and everyone around you will appreciate the time, the grace, to allow time away from your podcast. You need time away to come up with your most creative ideas. You need the time away for family, friends and yourself.

Beef up your show notes. CaptivateFM, our go-to hosting company, has made it extremely easy to create episode planning and research notes that can be connected directly to a specific episode. It's beneficial for your listeners and will help your show's SEO.

Start a podcast newsletter! Be creative about what you do with the newsletter. It’s not just about your podcast. This is about creating and delivering content that your community wants from you that can’t be done in social media posts.

Put a media kit on your site. This will be for potential advertisers and writers. It should include: a) about section b) contact/social channels c) how you engage with your listeners d) links/press release d) assets f) mission statement g) sponsorship guidelines. Make it fun to read, so be creative.

Cross-promote episodes of your podcast ON your podcast. People will listen to more and discover an episode they might not have found on their own.

An easy way to cross-promote your own episodes is by using dynamic ad insertion in your podcast. Learn more about dynamic ad insertion. If your hosting platform doesn’t offer it, ask why. If it’s not on the roadmap, find a new hosting platform that has it. It's becoming more important, and there are creative things you can do with it. It’s not all about monetization.

Episode transcripts on your website are a must! They're crucial for accessibility. They are good for SEO. But remember. Transcripts are not your podcast show notes!

Spending money in-app/on other podcasts is smart but what might be smarter for you: spending money on newsletters. People are more likely to click on a newsletter link than a social link. Find super-niche newsletter audiences. Think topical matches outside of podcast newsletters.

Smaller podcasts that monetize demand higher CPMs than the largest shows. When their niche is well-defined. Value your niche audiences. Those are your people! Find them, spend time getting to know them, and engage with them.

Put a link to your podcast in your email signature—but point to a favorite episode or specific moment.

And finally, spend just as much time marketing your podcast as you do making it.

Podcasting is a MARATHON, not a sprint. Be patient, take action and apply yourself.

Let’s talk about what podcasting can do for your business in the next 12-months. Whether you’re B2C or B2B, we can create a content marketing strategy that will work for you.

Connect with me if you would like to talk more about this. My calendar is available on my Circle270Media Podcast Consultants business website at circle270media.com

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