Podcasts have become a huge influence in today’s social media. Nearly half of all Brits have listened to at least one podcast and more than 3/4 of those listen to an average of at least one podcast a day.
These are huge engagement numbers. Especially considering that many of today’s podcasts last for over an hour.
Making your podcast stand out from the estimated over 700,000 that were active in 2019 takes smart planning, dedication, and the right tools to make everything come together. Here are our picks for the best ideas you can use in the new year of 2020 to make your podcast stand out from all the rest.
Guest Hosts
Guest hosts are probably the best way for you to keep your podcasts interesting to both regulars and new visitors. Be sure you pick hosts that have something interesting to share with your audience and have a well-known name. The chances are that these folks will share your site with their audience ensuring that you’ll pick up a larger social following.
Sharing Episodes
Be sure to share your episodes with social networks that can make a difference. If you’re running a business podcast, make sure you hit Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Mention all the new episodes coming up and have some sneak previews available for added punch. Promote your podcast on your personal social media account and, of course, ask your guest hosts to do the same for your site.
Facebook Live
Record your entire podcast on Facebook Live. All of these social media services give your audience a great reason to log on and watch your live podcast, but Facebook Live is the king. Try Instagram Live too if you think you might pick up some of their audience. Being live adds an element of excitement and interaction that makes your audience feel a personal attraction.
Run Giveaways
When you host a giveaway you’re giving back to your audience and they will appreciate it! Announce the contests on your podcast and ask viewers to re-tweet and share the link of your episode in return for entering the giveaway. Sure, it’s an investment that will take a little time, but the reward is that you’ll be driving traffic to your social channels and getting your podcast seen by more and more new viewers.
You can give away practically anything, from subscriptions to gift cards, or maybe a product that people will recognise from your industry.
Share Quotes
Give your viewers a preview of upcoming episodes by sharing quotes and even short clips from future shows. Quotes should be as catchy as possible and you’ll find that the more interesting they are, the bigger the audience they’ll bring in.
Hashtags
Make sure you are using the right hashtags. When you’re sharing with social networks, do some research to make sure that you use the best-related hashtags possible. When hashtags are used correctly, they’ll make your podcast audience grow exponentially.
Audiograms
Audiograms are static images that are converted into a video by taking short audio files from your podcast and converting them into a video file. When the viewer hits play, they hear the audio snippet you selected from your podcast. The video image can be almost anything including moving audio waves that make the audiogram stand out when it’s shared on social media.
Creative Images
While video is always a primary must, don’t forget that creative images will catch a viewer’s eye when almost nothing else can. Adding image quotes will not only help to clearly express what your podcast episode is all about but also be something your audience doesn’t expect. By evoking an emotion or causing surprise, your image stands out above the rest of the pack. It will be remembered and you will increase valuable brand awareness.
Connect Right
Reaching out to find new viewers is never easy, but doing it manually adds a personal touch that cannot be duplicated any other way. If you think people will like your podcast, use your podcast’s social accounts to invite them in, or send inMail to the right contacts with LinkedIn.
Keep Trying New Things
Sure, it sounds old-fashioned, but the concept of trying new things to make your podcast more exciting and listenable is often overlooked when people create social media marketing campaigns. If a particular social network isn’t giving you the results you want, stop wasting time using it and try something else.
Stick With the Best Sites
Promoting your podcast on social media is vitally important to its success. There are over sixty social media sites, but only a handful deserve your attention when you want your podcast to succeed. Stick with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to start with. LinkedIn is also a great choice when you’re dealing with a business or marketing podcast.
We hope these suggestions will help make your podcast stand out above the rest and bring you success both now and in the future. Good luck!
