PR For Podcasters

If the PR strategy for your podcast consists of social media posts whenever a new episode is released, it’s not going to be enough if you want to grow your show. To really increase the number of listeners you have, you’re going to have to be more creative than that. Like when Sydney Weiss, my guest from yesterday’s podcast, submitted her podcast to a film festival…and won! 

Today’s episode is a follow-up to episode 2 of this season when we talked about out-of-the-box ways to promote your podcast. I have a few new ideas for you that very few podcasters are taking advantage of right now and can be huge opportunities for you. Let’s dive in!

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What does PR look like for a podcast?

Traditional PR typically involves sending press releases to newspapers and other media outlets. While this type of PR is starting to fall out of fashion, it does still exist and it does still work, even for podcasts. A fellow podcaster was quite successful with this method by keeping a spreadsheet of all the publications she resonates with and has a similar audience to her ideal listener. Whenever something noteworthy happens for her podcasts, such as her 100th episode or a special guest on the show, she sends out a press release to those platforms in hopes they will feature her show.

You could also hire a PR agency to do this on your behalf. It can take years to develop the right contacts to make PR efforts most effective and an agency has those connections. You let the agency know when you have a noteworthy event happening and they’ll handle the rest. This isn’t super common in the podcasting world, so if you take advantage of it, it could be a huge opportunity for you.

Promoting through guest blogging 

Another way to promote your podcast that most people don’t think about is by writing a guest blog post for another publication. This is actually pretty easy if you already write blog-style show notes for your show. 

Once you’ve identified blogs with an audience that matches your ideal listener, reach out to them and ask them if you can write a guest post. If they agree, tweak your show notes since you’re getting in front of a brand new audience, then send them over to the publication along with the audio of your episode. This is a creative and unique way to get more exposure for your podcast that not many others are taking advantage of yet.  

Be a guest on other shows

Okay, this one has been done over and over, but that’s because it works! When you are a guest on someone’s podcast, you have your chance to tell your whole story, what pain point you’re addressing for them, and what they will gain by listening to your podcast. 

Before pitching yourself as a guest to other podcasts, you need to do some prep work. Podcast hosts get pitches all the time and it’s obvious that many of the pitches are mass email blasts and go straight into the trash. If you don’t want your pitch to end up in the trash as well, put in some extra effort upfront. 

First, put together a one-page, branded PDF with some highlights about your show. Include listener demographics, popular episodes, and links to any other podcast guest appearances you’ve already done. Once that is ready, do your homework and identify podcasts that have an audience that aligns with your ideal listener.  Make it obvious to the host that you know who their audience is and what value you will provide them. Suggest 2-4 specific topics you can speak about that their audience can benefit from and let the host pick from the topics you provided. 

If you have any connections to a show, ask the connection if they’d be willing to make an introduction on your behalf. These pitches always go further than cold pitches. If not, I encourage you to reach out to the host via social media and strike up a conversation before pitching. This has been particularly successful for me via Instagram and LinkedIn.

Is your podcast generating the revenue you desire?  

A successful PR campaign will get more ears to listen to your show. If you have a monetized podcast, then those ears equal revenue.
If you are ready to see a consistent revenue stream from your podcast, I have something just for you. In my brand new ebook, I’ll break down 5 ways to monetize your podcast, including which one is the easiest to start with and which one will be most profitable in the long run. Download it here.