How To Increase Podcast Subscriber Counts

Published February 6, 2024 | By Matt

In the evolving digital landscape, podcast creators face the challenge of growing their subscriber base amidst platform changes, such as Apple Podcasts’ transition from a “Subscribe” to a “Follow” button. This blog post aims to guide podcasters, especially those new to the scene, on effectively attracting and retaining subscribers.

1. Understanding Platform Changes

Recent updates to platforms like Apple Podcasts, which shifted terminology from “Subscribe” to “Follow,” reflect broader trends in how users engage with content. This change emphasizes the non-financial commitment of following a podcast, potentially impacting how creators encourage subscriptions. Understanding these platform nuances is crucial for podcasters to adapt their promotional strategies effectively.

2. Enhancing Discoverability

SEO for Podcasts: Use relevant keywords in your podcast title, description, and episodes to improve visibility in search results. Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner can help identify terms your target audience is searching for.
Leverage Social Media: Share engaging content related to your podcast on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Use visuals, short audio clips, or quotes from your episodes to attract listeners.
Collaborate with Other Podcasters: Guest appearances or shoutouts can introduce your podcast to new audiences. Consider partnerships that align with your podcast’s theme and audience interests.

3. Improving Content Quality

Invest in Good Equipment: Clear audio quality can significantly enhance listener experience. Investing in a good microphone and editing software is essential.
Engage Your Audience: Create content that speaks directly to your listeners’ interests. Encourage engagement by asking for comments, feedback or questions they’d like addressed in future episodes.
Consistent Posting: Maintain a regular publishing schedule. Consistency helps build a loyal audience, as listeners look forward to new episodes.

4. Utilizing Feedback and Engagement

Encourage Listener Interaction: Use your episodes, social media, and email to invite listener feedback. Interactive segments can make listeners feel like part of your podcast community.
Implement Changes Based on Feedback: Show your audience that their opinions matter by making adjustments or addressing their suggestions in your podcast.

5. Marketing and Promotion Strategies

In addition to leveraging social media, collaborations, and traditional marketing tactics, a critical strategy for podcasters to increase subscriber numbers involves driving traffic back to a dedicated website. This approach serves multiple purposes: it centralizes your content, enhances listener engagement through additional resources, and significantly, it enables the growth of an email list for direct communication. Here’s how you can effectively implement these strategies:

Driving Traffic to Your Website

Create a Compelling Landing Page: Your podcast’s website should have a clear, engaging landing page that highlights what your podcast is about and why it’s unique. Include a player for your latest episode, a brief description of your podcast, and clear calls to action (CTAs) encouraging visitors to subscribe via their preferred platform.
Offer Exclusive Content: Encourage website visits by offering content that can’t be found elsewhere, such as behind-the-scenes insights, bonus episodes, or detailed blog posts that complement your podcast episodes.
SEO Optimization: Ensure your website is optimized for search engines to increase visibility. Use keywords related to your podcast topics, and regularly update your site with fresh content to improve your search ranking.

Building and Utilizing an Email List

Email Sign-Up Incentives: Offer incentives for listeners to sign up for your email list, such as exclusive content, early access to episodes, or entry into giveaways.
Regular Newsletters: Send out regular emails to your list with updates about your podcast, including new episode announcements, sneak peeks of upcoming content, or special offers. This keeps your audience engaged and encourages regular visits to your website.
Direct Engagement: Use your email list to solicit feedback, ask for topic suggestions, or conduct surveys. This direct line of communication builds a stronger connection with your audience and can provide valuable insights for improving your podcast.

Providing Helpful Resources and Links

Complementary Content: Create content that adds value to your podcast episodes, such as detailed show notes, related articles, or resources that you mention in your episodes. This not only enhances your listeners’ experience but also improves your website’s SEO.
Video Content: Consider including video versions of episodes, teasers, or related content on your website. Videos can increase engagement and provide another medium through which your audience can connect with your content.

Leveraging Your Website for Growth

Analytics: Use website analytics to track visitor behavior, such as the most visited pages and the conversion rate of visitors to email subscribers. This data can help you refine your content and marketing strategies.
Cross-Promotion: Promote your website and email list across your social media channels and within your podcast episodes. Make it easy for listeners to find your site by including the URL in your social media profiles and episode descriptions.

6. Leveraging Analytics

Utilizing analytics effectively can transform the way you approach podcasting, turning raw data into actionable insights that drive growth. Analytics can tell you not just who is listening but how, when, and why they engage with your content. Here’s how to make analytics work for you:

Understanding Podcast Analytics

Get to Know Your Listeners: Analytics provide demographic information such as age, location, and device usage, helping you understand who your audience is. Tailoring your content to your audience’s preferences can lead to higher engagement rates.
Episode Performance: Look at which episodes perform the best in terms of listens, shares, and engagement. This can guide you on what topics, formats, or guest types resonate most with your listeners.

Deep Dive into Engagement Metrics

Listener Retention: Analytics tools often show how long people listen to an episode and at what point they drop off. Use this information to adjust the pacing, structure, or length of your episodes.
Engagement Over Time: Tracking how engagement changes over time can help you identify trends, such as seasonal variations in listening habits or how promotional efforts impact listener growth.

Implementing Feedback Loops

Solicit Listener Feedback: Use your insights from analytics as a basis to solicit targeted feedback from your audience, either through social media polls, email surveys, or direct listener calls-to-action within your episodes.
A/B Testing: Experiment with different formats, release times, and marketing messages. Use analytics to measure the impact of these changes on your audience growth and engagement.

Optimizing Marketing Strategies

Social Media and Website Traffic: Integrate your podcast analytics with website and social media metrics to see how your promotional efforts drive listeners to your episodes. Understanding the pathways your audience takes to reach your content can help you refine your marketing strategies.
Conversion Tracking: Set up conversion goals to track how effectively you’re turning website visitors or social media followers into podcast subscribers or episode listeners.

Tools and Platforms for Podcast Analytics

Choose the Right Tools: Many podcast hosting platforms offer built-in analytics. Additionally, third-party tools like Podtrac, Chartable, or Google Analytics (for website traffic) can offer deeper insights.
Regular Reviews: Weekly or monthly check-ins can help you stay responsive to your audience’s preferences and adapt your content strategy accordingly.

Actionable Steps Based on Insights

Content Strategy Adjustments: Use insights from your analytics to fine-tune your content strategy. This might mean focusing on certain topics, adjusting episode length, or changing your publishing frequency.
Audience Engagement: Increase engagement by addressing listener interests and preferences identified through analytics. This could involve introducing new segments, Q&A sessions, or interactive content.

Conclusion

Adapting to changes in the podcasting industry and employing a diverse set of strategies is key to growing your subscriber base. Remember, building a subscriber base takes time and persistence, but with the right approach, your podcast can thrive in the competitive digital content market.