It’s no surprise that the most frequently asked question by podcasters is, “How do I grow my audience?” You’ve put in the time and effort to develop and create your first episodes, or perhaps you’ve already amassed a substantial back catalogue. However, you may not have a large enough audience to match the quality of your mentor podcast.
If that’s the case, you’re not alone. Getting your podcast out there is a huge first step—and a huge accomplishment. However, word-of-mouth will only get you so far. You must take the appropriate efforts to reach out to more audiences to listen to your mentor podcast.
That’s why we’ve put together these podcast audience-building tips because everyone’s story is worth listening to, whether you’ve been doing it for a long time or are just starting out.
Target Your Specific Audience
Mentor Nation’s built-in statistics can help you track down demographic data and patterns among your current listeners—dive as deep as you can to put yourself in their shoes.
Do your own research to find out where your audience is most active online. Is it true that they use social media platforms? Do they use certain hashtags or subreddits? Figuring out where and how your audience already interacts will help you determine where and how to contact them. Start by asking your listeners a question through the Mentor Nation Podcast Q&A or poll.
Your annual Spotify Podcaster Wrapped is yet another view into your listenership and how they interact with your show. You can determine how many loyal listeners you have who listen to the majority of your shows. You may figure out when your audience listens to your mentor podcast the most and release episodes and announcements at that time. Both Wrapped and Mentor Nation’s statistics can show you which episodes have had the most listens, which can help you come up with new ideas for future concepts.
Connect With Your Listeners
Now is the time to connect with your target audience because you have identified them. Depending on your target demographic, some platforms may deserve more attention than others; don’t be bashful about where you market your program. Getting your point across any and all channels where you can reach your listeners is the first step in connecting with them.
Concentrate on growing a following for your podcast. You can establish a sense of community that is beneficial to being a part of and grow a loyal following by giving listeners opportunities to interact with your podcast and each other.
- Rock On Social Media
It’s critical to set up dedicated social media accounts when starting a podcast. Using social media to advertise your show makes it easier for people to find it and gives you a constant avenue to promote your content.
Adopting these tips will help you get the most out of your podcast’s social media promotion:
- Post just about every new episode on both your podcast and personal social media pages.
- Use show-specific hashtags so that listeners can join in the conversation.
- Include hashtags related to your themes and guests; if applicable.
- With an active social presence, tag guests, organizations, TV shows, actors, and anyone or anything else mentioned in the episode.
- Keep your audience interested by responding to comments.
- Post to relevant Facebook and Reddit communities.
- Additional short-form video content needs to be tailored for Instagram Stories, Reels, etc.
- Shareable scenes, such as quotes from episodes, behind-the-scenes photos of your recording equipment, and photos with guests, should all be included.
- Cut short audio clips from episodes to share on Twitter and Instagram.
- Hold a giveaway contest. For example, you can ask your social media followers to subscribe to your podcast on Spotify or answer a question on Instagram in exchange for rewards like podcast merch.
- Don’t forget to include the Mentor Nation Podcast in your tags! We’re always on the lookout for new and exciting things to see.
- Through Your Website
Creating a website for your metor podcast is another opportunity for your audience to learn more about you and your creative process, while also discovering your show and listening to episodes. Adding a blog to your website can increase its importance even more. Your blog can go deep into background information about the guests and go even deeper into the themes of the episode. Yes, blog content can also give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at how you choose topics and interview topics.
A podcast-specific website can also assist potential listeners find you online when they search for terms connected to your show. A blog can assist you to increase the value of your search engine optimization (SEO). The more content you have with the name of your podcast and keywords connected to your topics, the better your site’s search rankings will be.
Yes, it’s wise to create a section on your personal or company website dedicated to your podcast, where you can post episodes and other related content.
- Go with Emails…
Email allows you to communicate directly with your newsletter subscribers. It’s another way to distribute your episodes—you can tease about upcoming episodes and bundle them with other podcast-related content. You can include an email subscribe button on your website and advertise the membership link through social media.
- Via Your Podcast’s Episode Description
One of the most effective ways to get your show recognized and make a positive impact on potential audiences is to write a captivating episode description.
