How to grow your Podcast in 2021
By: Listnr Co
Tags: Podcasting, AI, Listnr, Podcast, SaaS

The Podcast Revolution is here

There is a renowned adage that “Silence may be golden”, however, when driving, doing chores, or working out, it’s not exactly the most fascinating thing to listen to. This all goes on to emphasize the fact that audio is anything but finished.

Podcasting has continued to remain the fastest-growing broadcasting medium in a very tough year for the media. With an expected growth of 14.7% through 2020, the stage has been set for podcast revenues to hit $1.1 billion+ in 2021, according to the IAB/PwC report. If you have not yet taken the plunge into podcasts, then the year to make the switch is 2021.

Tip 1: Publish new episodes on a regular basis

Much the same as Google, which prefers blogs that publish content in a recurrent and timely manner, the same is done by popular podcast directories like Apple and Spotify.

Not only will publishing fresh episodes also give you more exposure, but it will also keep your listeners engaged. Prefer to adhere to the same day(s) of the week to ensure that your podcasts gather traction from loyal and recurring listeners. The algorithm of Apple podcast will favor regular publishers, and frankly, so do individuals!

But the question is how often should you publish episodes?

The answer could not be easier. As often as you can! Aim for more than just one episode per week for the best outcomes, particularly when launching. This could seem really daunting if you record long, 1-hour episodes. Attempt to alter the episodes’ duration. Instead of a weekly 1-hour episode, aim for 2 or 3 episodes of less than 30 minutes each, or you could even entice your listeners by posting a 10-minute episode daily.

Tip 2: Initiate call to action (CTAs) to spread the word

Cues from users are another element algorithm enjoy. What is that supposed to mean? The answer is very simple. These algorithms recommend podcasts that get a lot of traffic and have ample subscriber count. And what increases the subscriber count? The answer to this is simple, It’s the ratings and reviews received from listeners.

Therefore If one likes to organically grow a podcast in a short time, they should not be afraid to ask for feedback from their listeners. You can either do it during the beginning or while concluding the podcast. You don’t want to interrupt the material too much with all these reminders so don’t ask for feedback in between as it can hamper the mood of the listener.

Tip 3: To increase downloads, Cross Promotion is the way to go!

By looking for specific topics, many individuals discover podcasts. They are going to select one episode that delivers just what they were looking for, listen to it, and then move on with their lives. Some can stay and watch other episodes, but many people don’t!

But what can you do to boost the likelihood that they will still listen to previous episodes? Mention them as much as possible. People will get interested that way, maybe they will know that they want to learn more which will eventually lead to more subscribers and downloads.

This strategy is also feasible since:

Wide subjects usually are not covered in one podcast episode,

A new guest on your podcast can have a similar or conflicting opinion with some previous guests, and your audience may be curious in exploring and knowing both their perspectives on the subject matter.

Tip 4: Make your Podcast widely accessible

Publishing only in one or two best-known directories is a common mistake many individuals make when releasing a podcast. It’s true that Apple and Spotify are the big players that single-handedly dominate the market, but the better thing would be to not constrain yourself within these two large platforms and seek new avenues in applications such as PocketCasts and Laughable, and many more.

What are the advantages of publishing to a significant number of directories?

Your competition might not be in all these directories, which will give you a significant advantage to stand out and gain more followers than them!

By getting your podcast listed in a multitude of directories, you are doing your podcast a favor by making it more accessible and are extending its reach at the same time!

Wrapping Up

Quality content and commitment go a long way to help grow your podcast. Most of these methods mentioned in this post are free and can be implemented without any requirement of being a marketing guru. Podcast episodes are now indexed, so concentrate on summarizing the episode for the listener and creating a transcript. While launching a podcast, the risk for publishers is the inclination to jump in without setting specific goals. For a new podcast, profitability seems to be a reasonable goal to one and all but start with the goal of creating a podcast that your audience will enjoy and reap its benefits in the long run.