Ever wondered how to promote a podcast for free? In this article, Bogdan Bratis, founder of Saspod, breaks down 5 proven strategies for podcast success.
The biggest issue in podcasting right now is the lack of visibility. And not because there aren’t enough people to listen to podcasts, in fact, a study made by Backlinko suggests that there are 584 million listeners worldwide. The problem is that most podcasts struggle to promote themselves, despite having a great show.
In this article, I will outline 10 effective ways to promote your podcast, and this guide won’t require any financial investment to implement.
1: Do you have the right podcast name?
Most podcasts have very complicated niche names that people won’t search. This would kill the visibility of your show right from the start. You always want to ensure that your podcast name includes a high-volume keyword, which will make it more likely for your show to appear in search results on Google, as well as on platforms like Apple Podcasts & Spotify.
For example, if your podcast is about “finance advice,” check if this keyword is highly searched on Google.
Running this keyword through Ahrefs, we found that it has a volume of 600. This means that 600 people search for this every month. (Not bad)
However, upon closer examination, we will see that the keyword “personal finance advisor” has more than double the search volume.
So it would make sense to call our show something along the lines of “Personal Finance Advisor Podcast”. I know not very exciting from a branding perspective, but 100% effective in terms of visibility.
Now, you get the concept – and the key here is to find a balance between branding and discoverability.
You may also see that the competition for this keyword is high. Do not worry about this, because a podcast doesn’t follow standard SEO rules. The search engine in Apple Podcast, for example, is less competitive, and the fact that you rank on this keyword using another domain (parasite SEO) makes this strategy very effective.
2: Distribute Your Podcast To All Players
Many limit themselves to Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and yes, most listeners are there; however, distributing your podcast on all the different channels is not just about getting listeners. It’s also about authority.
You see, being on as many channels as possible should be part of your brand amplification strategy. Every player with your name on it is a thumbs-up that your show is important, giving Google and LLMs more reasons to recommend you.
Use a podcast hosting service like Saspod; their hosting solution isn’t just very good and inexpensive, but the people behind it will also provide you with all the suggestions to make your show more visible.
3: Use Social Media
This is a relatively obvious one, but leveraging your current followers would give you that initial boost to visibility. But how do we do it?
If you run a video podcast, it’s easy: all you need to do is produce a few engaging reels and start posting on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and, if your show is business-oriented, LinkedIn as well.
Promoting an audio podcast can be tricky. While audiograms are an option, I’ve found they’re often not very effective. A better approach is to record video during your podcast sessions and use that footage to create short reels. You don’t need to produce a full video podcast; just having the video gives you content to repurpose for social media.
4: The RSS Swap
This one’s simple. Connect with podcasters in your niche and swap episodes. For example, you could feature one of their best-performing episodes on your feed, and they can do the same with yours. Include a brief disclaimer at the start and a call-to-action at the end, letting listeners know it’s a co-promotion and that they can check out the full podcast via the link in your show notes.
5: Get more podcast reviews.
I conducted some tests with one of my podcasts and examined how the total number of reviews on Apple Podcasts affects visibility. As you might guess, a lot.
Just getting 5 reviews, I managed to jump 5 places in the search results. Although this really depends on the competition in the search, it will definitely have a positive impact.
And This Is How You Promote A Podcast For Free
Do not underestimate the power of organic growth. Although paid podcast marketing strategies can provide faster results, they usually do not work if you don’t have the right organic strategy in place.
About the author:
Bogdan Bratis is the founder of Saspod, a UK-based podcast production company. He is also a podcast producer and an expert in marketing and PR. Bogdan and Saspod are on a mission to help brands build visibility and authority through podcasting.
