1. Post on relevant social media platforms

Utilising social media platforms effectively is a cornerstone of successful podcast promotion. Identifying where your target audience spends their time online – be it Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube, or TikTok – is crucial. Once you know where your audience is, it's about crafting and sharing content that resonates with them and is aligned with your podcast’s theme.

When it comes to content creation, variety is key. Here are several types of content you can share to engage and expand your audience:

• Audiogram videos: These visually appealing audio snippets can captivate the audience’s attention and give them a taste of your podcast’s content.

• Behind-the-scenes clips: Offering a glimpse into the making of your podcast can create a personal connection with your audience.

• Episode quotes cards: Sharing images of impactful moments or quote cards from your episode can pique interest and spark discussions.

• Meet the hosts: Introduce your podcast team through engaging clips to build a more personal relationship with your audience.

• Promotional videos: Create videos of various lengths and formats tailored to each platform (e.g., short, vertical videos for Instagram Reels, longer formats for YouTube). See more on this below.

• Listener reviews and ratings: Share positive feedback to build credibility and attract new listeners.

Different podcast genres resonate with different platforms. Below are some tailored strategies to maximise your podcast's appeal based on its type:

• Business and educational podcasts: LinkedIn and Twitter/X are excellent platforms for these types of podcasts. Sharing industry insights, episode takeaways, and guest expertise can engage a professional audience.

• Entertainment and lifestyle podcasts: Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are ideal for lighter, more visually engaging content. Fun snippets, host interactions, and thematic visuals work well here.

• Technology and gaming podcasts: Twitter/X and YouTube are effective for these niches. Sharing updates, industry news, and episode trailers can attract tech-savvy listeners.

Remember, the goal isn't to be everywhere all at once but to be impactful where it matters. Analysing the performance of your posts, understanding what your audience engages with the most, and iterating on your strategy are the keys to maximising the effectiveness of your social media efforts.

2. Book yourself as a guest on other podcasts

Collaborating with other podcasters is a great way to grow your audience. Getting featured on other podcasts helps you tap into new audiences.

But finding relevant podcasts to be a guest on, and securing yourself a booking, can be challenging if you’re just getting started. To bolster your pitch, make sure to emphasise the specific value, unique insights, and captivating story you can offer to the host's audience.

More importantly, don't send out a carbon copy pitch to 100s of podcasts in one batch email. Podcast hosts get lots of unsolicited emails and filter out these generic pitches pretty quickly.

The very best podcast guest pitches we've ever seen took the time to listen to a few episodes of the show they're pitching and customised their angle specifically for that show's audience. That's how to stand out and get yourself booked on awesome shows!

Also, take the time to build a strong network within the podcasting community. This will open doors to more exciting opportunities and pay dividends further down the line.

3. Secure notable guests and leverage their audience

We have witnessed many times how featuring a notable guest with a large following on your show leads to a measurable bump in podcast listeners and followers.

But booking notable guests is often much harder than booking guests who you already know.

Here are some tips to help you land that big-ticket podcast guest:

• Position your show as a unique opportunity: Guests don't want to come on the "John and Sally Show". Position your show as the thought leader in your specific industry, and you'll be able to land bigger and better guests.

• Find a unique angle for the interview: Famous guests have told their standard story time and time again. They are bored of it. Pitch them a unique angle for the interview and ask them questions they've never been asked before.

• Help them promote something: One of the best business brains of our generation is Seth Godin. We've spoken to Seth many times over the years and you'll never get him booked on your podcast — that is, unless he's promoting a new book launch. Seth is impossible to book on a podcast, except when he's in book launch mode. When Seth is in book launch mode, you can get him on nearly any podcast you want. The takeaway here is that you should look for opportunities to leverage the time when people are promoting something and are actively looking for media opportunities.

• Find a warm introduction: People are more open to an invitation if it has been vetted by somebody they already know and trust. We took this approach for a show we produced for LaunchVic called 'Level Up'. We were able to book Australian media icon Jules Lund, who had sworn to never do another podcast interview ever again. But with a warm intro, we were able to get him to do ours.

