15 Podcast Promotion Ideas to Build Organic Listeners

How many times have you cracked your brain for podcast promotion ideas and come up with, huh… nothing?

Like every creative person, you’ve probably been in that creative rut before. And you’ll believe us when we say that creating the perfect episode with the best equipment is only half of the workflow, the real deal is how to promote those podcast episodes.

For this, we have scoured trends from the biggest podcast directories, the go-to strategies from top-rated podcasts, insights for top podcast influencers, and results from our own podcasts about ideas for promoting and marketing a podcast.

The result?

The most important 15 ideas to promote your podcast. Most of which you can reuse over time and always turn to whenever you run out of podcast promotion ideas.

Here’s a tl;dr

• Craft an Exciting Podcast Trailer - This will help build anticipation for your coming episodes and set the expectations right.
• Use Podcast AI as a Creative Companion - Use AI-powered podcast tools to streamline podcast promotion easily and quickly.
• Transcribe Your Audio and Get Creative With It - Transcribe your audio and creatively use it for marketing your podcast before your target audiences.
• Create 10x Podcast Clips - Create podcast clips in unique ways than just the industry standard, plus, a new AI tool to help you with that.
• Create a Podcast Space Online - A podcast website that helps you solidify your presence online and rank on search engines.
• Guest on a Podcast - All the boxes you need to check to appear on other podcasts.
• Land Podcast Guests Using X (formerly Twitter) - Steps needed to follow on how you can land podcast guests using X and matchmaking sites.
• Create a Podcast Lead Magnet - Grow your own podcast audiences with a lead magnet that not only attracts but keeps existing audiences glued to you.
• Start Podcast Blogging - This can help you rank higher on search engines and pull in listeners from the web.
• Double-Down on Social Media - Use clips, audiograms, and quote images, to increase your visibility.
• Use Word-of-Mouth Podcast Marketing - Ask listeners to recommend, share, and tell people about your show both online and offline.
• Ask For Listeners' Ratings and Reviews - This not only increases your podcast ranking on directories but also lets you know where to focus your podcast.
• Launch Your Podcast on YouTube - You don’t need a camera or even show your face to podcast on YouTube.
• On-The-Ground-Promotion: Podcast Meetups and Events - Hit up podcast meetups and events and how you can find events near you.
• Add Your Podcast to Directories and Podcatchers - Get more listeners and become discoverable by adding your show to other directories and podcatchers.

1. Craft an Exciting Podcast Trailer

Your podcast promotion should start with the basics - a podcast trailer. You might be missing out on a goldmine of repeating listeners because they don’t know what your podcast is about.

In the media, nothing has been proven to build anticipation quite like a trailer. It has become a very important factor for building;

• Anticipation
• Curiosity
• Creating buzz
• And keeping the fire alive before releasing something.

2. Use Podcast AI as a Creative Companion

You have probably heard or read about some AI tools for podcasting.

So, why not start using them right away?

Podcasting, especially when you’re soloing, can be a very lonely venture. Using tools that can save you quality time you whirl around with repetitive tasks could be a game changer.

Podsqueeze can be your time-saver. It's an AI-powered podcast tool that can help streamline your podcast pre-production with features like topic research, enhancing your audio, generating show notes, etc.

3. Transcribe Your Audio and Get Creative With It

Think that it’s hard to come up with ideas to promote your podcast? Try to repurpose a 10-minute podcast episode into a 1000-word blog post optimized for search engines.

Yet, some months in April 2024, we repurposed an episode from our podcast, Lessons From a Podcaster with legendary Rob Walling into a case study on our website that’s currently ranking on the first page of Google for related keywords.

That’s a testament to how much of an influence podcast repurposing can be, especially podcast transcription.

Podsqueeze can generate the transcript for your podcast in a few clicks.

Other creative ways to repurpose your podcast transcript;

• Ebooks for guides
• Case studies
• Email newsletters
• Blog posts
• Social media posts

4. Create 10x Podcast Clip

Podcasting clips are very effective for creating awareness for your show in a language that the people already understand “short videos.”

It won’t be news to say that short videos are the big thing on the web now. In fact, short-form videos are expected to dominate 90% of internet traffic by 2024, and the evidence is obvious.

Podcast clip makers like Podsqueeze can help you turn video podcasts into captivating short videos and audio-only podcasts into audiograms that can be shared on social platforms.

