Podcasting

4 Ways Podcasters Can Generate a Larger Audience

todayJuly 5, 2021 43

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Getting your new podcast out there is one of the most important parts of the creative process for podcasters. Even when you have created top-notch content, you need to make sure you’re reaching the right audience. This can involve a number of factors, including increasing downloads, leveraging your content on different platforms so users can access your content easily, and, perhaps most importantly, building a dedicated, loyal fanbase who can spread your podcast by word of mouth to their friends.

4 Ways Podcasters Can Generate a Larger Audience

1. Make Sure Your Show Is Discoverable

It may seem obvious, but to really get your podcast growing, it needs to be discoverable by new listeners. The list of places where people can find your podcast is large and growing rapidly. Some of the biggest places that podcasts are listed are iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, the new alternative to Google Play Music. It’s particularly important to use, as Google searches throw up Google Podcasts first, so your content will be more discoverable if you use this platform.

Other smaller platforms such as Stitcher, TuneIn, and Spreaker are growing quickly, and making sure your content is listed here is an absolute must. Another option is to use YouTube, and with the new push towards music and audio as well as video content. Many creators will also film their podcasts during production and upload the resulting video to YouTube. This can give your podcasts an entirely new dimension, as well as bringing in other listeners via the platform that might not be otherwise have discovered you.

Smart Speakers

Another recent development in the podcasting world is that of smart speakers. Many people are starting to get their podcasts via Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and others, and while consumption is still low at the moment, adoption is certainly increasing, and it may well pay to be sure your content is discoverable on these devices in the future.

2. Utilise Owned and Organic Promotion Channels

Once you’re sure your podcasts are available on a variety of different platforms and can be reached by everyone who may want to listen to it, the next step is to figure out the different ways you can promote your content. These are often split into two categories, owned channels, and organic channels. Taking advantage of both these outlets is incredibly important in ensuring that your podcast reaches the largest possible audience.

Owned Channels are ways you promote your content that you have complete control over. The most important of these will be your website, as well as other outlets that you monitor and update directly, such as social media feeds. Organic Channels are slightly more nebulous, but they are often defined as methods of promotion through which your podcast may spread that you don’t have complete control over. These are the ways that your podcast spreads without your direct input, and can include listeners sharing on social media, and commenting on your posts, as well as more traditional word of mouth.

The Importance of Websites

When thinking of setting up a website for your podcast, there are several variables to consider. Foremost amongst these is ensuring that your new site is optimized for mobile from the start. The majority of podcast consumption happens on mobile devices such as phones or tablets, so having a site that is badly optimized can turn off potential listeners before they’ve even pressed play.

Make sure you also add an app banner to your mobile site. This is especially important if you’re site’s attracting significant traffic and can help direct visitors to the various platforms where they can find your content. Of course, you’ll also need to include an embedded player in the center of your front, as well as copy text that is optimized for search engines.



3. Use Social Media to Your Advantage

Social Media is one of the best and most cost-effective channels that podcasters can leverage to ensure that their content reaches the largest numbers of listeners possible. However, producing effective content can be a challenge, and requires an approach that’s specific to the platform you’re trying to use. Tailor what you post to the platform at hand; a high-ranking post on Twitter may not have the same effect on Reddit or LinkedIn.

The best starting place is to pull especially interesting or thought-provoking quotes and snippets from your episodes and then use them to drive interest and conversation around the episode. Make sure to include a clear link to the episode they’re from! Using snippets to generate conversation around your posts can be a good way to push your post up algorithm rankings, particularly if you can manage to spark off long comment chains.

Other Social Media Tactics

Algorithms tend to favor video and image posts over text, so uploading a video snippet from your YouTube channel can be a good way to make sure your content gets recommended to as many users as possible. Otherwise, a short, animated graphic or a still image of your studio are other great options to include, and will also provide you with a more professional, polished look.

Another option is to create an audiogram, a short, animated waveform that is particularly effective at catching social media users’ attention. There are various tools available that you can use to create an audiogram for you, but make sure you pare the audiogram with captions, a still image background, and, depending on the length of the snippet and the platform, perhaps even a transcript in the post itself for maximum effect and accessibility.

4. Release Episodes Regularly

It’s really important to release episodes as regularly as possible, not only to keep your current audience engaged and invested in your content but also to bring in new listeners. Many listeners who are just trying out a podcast for the first time will want to listen to a few episodes to get a feel for your style. Publishing at strategic times can also help your listeners stay engaged.

Keep track of when similar podcasts publish content and identify trends. This is especially important if your new to podcasting and have only just started publishing; as you continue to publish, you’ll be able to collect your own data on the best times to post.

Launch Day Strategy

If you’re new to podcasting, the launch day of your first show can be an exciting and nerve-racking time. A great way to gain regular listeners from day one is to release between 3 and 5 episodes on the very first day. Listeners who have only just discovered your show may want to listen to a few episodes at a time to get a feel for your show. Similarly, make sure you have a regular release schedule, with several episodes as a buffer so you don’t fall behind.

Podcasts are becoming more and more popular, and now command a huge audience, and one that is only going to get bigger, so follow these tips to be certain you’re best placed to take advantage of this growing trend. Need more inspiration or information? Then visit us at Helium Radio Network today to learn more about getting your podcast to the large audience you deserve.

Written by: #HeliumRadio

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