• Be persistent, but polite: Sometimes it takes months (or even years) to book a big-name guest for your podcast. Be patient. Don't be rude if they don't respond straight away. Polite follow-ups go a long way. We've had situations where we've booked a guest after 20+ unanswered email follow-ups.

To maximise the effect of interviewing a famous guest, you'll also want to encourage them to post about the episode on their own platforms. This works best if you give them something to promote. Typically this works best when you promote the episode on your platforms first, and then send them the link so they can easily repost it.

4. Pursue editorial partnerships with podcast directories and platforms

Apple Podcasts and Spotify dominate the English-speaking podcast market. But there are dozens of apps available, so you'll want to make sure your show is available on all of them to maximise your audience.

When submitting your show to podcast apps, you should craft a compelling and keyword-rich description along with eye-catching cover art. Keep your content fresh with regular updates to maintain an active presence. And also, encourage your listeners to leave reviews and ratings to help boost your podcast's credibility.

But being available in all of the top listening apps is just the starting point. A range of these apps have promotional banners, featured lists, and other playlists that you can get featured on to increase your visibility and grow your audience.

The most valuable of these featured positions can only be achieved through an editorial partnership with the platform itself. This means you'll need to pitch your show to the platform along with a rationale for why your show should be featured. There's a lot to getting this right, but as a starting point, the Apple Podcasts for Creators portal has a good set of tips to optimise your request for promotion.

5. Leverage your email list

In the context of podcasting, one of the most effective show launch marketing strategies is using your existing list of email subscribers and sending them bespoke emails describing your show's value proposition.

The key to getting this tactic right is to ensure you focus on communicating your Listener Value Proposition (LVP). The audience doesn't care that you have a new podcast. They care about the value it adds to their lives. Make sure your emails demonstrate the entertainment or educational value they'll get by tuning in to the show.

If you have a larger audience and cover a diverse range of topics on your podcast, you can also consider segmenting your email list to tailor content to different groups.

Once your show is up and running, you can also use your email list to send regular updates about new episodes, exclusive content, and other podcast-related news. This strategy is not only a powerful tool to keep your audience engaged but also a direct channel to encourage listeners to leave reviews and ratings!

6. Create a dedicated landing page for your podcast

Having a dedicated website or landing page creates a central hub where listeners can find all of your episodes, learn more about your podcast, and get in touch with you. It’s also one of the key methods for developing a strong SEO strategy for your podcast (more on this below).

Your podcast landing page will act as a centralised on-ramp for listeners of your show. Use it as the single call-to-action when promoting your podcast in other channels (e.g. link to yourshow.com in your email marketing, social media, and other promotional channels) so you don't have to include links for multiple podcast apps.

You can use several different website builders to whip up a website or landing page. Just make sure to include your podcast cover artwork, the show name, a brief description of the show, and your episode information.

In addition to the above, your podcast landing page should also contain two key modules:

1. An embedded player: This allows new listeners to instantly preview the show, regardless of what device they're using. This should be the prominent call to action on the page.

2. Official podcast app badges: You should also include the official Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify app badges on your site and link these directly to your show listing on each platform. This allows the user to easily follow the show in their favourite podcast app.

7. Leverage PR and media outreach

Journalists, bloggers, and influencers in your niche can be a great vehicle for securing coverage, interviews, or reviews. This strategy can significantly enhance your podcast's visibility by getting in front of their audiences and garnering credibility through third-party endorsements.

Here’s a quick outline of the process:

• Curate a list of publications that cover the topics your audience is interested in.

• Research each publication to determine the editor's name and contact details.

• Reach out to those editors with a personalised pitch that includes a good hook.

• Write and send a couple of follow-up emails if you don't receive a reply.

Keep in mind that most respectable media organisations won't consider it "newsworthy" that you simply launched a new podcast.

