Easy On The Eyes: Screen Burnout is Real

Americans are closing their burned-out eyes and opening their ears to be entertained, according to a study of pandemic-fueled trends. National Research Group found that half of all American consumers feel burned out by screens and now prefer to listen to digital audio podcasts in their spare time. According to the research firm, one out of two Americans described experiencing screen fatigue and using podcasts to “travel to new places and hear new perspectives.”

But what do podcasts offer that video streaming does not?

For one, listening to podcasts offers a new way to engage outside of the digital world and a more flexible and immersive experience for listeners, instead of just having their noses in their phones 24/7 scrolling mindlessly, podcasts engage the listener and teach them new information.

In short, you either need a podcast of your own or you should be advertising in this medium.

Podcast Marketing 101

According to PodcastInsights.com, there are more than 2 million podcasts on the market today, with more than 48 million episodes! It’s safe to say, you’ll face some stiff competition on your rise to the top of the charts. If it seems as if everybody has a podcast these days — it’s for a good reason! Spotify, a leading podcast platform, has recently reported an increase in revenue of almost 27% driven by the increase in podcast listeners.

Creating a Podcast Marketing Strategy

With the drastic spike in podcast listeners, it’s clear that podcasts are a vital component of a modern marketing strategy and a great way to reach and engage with your target audience. Here are a few considerations to help you get started on your podcast marketing strategy:

• Audience: As with any type of strategic marketing effort, it is important to identify the audience you’re trying to reach. Instead of aiming to attract a wide or broad audience, home in on a more specific audience group. Knowing exactly who you want to reach will make it easier when developing content for your podcast.
• Analyze: Be prepared to actively analyze, tweak, and adjust your podcast marketing strategy, as needed. You will need to run analytics to see how your audience is feeling about your podcasts and continue to adjust accordingly. The most important thing to consider is making sure that your content consistently has value. Without value, listeners will have no incentive to continue listening to your podcast content.
• Time: Podcast marketing can be a long-haul strategy, as it does take time to start seeing the results and racking up the listeners and loyal followers. Podcasts are a commitment for at least several months, as most new podcasts take that long to start gaining traction, so pack your patience and persistence!

Promoting Your Podcast

To promote your podcast, try using some of the following promotion strategies:

• In your podcast, ask your listeners in a tactful manner to subscribe to your podcast so they never miss an episode. If they find your content interesting or beneficial, they are likely to share it with other people who will hopefully also convert into loyal listeners.
• You can also ask subscribers or listeners who love your podcast to review it. This will help your podcast and audience base grow by increasing your rating and relevance to outside audiences.
• Join online podcast forums and groups to stay up-to-date on the happenings of the podcast industry. These forums are a great place to get guidance from other people doing similar things with their podcasts and to be sure you’re on top of all trends and news.
• Consider using a transcription service to create subtitle texts for your podcast. Most highly successful podcasts do this, offering viewers an alternative to reading the content, should they not have time to listen to the podcast. This is also beneficial for ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for those who may be hard of hearing or who don’t have the attention span to sit through a long podcast. The transcription material, when placed on your website, can also help gain traffic to your website via SEO. There are a variety of online services available to help you with the transcription of your podcast, such as Rev.com.
• Social media efforts should be a top priority in your podcast marketing strategy. Try sharing updates when your podcast is launched on common social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook. Soundbite clips of 15-second previews are easily shareable on all platforms to give listeners a sneak peek of the podcast and intrigue them to listen to the rest by downloading your podcast.
• Keep resharing the podcast throughout the week so it stays current on other people’s radars. Varying the types of social media platforms you market your podcast on will help you gain the most eyeballs without spending a hefty amount on marketing. Remember, there are endless ways to utilize social media to your advantage when it comes to marketing your podcast; you just need to get creative!

Key Takeaways

While we hope these tips help jumpstart your podcast marketing efforts, if you are looking for some professional guidance for your podcast marketing and/or podcast advertising, we’re here to help. Madison Taylor Marketing is a full-service marketing agency specializing in specific types of marketing, such as podcast marketing. Let’s enhance your marketing efforts.