How to Increase Your Podcast Listeners: 6 Proven Podcast Growth Strategies

Gaining traction for your new podcast can be tough.

You've probably been wondering, 'How do I get more people to listen to my podcast?' or 'How to grow a podcast audience?'

Well, today is the day all of your questions will be answered because we'll be talking about 6 actionable podcast growth strategies to help you reach a wider audience, build a loyal following and grow your podcast's popularity. 

6 Ways To Get More People To Listen to Your Podcast

1. Know who you’re targeting

I know this one sounds boring but it’s quick to do and CRUCIAL. The bang for buck on this is some of the best you’re going to get in terms of how much long term podcast growth you’re going to receive for the amount of time you put in. The key to growing your podcast starts before you even begin promoting your podcast. Before doing so, you should consider EXACTLY who you’re creating your podcast for, at the beginning anyways (it can shift and expand overtime). It’s a good idea to know things like:

• Who is your listener

• What do they like

• What are their interests

• What are their pain points

• Why would they want to listen to your podcast? 

This is because you’ll get a clear idea of the topics you should make episodes on and also the best places to market to this audience.

Pro tip: If you haven’t launched your podcast yet, have a backlog of around 3-5 episodes. This gives your new audience a pool of content they can dive into, which helps you establish consistency from the very beginning. 

2. Create a Podcast Website And Write Some Blogs

A simple website that contains all of your podcast (and brand) materials can serve as the central hub for your podcast and brand. 

Even though most of your podcast listeners will come from podcast apps (e.g Spotify) having a website means that you have another long term traffic source for your podcast. If you post your podcasts on your website, along with blog posts relating to them, overtime these SEO efforts will develop consistent, organic traffic to come directly through your website. Not to mention, it’s convenient for your listeners, will make it easier to promote your stuff, and gives you extra credibility online.

It’s a good idea to include your podcast audio/video, podcast transcript, show notes and time stamped chapters as well. I know this sounds time consuming, and it is, but it’s worth it and there's plenty of AI tools out there like Speedy Pod [https://speedypod.com] that can automate this for you so don’t slack on this part!

3. Optimize For SEO And Easy Access To Your Podcast

The key to getting more podcast listeners is making it as easy as possible for listeners to find your podcast. Optimizing your podcast website for search engine discovery is great but don't forget to optimize your podcast for all of the major podcast apps as well. According to Demand Sage [https://www.demandsage.com/podcast-statistics], 69.6% of podcast listeners worldwide use Apple podcasts or Spotify, so you want to get your podcast on those platforms as well as any other relevant ones (eg. YouTube). Adding your podcast to these platforms makes it more discoverable and easily accessible to listeners. 

Also ensure to include relevant keywords in your podcast titles and podcast show notes (podcast summary, chapters, etc). Writing an enticing podcast description that summarizes what your podcast is about grabs the attention of new listeners and compels them to give your podcast a shot. 

Also, making things easier for your audience by including timestamps for the different segments and topics discussed in each episode will get more views and improve your user experience as well. 

Podcast show notes are one of the most powerful ways to get more podcast listener, for more info on what they are, what they do, and how to make them, check out [https://speedypod.com/blog/mastering-podcast-show-notes]. It will teach you step by step, including providing a FREE outline, on how to create podcast show notes and why they matter.

4. Include a CTA In Every Podcast Episode

This one is quick and most people overlook this, but if you ask your audience to do something and you make it easy and worthwhile to do so, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how many of them will do it. 

Every episode is a chance for you to leverage your podcast listeners. This doesn’t have to be monetary, it can be simply asking people to check out your website, subscribe to your channel, promote your podcast to their friends, or sign up for your newsletter, the possibilities are endless! Your call to action should be during the podcast as well as in the podcast show notes.

Make your CTAs specific and easy for your listeners to carry out. This is a podcast growth opportunity you definitely don’t want to miss out on.

5. Promote Your Podcast on Social Media and An Email List

I’m sure you already know this, but you probably aren’t doing it enough. Social media is an invaluable tool for getting new listeners, after all 94% of podcast listeners are active on at least one social media platform [https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics]. By creating enticing posts related to each episode and posting them on social media, you’ll instantly increase the reach of your podcast, thus increasing your podcast listeners by converting views on social media to listeners for your podcast. 

Depending on what you discuss in your podcast, the platform you target may vary.

• If your podcast is about business and marketing then you'd want to focus more on LinkedIn 

• If you discuss trending topics or controversial issues, then X is the way to go

• If you talk about life hacks, recipes, and comedic things, Facebook is probably the place for you (You can also consider creating a Facebook group as a way of building a community where your listeners can engage with each other and discuss the topics covered by your podcast further.)

Better yet, do all of them! This will take a while, but once again, it’s worth it, and we have a suggestion on how to speed things up below.

In addition to social media posts, by building an email list you can notify your listeners about the release of new episodes and give them exclusive content. You can also convert your emails to a newsletter and share a summary of your podcast in that newsletter. 

Using AI powered tools like Speedy Pod [https://speedypod.com] will automatically generate high quality social media and blog posts, saving you time while boosting your reach! It’s especially useful if you have a tight schedule or don’t have the energy to make the content by yourself!

6. Make Guest Appearances and Cross-Promote

Last but not least, reach out to other podcasters to be guests on their podcast and share your knowledge or ask them to be guests on yours!

When appearing on other people's podcasts you are presented with the opportunity of showing people your unique personality, style and expertise. Since this is a different but similar audience to yours, you can potentially grab yourself a truckload of new listeners very rapidly!

Also, building connections in your online niche is never a bad thing, and these relationships can grow over time to benefit everyone involved, as well as create great content for the listeners.

Conclusion 

Growing an audience for your podcast requires consistent effort, great content and strategic planning. By implementing the tips laid out in this article you'll be well on your way to getting more people to listen to your podcast. 

Unfortunately there’s clearly a lot of things to do and that is why I implore you to work smarter not harder. Using software like Speedy Pod [https://speedypod.com] will cut down the amount of work you have to do and boost your growth. Use it to create your blog, newsletter, transcript, podcast show notes and even text posts to go on social media, with just the click of a button. 

Goodluck on your journey and don’t give up!