👍 Podcast marketing and publishing: what's in and what's out for 2024?🚫

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

Bonjour.

Happy almost last day of 2023! How are we feeling?

Welcome to the second annual “Podcast marketing and publishing: what's in and what's out?” blog post.

We have our best ideas when we’re sitting down for dinner at the best restaurant in NYC, Málà Project. Last year around this time, we went for dinner there and had the idea for this blog post. We published it and it was really well-received, so we’re back again with more. But first, check us on last year’s — how’d we do? (PS—if you’re ever in NYC. we’d love to take you to Málà.)

Without further ado, Here’s a list of what we think should be left behind in 2023 and what we definitely want to carry forward or establish for ourselves and others in 2024: podcast publisher and marketing edition.

If you have any questions or thoughts about our ins and outs, feel free to leave a comment or reply to this email. We’re all ears. Always. ❤️

Arielle Nissenblatt and Lauren Passell

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IN:

• 2024 is the year of making podcast friends™.

  • Collaborating with other podcasts is one of the best ways to grow your show. Find shows similar to yours and reach out. They’re not your competition. 

• Applying for podcast-specific awards.

  • Not because winning or medaling will hugely impact your podcast’s growth, but because we are advocates for the podcast industry and believe that these awards and award ceremonies serve to elevate the profile of the audio industry.

• Regularly checking on the trending charts.

  • On Apple and Spotify…checking the charts regularly to see where your peer podcasts are. What are they podcasting about? Should you touch on that topic, too?

• Making mountains out of molehills when it comes to your marketing and PR wins.

  • Oh, someone left you a 5-star review? GREAT. Screenshot that. Go to Canva and put it on a cute background and post that everywhere. 

  • You got a teeny mention in a newsletter? Tell everyone. Don’t stop creating buzz.

• Branding your podcast’s segments

  • And maybe even selling them as sponsorship opportunities.

• Creating on-ramps to your content, like trailers or teasers

  • Both for the show on the whole and for new seasons.

• Trailer episodes

  • When you have a really great episode that you want to make sure to create buzz around, create a 15 or 30-second trailer for it. You can drop it on your own feed, older episodes (using dynamic insertion), or on other podcasts.

• Writing specific promo copy for every swap you make

  • We’re all doing a lot of guessing and checking to figure out which shows make sense to collaborate with. This is part of the guest and check process. Personalize the message you’re sharing.

• Getting TikTokers to review your podcast

  • BookTok is pretty big. PodTok is the next big thing.

• Thinking of marketing months before launch.

  • We shared a version of this last year. It still needs to be said. 

• Telling your listeners how much time it takes you to make an episode.

• Listening to your show…as a listener. Maybe not every episode. But please, sometimes.

• Surveying your listeners. Here are a few questions we recommend asking, via Sounds Profitable. 

• Podcast Reddit. Lots of podcasts have their own subreddits which are interesting and valuable, and you can learn a lot about what listeners love and loathe on reddit.com/r/podcasts/. (Plus get good recommendations.)

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OUT:

• Making airhorn noises. If you must have them, please insert them.

• Budget-conscious podcasters spending money on marketing before you exhaust your free options. There are so many no-cost things you can do. 

• Budget-conscious podcasters spending money on marketing / pr companies that don’t specialize in audio. 

  • There are so many companies and people that specialize in podcast / audio marketing. And they’re worth it.

• Zoom’s non-localized recordings. Use a dedicated remote recording service like Descript (SquadCast), Zencaster, or Riverside. Get the best audio quality possible.

• Dropping new series within your show without teasers or trailers. Let us know that something is coming! 

  • Give us an on-ramp. See above.

• Audiograms without video.

• Telling people that getting ratings and reviews will help you in your algorithm.

  • It won’t. But it’s great social proof. Make mountains out of molehills. See above.

• Thinking of marketing a week before launch.

  • Your show deserves more!

• Gatekeeping.

• Celebrities making podcasts just because they can.

  • Amy Poehler’s podcast is a great example of a celebrity podcast that took a lil more work.

• Podcasters not understanding the podcast industry.

• Podcasters not liking podcasts.

• Podcast Twitter. (Sad, but let’s be honest. RIP. Let’s all hang out on Threads and make it happen.)

In 2024, we’ll expand on all of the above through a series of newsletter issues, social posts, webinars, podcast appearances, and more. Our goal is to help you make and market an incredible podcast so that you reach an audience that needs to hear your story.

✨Happy new year!🎉

Arielle & Lauren