Podcast Promotion Playbook: The Top 3 Ways to Promote Your Podcast

How do you promote a podcast?

I get this question all the time, and I have realized that there are a lot of misconceptions out there about how to promote a podcast.

So in this article, I’m going to share the strategies I have seen work best for podcast growth as I’ve helped other business owners start, produce, and grow their own podcasts using our Podcast Launch Service.

Below you’ll find three steps (one of them optional) that will help you promote both your individual episodes and your podcast itself with each and every release.

 

Step 1: Email Your Audience

Whenever an episode goes live, send a quick email to your tribe.

This is simple but often overlooked, and is the MOST effective form of podcast promotion I’ve found to date.

Better than social media, better than advertising.

It doesn’t have to be an epic announcement. Just a simple note with some specifics about the episode will do.

You can even include some of the same show notes you used for the episode listing.

If you’re looking to make this process as simple as possible, click here to get the email templates we use in our 3 Step Podcast Promotion Checklist.

Podcast Promotion Pro Tip

One thing that you’ll want to make sure to do when emailing your audience is to create a super signature.

This is a popular and effective strategy I learned from legendary direct response marketer Dean Jackson. (Thanks, Dean!)

A super signature is essentially information, including links, that goes below your email signature and gives people options of next steps they can take to get a bigger result.

These options build a relationship, get them results and move people closer toward working with you.

So after you write “Sincerely, Yours Truly,” you’ll follow it up with a P.S. listing 3-4 , promos, opt-ins, or free call offers you have available.

Below is a text example of a recent email I sent with my super signature in bold. (If you’d like to see this example in email form, click here.)

Recording high-quality podcasts isn’t something that just happens. 

 

It takes preparation, both on the content side and on the audio setup side. 

As a podcast host myself, and working with 100s of podcasters, I’ve seen that effective podcast prep boils down to two things: 

1. What you’re going to record. 

2. How you’re going to record it. 

This article is all about how to make sure you’re covered in both of these areas so you can create the best possible content every time you record. 

Read: Podcast Prep: What To Do BEFORE You Hit Record 

Ben

PLUS: Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways we can help you get your message out to the world: 

1. Complete Your Podcast Success Scorecard 

There is a formula to starting a successful podcast for your business. Find out how you score across the 8 Podcast Success mindsets – Click Here 

2. Watch the Podcast Format & Episode Topics Workshops 

Get help choosing the best podcast format for your show with these do’s and don’ts of a killer format – Click Here Once you’ve chosen a format, the next job is to brainstorm topics for your first handful of episodes. Listen in as we share the best topics for your first podcast episodes – Click Here 

3. Ask a Question

Questions about your podcast? Just hit reply and we can help to answer any questions. 

4. Get Help Starting Your Podcast 

Ready to start your podcast the right way… Get Started Here 

 

Using a super signature like this each time you alert your audience about new podcasts means every episode becomes not only a way to add value, but also a gentle reminder that you’re there to help when listeners are ready to take a bigger step for a bigger result.

You can use the same offer each time, or update it as your offers change.

The key is giving your audience the information they need to take the next step whenever they are ready.

 

Step 2: Share Episodes on Social Media

Social media is another easy way to spread the word about your podcast.

It’s as simple as sharing each episode on the platforms you or your company uses heavily, making sure to alert any guests you interviewed that the episode is live and @mention them in your post.

Just be wary of using too many platforms.

Instead of being on every social media platform out there and pummeling people with your content, I’ve learned that is best to pick one or two—MAYBE three—channels for podcast promotion and engaging with your audience.

Personally, the only ones I use are Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and I’ve put together templates for posting on each of these sites that you can get by clicking here. 

Feel free to print them out for you or your assistant to follow for each episode you release.

Whether you choose the three platforms I recommend or others, just make sure you’re super consistent with your posting and including strong calls to action. (For a more thorough look at calls to action, click here and scroll down to tip #3.)

That will keep your audience engaged between releases and keep them excited for more of your content.

Step 3 (Optional): Share with Professional Interest Groups

This last step takes a bit more time and effort than the previous two, but the corresponding growth it can bring to your podcast makes it worth it.

The idea is to post about an episode of your podcast in an online professional or special interest group that contains your target listeners.

These are listeners that would particularly benefit from the podcast episode you’re sharing and consider it a helpful resource.  

To clarify: This is NOT a “hey go check out my episode” kind of post. 

Your aim should be to offer a beneficial resource that will help specific people learn more about a specific problem.

Here’s what you do:

1. Consider the different online groups you’re a part of.

This could be Facebook groups, Linkedin groups, forums, membership sites, mastermind networks, professional organization groups, Reddit threads, Quora threads, etc. Any of those will work for this strategy.

2. Pick ONE group that could benefit from your content.

Do NOT spam every group on every platform. You want to take some time to think about which group would benefit the most from the podcast episode you’re promoting.

3. Post up into the group.

Keep in mind that your aim here is to help members of this group with a specific problem that corresponds to them in particular, and tailor your message to reflect that. I know this can be a little hard to visualize, so I’ve put together a template and example to express the idea of this kind of post.

Don’t re-invent the wheel. Get our free Podcast Promotion Checklist with a templated example posting.

As I mentioned, this step is a little bit more time-consuming and a little bit more effort-intensive, but it can work really well if you do it right.

Next Steps

Now that you know how to grow your podcast and reach a wider audience, podcast promotion doesn’t have to be rocket science.

The next step is to turn your listeners into clients.

If you’re not sure how to do that, check out our article, How To Be An Amazing Podcast Host: 5 Tips To Turn Listeners Into Clients.

Have you discovered any other effective ways to grow your podcast? If so, please share them in the comments below.