Promoting Your Podcast on Social Media Is Easier Than You Think

Podcasts may seem like an underdog in an era where video marketing dominates social platforms. With so much emphasis on visual marketing in our news feeds, audio formats sometimes struggle to stand out. But behind the scenes, podcasts have slowly, steadily been increasing their listening audience. According to one study by Edison Research, 26 percent of Americans aged 12+ listened to a podcast within the last month.

One of the reasons that brands pour so much time and energy into podcasts is the level of audience engagement. Among people who listened to podcasts, 80 percent listened to most or all of the episode. There are few other mediums that allow you to produce long-form content that will actually reach your audience. Let’s face it, how often do you spend 45 minutes to an hour reading a blog post?

When someone spends hours every month listening to your voice and considering about your opinions and ideas, you can connect with them on a deeper level. Your brand becomes a part of their routine, and – just like a popular TV show or YouTube channel – your podcast becomes a touchpoint they can use to connect with other fans.

How to Promote Your Podcast on Social Media

As a format, podcasts aren’t typically optimized for social media. Social news feeds really emphasize video content. With a platform that puts content on mute by default, publishers struggle to find ways to make their audio content stand out.

Luckily, we’ve got a few tips and tricks to help keep your podcast from being buried in your audience’s news feed.

Harness the power of video. There’s no rule that says videos have to promote visual content. Book publishers have been using video clips on social media to promote new releases. You can, too. Short videos that incorporate audio clips from your newest podcast episode can help capture the attention of your target audience.

Go live. Promoting your podcast using Facebook Live or Instagram stories helps increase visibility – and it has the added benefit of giving you an opportunity to engage with your audience directly. When people like your content, they want as much as they can get. You can use live video in a number of interesting ways to tease your audience in between episodes:

• Announcements: Let your followers know the topic of your next podcast before anyone else or give them the opportunity to vote on a topic for a future episode. The poll feature on Instagram stories is great for gathering feedback from your fans, and email can provide an exclusivity factor.
• Behind the Scenes: Experiment with going live during the recording to give your dedicated fans a sneak preview of your content. It’s a great way to encourage people to follow your social accounts.
• Q&A: Consider producing a special supplementary episode where you go live to answer questions from your fans. It’s a great opportunity to build a relationship with your audience.

Encourage open discussion. With any platform, you have to meet your audience where they are. People aren’t browsing their Facebook feed looking for a new podcast to subscribe to. They’re looking to engage with their community. One way to pique their interest is to take a clip or quotation from your podcast, create a standalone image or gif, add your logo, and share it to your social feed. It’s only one piece of the story, but it offers your audience an entry point into the conversation.

Speaking of announcements, check out and subscribe to The Boilerplate, a go-to-market podcast powered by inferno.