Cross-Promoting Your Podcast: What Works and What Doesn’t
Cross-promoting your podcast is a vital strategy for growing your audience and increasing your reach. In today’s crowded podcasting space, relying solely on organic growth isn’t enough. With more than 2 million active podcasts, cross-promotion can expose your content to new listeners, amplify your presence, and establish credibility within your niche. But not every cross-promotion method is effective. Some strategies work wonders, while others might waste your time or even hurt your brand.
In this guide, we will explore what cross-promotion is, how it can benefit your podcast, and most importantly, what works and what doesn’t when it comes to promoting your podcast across different platforms and networks.
Key Notes
Cross-promotion can significantly boost your podcast audience if done correctly.
Collaborative promotion is a great way to tap into similar audiences.
Not all methods are effective—strategic and thoughtful planning is necessary for success.
Avoid over-promoting or using non-relevant platforms to avoid alienating potential listeners.
Cross-promotion refers to the act of promoting your podcast through another medium, platform, or channel to increase its exposure and reach new listeners. This can take many forms, including collaborating with other podcasters, guest appearances, or even advertising on platforms where your target audience already exists.
In podcasting, cross-promotion typically works by tapping into the audiences of other creators or platforms that have a similar listener demographic. For example, if you host a business podcast, cross-promoting on other business-related podcasts can help you gain listeners who are already interested in your content type.
Cross-promotion can be reciprocal, where both parties promote each other’s content, or it can be a one-way effort, such as when you advertise your podcast on a newsletter or blog without necessarily promoting the other platform.
2. Why Cross-Promote Your Podcast?
Cross-promoting your podcast brings numerous benefits, including:
Broader Reach: By promoting your podcast on platforms that already have an established audience, you can quickly expand your listener base.
Audience Diversification: Tapping into different niches or demographics exposes your podcast to new listeners who may not have found you organically.
Increased Authority: Partnering with respected podcasters and platforms increases your credibility within the community.
Better Engagement: Listeners are more likely to engage with your content if they are introduced to it through a trusted source or platform they already follow.
Cost-Effective Growth: Cross-promotion often costs little to no money, making it an affordable way to grow your podcast audience compared to paid advertising.
3. Effective Cross-Promotion Strategies
Collaborating with Other Podcasts
Collaborating with other podcasters is one of the most effective ways to cross-promote. This involves appearing on each other’s podcasts, mentioning each other’s shows, or participating in joint projects such as co-hosting an episode or series.
Benefits:
Shared Audiences: You gain access to an audience that is already interested in podcasts and is more likely to subscribe to new shows in the same genre.
Credibility: When you collaborate with a reputable podcaster, you inherit some of their credibility, which can help convert their listeners into your loyal audience.
Cross-Pollination: Both podcasters benefit by sharing audiences, increasing mutual growth.
How to Do It Right:
Pick Relevant Partners: Choose podcasts that share a similar audience demographic. Irrelevant collaborations won’t convert listeners.
Align Themes: Ensure the content you are promoting matches the tone and theme of the show you’re collaborating with.
Use Call-to-Actions: At the end of the episode, include a clear call-to-action for listeners to follow or subscribe to your show.
Guesting on Other Podcasts
Appearing as a guest on other podcasts gives you an opportunity to introduce yourself and your content to a new audience. Most podcast listeners trust the host’s recommendations, and guesting on a show can help you leverage this trust.
Benefits:
Introduces You as an Expert: Being a guest can establish you as an authority on a particular topic, making listeners more likely to seek out your own content.
Instant Exposure: You gain exposure to a built-in audience that is already engaged and ready to consume podcast content.
How to Do It Right:
Target Niche Podcasts: Guest on shows that align with your expertise and content type.
Provide Value: Offer valuable, actionable insights during your guest appearance. Audiences will be more likely to check out your show if they feel you provided useful information.
Cross-Promote: Mention the podcast you are guesting on in your own episodes, social media, and newsletter.
Social Media Cross-Promotion
Social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook are powerful tools for cross-promoting your podcast. You can collaborate with other content creators to share each other’s podcast episodes or participate in social media takeovers where you manage each other’s social media for a day.
Benefits:
Increased Visibility: Social media is a vast space where you can reach thousands of people in your niche through shared content.
Engagement: Social media allows for direct interaction with potential listeners, offering them an immediate way to follow, subscribe, or share.
