How to market your podcast on social media - Expert advice from a podcast strategist
Promoting your podcast on social media can feel like an uphill battle, especially if you're not seeing the growth you expect.
In this guide we will cover the ten most common reasons your social media podcast content might not be performing and offer actionable solutions to turn things around.
Whether you're just starting out or looking to elevate your podcast strategy, these insights will help you engage more effectively with your audience and grow your show.
1. Reframe Your Perspective on Social Media
Social media is not just a platform for promoting your podcast; it's a tool to build relationships with your listeners.
View it as an opportunity to connect and have meaningful conversations rather than a chore.
Social media should not feel like a "selfie culture" burden but rather an extension of your podcast, helping you reach out to your listeners and engage with them.
Many podcasters see social media as a necessary evil rather than an opportunity to build community. This mindset can lead to lackluster engagement because the content feels obligatory rather than genuine.
Treat social media interactions as extensions of your podcast conversations. Instead of merely posting updates, focus on creating content that fosters dialogue and connection.
Instead of treating social media as a one-way street, approach it as an opportunity for community building.
Engage Actively: Ask questions, seek feedback, and encourage discussions. For example, if you discuss a topic in your episode, follow up with a question on social media asking for listeners' opinions or experiences.
Use Specific Call-to-Actions (CTAs): Don’t just announce a new episode. Invite your audience to share their thoughts on specific parts of the episode. End your posts with questions like, "What do you think?" or "How has this topic impacted you?"
2. Avoid Obsessive Perfectionism in Editing
Spending too much time perfecting your podcast by editing out every filler word or minor mistake can detract from creating valuable social media content.
Authenticity often resonates more than perfection, and listeners appreciate a more genuine approach.
Excessive editing can consume time that could be better spent on engaging with your audience. Moreover, overly polished content can sometimes feel sterile and less relatable.
To build a community on social media, it's essential to put your ego aside and be willing to be vulnerable. Sharing your authentic self and embracing imperfections can foster deeper connections with your audience.
Focus on creating engaging social media content that highlights the key points of your episodes while allowing your authentic self to shine through and resonate with your listeners.
Being productive on social media is all about striking a balance between spontaneity, quality, and efficiency.
Balance Your Time: Dedicate a fixed amount of time to editing and stick to it. Avoid being a perfectionist. Use the saved time to craft engaging social media posts that highlight the key points of your episode. Set a timer or allocate a specific time block to editing and adhere to it strictly.
Highlight Authentic Moments: Share behind-the-scenes content or bloopers on social media. This not only saves editing time but also gives your audience a glimpse into the real, unpolished side of your podcast. For instance, share a funny mistake or an unscripted moment that showcases your personality and makes your content more relatable.
3. Stop Using Social Media as a Mere Reminder
If your social media posts only serve to announce new episodes, you’re missing out on potential engagement. Posts that merely say "new episode out now" don't provide value or encourage interaction.
Simple announcements fail to engage or encourage interaction because they don't give followers a compelling reason to click, listen, or engage with your content.
Instead, focus on sharing more engaging content that offers value and actively encourages interaction:
Create Engaging Content: Include summaries, quotes, or key takeaways from the episode. Use these to spark discussions by asking your audience how they feel about the topics discussed. For example, post a quote from a guest and ask your audience what they think about the guest’s perspective.
Visual Content: Use audiograms with captions, short video clips, or infographics to make your posts more engaging. Visual content tends to perform better and attract more attention. Create eye-catching designs that highlight the main points of your episode and include a call-to-action.
4. Consistently Engage with Your Audience
Neglecting to reply to comments and messages can discourage future interactions from your listeners.
Engagement is a two-way street; if you don’t engage with your audience, they won’t feel compelled to continue engaging with you.
Consistent engagement builds a sense of community and loyalty. If listeners feel ignored, they are less likely to continue engaging.
Make engagement a priority in your podcast social media strategy:
Reply Promptly: Make it a habit to respond to comments and messages within a certain timeframe. This shows your audience that you value their input and encourages more interaction. Set aside specific times each day to check and respond to social media interactions.
