A podcast gives you a break from your routine and makes you laugh while learning. The purpose of podcasts isn’t just entertainment, but also building an audience. And for podcasters who want to truly succeed, it’s important to start thinking about building an audience from day one of your podcasting journey.
Start with a plan.
You can’t build an audience without a plan. Whether you are growing your podcast or engaging your listeners, a plan is a set of actions you take to achieve a goal.
Planning ahead helps prevent mistakes and keeps things running smoothly when things get stressful, so if you want to grow your podcast effectively, make sure you have a solid strategy in place before launching into anything else!
Podcast editing and post-production.
Post-production is a vital step in delivering high-quality and captivating episodes to listeners. It involves fine-tuning audio recordings, enhancing sound quality, and creating a seamless listening experience. To achieve these goals effectively, podcasters can harness the power of video editors and audio joiners, which provide valuable tools and capabilities.
When it comes to podcast post-production, choosing the right video editor plays a significant role. Video editing software designed for audio-focused content can greatly enhance the overall production quality. These editors offer features tailored to the needs of podcasters, allowing them to seamlessly incorporate visual elements into their episodes. By adding title cards, logos, or other branding elements, podcasters can reinforce their visual identity and provide a cohesive experience across various platforms.
In addition to visual enhancements, podcasters should invest in an audio joiner. Seamless transitions between different audio files are essential for creating a professional and enjoyable listening experience. Audio joiners enable podcasters to merge various elements seamlessly, such as intro/outro music, sponsor messages, or guest interviews. With the help of these tools, podcasters can ensure a smooth flow throughout the episode, eliminating any awkward gaps or abrupt changes.
Build an audience from the beginning.
Plan how you will build your audience as you plan your podcast and look forward to its launch.It isn’t enough to begin recording and assume people will come; you have to deliberately seek out those who are intrigued and then get them on board early.
Start with a small group of people who are already interested in what your podcast will cover (and make sure these potential fans know about it). Maybe your friends or colleagues are interested in hearing more or even have asked if a podcast is planned. Whatever their reasons for being interested, these folks are great candidates for being subscribers from the very beginning. As part of your outreach efforts with these individuals, ask them if they’d like updates on when new episodes go live—they’ll appreciate having advance notice so they can listen right away!
Other ways to build your audience include:
- Creating a landing page for your podcast (and making it easy for people to sign up)
- Promoting the podcast through social media and other channels
- Hosting a launch party or other event where people can learn more about the podcast, see it in action and chat with you about their favorite moments and topics
- Promoting the podcast on your website and blog (this will help attract new listeners from Google searches)
Get on social media early and often.
Building and engaging with an audience is easier with social media. It offers a unique opportunity to connect with existing listeners and reach new ones by promoting your podcast on various platforms.
Creating an authority in your field starts with social media, especially for new podcasters. By sharing valuable tips, resources, and insights related to the topic of your show, you can showcase your expertise and provide value to your target audience. This approach helps build trust with potential listeners who may not have heard of your podcast yet. You will be more likely to get a listen from these people because they already know you and consider you credible.
Video is one of the most engaging contents for social media sharing. However, different social media platforms have varying requirements and supported video formats. This is where the video converters come in. Various online tools are available for converting videos, like WebM to MP4. This will ensure compatibility across different platforms.
Consistently sharing valuable content and engaging with your followers can expand your podcast’s reach and attract new listeners who resonate with your message and expertise.
Interact with your listeners on social media and in the app.
Through social media, you can expand your listener base by building relationships. Respond to social media comments and questions.
- Respond to comments and questions on social media. If someone posts something about your podcast, reply! You’ll make them feel heard, which is important for building trust and loyalty among fans who may or may not know you personally yet (and therefore aren’t sure if they can trust you). As long as you keep your responses genuine and helpful, this will help increase engagement across all platforms—not just Instagram or Twitter but also iTunes reviews or even Facebook groups where people discuss their favorite podcasts together!
- Ask for feedback from listeners directly through surveys or polls that link back directly into the app so that everyone’s responses get counted properly. Making content that your listeners love is easier when you better understand their needs! Ask questions like: What do you want more of from our podcast? Which episodes are your favorites so far?
- If you’re hosting a live event, use Instagram to promote it! Create an event page that people can RSVP for and share on their profiles. This way, they will learn what’s going on and why attendance is vital. You could even include a link on the event page so attendees can click through and listen to some episodes of your podcast before coming in person.
Think of your audience as people, not just numbers in your analytics dashboard.
“How do I know what my audience wants?”
This is a great question! There are multiple methods for answering this question, including experiments and research. But before we dive into those strategies, let’s first establish who exactly your target listener is.
To do this, think about who you would want to listen to your show if there were no rules or limitations on who could listen—if there were no barriers between them and getting their hands on your podcast (e.g., iTunes). The answer will give us insight into how best to speak to this ideal person (or group).
Next, we’ll want to start narrowing this person down. Do they have a specific gender? Age range? What kind of interests do they have that might align with your content? Find out what your closest family and friends think when they hear “podcast.”
If you’re still having trouble, consider what kind of listener you are yourself. What kind of podcasts do you listen to? How do they differ from one another? It’s an effective way to know your listeners.
Be consistent and reliable.
Your audience is a fickle bunch, and they can be easily turned off by inconsistency. Maintain consistency in your podcasting schedule and format so your listeners know what to expect. This means:
- Being regular—not irregular. If you have a weekly show, don’t skip a week because of illness or vacation. Your listeners will lose confidence in the quality of your content if they never know when they’ll get an episode next time around!
- Being predictable—not erratic (or worse yet… boring). Have fun with it! But don’t change things up too much; stick with what works until it stops working (which hopefully won’t happen anytime soon).
Change is good, but don’t make drastic changes at once. If your listeners are used to hearing a certain type of episode every week, then suddenly start doing something different each time… well, they might not like it! Be patient and give your show time to find its voice and then stick with that voice.
Set up a feedback loop so that you can be responsive to their needs.
Audience feedback can be obtained in many ways. You can use a feedback form, a rating system, survey tool or social media app. If you have the resources, consider using customer service software (or even building your own). Another option is email lists—which can be effective but require more work on your end, or chatbots/live chats if you want something automated that doesn’t require an ongoing commitment from yourself (and/or money).
The best way to build an audience is through hard work and consistency. This article won’t lead to instant results, but if you pay attention and work hard, you’ll succeed!