You need to demonstrate that your podcast ties into something topical, unique, or newsworthy. Some examples of these newsworthy topics include a unique angle on some big industry trends or news, breaking an interesting story on the podcast that hasn't been heard before, or key takeaways from recent research in your niche.

One other hook that is super effective is tying your launch to a notable industry date. For instance, we launched the farming and agriculture podcast 'Beyond the Farm Gate' on National Agriculture Day 2020. Implementing this strategy enabled us to capitalise on the press being published around that industry date, which resulted in the show hitting #4 in the Apple Podcasts Top Charts.

8. Improve your podcast SEO

Search Engine Optimisation (or SEO) refers to optimising your website content for search engines like Google. However, when it comes to podcasts, we also need to consider optimising our show metadata and copy not just for Google, but also for podcast directories like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We call this Podcast Directory Optimisation (or PDO, for short).

Improving your podcast SEO and PDO makes your content more discoverable on platforms where users are likely to be searching for topics in your niche. For our clients, we carefully curate each show's metadata and every episode title, making sure that these fields contain the right keywords while still being able to grab listeners' attention in busy podcast apps.

If you have the bandwidth for it, you can also offer transcriptions of your episodes. This not only makes your show more accessible to diverse audiences but also provides more indexable content for search engines.

9. Create promotional videos

Short, promotional videos are a great way to attract podcast listeners by giving them a glimpse into the content, style, and personality of your show. And with the proliferation of short-form and vertical video content on social channels these days, it's a huge opportunity to grow your audience.

Start by thinking about what social channels best align with your podcast topic and theme. For example, a business podcast might align with LinkedIn video audiences better, whereas a health and wellness show might be better suited to Instagram Reels.

This audience and channel segmentation step is important because each platform has its own unique requirements for video sizes, formats and specifications.

Here's a summary of the correct video sizes and specifications for each social channel:

• Facebook

  • Facebook video = 1080 x 1350 pixels (tall square format)

  • Facebook Reels = 1080 x 1920 pixels (vertical format)

• Instagram

  • Instagram video = 1080 x 1350 pixels (tall square format)

  • Instagram Reels = 1080 x 1920 pixels (vertical format)

• LinkedIn

  • LinkedIn video = 1080 x 1080 pixels (square format)

• TikTok

  • TikTok video = 1080 x 1920 pixels (vertical format)

• Twitter/X

  • Twitter/X video = 1080 x 1080 pixels (square format)

• YouTube

  • YouTube video = 1920 x 1080 pixels (landscape format)

  • YouTube Shorts = 1080 x 1920 pixels (vertical format)

What should be in the content of these videos? Well, some of the most effective content we've recently published includes snippets of exciting moments from episodes, interview teasers, or montages of episode highlights.

We will also include eye-catching graphics, clever editing techniques like J-cuts and L-cuts, visual captions, and even a sense of humour, depending on the audience we’re targeting.

10. Use paid advertising with a focus on podcast apps

Targeted ads on Facebook, Instagram, Google, or YouTube are all viable ways to reach a specific demographic and encourage them to check out your podcast. This can be a quick way to increase your audience, but only if you can narrow down your target audience enough. This is a good example of our archery strategy, where we target people who are interested in our topic but who are not podcast listeners.

Both Facebook and Google's ad platforms allow you to target audiences based on location, demographics, and user interests. User interest targeting is the key to unlocking an effective ad campaign because it allows you to hone in on — and target your ads to — people who are already interested in your particular topic. This will drive your cost-per-acquisition as low as possible, ensuring you capture the most new listeners for the lowest possible cost.

The other side of paid advertising is our fishing strategy. Remember, when we're employing our fishing strategy, we want to specifically target people who are already podcast listeners. Based on our experience, the most cost-effective method for doing this is to focus your advertising dollars on running ads directly on specific podcast platforms.

You will often find us promoting clients’ shows to this audience by running paid ads on leading podcast apps like Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podbean, and others. This works because people who use these podcast apps, by definition, are already podcast fans! This is a complex promotional strategy that — when executed correctly — can have profound impacts on your show's growth.