Ask for Feedback: Regularly ask your listeners for their thoughts on your episodes and implement their suggestions. This not only improves your content but also makes your audience feel heard and appreciated. Conduct polls or surveys to gather feedback and show your audience that their opinions matter.
5. Use the Right Templates for Your Content
I realized the importance of consistent branding during a group call with small business owners. While discussing podcasting, my content appeared on someone’s feed, and it was immediately recognized by the leader because of the consistent use of fonts, colors, and design elements. This recognition happened because I maintained a cohesive visual identity across all my posts.
Having templates that not only make your brand more recognizable but also help you create posts more efficiently is essential. However, not all Canva templates are designed with your specific message in mind.
So make sure your templates are tailored to your content and the platform you’re using:
Customize Templates: Tailor your templates to fit the message and call to action. For instance, if you’re asking a question, make sure the template clearly highlights this and doesn’t get lost in excessive design elements.
Platform-Specific Designs: Use vertical or square designs for Instagram, and landscape for LinkedIn and Facebook. This ensures that your content looks good and is readable on each platform. Regularly review your analytics to see which designs perform best and adjust accordingly.
Regularly Review and Adjust: Regularly review your analytics to see which designs perform best and adjust accordingly. Be ready to tweak your templates based on performance feedback.
6. Overcome the Fear of Getting Big
Many podcasters hold back on sharing their best content due to fear of negative feedback or bullying.
Fear of criticism can stifle your creativity and authenticity, preventing you from sharing content that could genuinely help and engage your audience. Often, this fear stems from a desire to avoid negative interactions or to keep your profile low to avoid attracting attention.
As a result, your content might become bland and unremarkable, failing to make an impact or resonate with your listeners.
Remember, the benefits of sharing your expertise and connecting with your audience far outweigh the potential drawbacks of negative feedback. Your audience wants to hear your unique voice, and holding back only deprives them of the value you can offer.
Share Valuable Insights: Don’t shy away from posting content that highlights your expertise. Authenticity and confidence can attract a loyal audience.
Handle Negative Comments Positively: Expect some negative feedback and prepare to handle it professionally. Remember that criticism often comes from non-creators who may not understand the effort behind your content. Respond calmly and constructively, and focus on the positive interactions from your supportive audience.
7. Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin
Trying to keep up with every social media platform can really stretch you thin and end up making your engagement less effective. Instead, why not zero in on the platforms where your audience is hanging out the most and put your energy there to begin with?
PRO TIP: if you’re unsure about which social media platform to focus on, take a peek at what your competition is doing. Look at the most popular podcasts in your niche and see where they’re most active. This little bit of detective work can give you some great clues about where your audience might be spending their time.
Select Key Platforms: Choose one or two platforms that align with your audience's preferences. For instance, if your audience is more professional, focus on LinkedIn; if they are more visual, focus on Instagram.
Consistent Posting: Be consistent with your posting schedule on your chosen platforms. This builds familiarity and expectation with your audience. Use a content calendar to plan and schedule your posts in advance, ensuring regular and consistent updates.
8. Ensure Your Posts Have Context
Posts that lack context can confuse your audience, making it harder for them to engage. Your posts should clearly communicate their purpose and how they relate to your podcast.
Ensure your audience understands the content and its relevance by providing clear, concise information in every post.
Here are some detailed strategies to help you achieve this:
Understand Your Audience: Every post should cater to both your current audience and potential new followers. This means including information that helps newcomers understand your brand quickly.
For example, if your post is about using social media effectively for podcasting, make sure it’s clear that your account focuses on tips for podcasters.
Avoid Information Overload: When crafting a post, ask yourself if someone can understand what it's about within two seconds. Overloading a post with too much information can make it difficult for your audience to gauge its main point and relevance. Stick to one or two key messages per post to keep it clear and focused.
Provide Context in Captions: Always include context in your captions. The first line of your caption should provide essential information and entice your audience to read more. For example, if your post is about the benefits of using social media for podcast promotion, start with a compelling statement that draws readers in and explains the relevance.
Use Clear Visual Cues: Use visual elements like arrows or “read more” prompts to guide your audience. If important information continues in the caption, make it obvious with visual indicators. This helps ensure that viewers who might not usually read captions are encouraged to do so.
