🐦 20 Podcast Twitter Tips 🤳

🤸‍♀️Podcast marketing: let's have some fun.🌈

Bonjour!

Social media is good for the audience you already have, but it doesn’t always help you grow significant downloads.

Every time I say this on Twitter, I get arguments from people saying that Twitter has grown their audiences, and it grows their audience and that’s why they do it. It’s true that there are benefits to tweeting. I love tweeting! But I don’t think the ROI is what these people think it is. A lot of the positive feedback you get on Twitter is from other podcasters, which is great! But that might not be your audience. (The other reaction I get when I saw this is “thank god,” and that’s from the people who are usually extremely focused on making a good show.)

Let me flesh out the first statement: You should be on Twitter so people can find you, so that they can tag you when they want to rave about you, and when they want to get a sense of who you are. And maybe people are liking your tweets, but that doesn’t mean they’re downloading your episodes.

The problem is how much time people spend on social media. I’ll ask people what they are doing to market their show and they often say “Twitter.” Twitter can help promote but if that is the only marketing you are doing, you’re not marketing. Spending all day on Twitter is playing around on Twitter. Which is fun, but a waste of your time if your number one goal is to growth. You should be tweeting smarter, not just more. Your tweets should be quality.

If I had one wish it’d be to move 50% of the time you spend on Twitter and move it to something with a higher ROI, like pitching yourself to newsletters.

Again, I do think you should be on Twitter. But here’s how to keep it in check:

1. Your handle should be clean and a clear representation of your show’s name.

2. Your profile should look nice. It is more important that the page is appealing to the eye than if you have been constantly engaging on it all day.

3. But do engage. It’s always a bummer when I tag someone and they don’t see it for two weeks. Twitter moves fast. Check often so you can respond in time.

4. Your bio should have a link to your show! (Believe it or not some people don’t do this.)

5. The link in your bio should not be a link to Apple Podcasts. Use a linktree or pod.link.

6. Keep your DMs open, and feel free to put your podcast email in the Twitter bio. (I love it when shows do this.) The easier you are to get in touch with, the more likely people will write about you and work with you.

7. If you’re nervous getting started, follow people in the podcast space (people I follow, people who you like follow) and just start listening, reading, and liking. You don’t have to jump in with tons to say.

8. Follow hashtags that pertain to your podcast's topic and interact with those people. This will strengthen your relationships with the right people and make sure your tweets are targeted.

9. But don’t go nuts with hashtags. They make you look thirsty and vague hashtags (like #podcast) serve no purpose. Be thoughtful with what you use.

10. Follow accounts like @PodcastMovement, @Podnews, and @InsidePodcstng, but also follow accounts in your niche. If you have a food podcast, follow food outlets.

11. Don’t be that person who just responds to all tweets asking for podcast recommendations with a link to their podcast. (Love this piece by Nick Hilton.) And Devin Andrade’s brilliant tweet. Make sure your tweets are targeted.

12. Attend Twitter Spaces. Twila Dang’s Women in Podcasting Twitter Space the first Sunday of the month is informative and also makes me feel super supported and connected.

13. Another one: On Juleyka Lantigua’s Podcasting Seriously Twitter Space on Wednesday afternoons, Juleyka brings on big people in the space with themed interviews about stuff you should know. (Follow me for info about other upcoming Spaces.)

14. Think of Twitter as a place to offer free advice, help people in your community, and raise awareness of the great work being done by others. Help people.

15. Thread tip: Twitter favors tweets that don’t take people off the platform immediately. Ideally, make a thread. Your first tweet describes the thread, then you can thread on, then the last tweet can link out to your content. Here’s an example. (I stole this tip from Arielle Nissenblatt, whom you also should be following.)

16. Follow the people you want to work with and the platforms you want to be featured in.

17. Repurpose your content is as many ways as you can on Twitter.

18. Twitter is fast. Someone might not see your tweet, you can tweet your content more than once.

19. Don’t start your tweets with a “@.” If you want to tag someone at the beginning of a tweet, put a “.” before the '“@.” This will ensure the tweet isn’t saved as a reply, and will show up on everyone’s feeds.

20. Follow these podcasting leaders: Off the top of my head, @twiladang @JuleykaLantigua @arithisandthat @BryanBarletta @cslwrites @PodcastsInColor @reblavoie @shreyaisms @ashleyrcarman @rachaelgking @poddraland @zaidiafatima @JennaSpinelle @stephfuccio @danecardiel @albanbrooke @skyepillsbury @podcastbrunch @iamjeremyenns @maayanplaut @shomarq (and of course you can follow me @laurenpassell.)

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Pitch of the week

I recently got a pitch letter for Podcast the Newsletter that I wanted to share with you because it really worked! Tip for pitching to newsletters: email the writer and ask them how they like to be pitched. [Letter has been edited.]

Hi Lauren!

Hope you had a nice new year. I put together some questions that will help us learn about your audience and how we can work together in 2022. See below!

• How are you approaching your podcast coverage in 2022?

• What kind of podcasts resonate with your readers and/or are of interest to you for coverage?

• What kind of info is helpful to receive from us – (i.e. do you need pull quotes, transcripts, clips)?

• Do exclusive trailers/announcements on podcasts work for your audience? Exclusive clips?

• How do you approach curating Best of Lists? Are weekly tune-ins helpful for you for visibility?

Would love to hear your feedback!

Thank you!

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Let’s swap!

I recently put all of the shows hoping to swap here. I will continue to try you match you up, but now you can take the power into your own hands and see if there’s someone in the market of swapping. Email me at lauren@tinkmedia.co if you see a fit for you. Fill out the form here.

Here are a few:

Culture Factor: Diving into creators and Entrepreneurs that are innovating in the gig economy. Our new season looks at creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs, why? Because the gig economy is emerging. Talent has gone to work for themselves. Whether furloughed or part of the great resignation, they have birthed the big idea and those 57 million Americans are contributing more than $1 trillion to the U.S. economy annually. This is what the new normal looks like. You now have a front row seat to creator culture and into the places where the magic is being made.

Building a Better Community: Building a Better Community is a podcast that will inspire, will debate, and challenge your beliefs. From local news stories to political debates to cultural differences. We talk about topics that society doesn't want to talk about or is ashamed to say out loud.

Blink of an Eye Podcast: Blink of an Eye, a podcast with Louise Phipps Senft, explores stories of trauma, loss, awakening, and epiphanies. Ms. Senft recounts her experience navigating a life-changing accident that rendered her son, Archer, paralyzed from the neck on down, and expands the story with interviews of those behind the scene. Told through real journal entries and inspiring guests, Blink of an Eye will inspire you to explore the true nature of our relationships and interconnectedness in the face of an event that changes everything.

Lit Up: Join host Angela Ledgerwood as she chats to the authors she loves most about books, life, and what lights them up.

<3 lp