Now that you have successfully created a podcast you might be wondering where and how to advertise it and attract more listeners.
Well, if you can afford to run some paid advertisements this is good news as podcast advertising is one way to build and grow your show's audience.
Of course, growing an audience always begins with creating great content regularly. But don’t get too frustrated because growing an audience for your podcast can take time – it won’t happen overnight.
However, if you do have some money to spend on advertising you can get folks to listen to your podcast in a shorter time. Content still needs to be top-notch so listeners will want to keep coming back and subscribe.
Advertising can certainly help you get where you want to go faster. So, where can you run some podcast advertising? And which options are best for you and your target audience?
Because options change quickly and are ever-growing the list for where to advertise also changes on a dime as new apps, ideas, and more occur almost daily.
Below are some options for this writing.
You can always try Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Depending on the platform, you might opt for text, image, or even video for advertising options.
Your ads can be specifically targeted on these platforms. Targeting helps you attract people you're looking to reach. This means you can spend less money and sign up more relevant listeners.
Since these are popular and busy platforms the right targeting may help your cause. You could get a lot of ‘likes’ but, these don't always mean new listeners. There's no guarantee the people you reach on any of these platforms with your ads will become podcast listeners.
But it is worth a try since social media advertising can be good for the visibility of your podcast and brand. Go ahead and test these out, and only commit real funds if you see progress in the number of listeners.
Google AdSense is another way to online advertise your podcast and attract new listeners. For example, if you have a podcast that answers a question Google AdSense might work well for you. If you know what people are searching for in your niche, and your show has an answer for such a search, then you should explore Google AdSense.
Google AdSense is ‘text only' which is a benefit for many people as it means it's quick. You can have a campaign running in about 20 minutes. All you must do is write a good ad and not worry about images or video creation. Regardless of your budget, this is a good option for just starting with options for podcast advertising.
On Google AdSense it's about your message so if you are keen with your words toward people searching on Google, you might be able to attract them with a strong message.
Advertising your show on a podcast listening app is also a good option. One idea is called Overcast a popular iOS-based podcast listening app. You can pay to run ads inside Overcast and they show up as small banners at the bottom of a user’s screen, while they are viewing the app. On this app, you choose a category that best describes your podcast from business to entertainment. The pricing varies from category to category and once up and running your ad will be advertised for 30 days. Anyone who sees it is simply a click away from viewing your podcast show in the app, and from listening or eventually subscribing.
Podcast Advertising on Spotify
Spotify is another option for podcast advertising. Yes, most Spotify users use Spotify to listen to music, but it could be a boon for your podcast. Recent numbers suggest the app has millions of “ad-supported” listeners.
Spotify ads are mostly audio, but there’s a visual option, too. The app displays your logo on screen with a “Learn More” button, as the ad is playing. The ads are played in-between songs or podcast episodes, to listeners who use Spotify on its free tier. Create and run a 30-second audio ad for your show by signing up to Spotify Ad Studio.
Spotify ads are like social media ads as you set a budget and date range, before being offered an estimated number of ads to be served.
"Spotify's number of ad-supported monthly active users worldwide hit 185 million in the last presented quarter, up from 141 million a year earlier. The music streaming service also saw an increase in its premium subscriber base, which reached 144 million in Q3 2020," according to this report.
It may sound old school but you can run paid print ads in industry or trade magazines. Whether you're podcasting about gardening or ham radio there’s most likely a magazine with a fanbase out there to tap into.
Some magazines might also be open to a sponsored content partnership, it never hurts to ask.
Guerrilla marketing can be an excellent podcast advertising option if you have a small or no budget at all for advertising.
It boils down to you utilizing creative, out of the ordinary methods to get attention for your show. It could be anything from a small meeting at a local library to addressing parents at your kids’ school.
It all depends on your topic, and target audience, but there are various possibilities to drawing attention to your podcast. Be sure to check out city and town laws before you start doing events and showing up places where it may be against the rules.
If you're running a podcast focused on a certain subject, then there's a good chance there are a few blogs already out there covering the same topic. Most bloggers will be open to the idea of you offering a guest post, or maybe sponsored content on their site.
This works by you writing an article that's useful to the audience. This article also links back to your own content and encourages the reader to visit the site once done.
There is always the option of advertising on someone else’s podcast but this could be costly. Be sure to connect, ask questions with those who you believe might be beneficial to what you are trying to accomplish: gaining an audience and steady listeners.