4 Ways to Get More Podcast Listeners

How do you get more listeners for your podcast?

The biggest challenge that we all face as podcasters is undoubtedly getting more listeners, so what are some of the ways that you can grow your podcast audience?

Well, being a podcaster myself (I’m the host of the If Only They Knew podcast), I’ve found various ways in which to grow an audience, allowing my show to be a top 10 rated show in iTunes charts across multiple countries.

Here are 4 things that you should be doing to increase your podcast listeners…

1: Have a Social Media Presence

It still surprises me that many podcasts do not have a complementary social media page to share clips, news and all things related to their show.

For the sakes of giving up some time, there’s no reason why your podcast shouldn’t be on social media as the more platforms you’re on, the more chance you have of being seen.

Think of it this way, without social media, how would you expect people to find your show?

We suggest that Instagram is the strongest platform to use for podcast promotion for many reasons, one of them being the fact that you can upload so many different forms of media & designs.

Our Instagram page is an example of how to promote your podcast, using a mixture of podcast thumbnails, screenshots of our positions in the iTunes charts, teaser trailers, clips from the podcast and so much more!

2: Share with Family & Friends

Another way to grow your audience, especially in the early stages, is to tell your family and friends about your show!

If you use this strategically, you could have a large group of people tuning into your 1st podcast episode, giving you a great chance of being in the “new & noteworthy” section of Apple Podcasts!

However, if you’re implementing this process at a later stage, it still helps to have a big influx of new subscribers.

3: Review for Review

Talking of friends and family, they’re a great group of people for you to ask to leave a review on your show, this not only gives you a better reputation but also tells the podcast algorithms that you’re a credible show.

If you use social media, you will be able to network with fellow podcasters and run a ‘review for review’ campaign, where you’ll leave reviews on each other’s shows.

4: Focus on your Guests

A lot of people get caught up in the process of just getting any relevant guest on so that they can stick to their weekly schedule. BUT, what I’ve found to work is spending time to research potential guests that have that cult-like following.

Why? Well, not only will these guests be more likely to provide real value to your existing audience, but they’re also likely to share their episode with their large following — AKA lots of incoming subscribers and downloads for you!

So that was a list of 4 easy to implement strategies that you can use to increase the number of your podcast downloads and subscribers!

From experience, if you use a mixture of all 4 points, you will almost certainly increase your podcast following.