5 Best Podcast Marketing Tools

So you’ve gone through all the steps it takes to create an amazing podcast, but now you’re wondering, “What are the best podcast marketing tools?”

And I totally understand this curiosity! You’re thinking, “I’ve poured my blood, sweat, and tears into creating this thing, but what good is it if only two people hear my awesome message?”

There are 5 areas of podcast marketing I want to talk about today. The goal is to help you analyze these strategies and see how they can all fit into your overall marketing plan.

Video Sound Bites
Social Media
Email List
Word of Mouth
Interview Guest’s Audience Size

(If you don’t already have a marketing plan for your podcast, then use this post as a guideline to build one for existing & future episodes!)

Let’s dive into each of these individually and work on how you can use them to your advantage.

1. Video Sound Bites

You may have seen these on platforms where you follow your favorite podcasts.
They are those bouncy waves of audio overlaid on the logo or picture of the podcast show.

These are great tools to use to show snippets of a podcast episode.

The ones I’ve seen are usually 30 seconds or less.
But a few shows include several segments at one time to show off a longer portion of the episode.
(You see these a lot on Instagram Stories.)

What Information is Included in the Video Sound Bite?

This can range across the spectrum from show to show.
Some people name-drop.
They include audio from celebrity guests so their audience is more likely to listen to that episode.

Some people include a hook.
This entices audiences to figure out what it is that they are talking about.
A specific example of this is the podcast episode I did with Janine who was held at gunpoint. (Umm, yeah! Crazy Story!) But I used that sound bite from the episode to grab my listeners’ attention.

You can also use the sound bites to focus in on one of the important questions you have during the interview. Your listeners will be interested to find out the answer to that specific question.

But this really goes back to knowing your audience. What they want to hear? And how do they want information delivered to them?

Where are these created?

I use my hosting site BuzzSprout.com (Yup, that’s a referral link) and their online platform has this feature built directly into their platform. I don’t have to use a third-party company because BuzzSprout allows me to create the sound bites right within the episode portal. (Pretty Amaaaazzzziiiinnnnngggg!)

But if you use a different hosting site for your podcast, then you can use another platform like Headliner.

I gotta be honest, I’d never used any other platform to create a soundbite before writing this post. But I’m pretty impressed with Headliner. I created this sound bite using their app and I’m kinda diggin’ it!

Headliner Sample Video

2. Social Media

Okay, I’m a little biased when it comes to social media. So if you’re looking to get ALL of the marketing strategies for every platform out there…You may have to go to someone else.

I primarily focus my marketing efforts on Facebook and Instagram. The reason? That’s where my audience hangs out! With that being said, let me tell you the things that have worked for me and the things that have not.

So do you remember those sound bites we were talking about earlier? I add those to my Facebook page every Friday whenever I release my SNEAK PEEKS for the following Tuesday’s episode. (This has been one of the best podcast marketing tools I’ve used!)

BuzzSprout Sound Bite

I know other podcasters release clips of their show on the day the new episodes are released, but this is what I’ve done from the beginning. It works for me in creating anticipation for my audience, but I’m always looking into other marketing tools & strategies.

But you do you.

Post graphics and Episode Description from Hosting Site.

All of the information that is uploaded to iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, etc plays a vital role in your podcast. Instead of rewriting the same text over and over in multiple places, I use the copy from podcast description on social media. I literally copy & paste that text to Facebook on Tuesdays when a new episode is released.

(SIDENOTE: It’s nice to tag the guests or their business page from the podcast episode so everyone’s exposure increases!)

When it comes to Instagram, I like to post about a new podcast episode in my news feed. I’ll either post the sound bite or a graphic with a short quotable from the interview. Then I add those to my InstaStories directly from my feed.

I know my current audience likes to know what’s coming up on the show and what we’re chatting about. Plus, I like consistency. So I keep showing up on social media in some form or fashion every single week talking about a new podcast episode.

3.Email List

Do you already have an email list?
Do you know why it’s important to have an email list?

Well, I can’t get into all of the details of email lists today…But I believe you should have one. It’s important to have a way to access your audience WITHOUT social media. (Especially since not too long ago Instagram was down for the day and everyone absolutely lost their minds!)

But, How Do You Share Your Podcast with Your Email List?

That is a great question that I’ve heard lots of people asking online. There are a few ways to do this, but one of my favorites is to share the link in the “P.S.” of my weekly email newsletter.

What? You’re NOT on the Newsletter? No Worries! You Can Join HERE.

Take advantage of the “P.S.”

The Rookie Life publishes a new podcast episode every Tuesday.
I send out a Weekly Newsletter every Friday.

I don’t send out an email when a new episode airs AND for my regular newsletters on Fridays. It’s too much for my audience. (For those of you without an email list, “newsletter” just refers to emailing everyone one on my email list once a week.)

