The legs upon which your podcast stands on is the dynamic, engaging and original content you deliver. It’s your unique voice and how you use it that will shape your audience. But let’s get real and not forget that it’s 2019. The way listeners, viewers, and your greater audience as a whole digests content is by way of social media, most notably Instagram. Instagram is notorious for its return on investment and when it comes to user engagement, it blows other social media channels out of the water (by a long shot) at a rate of 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook, and 120 times more engagement per follower than Twitter.
As a podcaster, this affects you in many ways. Firstly, it’s no secret that users rely on mobile to access social media (a staggering 80% in fact), positioning them as a large and valuable part of the market. And with 3G/4G and wifi access available in almost every nook and cranny of day to day life, users can stay online and connected everywhere they go while driving, flying, and who knows, soon enough maybe even underwater!
As a podcaster, this is a dream set-up, offering endless opportunity to touch lives and send your message across. Are you ready to up your game and promote your podcast using Instagram? Let’s go deeper and see how this platform can launch your podcast farther than you ever imagined:
Tell Your Story Using Instagram StoriesThe “Stories” feature connects you with other communities by posting up a snippet of hot and fresh content that disappears after 24 hours. It’s a bite-sized segmented slideshow that can include photos and videos for other users to check you out. For podcasters, this means you can make an announcement when your new episode is out, and when you reach 10,000 followers you can insert a link with a “swipe up” call to action that gives instant access to your podcast. Bingo!
New podcast episode? Putting your link front row and center on your page might seem a little obvious, redundant even. But with a visual medium like Instagram where the text is limited, your episode link stands as the introduction to the rest of your content. Plus, if a user lands on your account and like what you have to offer, it’s a no brainer that offering a direct link to your podcast should be there!
Announce Special Guests On Your PodcastInterviewing an influential individual is valued highly by fans listening in. Leading up to the big day, dropping hints, and making announcements all add to the marketing content you can include on Instagram via posts and stories. And with hashtags and tagging, everything is cross-posted for better aggregation and more excitement!
Promote, promote, promote! The main feature of Instagram is the revolutionary hashtag, so why not create your own? They’re sticky, easy to remember and a thoughtful hashtag has the ability to sum up a big concept into a dozen or so characters! A branded hashtag (think: #Toddcast) can get inserted on all your posts, making them more visible and accessible over a period of time.
To keep eyeballs on your account, your posts and podcasts need to be promoted through videos and clips. Instagram relies on visual energy to keep eyeballs invested and clicking through. When on air, consider snapping behind-the-scenes clips and photos for later use in your Instagram stories or posts. Take a look at TalkShoe’s very own The Todd Shapiro Show. His feed (@iamtoddytickles) and hashtag (#Toddcast) is loaded with photos snapped of him and his guests plus behind-the-scenes video content of his recordings and going live to air. You can even create transcribed mini videos to add interest. Use your phone, or hire someone but don’t forget the value of this much-needed visual aspect.
This is the next step following videos – give people what they want which is more of you! Instagram's IGTV allows you to upload longer, more produced complex videos. Not only can you air your full podcast, approach it from different angles. Based on how you’ve been marketing yourself, you can bring in your audience to see you on a more personal level – take them with you on your next keynote lecture, or into a pre-production meeting.
And of course, content is king. Your visual voice is a reflection of you and your podcast. Staying on brand and crafting content that is aesthetically pleasing to followers will keep them on your page and wanting more.
Let Instagram take your marketing to a whole new level of aesthetic. Once you’ve nailed the beginning, middle and end of your podcast, it’s time to set it free and let it take off. With TalkShoe, all your podcasting needs are met from storage to hosting to production – for free. TalkShoe’s community-building platform has state-of-the-art tools you need to get noticed online before you even take it to social media!
