52 Weeks of Podcast Growth
There’s a LOT of ways to go about podcast promotion & growth. Truth be told – they can feel overwhelming at times. So, to make it easier for you, we’re recommending simple and actionable things for you to do to grow your podcast, one week at a time. Whether you’re starting a show from scratch or if you already have one that you’re looking to grow, audience growth is likely on your mind.
Our hope is that if you were to implement these 52 simple tips, by the end of the year you might find that your podcast has achieved organic and sustainable growth.
Make a list of 10 podcasts similar to yours.
They could be similar in tone, topic, or format. The idea is to find shows that have potential for audience overlap.
Find them on social media and give them a follow.
From your list of similar shows last week, find them on social media and follow them. Never hurts to start interacting and supporting their work there.
Join communities.
Join 3 subreddits and/or discords that are relevant to the topic of your podcast.
Write a short pitch.
Write a 150-word pitch for your show. Consider the things you need to highlight when you only have a brief length to work with. This might be similar to what you include in your 30 second promo script!
Time yourself.
We know that podcasting, especially when it’s not your full-time gig, can be time consuming. We want you to know exactly how much time. So time how long you spend on podcast creation and marketing. As we get into implementing more growth tips, it’s crucial to know how much time and effort you are spending and where.
If you’re looking for a free time tracking tool, look no further than Toggl.
Get descriptive and perspective.
When pitching, as in so many other things in life, perspective is key. Sometimes we get caught up in our own heads and may not be able to describe our podcast fully. Try putting yourself in a friend or a listener’s shoes and write a description from their perspective.
Write a long pitch.
You’ll remember that, in previous weeks, we asked you to write a 150-word pitch for your podcast. This was to get your creative pitching juices flowing. Now that you’ve done that and written about your podcast from a friend’s perspective, you have enough to double the size of your pitch. Best get to it then!
Time your pitch.
So far, we have worked on 150 and 300-word pitches. This week, we want you to throw the word count out the window and just spend 15 minutes on yourself. Try to write a pitch that would require minimal editing. We suggest writing for 12 minutes and spending 3 minutes to edit. This will, hopefully, get you in the mindset to think about pitching yourself for 15 minutes straight, which is easier said than done.
We know that we’re getting you to write so many pitches, but bear with us. The practice will help you hit the ground running when it’s time to start sending them.
Show your pitch to a friend.
It’s a simple one this week. Simple, but not easy. It is easier to show your pitch to someone who’s more likely to be kind to you than a random stranger. Ask them if they understand what the show is about based on your pitch. Also, this way you can get immediate feedback on what you have so far!
Rework your pitch.
Take a closer look at your pitch. Revise and rework if needed. If you feel confident and comfortable, share it with the communities you’ve joined.
Trailer time.
Record a trailer of your show. If you already have a podcast: listen to your initial trailer and if you see some things you might do differently, record a new one! This trailer can be for your ears only or to show to a friend. Creating a trailer is a fun and effective way to gauge where you’re at with your podcast and where you want to go.
Ask a friend about your promo copy.
Get a friend or a fellow podcaster to hear your promo swap. And ask them to tell you what they think about it.
Get contacts.
Remember those 10 podcasts similar to yours? Find their contacts if you haven’t already. We’ve done our research and we’ve done our practice rounds. So, let’s find those contacts and gear up to send those pitches.
Draft a pitch email.
Draft a pitch email for promo swaps. Just do it! We’ve done all the things – from research to rehearsal. Let’s just do the dang thing and draft that pitch email for promo swaps.
Show your pitch email.
Show your pitch email to a friend or share it with the podcasting Discord community. You’ve done the deed of writing the pitch. Before we throw you to the sharks and have you send them to a bunch of strangers, why not try sharing them with some friends or mentors?
Hit send!
It’s time! Send your pitch for promo swaps to ONE podcaster. We’ve done it all. We’ve practiced, prepared, and primped for this moment. Go forth and send your pitch for promo swaps to just one more fellow podcaster.
Link it.
Put a link to your podcast in your email signature—but point to a favorite episode or specific moment. Your email signature is prime real estate for a little self-promo! It’s an easy way to spread the word about your podcast and made even better when you choose a specific episode to link to. Then you know people will get a strong first impression!
Hit send again!
Send a pitch email to two podcasters. Also, follow-up on the pitch email for promo swaps you sent. We’re still keeping the pitches to a minimum to help make it doable during your busy week, but it’s time to send a couple more! And never underestimate a polite follow-up if you haven’t heard back from your first pitch. It might be the reminder they need!