So instead of bombarding them with multiple emails throughout the week, I send one. I mention new podcast episodes, blog posts, or any other updates in the “P.S.” of the weekly newsletter.

You can either link directly to your website (if you upload your podcast episodes there) or you can link directly to iTunes, Google play, stitchers, Spotify, or wherever you want your audience to listen.

Another way to market your podcast to your email list is to send an email the day a new episode airs.

Someone who does this really well is Amy Porterfield with her podcast, “The Online Marketing Made Easy” Podcast. (You should totally join her newsletter too!) In her newsletter, she shares a specific part of the episode she knows will draw attention. Or she shares a personal “aha” moment or takeaway she had from learning whatever her guest had to share.

But she doesn’t limit her podcast to only interviews. She also does solo episodes. (And they all have AMAZING content!)

Anyway, when she sends out her weekly newsletter she includes the new information for the podcast, links directly to her website. From there, you can listen to the podcast, download whatever freebies she’s offering, and click any additional resources that are related to the podcast.

There are many ways to do this.

But I highly recommend that you start an email list immediately!

**Here’s an extra bonus tip: have a Call-to-Action within your podcast episodes. Get people to people to join your email list through your podcast. This doesn’t mean you have to say “ go join my email newsletter.” (I mean you can if you want.) But I’d love to see you create and offer a lead magnet or freebie that is directly related to your podcast topic. Share that valuable info you have so that people want to join your email list.

For example, I advertise on the podcast my lead magnet for “500+ Podcast Ideas (for any industry)”. I have a clip within the show that tells people exactly where they can go to grab this workbook so they never run out of podcast ideas! You can do the exact same thing with your lead magnet.

4.Elevator Pitch

I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little awkward when you first start your podcast. (At least it was for me.) I was still figuring out what my show was about, what it meant to me, what guests were gonna be on the show, and what people wanted to hear. (And really, I wasn’t even thinking, “Is this one of the best podcast marketing tools I can use?” I was too worried about saying something stupid or sounding like I had no idea what I was doing!)

This is something that took me several months to accomplish. So when I was asked, “What is your podcast about?”, I often stumbled on my words. I don’t want that for you. Instead, I encourage you to craft an AMAZING Elevator Pitch before you start marketing yourself.

Your elevator pitch needs to be refined over and over and over again.

You’ll get better at this the more you practice. But if you’re struggling to come up with an Elevator pitch, start by asking yourself these questions, answering them, and writing down those answers:

What’s your podcast about?
Who is it for?
What’s its purpose? (To entertain, educate, inform, etc.)
What makes your podcast stand out from all the rest?

The best way to start practicing your Elevator Pitch is to start talking to people about your podcast.

Tell your friends and your family what you’re doing. Get on social media and shout it from the rooftops. Tell people you’re creating a podcast and let them know what it’s about, who it’s for, and what makes it different.

Don’t underestimate the Elevator Pitch! It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book for a reason…It works!

WORD OF WARNING: Don’t bombard people! Or be that annoying person that can’t stop talking about themselves and their podcast. Instead, be the person that adds value to any situation and is on a mission to help other people!

5. Interview Guests with an Online Presence

Don’t let this turn into a slimy kind of thing, but interviewing a guest that has a significant amount of influence online can be one of the best podcast marketing tools.

But I don’t want you preying on every influencer or person with a huge following. Please don’t be the person trying to get them to come on to your podcast sounding desperate. Nobody likes desperate!

What you should focus on instead is the question, “Does my guest have an audience online?”

This is a prerequisite to any of the podcast guests for The Rookie Life. You don’t have to have a huge following, but you must have an online presence somewhere. I want listeners to go find my guests online and continue to follow their journey.

They can’t do that if Guests don’t have an online presence.

When you do find someone who has a large following and they are excited to come on to your show, then capitalize on their ability to reach more people through their audience.

Make your marketing really awesome!
Maybe even collaborate with them and get a picture of the two of you together.
Or use their picture and create an awesome sound bite.
Create something that they’ll be excited to share with their audience.
The likelihood of your guest sharing it and their audience responding to it is a lot greater when you make it fun!

Marketing is supposed to be fun!

All of these are some of the best podcast marketing tools to help get you started. But don’t feel like you have to adopt them all!

If you already have a marketing plan, add these tools to your existing tips and strategies.
If you don’t have a marketing plan, start doing these things immediately to promote your podcast.

And don’t forget to measure your success along the way!

Are your sound bites getting a lot of engagement and attention?
Is social media working well for you? If so, which platform is the best?
Do people click on your podcast link from your email list?
Is your Elevator Pitch resonating with potential listeners?
Did you have an explosive growth from a guest’s audience?

Find a way to measure the success of your strategies along the way.
Because only then can you tell what’s working and what’s not.

5 Best Podcast Marketing Tools