Keep it short and sweet (two to three sentences at most), but give a preview of the themes you’ll be discussing in the episode. You can involve specific terms that will pique your audience’s attention, such as your guest’s name, current trends, breaking news, or locations.
Remember, the goal is to entice potential listeners to press “play,” so rather than just summarizing your episode, try to pique their interest and make them want to hear more!
Cross-promote Your Podcast With Others
On Spotify alone, there is a huge number of podcasts, and every creator, no matter how many listeners they have, wants to enlarge their audience. Make use of your fellow makers as a resource and create a support system with them. Connect with other creators who share the same interests as you and listen to podcasts that compliment your own. Mention them on social media and during in-episode introductions. There is a good chance that they will repay your kindness.
Take it a step further by inviting other podcasters to be guests on your show. Explore the possibilities of guests appearing on other podcasts to potentially reach a new audience of listeners. Engage with other creators online and create a wishlist of podcasts where you’d like to appear as a guest. Then, pitch the concept to the podcast’s creators, explaining why you want to be a guest and what value you can bring in return.
Replenish Your Audio With Video Content
You may now record full episodes as videos on Spotify’s Video Podcasts, so your viewers can watch and listen to your podcasts. That way, you can reach more people and give them additional options to watch your show. They want to get to know you better by having your episodes play in the background while they multitask or watch them front and center on their screen.
Platforms like Instagram Reels and Triller are great places to post short, engaging video content using soundbites from your episodes because short-form videos are so popular. This can include video excerpts from episode recordings, bloopers, behind-the-scenes outtakes, and anything else your audience might find amusing.
Welcome a Guest
A guest can help you reach a greater audience. Yes, the guest may be a friend, an expert in an area, or someone you’ve always wanted to talk to. Encourage your guests to advertise the mentor podcast episodes they’re participating in so that you may tap into their audience.
Give them a tiny press kit with assets they can publish quickly, such as recommended copy, a link to the episode, your awesome cover art, a noteworthy quote from the interview, and a special photo from the recording session, to make it easier for them to promote you. Tag your guests in tweets about them. They’ll be more likely to retweet and share your content with their own audience.
Celebrate the achievements of past guests. When something big happens to them, congratulate them publicly and re-share their episodes. Likewise, keep track of holidays, micro-moments, and current events relevant to your podcast. Post about them, and make connections with your show. Be a relevant, reliable source of information for your listeners.
Boost Your Podcast’s Ratings
Your podcast ratings give your show legitimacy and social proof, both of which are powerful tools for attracting new listeners. Direct listeners to rate your podcast wherever you can: on your main show page, specific episode page, your website, email, social media, and more to get those five stars in your episodes.
Create a Trailer
Trailers are a simple approach to entice new listeners by providing a sneak peek of your show’s content. Making a trailer is also an opportunity to define your podcast’s distinctive value and practice pitching your show under time constraints.
When you record a trailer, make sure you’ll send you a transcribed, animated film that translates your words into action. Your trailer video is geared for social sharing, so you may share it wherever you want to promote your program.
Final Thoughts
What does it mean to be successful for you? What are the metrics that are most important to you? They can be numeric, such as the number of subscribers you have or the total number of episodes played. Perhaps they are qualitative, such as high ratings or a dedicated audience.
Establish a success benchmark and expand your audience with that goal in mind. If producing ad revenue is your definition of success, you may grow your audience to a certain level of monthly ad revenue. If you want to find out how your broadcast affects your audience, your planning can include outreach and engagement. The built-in analytics dashboard makes it easy to track and analyze the success of your podcasts, and if your show is on Spotify, you can use the Spotify for Podcasters Statistics Dashboard to learn more about your listeners.
Whatever your mentor podcast audience goals are, keep in mind that long-term growth takes time and commitment. It’s acceptable if it takes a while for your podcast to gain traction. You can start converting more fans with a positive attitude and constant promotion. Remember why you started in the first place when you’re in doubt. Whether you have one or one million listeners, your mentor podcast is something to be proud of.
Do you want to grow your podcast audience but aren’t sure where to begin since you’re unsure which cross-promotion tactics to employ or which social media platforms to employ? We’re here to assist you! In today’s era, it’s not enough to just publish podcast episodes and hope to attract new listeners…
Join the Podcast with John Abbas today to reach a new audience! 💪
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