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Leverage Your Audience To Grow Your Podcast Downloads – Episode 188

The most common challenge I hear podcasters facing is growing their audience. We all want to drive our podcast downloads and grow our audience. This week, I have 9 things you can do this week to steadily gain more podcast downloads.

There was a presentation at Podcast Movement 2017 called “How People Really Listen To Podcasts”. This study showed two primary ways people find new podcasts. Most respondents in the study (60%) said they find new podcasts from social media. Friends was the next biggest way (57%) people discover new shows to try. Both of these traffic sources come from word-of-mouth.

What are you doing to get others to talk about your podcast?

If you want to grow your podcast downloads, you need to get in front of other people and then get those people to talk about your show.

 

1. Grow your Facebook following.

As of the fourth quarter of 2017, Facebook had 2.2 billion monthly active users. As of September 2017, Instagram had reached 800 million monthly active users. As of the fourth quarter of 2017, the Twitter averaged at 330 million monthly active users.

Facebook is currently by far the largest social media platform. Find ways to be present on Facebook and grow your following.

 

2. Comment on other social posts to be seen.

This is the Law of Reciprocity. Give to others and they will feel compelled to give in return.

I am in 19 Facebook groups for podcasting and business. I am frequently in those groups looking for ways to help other people.

Find groups you can join where you can offer help and answer questions.

 

3. Ask your friends to share.

You never know who might know somebody.

Dave Jackson and I do the Podcast Review Show. We are joined on the show by a podcaster who receives joint coaching from us.

On the episode we recorded the other night, Lionel from A Modelers Life podcast. It is a show for and about model railroaders.

Dave wondered how big the niche could be. Lionel told him that you would be surprised who could be model railroaders. That’s when I told Dave that I was into model railroading back in the day. My dad got me into it when I was a kid.

You never know who might be interested in your niche.

 

4. Ask your guests to share.

Guests are your most powerful resource. Using the circle of influence of your guest has the potential to grow your audience exponentially.

Make it easy for your guest to share your podcast. Write the Facebook post for the episode on which they appear. Do most of the work for them and allow them to make edits if they wish.

 

5. Be a guest on other shows. Make an invitation easy.

Are you willing to be on other podcasts? Have you told anyone?

Make it easy to find you and invite you to appear. Put a link on your site. This could be on the contact page or a stand-alone invite page.

See my contact page at PodcastTalentCoach.com for an example.

 

6. Write guest columns in publications or on websites.

My relationship with Dave Jackson at School of Podcasting began after he discovered a few articles I wrote for the New Media Expo site back when that event was still happening.

 

7. Ask your audience.

Your audience loves you. Let them help you.

You never know who is listening to your show. A small ask could gain huge growth in your podcast downloads.

One of my favorite shows we would do each year on the radio was during Christmas. We would ask listeners to call in with gifts they were having difficulty finding. Then, we would ask other listeners to call in if they could help.

We just served as the liaison between those that needed and those that had the knowledge. Everybody felt good after that show. Most people want to help.

 

8. Ask others in your niche to recommend your show.

Make it worth their while.

Help each other. Again, this is the law of reciprocity.

What do your counterparts need? How can you help them?

If you are helping others, karma will bring it around to you eventually.

 

9. Host meet-ups and have your listeners bring friends.

If ten people attend the first one, and you have each of them bring a friend next time, you double your group.

Texas country artist Aaron Watson came to town to perform. He is an artist that can attract large crowds in Texas. However, he was quite unknown in our city.

When he was on stage, Aaron said he completely understood that the audience wouldn’t be nearly the size here as it was in Texas. But, he would continue to come as long as the audience continued to bring their friends.

Aaron told the audience if there were 100 people in the crowd that night, and he gave a great show so each person would bring a friend next time, he would eventually have large crowds here as well. He understood the power of leveraging his audience.

 

BASICS

Use these 9 ways to grow your podcast downloads this week. When you distill it down, it is basically three basic concepts.

1. Help people.

2. Make it easy to share your stuff.

3. Make it worth their while – what is in it for them?

 

Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s see what we can do.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.