Are you trying to get more listeners to your podcast? It’s time to try new ways to market it! We’re sharing both the dos and the don’ts of podcast marketing so you can grow your audience the right way.

First… The 3 Don’ts of Podcast Marketing

1. Stop promoting your podcast episode.

We see this scenario all the time: The podcaster releases a new podcast episode. They make a post on Instagram and get in their Instagram stories saying, “Hey guys, I just released a new podcast episode. Go check it out!” They tell a little bit about what’s discussed in the episode and then they cross their fingers, hoping people will magically go listen to their podcast episode.

What’s the issue with this?

Think about it like this: If someone is constantly trying to sell you something, how likely are you to actually buy? Probably not very likely. On the flip side, when someone consistently provides you with immense value or lots of entertainment, and then tries to sell you something, the likelihood of you buying increases greatly, right? You’ve become a raving fan of their content and because of that, you’re excited to buy whatever they are selling. 

In this case, technically speaking, we aren’t “selling” anything, but we are trying to sell people on listening to the podcast and the same idea applies. If you’re only promoting, without providing any real value, it’s going to be extremely hard for you to convert your audience into podcast listeners. 

Key takeaway: You need to provide your audience with VALUE before you can promote.

2. If it’s not working, stop posting it.

Podcasters love posting audiograms of their guests speaking in their Instagram grid, as well as photos of their guests and/or a graphic with the episode title on it.

That’s great if that content performs well with the followers in your grid, but if it doesn’t, stop doing it!

Just because others are promoting their podcast in this format doesn’t mean this is how you need to promote your podcast, too – especially if it’s not working for you. 

When we’re working with our clients on creating engaging podcast content, we look at what is performing best right now in their grid and create similar content for the podcast. 

If photos of the podcaster are performing best, we post a photo we think will get a lot of engagement and write a caption that plugs the podcast episode. Whether it’s reels, carousel posts, quote graphics, video clips, or something else, that are performing best in their grid, we ensure the podcast posts align.

It takes trial and error, but it’s worth taking the time to figure out what works best, rather than simply copying what someone else is posting to promote their podcast. In most cases, it’s probably not performing well for them either.

Key takeaway: You want to ensure that your posts for your podcast performs the same, if not better, than your other posts.

3. You create low-quality podcast marketing assets.

Your branding sets the tone for your podcast, so make sure it’s setting the RIGHT tone.

You can have the highest-quality audio, you can be the best podcast interviewer, you can have top-notch guests, you can have the most seamless episode, but without high-quality marketing assets to go along with it, no one is going to know.

Whether you like it or not, the quality of your podcast marketing assets conveys the quality of your podcast to your audience. If your marketing assets are boring or low quality, people will assume your podcast is the same.

Some people have an eye for good marketing assets, others do not. Be honest with yourself about which one you are.

We always say, if there are two things to invest in when working to grow your podcast, it should be high-quality audio editing and high-quality marketing assets.

Key takeaway: The quality of your podcast marketing assets conveys the quality of your podcast to your audience.

The 3 Do’s of Podcast Marketing

1. Provide LOTS of value.

Our golden rule to podcast marking is VALUE not PROMOTION.

We apply this to our podcast marketing strategy by creating assets that we like to call stand-alone content.

What’s stand-alone content? If someone DOESN’T listen to your podcast, and only sees your newsletter, Instagram post, Instagram story, or whatever medium you are using, you’re still providing people with value.

Examples: 

The clip you choose to use in your Instagram story is understood out of context.

The content you share in your newsletter gives your subscribers an actionable takeaway. 

The Instagram caption you use shares a fun fact. 

The more FREE value you provide to your audience, the more of a raving fan they will become. And you know what happens when they become a raving fan? They want to hear more from you, so they listen to your podcast.

Plus, adding value will also make your Instagram more valuable. It’s a win-win.

Key takeaway: Create stand-alone content only.

2. Create “shareable” content.

The more “shareable” your content is, the more people will see it. And the more people that see your content, the more opportunity you have to convert people into podcast listeners.

Are people really going to want to share a photo of your guest with their friends and family? Probably not. That’s why you need to think about what video clips you can pull that are the most captivating, what fun fact you can share in an eye-catching graphic, and what quote can you share that will capture the most attention. 

Think about the content you can take from your podcast episode that will be the most relatable to the majority of your audience – content they will find extremely interesting or entertaining and will want to share it with a friend or in their Instagram story.

Key takeaway: When creating content, ask yourself, “What content from the episode is most relatable to the majority of my audience and will trigger them to share it with others?”

3. Cover all the bases.

Don’t just mention your new episode that was released once and then move on with your life.

You can’t assume that everyone who is interested in listening to your episode will see your ONE mention of it. And, you also can’t assume that the people who did see it were able to drop what they were doing and listen to it right away. Mentioning your episode throughout the week will ensure more people hear about it and provide a friendly reminder to those who want to listen but forgot. 

Here’s a great starting point: Mention the podcast episode at least twice in Instagram stories, once in your Instagram grid, and once in your email newsletter weekly. If you’re on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, etc. make sure you’re doing the same on these platforms, too.

The good thing about posting “stand-alone content” is that your audience isn’t going to feel like all you’re doing is promoting your podcast episode because everything you post will be providing them with real value. 

And a bonus for covering all the bases: share your marketing assets with your guest! Send your guest a friendly email sharing your appreciation for them, letting them know their episode is now live (include links!), and that you’ve attached some marketing assets for them if they would like to share the episode on their platforms.

Key takeaway: You can’t assume that everyone interested in listening to your episode will see your ONE mention of it.

Want some more help with your podcast marketing strategy? See how we can help!

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Chelsea Morrow | Founder | Creative Director

Moxie Media