The day that you’ve been anxiously waiting for has finally arrived: You’re launching your first podcast episode! As exciting as that may be, it’s important to manage expectations from the get-go. The results may also be inconsistent. For example, the first episode might get 100 downloads, and the second one only gets 20.
You might have heard this somewhere before, but we’ll say it again: Promoting your podcast is just as important as conducting interviews, doing the post-production work, and writing the content. What you need to remember here is that if you want your podcast to be successful, you need to be prepared to play the long game. Just think of it like a beef brisket that’s being cooked very slowly - the longer you wait, the more tender it is and the better it tastes.
In our experience, it takes anywhere between 6-18 months to start seeing some traction on a podcast. However, there are many activities that you can implement to help you get that traction, especially after your podcast debut.
From our experience, these are some of the activities that prove to be very effective in promoting your podcast:
Tell Your Network About The Show
Even before you release that first podcast episode, tell your professional contacts about it. Get them to share and promote it within their networks. If they’re a fit, invite them to be guests on your show, and once you wrap up the interview, ask them to refer guests to you.
Do Your Homework
Conduct some research on how to promote your podcast and find out what the best practices are. Remember not to spread yourself too thin. It’s best to focus on a few channels to see what works and build from there. You should also promote your show on LinkedIn, especially if your ideal listeners are in the B2B space.
Make Sure Your Podcast Has An Online Presence
There’s a camp out there that preaches that you need a separate website for your podcast. We don’t think that’s necessary. What we do think is necessary, however, is an online presence for your show. That could mean a separate section or page on your existing website where you talk about your podcast, the host, and the guests, as well as have some space for ratings and reviews.
Continuously Learn
With podcasting, the work never ends. Listen back to your interviews and find ways to improve the quality of your show, be it in the delivery of your interviews or the technical aspect. Even elite athletes watch their game footage, and you are no different. Need some inspiration? Find other podcasts in your niche, listen to their episodes, and learn from them.
Guest on other podcasts
This is one of the best and most effective ways for you to get the word out there about your show. It also helps to position you as an expert and expand your professional network. Don’t forget to research the shows and craft a pitch that will appeal to podcast hosts. Remember that they need to see the benefit of interviewing you on their show.
Plan ahead
“Pod fade” happens when podcast hosts run out of steam in terms of ideas and content for their show. Don’t let that be you. Plan your upcoming episode as well as the next 2-3 months of content. Do some research and think of topics that would interest your audience. Base the topics on challenges or questions that they have around issues that matter to them.
Leverage social media
Focus on the social media platform where your ideal listeners spend time. In the case of B2B, that would be LinkedIn. Write content that focuses on the topics that you discussed with your guests, and don’t be tempted to glorify your show.
Focus on the right metrics
Read my lips - please STOP focusing only on the number of downloads. They are a vanity metric and are not indicative of your show’s performance, especially at the beginning. Focus on other metrics instead such as impactful plays (indicates how much of the episode has been played or downloaded by listeners), engagement, and most importantly, the business and relationships that you have won via your show hosting efforts.
Final thoughts
As you can see from the recommendations highlighted above, launching a podcast episode is only the beginning of the journey. There are several other factors and initiatives to consider to help promote your podcast and get the traction that you need to build your audience.
Leverage your professional network, conduct relevant research, leverage your online presence, plan future topics, be a guest on other podcasts, and find ways to keep improving.
If you have any questions or are looking for a partner to help you set sail, drop us a line!