11. Leverage podcast live reads

If you regularly listen to podcasts, you would have heard a host giving a shout-out to a different show with a few reasons to check it out. These live reads are usually integrated naturally into the flow of an episode, making the promotion feel less intrusive and more like a genuine recommendation from a trusted source.

These live reads are super effective at generating new listeners for your show.

But the catch is, they only work if you target them well. You need to find relevant shows that have a similar target audience to your show, or these ads will fall flat.

For example, when we promoted the business show 'Expert Hack', we organised live reads on similar audience podcasts like 'The Economist' and 'TED Talks Daily'. This, among a few other promotional channels, helped this show grow by 9,572%.

To launch a campaign featuring live reads, we usually start by identifying podcasts that share a similar audience with a show we want to promote. Then we reach out to the hosts, producers, or network with a proposal. If they say yes, we'll collaborate with them to create a script that resonates with the host's style and the preferences of their audience. The costs for live reads can vary substantially. But these campaigns can be very effective if executed correctly.

12. Other podcast promotion tactics to consider

The following tactics are also worth considering, depending on your budget and objectives:

• Conduct promotional swaps: Exchange shout-outs or ad spots with other podcasts in your network or niche.

• Feed drops: Organise to have an entire episode of your show drop into the feed of another relevant show. This works best if you arrange for the host to preface the clip with some context and a genuine recommendation.

• Live events, webinars, or Q&A sessions: Engage directly with your listeners by hosting live interactions. This can also be an opportunity to attract partnerships.

• Find a podcast network: Join a podcast network to reach a wider audience and gain support in production, marketing, and monetisation.

• Promote your show in relevant online communities and forums: Share your podcast in online spaces where your target audience is already engaged, such as Reddit, Quora, Discord, Facebook Groups, or niche-specific forums.

• Run social media contests or giveaways: Encourage listener engagement and sharing by running contests with prizes related to your podcast.

• Implement a listener referral program: Encourage listeners to share your podcast with others by offering incentives for referrals.

• Do seasonal or event-based episodes: Tie your content to holidays, special events, or popular culture to attract new listeners.

How to set a reasonable podcast marketing budget

So, there are a lot of tactics to consider. Which might lead to the logical question: How much budget should I set aside to market my podcast?

This is a tough question to answer. Setting a reasonable podcast marketing budget requires a careful balance between your goals and available resources.

Smaller businesses and individuals might start in the $3,000–5,000 range by focusing on some of the more affordable but high-impact strategies. If this is you, you'll want to implement strategies that don't require media or advertising costs. Preference partnerships and organic channels instead.

In contrast, a large brand with deeper pockets might want to spend $50k+ to buy immediate eyeballs and grow the show exponentially. If you have large or fast growth aspirations, focus on buying awareness and reach as your first step.

Sounds like too much work? Let us help you with your podcast marketing and promotion!

The benefits of a great marketing strategy for your podcast are simple — audience growth! The more people you can reach, the more people you can convert into loyal fans of your show.

Even the best-sounding podcast in the world is nothing without an audience.

If you lack the time or expertise to execute your podcast marketing strategy, reach out to our team.

Wavelength Creative can help you develop and execute a podcast marketing and promotion strategy that will amplify your new or existing show and grow your audience.

To get started, see our pricing or contact us today!

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How much does a professionally produced podcast cost? What should you budget to record, produce and launch a new show?

The price of podcast production can vary based on the show format, episode length, and production quality. As an example, producing a narrative format podcast requires much more production time than an interview-style show.

So to help you understand the price to expect for each type of podcast production, we’ve developed a ‘Podcast Pricing Guide’. Just enter your details below and we’ll send the guide to you via email.

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Our Other Services

At Wavelength Creative, we cater to various business needs with our diverse range of professional podcast services. Whether you’re a small business launching your first podcast or a large multi-national brand looking for a professionally produced series — we’ve got you covered!

We also have a range of specialist services to accommodate specific needs, such as podcast launches, podcast marketing, and podcast renovations.