How to Make a Podcast Reach More Listeners

You’ve heard the classic adage, “if you build it, they will come”. Unfortunately, so far, it hasn’t proven true for your podcast. The episodes are out, and your listeners love the content, but your reach isn’t growing. It’s time to get your creation playing through as many earbuds as possible. Let’s go over how to make a podcast expand its audience.

How to Make a Podcast Reach More Listeners

First, you need to know who your ideal listener is. While it’s tempting to say your podcast is for everyone, that platitude doesn’t serve you. Know your niche and embrace it. What does your podcast bring to the scene that’s unique and fresh?

If your pod is about post-menopausal fitness, you’ll want to go after the audience that will find your content exciting and applicable. If your show doesn’t have a distinct focus, consider narrowing the content range. Specific material aimed at a particular demographic is vital in creating a podcast you can promote easily.

Know Your Ideal Demographic

What are their hobbies, and what do they buy with their disposable income? What other podcasts fill their feed? Research what kind of hashtags they follow on social media and find out what platforms they use most.

Knowing where your ideal market spends their online time is a must. Once you know what social media sites your audience is active on, you know where you need to be promoting your podcast. Get inside your target consumer’s head to understand what they value and how to appeal to them.

Reach Out to Your Target Listener

Time to get your podcast in front of your potential listeners. Create a social media account for only your podcast. You now know which platforms they frequent, which means you can go right to where they are online.

Social media is a great way to show off your work for free. There’s also virtually no limit to promoting your content, providing you follow the terms of service for each site. You can also engage with listeners, and future listeners, through comments, tweets, and direct messages. You foster goodwill and make them want to listen because they enjoy your social media presence.

Stay Consistently Engaged

You aren’t limited to the accounts you created for your show. Post about every new episode on your personal profiles, and share links to your work.  If you are active on Reddit, share it on appropriate threads. Facebook groups devoted to topics that align with your podcast are another quality resource.

Build a website for your show, complete with the pop-up option for fans to subscribe to a monthly or weekly email newsletter. Providing valuable and fascinating content will make dedicated listeners out of the merely curious. You can even have a blog where you go into greater detail on your show’s topics or share relevant resources.

Find a Guest

Bringing a guest host on your show is a great way to reach new ears. How many times have you listened to a show you’d never heard of, just because you followed the person guesting on it? Probably a few, and out of those, some probably earned a coveted slot on your “subscribed” list.

Guest hosts can also shout you out on their podcast. Ask if they’d mind sharing links to the episode on their social media profiles and blogs too. Make sure you return the favor, and you both can increase your listener base.

Track Your Stats

You won’t know how to make a podcast better if you don’t know what works and what doesn’t. Decide what metrics matter most to you. Are you after downloads, subscribers, or ratings? Do you want engagement with your listener beyond the podcast?

If you’re trying for sponsorships, you’ll care about different metrics than if you’re trying to hear how you’ve impacted people’s lives. There’s no right or wrong, just what fits your goals for what you are trying to gain from your podcast.

Join the Community

Embrace the booming podcast culture. There are conferences, meet-ups, and events for the podcast community. Attend these, even if it’s virtual! Getting in touch with others in your industry lets you make valuable connections and grow your network.

There are message boards and Facebook groups for podcast creators that provide fantastic support and encouragement source. You can also learn marketing tips from those more experienced in the podcasting world.

Back to Grassroots

Don’t be afraid to do it old-school style. Ask bookstores, libraries, and coffee shops if they have a community billboard where you can leave a flyer. If you’re a concert or festival fan, bring cards or materials to pass out, and if you have merch, wear it. You see someone wearing an alien shirt at the store, and your podcast is about UFOs? Make a new friend!

Don’t be shy about bringing your podcast up in conversations with friends and coworkers. People like supporting others who are passionate about what they do. You may even find out you have more in common with a coworker than you knew! As long as you aren’t dominating every encounter, don’t be too insecure to self-promote.

Just Ask

Sometimes you have to ask for what you need. There’s no need to be nervous to ask listeners to tell their friends about your podcast. These people like your work enough to listen to it, so don’t worry about asking for a referral. Let them help you increase your reach.

Give Your Listeners Something

Some creators find giveaways and contests off-putting or gimmicky. That’s fine, but there’s no denying the fact that people adore the chance to receive something for nothing. Use your social media platforms to host a giveaway.

Preferably a contest where current listeners need to tag friends to have a shot at winning. Friends often have similar interests and fall in the same demographic, so it’s a great way to be noticed by potential listeners.

Follow the Golden Rule

Do for other podcasters what you would want them to do for you. Leave reviews on your favorite podcasts. Engage with them positively on social media and shout out their content on your accounts. Don’t speak disparagingly about them, even if you disagree on some topics.

Offer your time to be a guest on a podcast. Not only are you helping someone out, but you’ll also reap the benefits of increased awareness of your show. A win-win-win for the other podcast host, the listeners, and you! Support your fellow creators, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find out most will support you back.

Utilize Apps

Get your podcast on as many apps as possible. Podcast directories will recommend new podcasts to users based on their listening history. You want your podcast in as many directories as possible to maximize how often listeners have your content suggested to them.

You need your show’s RSS feed available on all the heavy hitters, such as Google Play, Itunes, and Spotify. However, don’t skip the smaller platforms. They have listeners on them too, and you may find that your demographic prefers them.

With all the podcasts available, make sure you’re doing everything you can to let people know about yours! Feel confident listeners can hear your work on all the quality networks. Email Helium Radio Network and get your voice heard on our platform today!