Tailor Your Message: Each post should be tailored to fit the platform and audience. For example, a post on Instagram might require more visual appeal, while a LinkedIn post might benefit from more detailed text. Make sure the format suits the platform’s strengths and your audience’s expectations.
Regularly Review and Adjust: Monitor your posts’ performance to see what works best in terms of engagement and clarity. Use analytics to identify posts that received high engagement and analyze why they were successful. Adjust your future content based on these insights to continually improve clarity and engagement.
9. Know Your Audience and Brand Identity
A lack of clarity about your podcast’s branding and target audience can lead to inconsistent and ineffective social media posts. Consistent branding helps your audience recognize and connect with your content, making it easier to build a loyal following. To build trust and recognition, it's essential to have a clear, consistent brand identity that your audience can easily identify.
When building your brand identity, you should consider three main components: the content, the copy and tone of voice, and the visual elements.
Content:
Define Your Niche: Clearly define what your podcast is about and stick to topics that align with your niche. This helps attract and retain an audience interested in your specific content.
Create Value: Ensure every post provides value to your audience, whether it’s educational, entertaining, or inspirational. Consistent, high-quality content keeps your audience engaged.
Consistency in Posting: Maintain a regular posting schedule to keep your audience engaged and expecting your content. This helps build a routine for your listeners.
Copy and Tone of Voice: Your tone of voice should reflect your podcast’s personality. Whether professional, casual, humorous, or serious, consistency in tone helps build a strong brand identity.
Visual Elements:
Consistent Design: Use a consistent color palette, fonts, and design style across all your posts. This creates a cohesive look that is easily recognizable.
Branding in Visuals: Always include your podcast’s logo, handle, or other branding elements in your visuals, helping new viewers identify your content quickly.
Create Templates: Design templates for different types of posts (e.g., episode announcements, quotes, tips) to save time and ensure visual consistency.
10. Repurpose your content
In a conversation I had with Em Connors from The Creative Bodega, she mentioned that she posts six days a week, with about 40% of her content being repurposed.
This approach makes a lot of sense, especially considering that only 5 to 7% of your audience sees what you post in the first place. There's a huge opportunity to repurpose or reuse content that has performed well in the past.
The key to successful repurposing is regularly reviewing what works. Check your social media analytics to see which posts perform best to see how you can take the most of your existing content.
Besides, your podcast is a goldmine for content repurposing. Many brands use podcasting as a central platform to create content that can be shared across multiple social media channels.
There’s so much you can do with your podcast to create and repurpose content, and recent AI tools make it even easier to repurpose your podcast episodes into multiple pieces to share across social media.
Here are some popular post formats you can repurpose a single podcast episode into for social media:
Audiograms and clips
Think about those moments in your podcast that made you go, “Wow, this is gold!” Audiograms can capture these golden nuggets. By pairing these clips with visual elements like waveform animations with captions (60% of social media users scroll the apps without sound!), you create something eye-catching for your social media followers. Tools like Headliner and Podsqueeze clip maker make it easy to turn your podcast highlights into engaging audiograms.
Inspirational Quotes and Content
Share motivational quotes or stories that resonate with your audience. These are often highly shareable and can attract new listeners.
Educational Content
Share tips, how-tos, educational snippets, and carousels related to your podcast’s theme. Doing so establishes you as an authority in your field and offers immediate value to your followers.
Blogging Your Episodes
Turning your podcast episodes into blog posts can be a game-changer. Some people prefer reading to listening, and this approach can help you reach them. Summarize the key points from your episodes, add some relevant links, and you've got a blog post ready to go. It’s a win-win for driving traffic to your website and boosting your SEO.
Conclusion
Building a successful podcast on social media isn't an overnight project – it takes time and consistency. Start by changing how you approach it: focus on engaging authentically and creating content that truly resonates with your audience. This way, you can build a loyal listener base and see real growth. Social media is more than just a promotion tool; it's a way to connect and build meaningful relationships with your listeners.
Share Your Thoughts
If this guide helped you rethink your social media strategy for your podcast, share your success stories with us on Instagram @thepodcastspace or connect with me, Ana Xavier on LinkedIn.
Let’s elevate your podcast game together!