How to Grow your Podcast

Let's discuss how to grow your podcast and increase your downloads using podcast SEO and other tips. If your podcast isn’t growing, keep reading to learn what you can do to improve it so it can be one of the best marketing tools for your business. 

Listen to the podcast here.

Understanding Your Audience is the key to growing your show

First and foremost, you need to know your ideal listener. Who are they? What interests them? What do they want to learn? Creating content that appeals to your audience is crucial. There’s no point in producing podcast episodes no one wants to listen to. Ensure your show’s content has a clear audience and provides value to your potential listener. When they do find your podcast, you want to be sure there’s content that they’ll like and want to listen to regularly.

Choose Content Topics your ideal listener is interested in 

I always suggest my students choose four content pillars to blog or podcast about on a regular basis. We want these to be tied to our business so that the audience we’re attracting with our content is interested in our products or services. 

To grow your podcast, choose four main content pillars. These are the core areas you’ll focus on. Make sure there is genuine interest in these topics by conducting keyword research. You can use the same Google keyword research tools for podcast SEO. Although there aren’t specific tools for podcast SEO, the search volume and data from Google can guide your podcast content planning by helping you determine if there’s search demand for the content topics you’re thinking about covering on your podcast.

Publishing Consistently will help grow your podcast

Publishing consistently is vital for growing your podcast. Decide on a release schedule, whether weekly or bi-weekly, and stick to it. Consistency helps you become part of your listeners’ routines, making them more likely to tune in regularly. It’s often easiest to batch content to ensure that you stay consistent. I personally like to record a full month’s worth of podcast episodes at one time, and I try to work at least a month ahead so that if life happens, I still have a new episode each week. 

If you only release a new episode every now and then, it will be much harder to grow your podcast, whether you’re using SEO, ads, guesting, social media, or other marketing channels to promote each new episode.

Use SEO Keywords in Podcast Episode Titles

Using relevant keywords in your episode titles can significantly boost your podcast’s visibility. When planning your content, research keywords your potential listeners are searching for. Incorporate these keywords at the beginning of your episode titles to increase the likelihood of your podcast being found in searches. Remember that podcasts are often listened to on mobile devices, and the app is small, so having your keyword at the beginning of the title will help potential listeners see the episode topic and be more likely to opt to listen to the show. 

Where can you rank in Apple podcasts?

In Apple Podcasts, you can rank in three areas: top results, shows, and episodes. By using keywords effectively in your episode titles, you increase your chances of appearing in these sections, thereby boosting your visibility and downloads.

Ranking higher in the podcast apps will help grow your show. More people will see your show in those three areas, and if your content topics and episode titles interest them, they’ll be more likely to listen.

Free Resource to Help You Grow Your Podcast

If you're looking to grow your podcast downloads, I’ve created a three-step podcast download growth plan available on the freebies tab at etchedmarketing.com/freebies. This plan will guide you through the essential steps to optimize your podcast for growth.

There are other ways you can grow your show like posting on social media, sharing in groups, doing podcast interviews on other shows, etc. It’s up to you to determine which strategies will work the best for you and your show. I personally have opted not to use social media to grow my show. I focus on podcast SEO to help increase my show’s visibility. I also use Google SEO to help my show get found on Google via the show notes blog post pages.

Growing Your Podcast is Easier than You Think

Growing your podcast doesn’t have to be a mystery. By understanding your audience, choosing the right content topics, publishing consistently, and using effective keywords in your titles, you can significantly increase your podcast downloads. Get a copy of my free Podcast Download Growth Plan today and you’ll be the first to know when Simple Podcast SEO is open for enrollment this fall. I’m going to teach you everything I’ve been doing to grow my podcast. Podcasting is an amazing way to grow and nurture your audience.