Podcasts have been an extremely popular medium for years, reaching 144 million Americans over the age of 12. With such incredible reach, the podcast market has become increasingly competitive, especially as the medium continues to cater to more genres. If your podcast is your main platform, you may struggle to tap into new markets and uphold your viewership. Netinfluencer details the best ways to boost engagement on your podcast. 

How to Measure Engagement on Your Podcast

Your podcast’s success can be measured with a collection of different metrics. These are split into five different categories. 

• Unique Listeners: This highlights the number of individuals who have tuned in to one of your episodes on a single device. 
• Subscribers and Downloads: These metrics are very important as they give insight into how many people are listening to your podcast on a consistent basis. This can also help you to better analyze consumer behavior.
• Reviews: Comments can help push your podcast to a higher ranking within your niche, giving your platform a better reputation within the market.
• Social Sharing: This shows the extent to your listeners’ engagement and their willingness to promote it across their own social media platforms. 
• Episode-by-Episode Metrics: By measuring your success per episode, you can gauge how popular certain topics are within your respective audience. 

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Why Are Podcasts So Popular? 

Podcasts have become a significant form of entertainment for many listeners as they allow them to absorb the information whilst doing other things. Edison Research states that 37% of listeners consume their podcasts whilst at work. Thus, audiences can access new content whenever they please, further building a loyal viewership over time.

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This medium attracts a wide variety of hosts, with some of the most iconic figures in the world using their podcasts to reach a new audience. Influencers and celebrities such as Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey use podcasts to tell their stories and interact with fans. In turn, podcasting has quickly become a valuable form of PR for these women.

Podcasting is also a great way to build an intimate online community. The nature of these platforms means that the host speaks directly to a single viewer, making them feel as if it is a one-to-one conversation. This makes them more attractive than traditional media, such as TV, which conventionally speaks to a nationwide audience. 

What Are The Best Platforms To Use?

A study from 2020 collected the podcasting habits of over 2,000 listeners. The data expressed that the most popular podcasting platforms were Spotify (25%), Apple Podcasts (20%), and Google Podcasts (16%). 

10 Ways To Boost Engagement on Your Podcast

1. Cater To Your Niche

Podcasts can be centered around a multitude of topics, making them extremely versatile. With the potential for so much diversity, it is important that you create content aimed at your desired audience. This could include discussing concepts related to that audience or exploring current events around the selected topic. By doing this, you are more likely to build an audience of like-minded individuals who feel a deeper connection to your work.

2. Adhere To A Regular Schedule 

Once you have built a fairly large audience, you must work to keep them interested in your podcast. Releasing content consistently ensures that your audience knows when they will receive the next episode. As such, your listeners will be more inclined to tune in regularly and remain avid listeners. Experts suggest that podcasters should post one episode per week. 

3. Use Theming To Organize Your Episodes

Appropriate theming gives your podcast a sense of order and structure, making each episode easier to consume. You can use themes based on the time of year or special events that are occurring. If you create video podcasts, your themes could center around more visual topics such as clothing and art. 

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4. Create A Landing Page For Your Podcast 

A landing page is a single webpage that leads to one piece of content. Podcasts can benefit from landing pages as they can help separate the platform from your other social media profiles. This is useful if you are looking to build a new audience or reach out into different niches, without harming your existing follower base. 

5. Use Keywords In Your Titles and Descriptions

Using popular keywords and phrases within your written content can help your podcast achieve a higher search ranking on Google. Using SEO in this way can help you gain more organic traffic as your podcast can quickly become one of the first options when searching for certain words. Thus, your content will be better able to compete against other podcasts in your market. 

6. Invite Guest Speakers

Podcasts can also evoke interesting conversations, especially when the host includes other key figures within their niche. Guest speakers can help build a healthy dialogue for listeners to enjoy, helping to offer a new perspective with every episode. You can invite guest speakers through social media or use talent agencies to find suitable contributors. 

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7. Promote Your Podcast on Other Platforms

If you have a large following on other social media platforms, it is paramount that you share your podcasts across those too. This can help attract your current audience to your podcasts, meaning that you can potentially rely on an already established fan base. You can do this by placing the link to your podcast in your bio or by creating a new post every time an episode is released. Plus, your followers are more likely to share the podcast with others, accumulating more organic traffic. 

8. Use CTAs At The End Of Every Episode

When an audience member has finished listening to your podcast, it is important that they do not just leave without a trace. CTAs give audiences a sense of direction and encourage them to take their viewership to the next level. You can include a short message at the end of each episode, inspiring them to leave a review or share it with a friend. These actions all impact your metrics, highlighting how your viewers like to engage with your content.

9. Encourage The Audience To Contribute

No podcast would be successful without its audience. Therefore, your platform could benefit from various forms of audience participation. This includes asking viewers for suggested topics or creating a Q&A episode. As a result, your audience feels more obliged to engage with your content as it offers them a way to share their thoughts and input with the host. 

10. Use Giveaways To Add More Value

Many brands sponsor podcasts as a form of advertising. If you have partnered with a brand, try asking for a collection of sample products to use in a giveaway for your audience. Giveaways not only encourage viewers to engage with the podcast but also spreads awareness of the respective brand. Therefore, you are more likely to see engagement on your platform as well as an increase in brand opportunities. 

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Podcasts have become a staple within the creator economy, allowing influencers to create content surrounding their own interests and niches. Building an engaged audience on your podcast can lead to many prosperous brand deals as well as the chance to tap into new markets. To discover more about engagement on social media, visit our website.