How to Do It Right:
Partner with Influencers: Collaborate with influencers or brands who align with your podcast’s content and audience.
Create Engaging Content: Share clips, quotes, and behind-the-scenes content to attract interest.
Use Hashtags and Tags: Leverage relevant hashtags and tag collaborators to increase visibility.
Email List and Newsletter Swaps
If you have an email list, collaborating with other podcasters who also have newsletters can be an excellent way to cross-promote. Swapping email list mentions allows both parties to introduce each other’s podcasts to a well-targeted audience.
Benefits:
Direct Access: Email list subscribers are highly engaged and interested in content related to your niche, making them more likely to subscribe to your podcast.
Reciprocal Growth: You promote another podcaster’s show to your audience, and they promote yours, leading to mutual growth.
How to Do It Right:
Align Audiences: Make sure the email list you are promoting to aligns with your listener demographic.
Offer Value: In your email, explain why your audience will benefit from the podcast you are promoting and encourage them to subscribe.
Paid Podcast Promotions
While organic cross-promotion is often the most effective, there are cases where paid promotions can give you a quick boost. This can include advertising on other podcasts, paying for social media ads, or leveraging platforms like Overcast or Spotify.
Benefits:
Targeted Reach: Paid promotions allow you to reach listeners who are specifically interested in your content.
Quick Growth: Paid ads can deliver faster results compared to organic growth.
How to Do It Right:
Target Relevant Audiences: Use targeted ads that appear on platforms and podcasts where your ideal listeners are likely to be.
Optimize Your Ad: Make sure your ad copy is clear and provides a strong call-to-action, urging listeners to check out your podcast.
Podcast Networks and Syndication
Joining a podcast network can also help with cross-promotion. Many networks promote shows within their ecosystem, exposing your podcast to listeners of other shows in the network. Syndication can also increase your reach by distributing your show on multiple platforms.
Benefits:
Increased Exposure: Being part of a network allows you to reach a broader audience who already listens to podcasts within your niche.
Shared Resources: Networks often provide marketing, production, and cross-promotion support.
How to Do It Right:
Choose the Right Network: Ensure the network focuses on your genre and has an engaged audience.
Leverage Network Support: Use the network’s resources to improve your podcast’s quality and reach.
4. Ineffective Cross-Promotion Tactics
Not all cross-promotion strategies are equal. Here are some tactics that are less effective or outright counterproductive.
Random Social Media Posts with No Target Audience
Simply posting about your podcast on social media without a targeted audience in mind can lead to minimal engagement. You might get likes or shares, but the chances of gaining long-term listeners from random posts are slim.
Overloading Platforms with Unrelated Content
Posting too much irrelevant content or over-promoting can alienate your audience. People are less likely to engage if they feel bombarded with promotion that doesn’t align with their interests.
Relying Solely on Paid Ads
While paid ads can offer quick growth, relying exclusively on them can lead to a lack of organic engagement and a less loyal audience.
5. Common Mistakes to Avoid
Inconsistent Promotion: Sporadic promotion doesn’t build an audience. Consistency is key.
Not Understanding Your Audience: Promoting your podcast on platforms that don’t align with your audience’s interests won’t lead to conversions.
Not Offering Value: Simply asking people to listen to your podcast isn’t enough. You need to explain why it’s worth their time.
6. Best Practices for Cross-Promotion Success
Know Your Audience: Understand where your potential listeners are and what kind of content they consume.
Offer Mutual Benefits: In collaborations, ensure both parties benefit from the cross-promotion effort.
Track Results: Use analytics to see which cross-promotion strategies are working and adjust accordingly.
7. Cross-Promotion Case Studies: What Worked and What Didn’t
Case Study 1: Successful Collaboration
Podcast: “The Tech Guru”
Strategy: Collaborated with a popular tech YouTuber to promote an episode.
Outcome: Gained 5,000 new listeners in a month due to targeted cross-promotion.
Case Study 2: Failed Paid Ad Campaign
Podcast: “History Hour”
Strategy: Paid for social media ads but targeted too broad an audience.
Outcome: Gained only 200 new listeners despite spending $500 due to poor targeting.
8. Conclusion: Choosing the Right Strategy for Your Podcast
Cross-promoting your podcast is a powerful way to grow your audience, but not every strategy will work for every show. Successful cross-promotion requires understanding your audience, aligning with the right partners, and providing value. By following the strategies that work and avoiding common pitfalls, you can see significant growth in your podcast listenership.
