5 Podcasters Share Their Largest Tip on Selling a Podcast

When you’ve began a podcast, how do you construct your viewers?

To reply this query, we requested 5 profitable podcasters within the Patreon neighborhood. A few of them earn over $1,000 per episode; others have listeners within the tens of 1000’s.

So…the place did all that help come from?

As you’ll see beneath, for these podcasters, their #1 technique for bringing in listeners was discovering influential, entertaining friends to be on their present.

Additionally they shared with us how they used different methods to develop their audiences.

Every of those methods led to bigger audiences, higher funding, and better engagement for the creators we interviewed.

Learn on to see their finest ideas…

1. Tom Merritt of Day by day Tech Information: Promote your podcast by “Being a Visitor on Different Exhibits”

Embedded content material: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49G0urX7ziA

Day by day Tech Information is a wildly profitable podcast that has over 4,000 patrons. Its followers tune in for the insightful, unbiased commentary on what’s taking place within the tech world.

The present’s host, Tom Merritt, has produced over 3,000 episodes.

Tom stated, “Among the best methods I’ve discovered to construct a podcast is to have friends and to be a visitor.”

Whenever you’re a visitor on one other podcast, you assist the host by giving them further content material to have interaction their viewers. Do job and also you’ll entice their followers to your present.

Likewise, friends—will promote their look in your present to their viewers—bringing them straight to your podcast.

“Have friends and be a visitor.” – Tom Merritt of Day by day Tech Information

Finally, “that can expose you to new audiences and add cool views to your present,” he added.

Search for people who find themselves influencers within the eyes of your viewers. This information will help you rise up to a 60% response price out of your outreach efforts, even from the most important names in your market.

Tom additionally recommends asking for evaluations on iTunes. “The star ranking will enhance your discoverability,” he defined, making your podcast extra engaging to cell listeners.

Take motion: Analysis 4-5 potential friends on your podcast and invite them to be featured on an episode.

2. Jonathan Oakes of The Trivial Warfare Podcast: Get Concerned in Communities Associated to Your Subject

Jonathan Oakes, host of The Trivial Warfare Podcast, has a extremely engaged neighborhood for his entertaining matter: pub trivia showdowns. However his viewers didn’t spring forth prepared to have interaction—Jonathan put within the time to nurture actual connections with individuals who would take pleasure in his podcast.

He believes that you must “get entangled within the communities which can be associated to your matter, each on-line and in individual.”

However, he warns, there’s a distinction between trustworthy engagement and spamming. Don’t simply put up a hyperlink to your podcast in dozens of Fb teams. Spend a while attending to know the individuals there. When the time is correct, introduce your podcast naturally.

“Should you earn your stripes,” he stated, “the parents you’re speaking to can be more likely to simply accept and share your message.”

“Become involved within the communities which can be associated to your matter, each on-line and in individual.” – Jonathan Oakes of The Trivial Warfare Podcast

When he began his podcast, asking for viewers participation was “like shouting in a soundproof room.”

Then, he determined to create a fan membership. When followers may very well be featured as “fan of the week,” they have been motivated to begin interacting.

When you’ve established an engaged neighborhood, irrespective of how massive, don’t wait to begin a Fb group. Jonathan’s Fb group is likely one of the many causes his neighborhood stays engaged and dependable, and it’s an important place to study what his followers need.

General, he says that facilitating a “connection to different individuals with comparable pursuits” is a robust motivator that followers can’t get anyplace else.

Take motion: Determine 2-Three communities, on-line or in any other case, the place your audience spends time. Get to know them and nurture a relationship earlier than sharing your podcast with them.

3. Veronica Belmont of Sword & Laser: Create an Energetic Discussion board

Veronica Belmont co-hosts Sword & Laser, a podcast for science fiction and fantasy followers, with Tom Merritt of Tech Information Day by day. It’s a e-book membership on steroids, with podcasts that includes new work, enjoyable details, and occasional silliness for Patreon rewards.