But it can be a little tricky if you have an audio-only podcast but want to turn it into short videos. Here’s where Flarecut comes in.

Flarecut is an AI-powered video repurposing tool that turns your text into videos in a minute. You just have to copy a section from your podcast transcription and paste it on Flarecut and voila!

You’ve your podcast clips.

5. Create a Podcast Space Online

A podcast website is your little space online that boosts your visibility to audiences who are fond of searching on search engines rather than podcast directories.

You might not know it but a big chunk of your audience is searching for your podcast-related keywords on Google and are directed to podcast episodes from there.

What this means is that you can funnel traffic to your episodes through Google if you know how to do it.

For example, this podcast episode is ranking first for the keyword “startup podcast” which has about 720 monthly searches.

Creating a podcast website is easy. Tools like Transistor and SupaPass can help easily.

• Additional reading: Our podcast SEO guide.

6. Guest on Other Podcast

Appearing on other people’s podcasts means you’re leveraging on their established audiences and the people who already trust your host - and this is effective for growing your audiences.

It is often in an interview-format style.

But if you’re just getting your feet wet in podcasting, it can be tricky to get featured on popular podcasts as you don’t have the authority to do that yet.

So, pitch yourself to small podcasts with a sizable number of audiences.

Reach out to these people to offer your experience, personal story, or expertise to their audiences while occasionally mentioning that you also have a podcast.

7. Land Podcast Guests Using X (formerly Twitter)

It is not enough to appear on other peoples’ shows but you need to bring some people to yours, too.

As a podcaster with only a few thousand downloads per month, it can be tricky to get guests easily on your show but it still depends on the kind of guests you’re gunning for.

For example, a guest with some thousand followers could be a nice way to start your podcast guest appearance and a simple strategy is using their social media, especially X (formerly Twitter) to pitch yourself.

Here’s an example of how our co-founder, Tiago used X to find guests for his indie hacking podcast, IndieFounderPod.

The goal here is to get on the radar of your guest and it’s easier to do that on their social platform. You can also do this on other social platforms where your guest uses the most.

8. Create a Podcast Lead Magnet

A podcast leag magnet is an enticing offer, like a free resource, designed to capture potential listeners’ interest and funnel them to your show. Many big podcasters do this and effectively so.

The goal of a podcast lead magnet is more than getting listeners’ interest in your podcast alone but to also keep them coming back.

Think about the last time you got something for free from a website or a creator and that resource helped you well. How did you feel? You probably visit the website again or give that creator a follow.

So, how can you create a podcast lead magnet?

You don’t have to stress it. A curated list of the best tools in your niche, free books, podcast gadgets, or a list of the best resources in your niche could work as lead magnets.

9. Start Podcast Blogging

Repurpose your episodes as blogs. Why? Because, according to OptinMonster, marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to have a positive ROI on their efforts than those who don’t.

And thankfully, you don’t need to create a blog from scratch to start podcast blogging. Your transcript, just like how we did with our interview with our episodes with Rob Walling, can be repurposed into blog posts.

Podsqueeze can help you generate a transcript for your episode and a manual tweak and formatting of the episode is enough to make a good blog post.

Or, you can just use our blog post generator to instantly get a ready-to-be-published blog post of your episode.

10. Double-Down on Social Media

Social media is the powerhouse where all your listeners reside. Tapping into the rich tapestry of these platforms is all you need to have your podcast needs met.

But here’s the bottom line.

There are just too many of them and you can’t be on all of them (at least not when you’re just starting out).

That’s why you need to find the platform that works best for you and double down on it.

For example, if you have a podcast about indie hacking and bootstrapping, your platform is X (formerly Twitter). And if you have a podcast about e-commerce or dropshipping, your platform could be Facebook or Instagram.

You have to find out which platform works best and you can do that by studying the already established podcasters.

These questions will point you in the right direction on the platform you can look on to and when you find it, double down on it.

11. Use Word-of-Mouth Podcast Marketing

By asking listeners to recommend, share, and tell people about your show both online and offline, your podcast is on the way to becoming one of the fastest-growing ones.

Word-of-mouth marketing isn’t only evergreen in product or service marketing. It also does in podcasting. In fact, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any other form of (marketing or) advertising.

In your podcast episode, encourage your listeners to share your podcast with friends, families, colleagues, etc.

12. Ask For Listeners' Ratings and Reviews

Although not directly proportional to podcast promotional ideas, it’s still part of subtle marketing.