Maintenance time.
Maintenance week: check to see if there’s anything about your podcast on your website that might need maintenance. This is the time to make sure all the information about your podcast on your website is up to date and it’s easy for people to check out your show when they get there. Do you have links to various listening platforms? Have you embedded a player on the page so people can listen right there? Make it easy and make sure the description of the show is current!
Transcribe it.
Transcribe an episode! Be it an old or a new one. Trust me, you’ll need this for what we have in store for you later. You can use a transcription software to transcribe the audio file for you and read it through to check for corrections.
Get sharing.
It’s time to get your highlighters out and head to your calendars. On the calendar where you track your release, add 30 minutes to: 1) Share episode to social media and 2) Share episode to the podcasting Discord. We are fully of the “if it’s not in the calendar, it’s not real” camp. So, let’s get your promotions on your calendar. This will make it seem less daunting and more like a simple to-do that needs to be checked off.
Share the love.
Find 5 podcasts that you love and share them on social. Bonus: leave each of them an intentional review. Let’s remember that every podcaster has limited time to grow their show. So, any bit of genuine love shared with them goes a long way. We could all learn from Lauren.
Survey time.
Create a listener survey. No matter how many listeners you have, it’s always advisable to get to know them better. We recommend using Edison Research’s listener survey template as a starting point of designing a survey. We know how daunting it can be to send this though, so it’s okay if you don’t want to send it, yet. We can do that together next week!
Send your listener survey.
Last week, we recommended creating a listener survey using Edison Research’s listener survey template. Now, it’s time to send that listener survey. You can post it on social media, include it in your podcast description, and share it on the Podcasting Discord.
Write a pitch email for feed drops.
Feed drops can be a powerful way to collaborate between seasons, when you need a break, or any time! A lot of people tend to take breaks in August and December, so you want to think about how you could keep feeds warm. Respona has a great blog to help you get started on writing this pitch email.
Subscribe to two podcast newsletters.
As simple as that. If you’re making a podcast, you might enjoy listening to some too! And what better place to start than subscribing to a podcast newsletter or two?
Optimize your metadata.
Super important to cover your bases and optimizing your metadata is one of those. Faybeo’n Mickens wrote a guest post on why there’s more to metadata than meets the eye.
Ask for reviews and ratings on your social media channels.
Go on! Do it. It’s totally okay to ask. And remember to use a non-app specific link when you’re directing people to your podcast.
Sign up for a podcast meetup or event near you.
If you’re blessed enough to be living in a place where you can attend a podcast happy hour or a meetup this summer, you should do it! Podcasting can often seem isolating. You’ll be surprised at the friends (and potential collaborators) you meet at an IRL event.
Send pitch email for promo swaps or feed drops to two more podcasters.
Simple as that!
Create a new call-to-action (CTA) that’s specific to you.
Make it something that’s not ‘find us wherever you find your podcasts’ or ‘like, subscribe, comment.’ Tip: use ChatGPT to brainstorm some ideas for you.
Capture behind-the-scenes.
Create a BTS video or take a BTS photo. Reveal thine self! Give your listeners and followers a little behind-the-scenes action. It goes a long way in adding to the authenticity label.
Share behind-the-scenes.
Remember the BTS photo or video you took of yourself last week? Go ahead and share it, if you haven’t already! Let the world see the maestro at work.
Respond to listener feedback.
We’ve mentioned asking for feedback but now it’s time to get intentional about responding to it too. Dig into comments on social media posts and reviews on listener apps to engage with your listeners.
Thank yous.
Say thank you to your community and listeners! Easy as that. A little gratitude goes a long way.
Do some podcast newsletter pitching.
Pitch to two podcast newsletters! Use the momentum and creativity you’re feeling from Matt’s pitch letter to make magic of your own.
Take the plunge.
The Podcast Plunge is a user-generated podcast recommendation newsletter. Recommend your show to it to get a potential feature! It’s so easy.
Identify you heroes.
Are there podcasters who are doing things you love? Find them and make a list of what you can emulate.
Ask a question.
Ask your listeners something. On the note of show notes and increasing engagement, how about asking your listeners something very specific about the topic of your podcast and getting them to engage? Give it a shot!
Share on social.
Share an episode highlight on your social; either by video or audio.
Coming soon.