Whereas one in all their major promotional methods is to go on different exhibits, in addition they have loads of choices for friends: authors like to be featured on the podcast to speak about their work. Each actions drive excessive view counts and usher in new followers.

Veronica discovered that an lively discussion board is a good way to maintain followers coming again: “It retains the conversations going lengthy after the episode has aired,” she stated.

Followers take pleasure in chatting about every episode and different matters on the discussion board. By participating within the discussion board themselves, Veronica and Tom carry additional worth for followers who stick round.

“Having an lively discussion board actually builds an important neighborhood and retains the conversations going lengthy after every episode has aired.” – Veronica Belmont of Sword & Laser.

As well as, they function a unique audience-generated section in every episode. It provides Sword & Laser extra content material whereas giving followers some possession over the fabric.

Veronica says that “it makes the viewers really feel like they’re an vital a part of the present, which is completely true.”

By preserving their followers nicely engaged, Sword & Laser ensures continued listenership.

Take motion: Begin an internet discussion board the place followers can talk about your podcasts and supply concepts for future episodes.

4. Steve Black, Jr., of It’s Tremendous Efficient: Be Reliable

It’s Tremendous Efficient is a Pokémon centered podcast that pulls in over $1,500/month on Patreon and has reached the #1 spot on Apple’s record of most downloaded online game podcasts greater than as soon as.

Steve Black, Jr., (SBJ) says in addition they recurrently carry friends on the present. It doesn’t must be an ideal match together with your entire viewers — just a few a part of it.

“For instance, we had a really large, family-friendly YouTuber on our present who was a pal of a pal that loved our content material,” he defined. Their respective audiences had sufficient overlap that the episode was successful.

“It’s essential to stay to a constant schedule, particularly whenever you’re simply beginning.” – SBJ of It’s Tremendous Efficient

One thing SBJ emphasised was that it’s simpler to advertise and develop a podcast whenever you take your time to do it the proper manner.

“It’s essential to stay to a constant schedule,” he stated. That will increase your respectability and permits followers to make listening to your podcast a behavior.

As well as, he says that you must edit your present to respect your viewers and their time. Uncooked audio information received’t entice the eye and respect that edited podcasts can and do.

Upgrading from ‘adequate’ to ‘actually one thing’ will enable you hook new guests.

Take motion: Should you do one episode every week, launch the episode on the identical day and time each week in order that followers know when to count on your work.

5. David Bar Kirtley: Accomplice With Websites That Already Have an Viewers

Geek’s Information to the Galaxy is a podcast run by David Bar Kirtley, who makes use of science fiction as a backdrop for exploring fascinating theories and vital concepts. The present has been working since 2010 and has an viewers of over 10,000 listeners.

A lot of the present’s traction got here from partnerships with web sites that already had an viewers. “We partnered with Tor.com, then io9.com, after which Wired.com,” he stated.

They scored these partnerships by emailing individuals they knew till one thing caught. It additionally helped them rating visitor appearances from well-known names within the science and science fiction neighborhood, like George R. R. Martin (of ‘Recreation of Thrones’) and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

“I feel it’s a good suggestion to start with to attain interviews with some big-name friends, which supplies the present credibility and will help to hook individuals’s curiosity,” he defined.

“Although after some time, I feel that you just begin to attain some extent of diminishing returns with big-name friends. After that, it’s nearly attempting to create a present that individuals will wish to share with their pals.”

David thinks you must “deal with your present prefer it’s an important factor on the earth” in order for you individuals to take it critically. He thinks many podcasters promote themselves quick when requested about their work.

“Partnerships positively helped expose us to a brand new, massive viewers.” – David Bar Kirtley of Geek’s Information to the Galaxy

Should you make it clear you’re devoted and critical about making a tremendous podcast, the followers will comply with.

Take motion: Discover established web sites with an viewers that might care about your work, and pitch a partnership together with your podcast.