Why is that?

This not only increases your podcast ranking on directories but also lets you know where to focus to improve your podcast.

This will be done in the episode. Ask your listeners to give ratings to your show, what they think about it, and how they feel about it.

You can also direct followers on social media to their favorite podcast app to rate your show and use their ratings to good use. Take them as listeners' feedback to know what they want, how they want it, and how they want it to be.

13. Launch Your Podcast on YouTube

YouTube is the second biggest platform in the world after Google and a big chunk of your listeners spend about 47 minutes on the platform on average daily.

While YouTube might not be easy to crack for new channels, it's worth giving a try given that it'll cost you only a few minutes to set up and get started.

If you have a video podcast, YouTube is your best bet but if it's an audio-only podcast, you'll need to add some footage alongside your audio to make it YouTube-worthy.

But, you don’t need a camera or to even show your face to share your podcast on YouTube. For example, here’s a podcast from Buffer with no one showing their faces.

You need to find a simple video editing tool like Jumpshare, Splice, or Nova that could help you easily make these videos.

And then add some footage to your audio you can download stock videos from Pixel.

And when you're done, download your video and upload it.

This little step of bringing your podcast to YouTube has a bigger ROI than just focusing on audio podcast directories alone.

14. On-The-Ground-Promotion: Podcast Meetups and Events

Get up and visit the next podcast events and meetups around you. The virtual world is a great playground for meeting like-minded people and connections but the real world tends to provide more incentives.

Are there any podcasting events, meetups, forums, or plain hangouts around you?

Or, if you can afford to travel across the country, what about local podcast events and meetups?

It's easier to make connections, know more people, get features for interviews, and also book guests for your show on meetups than just focusing on the online world alone.

So, hit up podcast meetups and events and how you can find events near you.

15. Add Your Podcast to Directories Podcatchers

There are some forums particularly created to curate interesting podcast shows across different niches and industries where listeners can discover new shows.

You don't want your show to be limited to just a handful of directories but be across all of them which is why this is important.

Here are some popular podcatchers to send your show over:

• Player FM
• Podcast Addict
• Stitcher
• Pocket Cast
• Podcruncher
• Downcast
• Luminary
• AntennaPod
• Podcast Republic

Although the number of listeners on some directories is low compared to the likes of Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc, it's worth adding yours to the list.

16. Add Storytelling to Your Show

What is storytelling podcasting, you may ask? Almost every podcast has a story embedded in it, but storytelling podcasting takes this to another level.

It’s just like it sounds: telling stories (whether real or fictitious) with your podcast. It’s similar to reading novels, narrations, dialogues between characters, or painting a real-life scenario in the minds of the listeners.

This type of content is widely consumed and many creators have built their content empire on this foundation.

As a means of podcast promotion, you can also add storytelling to your podcast workflow by switching up some episodes into stories with inspired characters, personalities, plot twists, and other elements that intrigue your narratives.

A tool like CharacterHub can help you craft detailed profiles, including information like personality traits, physical characteristics, backstory, hobbies, and more.

Wrapping Up

We have just mentioned 16 unique ways to get your podcast before targeted audiences and increase the quality of your show. From adding storytelling to your show to also including your show in podcatchers, we believe these 16 invaluable points will take your show to a new level.

FAQs About Podcast Promotion Ideas

1. How do you make a podcast go viral?

To make a podcast go viral, focus on creating shareable and engaging content that sparks curiosity or emotional connection. Then proceed to promote your episodes on social media using trends like short-form videos, adding storytelling to your podcast, adding your podcast to directories and podcatchers, on-the-ground promotion like podcast meetups and events, etc.

2. How do you attract podcast listeners?

Attracting podcast listeners involves optimizing your episode titles and descriptions to catch attention and improve searchability. You can also interact with listeners through comments, polls, or Q&A sessions, and continuously improve audio quality to retain engagement. Offering unique content like behind-the-scenes access or exclusive episodes also helps grow loyalty.

3. How to promote a podcast?

Promoting a podcast effectively requires a mix of organic and paid strategies. Create SEO-optimized blog posts for your podcast and share updates through email newsletters. Submit your podcast to all major directories like Spotify and Apple Podcasts while leveraging social media ads to reach target audiences. You can also cross-promote by collaborating with similar podcasts and exploring podcast-specific ad platforms to expand your reach.