Top 5 Podcast Destinations to Reach a Larger Audience
So, you want to be a podcaster? It sounds a lot simpler than it is. Having a great show and navigating the world of podcast equipment, audio and interviews are only one part of the picture. Let’s say you’ve done all that, picked a great topic, found the perfect equipment and set up, studied up on using audio equipment, and even have a few episodes recorded. What Now?
Having a plan of action, fully crafted for where your podcast's destination and marketing is going to have a huge impact on how your podcast is received. First, you pick a hosting platform, a place to store your podcast on the web. Then you start thinking distribution, where is your podcast's destination? Here’s a list of the top 5 podcast destinations you should be thinking about for your podcast.
Should you be posting your podcast to more than one distribution platform? The answer is YES! In this situation, the saying “The more the merrier” really works. There is no limit so the more places you have your podcast available the more people you have the potential of reaching.
Apple Podcast
Something great about Apple Podcast is that a lot of other directories (distribution platforms) use Apple Podcast services as their distribution platform. So by just using it, you're actually getting your podcast out to more people without doing more work. On Apple Podcasts, you can monitor your podcast and see how users are listening, when they're listening, and even what devices they’re listening on. It’s a great choice no matter your podcast genre.
Spotify
The second most popular place to listen to podcasts is on Spotify. So, if you have your podcast on Apple and Spotify, you're hitting the big audiences and giving yourself the best chance for success. Spotify has interactive features and is available on a variety of devices. Spotify also offers insights and as a company, they are geared towards creatives. Definitely a great choice for your podcast destination.
Amazon/Audible
It seems lately that you can do almost anything on Amazon. Podcasts are no exception. It’s becoming an increasingly popular place to watch live streams and listen to podcasts. The number of people on Amazon daily should tell you why you might want to consider Amazon/Audible as one of your podcast destinations. You may be getting in early on a platform that could do so much more. People are already there and used to consuming audible content. The name of the game is find people where they already are!
YouTube
YouTube may not be a place you generally think about when lining up your podcast destinations. It’s actually a great place to build a loyal following, YouTube has a huge audience. You can easily do audio only on YouTube. Some podcast hosts provide YouTube as a destination and you do not have to do anything else. If your podcast host does not provide YouTube as a destination you can convert your Mp3 to an Mp4 and then upload to YouTube. You can create an audiogram in Headliner, Descript, and other services. OR, make simple slides for your audio in Canva or imovie. Keep it simple, podcast name, podcast hosts and guest names, tips, or info that they may want a screenshot of. You could record videos of your podcast or even use your computer webcam but you don’t have to, to grow your podcast on YouTube. IF you only gain a handful of new followers, who cares! More is more right?
Promoting your podcast on Facebook is a great option especially if you know your audience is there. Start a page for your podcast. Facebook will ask you if you want to add your RSS feed and if they don’t ask right away, you can manually set it up on your podcast Facebook page. Each time you publish a new episode, it will automatically upload to your Facebook page. OR Some podcast hosts provide social destinations. You will want to choose to set up the uploading of new episodes through one avenue though. If you set it up through Facebook AND your podcast host you will have duplicate postings of new episodes. Next, create a content calendar. There are a few keys to getting noticed on Facebook. One is consistency, you need to be updating your page regularly. Second is you need likes, shares, and comments. How you get those is by creating engaging and relatable content. Memes, jokes, quotes, stats on your topic. You have to create engagement on your page so that when you do post something promotional everyone sees it.
These are my top five favorite podcast destinations. You do have to remember that getting your podcast onto a distribution platform isn’t the end of the line, you still need to market your podcast on as many platforms as you can as well. Having a great marketing strategy and a content repurposing plan is going to bring eyes to your podcast. Check out the VirtuallyYou! podcast marketing blogs or schedule a call to see how VirtuallyYou! Can help you reach top podcast destinations and successfully market your podcast with a content repurposing plan.
