How to Grow Your Podcast To Reach More People

You'll want to share your insights with people who value your expertise and connect with them genuinely. However, if you've been sharing your episodes for a while, ending up with 50 downloads can be quite discouraging.

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If you want to grow your podcast to reach hundreds and thousands of downloads, you've come to the right place. In the following guide, we'll share some expert tips on how to grow your podcast to reach more people. 

Cater the Content to Your Audience

It's every marketer's dream to create content that caters to everyone's tastes, but we know very well how that's just impossible. Instead of trying to do the impossible, it's much more efficient to focus your content on your primary target audience: the people who'll benefit the most from the information you present in your podcast. However, just because the information is valuable doesn't mean it's guaranteed to catch the audience's interest. Similarly, a catchy presentation without much value will make them lose their interest pretty fast. Over time, you'll get better at creating interesting and valuable content that'll keep them coming for more, but you have to put in the effort first. 

Have a Launch Plan

If you're just getting started with a new podcast, having a launch plan set is just as important as planning for the content. For starters, you should have at least 8 to 10 episodes ready before the launch, and air at least 3 episodes during the launch. Even if your first episode is a hit, you can't expect your listeners to subscribe for only an episode, much less a teaser. If you want their commitment, you've got to show them your own commitment as well. 

Promote Your Podcasts

It's always the same with creating any kind of online content: You can't get into the podcasting business unless you're willing to embrace your inner marketer. Whether you're about to launch a new show or you're already running a podcast, you need to be able to promote your podcasts effectively. For starters, you can urge your family and friends to listen to your show and leave positive reviews. You can't underestimate the power of word-of-mouth recommendations either. Meanwhile, start working on your digital marketing skills to promote your show through social media platforms and search engines. In doing so, you would reach more people than you expected at first.

Use the Right Podcast-Hosting Service

You'll be amazed at how differently the podcasts created using professional platforms perform. It's common to start creating podcasts using free platforms, but, at some point, upgrading to a paid platform will be necessary to expand your reach. Although you'll have to subscribe to a plan to use a premium platform, you can read more here to know how you can get a free one-month trial on Podbean using promo codes. You can also find promo codes and discounts for other professional podcast hosting platforms if you take the time to do some research. By doing so, you'll enjoy various premium features, such as embedding your website and social media platforms, implement SEO, and get valuable insights into your performance using advanced analytics. 

Publish at the Right Time

How often do you check your notifications? Even if you instantly check your notifications, would you open a new podcast episode at work or when you're busy? Probably not, and the same goes for your listeners. To improve the odds of getting your episodes downloaded, you should make sure to publish them at strategic times. One of the best ways to figure out what works for your audience is to look into your analytics and experiment with the time until you find what works best for your subscribers. 

Engage Your Audience

If you want your podcast to grow, why not be straightforward about it to your listeners? Invite to subscribe to and share your podcasts, as well as leave their reviews about each episode. Don't be pushy about your CTAs though. Just honestly explain to them that growing the podcast will help you create better content. 

Cross-Promote with Other Podcasts

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One of the most effective strategies in marketing is to cross-promote your products. By using this strategy in your podcasts, you can collaborate with other podcast creators to introduce your podcast to their established audience. You can start by inviting guests to your show or becoming a guest yourself in other podcasts. 

A lot of podcasters struggle to grow their podcast past a certain point. However, you can't expect to reach a wider audience without taking any effective steps. Start with creating the right content and keeping your target audience in mind at all times. Once you have identified the kind of content that will engage your listeners, you can experiment with different marketing strategies. With time, you'll realize what works for you and what doesn't.

Micah Soto

Update 30 November 2020