4 – Podcast Growth: Increasing Your Podcast Audience from Scratch

Hello there and welcome to Podcaster Plus, the podcast offering tips and tricks to simplify and automate your podcast. You can find all the episodes at podcasterplus.com slash show.

So today we’re tackling a question that is on the minds of many aspiring podcasters, what’s an effective way to grow my audience numbers when I’m just starting out?

It’s really a challenging landscape, and there are so many, well millions of podcasts, which are vying for your listeners’ attention. But don’t worry, we’ve got some actionable strategies to help you build a loyal following.

As always, we’re gonna break it up into different bullet points if you like, and we’ll start with the fundamentals.

Before you even think about promotion, you need a solid foundation, and that means.

Number one, high quality content. This is completely non-negotiable. Your content needs to be engaging, it needs to be well produced, and it needs to offer value to your target audience. Think about what makes your podcast unique, and focus upon delivering that consistently. Without that, there’s nothing else that I can add. If you don’t have high quality content, none of the other bits and pieces are going to count for anything.

So number two, defining a niche. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Focus on a specific niche or topic if you like. This is something that you hopefully are passionate about, and that has a dedicated audience. This will help you attract the right listeners and build a community around your show.

Number three, compelling show title and description. These are your first impressions, so make them count. Use keywords which accurately reflect your content and appeal to your target audience. Think about what somebody would be searching for if they were looking for a podcast just like yours.

Number four, professional branding. This includes your podcast, artwork, website, social media presence, and so much more. A professional look and feel will make your podcast seem more credible, and definitely will make it more appealing to potential listeners.

Okay, let’s move on.

Here are some more effective strategies for growing your audience. And again, I will number them.

The first one, optimize your website for search engines. This is called SEO. It stands for search engine optimization, and just like websites, podcasts need SEO as well. Use relevant keywords in your show title, episode, title descriptions, and so on. And create a website for your podcast with SEO friendly transcripts, and show notes. Submit your podcast to major directories such as Apple, Spotify, and so on, to get more visibility.

Number two, social media marketing. It’s a good idea to promote your podcast on social media. Platforms like X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Bluesky, and all of those things. If you’ve got the time, and you can engage with your audience, share snippets of your episodes, run contests, do giveaways, all of these different things might just increase engagement.

Number three, guest appearances. If you’ve got the capacity, why not appear as a guest on other podcasts in your niche? This is a great way to reach a new audience and build relationships with other creators.

Number four, collaborations. Collaborate with other podcasters or influences in your niche. This can involve cross-promotion, joining with them in creating joint episodes, or even co-hosting events.

Five. Email marketing. Don’t forget the importance of an email list. Build it and send out regular newsletters with updates about your podcast, such as new episodes, exclusive content. This is one of the best ways to directly reach out to your audience and most engaged listeners, and it does tend to circumvent the social media platforms and algorithms as well.

Number six, podcast trailers. Create short engaging trailers that highlight the best parts of your podcast and entice potential listeners to subscribe. This is often the first thing that people will hear when discovering your show. You’ve probably seen these things on social media. Little snippets, which show what’s coming up in your show, and it can be quite a good way to hook people in.

Number seven, engage with your listeners. Respond to comments and reviews. Ask for feedback. Create a community around your podcast. You could use a platform like Circle Facebook groups, something like that. This will help you build loyalty and encourage word of mouth marketing.

And finally, number eight, paid advertising. If you have the budget, what about running paid advertising campaigns on platforms like Facebook or Google Ads? This can be very costly, but if you’ve got deep pockets, it might be a good strategy, because it can be effective in reaching a wider audience, well without you needing to try all that hard.

So there you go. That’s what I’ve got for you this time around. Remember, building a podcast audience takes time. It takes effort. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results overnight. It’s very unlikely that you will. Focus on creating high equality content, engaging with your audience, and consistently promoting your podcast. With dedication and the correct strategies, you can build a thriving podcast community all of your own.

Thank you very much for tuning into the Podcaster Plus podcast. You can find it at podcasterplus.com slash show. And we will see you next time for some more tips and tricks, to simplify and automate your podcast, I.