Launching a podcast is exciting! It takes weeks, months, years to build up the courage and content to launch a quality podcast into the universe. It’s challenging to get over that initial hump of, “Can I do it?”, “Will I connect with my audience?”, “Do I have enough to say?” These common thoughts are all perfectly normal at the beginning, and middle and end!
So you’ve managed to wrangle your ego into submission, and your shiny, beautiful, well-crafted, and teeming-with-engaging-content podcast is ready to go. In fact, you’ve got episode 1 through 10 up, eagerly waiting for the world to click and listen, and spread it like wildfire.
Except, it’s not. Your masterpiece isn’t getting the listener engagement you had hoped for (and know is capable of!!). What’s a creator to do next? First, don’t get discouraged. Second, we’ve got you covered. Read on for 3 tactics to help get participation around your podcast soaring. All you need is a little time, planning, and patience. Ready for a change?
There are a LOT of podcasts out there, over 250,000 in over 100 different languages, and it’s only going to get bigger and a lot more competitive to breakthrough. So how do you get your message out to the masses without feeling like your podcast will get buried under an avalanche of others? It doesn’t matter if you have 12 listeners or 12,000 listeners, what matters is the level of quality of your production, content, and presentation.
We know podcasts are not a visual medium. Aside from the cover artwork, there is very little visual media to support the content, which is why content reigns as king in this domain. Research best practices and trends when it comes to laying the groundwork for your podcast formula, with extra attention on your message to an intended audience. For example, it’s far more advisable to select a niche and speak to a smaller audience rather than full-on jumping in to try to secure a larger audience with a broad focus. Quality, not quantity!
The latter will be harder to maintain down the line – it’s just not sustainable. While we all know variety is the spice of life, with a podcast, sticking to your genre and expanding gradually from there is a sure bet and with fewer gaps to fill. Plus, this route positions you as being the authority on your topic. Owning it (whatever your “it” is), creates a “stickiness” factor (does your listener stick around, leave and come back?) which is exactly what you want when creating that foundation of loyal listeners.
Social media platforms breathe life, visual appeal and shareability around your podcast. This is the catalyst that sets forth your hard work into the world and gets it seen, engaged on and interacted with! But what good is your well-articulated post with a jazzy image if there’s no one there to see it? Roll up your sleeves and prepare to do just a little investigative work before you hit “Share.”
Start by figuring out when your listeners are active. This gives you the perfect segue into their lives. For example, if you’re targeting hockey fans, think about putting up a post the morning of a big game to generate excitement throughout the day, then again just before the puck drop. TalkShoe’s very own, Eklund’s HockeyBuzzCast is a call-in live podcast that discusses everything about the ice sport, and even brings in guests to chat. By understanding their audience’s routines (and knowing when they might be around their phones) they’ve been able to maximize engagement and secure some die-hard hockey fan listeners!
We’re in the thick of the digital age with a screen at our fingertips nearly every waking (and sometimes sleeping) hour of the day. While creating and delivering frequent quality content that’s targeted, there’s still another side to the coin. Recognizing that your podcast needs to be scaled and leveraged across social media not only gets you more impressions, it builds your brand awareness and integrity. See how your podcast can live on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and more. And can you cross promote with other brands? Are join ventures an option? What about blog posts, newsletters, influencer campaigns, and vlogs? Just be sure to not spread out too thin. If you can do it, do it well and choose based on what you think will resonate with your listeners.
It’s time to get your podcast heard, and with TalkShoe, you’ve got everything you need to start your journey – for free! With high-quality recording and streaming capabilities; plenty of storage and unlimited hosting, whether you’re new on the scene or a professional podcaster, this is for you.
