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How To Get Your Podcast Trending
It has come to everyone’s attention that the podcast industry is really growing and the market is expanding. You can nowadays find a podcast on any subject, discussing any topics that you might be interested in learning more about.
In order to stand out as a podcaster, you would need to really be unique, creative and put out a very professional, well thought out and impactful content.
That being said, is it really enough to have a rich content and produce high quality episodes to make it on the Apple Podcasts trending list? Or is there more to it?
Speaking from personal experience, I have never found a podcast by using the search feature on a Podcast App (like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer etc..) as the algorithm is sometimes complicated and you cannot find exactly what you’re looking for. I usually find my favorite podcasts on the Searching Engines (Lord Google primarily).
I have found that the more a certain podcast appears to me while I’m doing a research project, the more I’m inclined to check it out and listen to at least 1 episode to see if the content can win me over.
As an experienced search results observer, trends hipster and Podcast geek, I can offer bits and pieces of information (or tips as some might call it) in order to get your podcast noticed and introduce it to a wider audience on a regular basis.
Social Media
My first advice is to have your own social media accounts for your podcast. Make sure to grab the @ before anyone else does. (Tip: If you’re serious about it, trademark your podcast/brand name to make it easier for you to claim your “@” on any social media platform. This will get you verified easier as well which will make it easier for people to find you)
It’s important to be consistent when creating these accounts. The handles should be the same throughout all platforms to avoid any confusion and make it easier for your listeners to tune in. You might wanna decide your brand name earlier and stick with it as it might get a little bit difficult to rebrand later.
What are the most important social media platforms to be on, by order?
1- Twitter:
Is it a very popular social media platform and a very powerful one to be on. You can easily go viral and get more followers and views by sharing your opinions about the trending topics in your region (or in your target audience’s regions).
These trending topics are easily accessible by selecting the country/city. With the new layout/algorithm don’t have to spam the timeline with hashtags in order to get your posts on top, all you have to do is use the keywords and your “Tweet” will be visible to thousands of people in your target region.
The most popular podcast shows right now are on twitter, so don’t be shy. Hop on the trend and share your content with the world! You would be surprised how many people would listen.
2- Instagram:
Instagram is used widely right now by mostly Millennials and Gen Z who are the generations most likely to entertain themselves and pass time by listening to a podcast instead of traditional media. Those are your targets.
By exploring Instagram, you will be able to find that the most popular features used are “Instagram Reels'' and “Instagram Stories''. Use those to get the greatest, most interesting moments or parts of your podcasts noticed. You don’t have to share much, but the right amount to peak interest and have people go on your podcast and actually check your content.
Use the right amount of hashtags and the most relevant ones. With the new algorithm, the “likeforlike”, “shareforshare” kind of hashtags are perceived as spam and will be most likely hidden from the feed. Instagram developers are trying to make the user experience easier by presenting to users the content that is most relevant to them.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it allows you to draw in exactly your target audience which creates loyal listeners that will be coming back.
The Feed is also as important, there’s no character limits so rather than promoting your podcast (which will be done on Reels and Stories), use the Feed to talk about topics that matter to you and that you have or plan to talk about on your podcast. You will allow the people that find you to see how much you’re passionate about what you do and that you care about the message you’re trying to get across.
3- Facebook:
Facebook is recommended to use if your audience is mostly from the MENA region or you’re targeting Generation X and Baby Boomers (ages 75 to 41).
The best features to use there are Facebook Groups, Videos on Watch and Facebook pages. The best plan is have a very active Facebook Group and a Facebook page linked to it where you can share longer clips or your podcast as it is very difficult to promote a page on Facebook organically nowadays. So, you can get popularity from the group itself and it would be better to publish videos on the page then share them on the group for more outreach and to keep the consistency.
Facebook has the sponsored posts option which you might want to use (more than the sponsored ads on Instagram) because gaining organic followers can be more difficult. However, the publicity is way cheaper.
4- LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is important if you want to target professionals. It is an easy way to find sponsors, other podcasters you would want to work with, potential guests you want to invite etc..
It would be easier for you and for these people, if you reach out directly to them, to find your content on your LinkedIn timeline and get to know more about you and about your niche without having to look you up on different platforms or check out your podcast. You will be more likely to get replies and engagement.
I would advise to use the LinkedIn posts to share your thoughts and opinions (professionally). It is very common to have posts go viral on LinkedIn without having a huge following. Connect with people and comment on their posts.
You can use the LinkedIn Stories, you can write articles or create Carousels to draw more attention and you can also host live events there to talk about your project and your ideas. Basically the possibilities are endless!
What are the must haves/do’s to get noticed on social media?
1- Invest in a graphic designer, it’s totally worth it
If you are not a graphic designer yourself or have an experience in graphic design, it is highly recommended that you hire a graphic designer (you can find lots of freelancers on UpWork and Fiverr). I have always recommended this on most of my PodcasTips but trust me, it’s totally worth the trouble.
The most important thing about social media nowadays and the key to be noticed is to have a beautiful and an aesthetically pleasing feed which is easier on the eyes and will probably keep people interested in what you post and follow/subscribe for more.
This can be created by a talented graphic designer that you will work with consistently in order to keep the same theme. Sure, skillshare and youtube are available if you wanna learn it yourself but if you are busy recording and producing content, you might want to delegate this task to someone who can help you and make your job easier.
2- A good Bio goes a long way
The social media algorithms are fueled by a lot of factors, the most important one is your Bio. The way you describe yourself or introduce your brand on social media is what’s going to get you the target audience you’re looking for. Make sure to keep it brief and to the point, use the keywords that best describe your niche and that will most likely attract your target.
3- Research the algorithms and understand
Every social media platform has its different algorithms and rules. What would work on one doesn’t necessarily work on the other. It’s important to take your time and investigate how each platform works and what are the best practices to achieve your goals. If it gets a little bit confusing, you can always hire a social media manager that’s experienced and will manage your SM accounts efficiently.
If you have any issues with this part of becoming the next big podcaster, Podcast Inc team has the best Social Media managers, Content Writers and Graphic Designers that can help you with your tasks. You can just reach out to us here and book a call and we will help you focus on the content creation and leave the rest for us.
Reviews
Have you ever heard about the “Top 10 podcasts” articles or the Apple Podcasts best podcasts rankings? These are the most popular sources to discover new and good podcasts. People use them to find new content that’s good. We don’t like listening to random episodes of random podcasts only to find out that it was not worth the time. And that’s why we trust random strangers' opinions on the internet. (I know, right?)
Seriously speaking, the power of reviews is so strong, it can make a big difference and it affects how the regular consumer sees your product (which is your podcast in this case).
In order to sell your product more, you have to get more reviews that will scale you up on the list of best Podcasts.
Getting reviews is not as difficult as it sounds. If you’re just starting out, ask family and friends to boost you up, and then ask your audience to review your podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or any other reviewing platform.
Once you get more reviews, you will get more views. Your audience will grow and the reviews will then flow naturally if your content is good. It’s a full circle.
Website
If you’re just starting out, this might be an option to consider later but it’s very important. Invest in the creation of a website (and maybe professional email) using your Podcast name.
A website will allow you to have all of your episodes, all of your social media, blogs, links to listeners reviews or other projects all in one place. It will be the portfolio of the Podcast which will make it easier to find you and discover your content, as well as have ownership of your episodes on your own platform.
You can also add a section for your audience to interact with you, ads, and anything else you want to include as it’s your own space that you can customize depending on your brand.
This being said, your Podcast’s popularity is mainly based on your content. Basically, if the content is not good, you will not be able to grow as the podcast community is a hard audience to please. It’s important to work on your content, make it as professional as possible, perfect the recording, add accurate descriptions for every episode, be consistent with uploads, have a schedule. The hard work will definitely pay off.
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