So your podcast is up and running, you’ve recorded some amazing content, you’ve planned a strategic launch, now all that’s left is to get people to find your podcast. And while there’s no billboard for podcasts, there are some really effective alternative options of places where you can advertise your podcast. Keep in mind that all those “successful” podcasts were very rarely an overnight success, and given that it takes time to build a solid, loyal fan base, these strategies should go a long way to speed up the process. Advertise your podcast on these platforms to get your show noticed in no time!
1. Social Media
Good ol’ social media is full of possibilities when it comes to promoting your podcast. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are the top three tried and tested platforms for promotion of any kind, so they are all great places to promote your podcast. They are also successful because they cater to a variety of different media, meaning that you can really get creative with the ways you advertise your podcast. You could creative eye-catching images, clever tweets, or innovative audiograms.
There are also paid advertising options for these platforms that you can utilize to boost your social media presence. Each platform will have different tiered options – ranging from ads that run for just a few days to ones that run for longer periods – with a little research you’ll soon find which option will suit you (and your pocket!) best.
Related reads: How to Use Podcast Audiograms to Engage Your Audience on Social Media
Pro Tip #1: Think about ways you can adapt your podcast content to be used on the different social media platforms. You could create images using insightful quotes from your latest episodes to inspire or motivate, or you create audiograms that create suspense or intrigue, luring users in to check out your podcast.
Pro Tip #2: Consider creating videos of your podcast recordings which you could then upload to your YouTube channel. Video adds great value to your listeners as it provides a visual element to enhance your audio content. An added bonus is that video content can greatly improve your SEO value – just make sure the title of your video is SEO focused! Plus, with video you can even explore new platforms like TikTok to keep up with the latest trends.
Related reads: 8 Strategies to Build Authority in Your Podcast Niche
2. Other Podcasts
Other podcasts are another great place to advertise your podcast. There are a number of options within this strategy. Firstly, however, you need to look for popular podcasts within your niche or an aligned niche for the best results, as their listeners would be most likely to contain your potential audience. Now we can look at the options available to you. First up, you could invite the hosts of these podcasts to be a guest on your podcast. This is a great way to leverage their audience while exposing their listeners to the content of your show. You could also request to be a guest on their show. This may sound daunting, but if you can demonstrate the added value you would bring to their podcast and their audience, it would go a long way to securing that invite. Alternatively, you could simply ask for a mention on the show. This may be done pro bono by the host, or there may be an “ad fee” involved, but the initial cost could really pay off in the long run, particularly if the host of a popular podcast promotes your show.
Related read: How to Land a Guest Spot on a Top Podcast
3. Podcast Communities
One of the great by-products of the podcast movement has been the friendships formed over the love of a show or genre. And thanks to the wonder of the Internet, these friendships know no borders, connecting people all over the world. Many of these friendships were forged through podcast communities created around a beloved show or favorite host. Podcast communities are consequently a fantastic place to promote your podcast. There’s a community for practically every niche, full of passionate podcast listeners ready to offer their support to the next great show – which will hopefully be yours! Facebook is a great place to start your search. Within seconds you’ll find a community (or three) within your niche for you to join where you can share the details of your show and gain a whole host of new listeners.
Pro tip: Podcast communities are generally incredibly accepting and open to hearing about your show, but there is a certain etiquette you should adhere to. If you want your podcast to be received favorably, really become part of the community, rather than just using them to gain more listeners. If your only interaction is to promote your show, they will quickly see through you and may even remove you from the group. Rather, enjoy being part of the community; partake in discussions, pose questions, share insights, and engage with other members. That way, you’ll not only gain new listeners but great new friends who are as passionate about podcasts as you are!
4. Google Ads
If your podcast answers a question in some way, or provides information on a particular topic, then paying for Google Ads could be a great place to advertise your podcast. By taking out a Google ad for your podcast, you create a greater opportunity for people to find your podcast when searching for a specific topic. In order for an ad on Google to be most effective, you should cater your ad to what people in your niche search for most often. You can find this out using Google Trends, or other such websites, to find out the most popular searches related to your topic. Armed with this information, you can create advertisements that really hit the target and gain you more listeners. While this is a paid service, there are a variety of options to suit just about everyone, as the site allows you to cap your monthly spend on your ads. You can also stop the ad anytime you like, making this a very effective platform to advertise your podcast.
5. Email Lists
Email lists are another great place to advertise your podcast. If you’ve got a blog alongside your podcast, use your email list you’ve gathered on that platform to promote your podcast, sending out email notifications whenever a new episode is published. Another way to leverage email lists is to pay for advertising space on popular podcast-related email newsletters. Podnews, one of the leaders in curating all the latest podcasting info, for example, delivers its email newsletter to 11,208 subscribers worldwide. You can get your podcast advertised to those numbers by purchasing advertising space in their daily email newsletter. You’ll get access to an incredible pool of possible listeners and could be just the way to boost your audience numbers.
6. Online Niches
In the same way that podcast communities are a great platform to advertise your podcast, you can also find other online communities built around your niche or aligned niches. If, for example, your podcast is about your DIY home improvement projects, you could find and join other DIY groups or communities and promote your podcast to them. You’ll find many new potential listeners, and you might also introduce many people to the wonderful world of podcasts! Facebook, again, is a fantastic hub of different communities, and you’re bound to find quite a few to suit your niche.
7. Blogs
Blogs are another great place to look into as a way to advertise your podcast. There are also many avenues you could pursue in this regard. Many popular blogs will sell you advertising space on their posts, which is one easy way to gain more exposure. You could also approach the blogger personally through an email or via a contact form on their blog itself and request to be featured on a future blog post. Tell them what you do, what value you would bring to their readers, as well as giving them links so that they can hear your podcast for themselves. Depending on who you approach, there may be a fee involved, but this can be worth it if they have a large readership. Remember to look particularly for niche-related blogs as their audience and your audience would be an almost perfect match. You should also look for blogs focused on the podcast industry as a whole. These types of blogs often do round-up type posts, which could be the perfect place for your podcast to feature.
8. Print Publications
Our last strategy looks at print publications as a potential place to advertise your podcast. While magazine sales have seen a decline in recent years, there are still many popular print publications going strong. Supermarkets, airport bookstores, and other vendors still stock rows and rows of magazines, covering everything from fashion and interiors to outdoor activities such as gardening or fishing. Depending on your niche, print-based publications may be a great place to advertise your podcast. On your next trip to the grocery store, spend a little time on the magazine aisle, taking note of the options available to you. Pick popular titles within your niche, do a little research to see how they handle advertisements, and soon your podcast could be gracing the glossy pages in the hands of many soon-to-be fans of your podcast.
Closing Thoughts
Podcast success rarely comes quickly. It can be a slow process getting your name out there and garnering a loyal fan base. It is our belief that these strategies focused on the best places to advertise and promote your podcast will make the process that much quicker. When deciding which strategies to use, think about the knowledge you have of your audience and pick those strategies most suited to reaching them. However, with that being said, even executing these strategies to the letter will not guarantee a quick rise to podcast stardom. What is of utmost importance is that your podcast is full of valuable content. These strategies will amount to naught if listeners tune in to your podcast only to find that, after all, is said and done, your content is really not worth its salt. Focus on consistently creating great content, but some, or all, of these strategies into play, and you should soon see your subscription numbers soaring to new heights.
Related reads: How to Improve the Discoverability of Your Podcast
