So you have a podcast (or perhaps have just started on) and you’re enjoying sharing your knowledge and experiences and getting to know interesting new people whom you bring on as guests. Your show is good, people tell you. But you’re still stuck at a few dozen listeners. What can you do to get it to a few hundred and then to a thousand? Welcome to the challenge that plagues every non-celebrity podcaster (and celebrities too – it’s just that their benchmarks are higher). Podcast platforms are crowded and don’t really give you a lot of help in terms of discovery. So you have to do a lot of it yourself.
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6 Tips to Gain Podcast Listeners
If you’re struggling to boost your podcast listenership, don’t worry, In this post, we’ll explore six tactics that you can use to grow your podcast listenership.
- Making shareworthy content for a targeted audience
- Using video
- Using social media more effectively
- Using the discovery features of Spotify and Apple
- Getting listed on directories
- Using your website
Let’s dive in.
Making shareworthy content for a targeted audience
When creating podcast content that is share-worthy, it’s important to start by defining your audience personas. Who are the people you are trying to reach with your podcast? What are their interests, needs, and pain points? By understanding your audience, you can tailor your content to their specific needs and interests, making it more likely that they will want to share it with others who are like-minded. If you didn’t do this exercise before starting your show, it might be a good time to take a step back and do it now, using the podcast stats you now have around age, gender, location etc to inform your decisions.
Once you have a clear understanding of your audience personas, you can begin to write your talking points with them in mind. Your content should be relevant and engaging, providing value to your listeners in a way that is unique and different from what they can find elsewhere. Consider what topics are trending or top of mind for your audience, and seek to provide insights or perspectives that are not readily available elsewhere. This will make your podcast stand out and increase the likelihood of it being shared among your target audience.
Finally, make sure to provide takeaways at the end of each episode. People love actionable insights that they can apply in their own lives or businesses. By providing practical tips, resources, or recommendations that your listeners can use, you’ll make your content more valuable and more likely to be shared. Additionally, by ending each episode with a clear call to action, such as asking listeners to share the episode with others or leave a review, you can help build momentum and grow your audience over time.
At CrazyTok we help you better frame the theme and audience for your show so you can set yourself up for success with your new show or season. We offer best-practice episode outlines so you will never forget to add shareable takeaways and callouts within the episode. Explore our plans and pricing to start your podcasting journey with confidence.
Using video to get more attention
Many podcast listeners prefer watching people converse just by listening to them. They like getting the visual cues of body language and reactions that add to the experience. That’s why YouTube has always been podcast-relevant and now it has actually decided to up its game with podcaster-friendly features that you should definitely consider.
One of the biggest advantages of using video platforms like YouTube to promote a podcast is the algorithmic discovery. Video content is more likely to be recommended to new viewers based on their viewing history and interests, leading to greater visibility and potential for growth. This can help you get thousands more views and reach new audiences who may not have found you through traditional podcast platforms alone.
Additionally, YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google, so using the platform can provide SEO benefits that may not be available on podcast platforms alone. By including relevant keywords and descriptions in video titles, descriptions, and tags, you can improve your chances of being discovered by new audiences.
Another benefit of video is that you can create teasers and snackable highlights that showcase the best moments from each episode or offer sneak peeks into upcoming content. By sharing these on Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, you could potentially entice viewers to check out the full episodes and become dedicated listeners. Of course, make sure you include links to the podcast in the captions to make it easy for viewers to subscribe and stay up-to-date on new releases.
CrazyTok offers both audio and video editing and we also repurpose your content into shorts to make it a lot easier to grow your show.
Use social media more effectively
Posting takeaways and highlights from your podcast episodes on LinkedIn and Twitter can be a great way to promote your show and attract new listeners. By sharing interesting and engaging quotes or snippets, you can pique people’s interest and encourage them to listen to the full episode.
If you have guests on your podcast, give them relevant social media assets and ask them to discuss their episode on their social media accounts. Having your guests post about the episode can help you reach a broader audience and attract new listeners who are interested in your guest’s work or expertise. Do make sure they create original posts rather than just re-posting your content, to maximise reach and impact.
You could also share relevant insights on interest groups within Facebook or LinkedIn. But most such groups have restrictions on advertising, so you have to build these channels over time and share your content in a way that adds value to the group and doesn’t come across as spammy or self-promotional.
If you have a budget for advertising, consider running targeted ads on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. By targeting your ads to people who are interested in your podcast’s topic or niche, you can attract new listeners and grow your audience. This is likely the quickest way to grow a following but you should do this only after you are confident that the content you have is resonating with your target audience. (One way to do that is by checking the consumption data on your podcast to check whether a high share of listeners are listening through to the end)
And, before you ask, yes CrazyTok does make all the social media assets you need – copy, artwork, quotes and carousels.
Use the discovery features of Spotify and Apple
While you might be listed in dozens of podcast platforms, the only two that really matter (other than YouTube for video) are Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
When creating your podcast’s title and description, be sure to use keywords that are relevant to your show’s topic. This will make it easier for people searching for those words to find your show. Do note that these platforms are not as sophisticated (yet) as Google Search or YouTube so focus on basic keywords rather than complex phrases.
In addition, focus on making your artwork stand out in the scroll. Your podcast’s artwork is the first thing that people will see when browsing through podcasts on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, so it’s important to make it eye-catching and memorable. Use bold colours and clear, thumb-stopping graphics so people click through to your show page.
Finally, when promoting your podcast on social media or your website, be sure to direct listeners only to Spotify and Apple Podcasts. By focusing your promotion efforts on these two platforms, you maximize your downloads on these platforms, improve your ranking, and increase your chances of being featured in their discovery sections.
Get listed on podcast directories and lists
Being listed on a podcast directory like ListenNotes or Podchaser can make it easier for people to find your show when searching for podcasts on that platform. This is especially true if you have a niche topic or a specific audience in mind. When people are looking for podcasts on a particular topic, they often turn to directories to find new shows to listen to. So, by being listed on these directories, you increase your chances of being discovered by people who are interested in your topic. It’s like another form of SEO.
Secondly, getting your podcast on the list of top podcasts can be a great way to attract new listeners and build credibility. Many podcast directories and blogs publish lists of the top podcasts in various categories, such as “best true crime podcasts” or “top business podcasts”. Being included on one of these lists can bring your show to the attention of a wider audience and give you added credibility in your niche, so reach out to bloggers or newsletter writers who maintain such lists and ask them for a chance to be featured.
Use your website
A final source of new listeners is your website. Take the content of your show and convert it into a transcript, which you can upload to your website. Not only do you get thousands of words of fresh content for your site, which is great for SEO, you also make your content more accessible to a wider audience. This can help you attract new listeners who might not have discovered your show otherwise.
Of course, make sure you include on the page a call for people to check out your show.
CrazyTok helps out by making the transcript and uploading it to our website with the appropriate SEO treatment to make sure it is seen by as many people as possible. We link the transcript to your episode to try and maximise impact.
Takeaway and CTA
We wish we could say there is a silver bullet for podcast growth. But like with all things worth having, building an audience takes time. Just take things one step at a time and keep at it. If you have a good show, it will eventually start to take off.
