Social media 101 for podcasters
As with any business, podcasts can benefit from social media is a powerful tool that can to help you boost your show and reach your viewers in a more personal way. Social media is a useful source for widening your podcast’s reach, creating more personal interactions with your audience, and marketing your content in a friendlier way. Not only can you target the audiences that may frequent certain platforms more, but you can also solidify the branding and tone of your podcast and build a rapport with viewers that you couldn’t have through just your podcast.
WIDEN YOUR PODCAST’S REACH
Social media is great for making connections and expanding your audience. Using platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, you can scope out interested followers that may be looking to listen to a podcast just like yours. Rather than needing your audience to come to you on Spotify or whatever listening platform you stream on, use social media to reach your audience where they hang out. Promoting your podcast on social media platforms such as by posting audiograms or quote cards can help guide listeners to your full episodes, both old and new alike.
ESTABLISH YOUR BRANDING AND ENRICH YOUR SHOW CONTENT
Posting updates about episode releases and teasing content is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social media. The type of content you post and the copy that accompanies it is also a strong indicator of your podcast’s voice, who your target audience is, and should align with the tone and register of your episodes. You can use social media to post inside jokes related to your episodes, or show your viewers the behind-the-scenes when recording. Occasional video elements and events such as livestreams are also a great way to change up your content, without compromising your original podcast format. By staying active on social media and posting about topics related to your podcast, your audience will have a better picture of your podcast’s persona.
PERSONAL INTERACTION WITH YOUR VIEWERS
One of the biggest pros about being active on social media is the direct and real-time interaction with your followers. You can take away constructive feedback on your past episodes, and get insight from your audience as to what kind of future content or guests they want to listen to. If you haven’t got a super solid plan as to what the next two or three seasons (or episodes, even) of your show are going to look like, why not go straight to the source and ask the lovely people who tune in to hear you every week? Showing your viewers that you’re listening and actively seeking out their opinion can strengthen the rapport between you and your followership, and social media is a free and easy way to keep the conversation active.
MARKET YOUR CONTENT AND SPONSORSHIP CAMPAIGNS
So you got the sponsorship, and you’re plugging it in your pre-roll and mid-roll. How can you expand further than that? Share about your campaign on social media! Cross-promoting on various social media platforms can ensure that the word about any partnerships or campaigns really reach your audience. You may even attract new listeners who are interested in the brand but have yet to check out your content. If you’re a sponsored podcast or have yet to dabble in how to monetize your podcast, you can check out Podmetrics, and find some streamlined ways to monetize your podcast. If you’re trying to plug your merch or giveaways, posting about freebies on social media is an easy way to easily allow your followers to participate or lead them to a purchasing link.
Let’s Wrap It Up
Once you get your accounts up and running, you can also receive feedback on the type of people who are following you on each platform– for example, are there more youths responding to your post on Instagram, versus Facebook, where the middle-aged listeners are interacting with your page? Is Twitter really not working out, and are you better off investing your time and resources into a Facebook group where your listeners can exchange memes, ideas and episode reactions? The sky’s the limit with social media. Feel free to tweak your social media strategy, look into paid posts to reach a target demographic, and keep experimenting to figure out how social media best works for you and your podcast. Happy posting!
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