There is a lot of heart that goes into making a podcast: you record, edit, add effects, then post. It’s hard work, so it could be a bit disheartening if you feel that your hard work doesn’t get the attention and appreciation it deserves. Having one or ten listeners is of course amazing, but wouldn’t it be great to get hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of listeners? I was recently interviewed by Tanya, host of the GrowGetters Podcast, and one of the questions she asked was: what are the best growth strategies to grow your podcast in 2022? It was such a good question that I decided to record a whole episode for it, so here we are.
Growing My Podcast
When I started this podcast, I thought that I could just promote it on my Instagram, and people from Instagram would come to my podcast. I thought that was how it works. And I think for some people, that works really well but what I noticed is that Instagram followers are not necessarily podcast listeners.
Some people do not like to listen to podcasts, some people are on Instagram and they’re enjoying that platform and they don’t want to leave it when they see something about a podcast episode. And I relate to that, I don’t really scroll through Instagram, see a podcast episode that I like, and then move over to my podcast app. I’ll just keep scrolling. So one thing I noticed is that in 2022, the best way to grow your podcast is to podcast. This means guesting on other people’s podcasts, being consistent with your podcast, and just creating lots of content.
More Content, More Listeners
A strategy that I am currently using is creating more content because I figured that people are listening to the podcast because they love it. So I can just give them more of that, and then more people will listen and the same people will listen to more episodes.
So one thing I did is, I took interviews that I already had on a podcast that aired a few months to even a year ago and I repurposed that interview. I call them short story episodes and I take 10 to 15 minutes from a previous interview where we talk about one specific topic and I add in a new intro and new outro. It’s me saying, “Hey, this is my favorite part of this interview that I dealt with.” Then you hear part of that interview, which can be a standalone episode and in the end, I give the link to the whole episode.
So that is one way that I decided to repurpose the content that was already there. You don’t have to spend double the time to create double the content. And that is something that I don’t see that many podcasters do. It’s not a lot of work because the content is there, but it’s also already edited, I can just cut out the part of the interview that I want to use, record an intro and outro, mix everything and that’s it. I can make these episodes probably in 15 to 20 minutes, and it’s exciting because that means that I can serve my audience more without having to put in a lot more time and effort.
Guesting On Other People’s Podcasts
I have received so many pitches from potential guests for both my podcast and I love it when it’s a good pitch because it saves me so much time researching and reaching out to guests. And I have also been reaching out to some podcasters to do a podcast swap and to get me as a guest on different podcasts.
I think this is a cool way to grow your podcast and your audience because number one, you are providing value to this audience. And number two, people who are listening to this podcast are already podcast listeners so it is a small step for them to then click on your podcast and keep listening to yours.
This is an interesting way to reach new audiences and also provide value and it’s also one of the most fun ways to grow your audience because you got to meet new people, the other podcast hosts.
Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
And then another strategy is consistency. I know it’s not a sexy way to grow your podcast, but it has proven to be effective. For the Podcast Babes Podcast, being consistent, producing new episodes, creating new seasons, and creating new content has worked so well.
I think in the podcasting space, it is not that difficult to stand out. There are a lot of podcasters and a lot of podcasts, but not that many people are very consistent. There are a lot of people who start a podcast, they do that for a while, and then they don’t create new content anymore. But if you are super excited and serious about your podcast, one way to stand out is just to produce content over and over again and just keep going.
Giving Google The Goods
The final growth strategy to grow your podcast in 2022 that I want to share with you in this episode is S E O: search engine optimization. When people search ‘Podcast Management Service’ on Google we are on the first page, and that is all because of my podcast, by producing content consistently for over a year.
You can also do that with your podcast. If you don’t have any services that you want to sell, just your podcast page can do that too. But keep in mind to always add your new episodes to your website, and make sure that you have some text or keywords in this post, on your website. You need some kind of blog post, timestamps, or long-form show notes to let Google know what you were talking about in the episode.
Another thing that SEO/Google loves is fresh new content. So, again, being consistent with your podcast also pays up for SEO reasons. Just keep adding more and more episodes to your website over time and Google will reward you for it
And another thing that Google loves is links. When you are a guest on other people’s podcasts, they usually also link to your website and your podcast website. And over time, when you’ve got more and more links and these people are also building their presence in the online space and have a reliable website, Google will take notice.
What Can You Do To Grow Your Podcast
Aside from doing all the tips I just gave, one thing you should do to grow your podcast is to create a website if you don’t have one yet. Look into how you can make that happen. You don’t have to code it yourself or spend thousands of dollars on a web developer, but there are some solutions to creating a quick and easy, and beautiful podcast website for not a lot of money.
Now that you’ve learned new strategies for growing your podcast, why not start building these long-term strategies now? Take a step closer to getting that hundred, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of listeners.
Resource mentioned:
Being A Pro Podcast Guest; Tips & Tricks To Be The Best Guest Possible