As a podcaster, you want to attract new listeners and keep them engaged with your show. But how do you balance showcasing your best content and promoting your newest episodes? In this article, you'll learn some tips and strategies to create a podcast content portfolio that showcases your value and encourages your audience to tune in regularly.
Your best content is the content that offers the most to your listeners, whether it's your most popular episodes, insightful interviews, actionable tips, or entertaining stories. Showcasing this content helps to establish your authority and credibility in your niche, highlight your unique voice and style, demonstrate your range of topics and guests, attract new listeners who are searching for quality content, and retain existing listeners who want to revisit your best episodes.
Balancing the showcase of your best content with the promotion of your newest episodes involves a strategic approach. To highlight your best content, curate playlists or "best-of" compilations, showcasing standout moments from past episodes. Share these compilations on social media or through email newsletters to remind your audience of your podcast's high-quality content. Simultaneously, actively promote your newest episodes by creating engaging teaser clips, eye-catching graphics, and compelling episode descriptions. Leverage social media platforms to generate excitement around upcoming releases, and consider incorporating countdowns or sneak peeks to build anticipation.
Ever notice how on any social media, you can "pin" posts to the top? Yeah, that is by design! A "pinned" piece of content is typically one that someone new to your content would start with. These pinned pieces of content should be your "hero" pieces of content to draw new listeners in for more.
Both your newer episodes as well as the OG star episodes deserve to be promoted regularly. For the former, these episodes are likely most reflective of your current skills as a podcaster (ex: If you've been podcasting for 1+ year, your recent episodes reflect your skills to date). The latter is likely the episodes that have received the most downloads, listen duration, etc. These episodes indicate what your audience is responding most to. It's likely that new listeners will be compelled to check these ones out as well. Promoting both matters. I'd say your approach to promoting both will likely be similar. It's really a matter of making the time and effort to promote the episode (ex: Batch your social media promotions and schedule it)
Your best episode is your unicorn, the uniquely best performing piece of content you have. Compare that to dating: it's like wearing your best outfit to a date ;)
No matter what your goals and platforms are, there are plenty of ways to showcase your best content. For instance, you could create a landing page or section on your website with catchy titles, descriptions, and images. Additionally, you can use social media to share snippets, quotes, or clips from your best episodes, with links to the full episodes. You can also create a playlist or series on your podcast app that groups your best episodes by theme, category, or season. Furthermore, email marketing is a great way to send newsletters or updates that highlight your best episodes, complete with teasers and calls to action. Don’t forget to ask your guests or collaborators to share your best episodes with their networks and include testimonials or endorsements. Finally, repurpose your best content into other formats such as blog posts, videos, infographics, or ebooks.
It's one thing to share clips. It's better to tell an engaging story. Instead of sharing clips and shouting to the world you have a podcast, weave in your podcast content within social posts, break up text with audio / video clips in your web blog and newsletter, and don't be shy to experiment with platforms outside of your comfort zone. Giving people a reason to watch, click, and engage isn't only posting. You have to pique their interest and grab them by their emotional curiousity.
Sometimes these comments can be vague. so here is some super tactical advice: Consistently share clips on other social mediums, PIN these social clips on other socials, put ads behind them, highlight them on your website :)
I share daily clips from previous episodes that were my favourite through social media platforms, tagging the guest and inviting them to also share the content we created together. Additionally I share Youtube videos on my website of some of my favourite moments from he show over the years in addition to the show feed.
By promoting your newest episodes, you can stay on top of the trends and news in your niche, showcase your growth and improvement as a podcaster, engage your audience with timely and topical content, encourage feedback and interaction from your listeners, and generate excitement and anticipation for your next episodes. Keeping your show fresh and relevant is essential for attracting new listeners and keeping existing ones engaged.
There are many ways to promote your newest episodes, depending on your audience and channels. For example, you can use social media to announce, tease, or countdown to your newest episodes with hashtags, images, or videos. Utilizing email marketing is another great way to send reminders or notifications to your subscribers when your newest episodes are live, with summaries and links. Additionally, you can utilize podcast app features such as ratings, reviews, comments, or notifications to boost your visibility and engagement. You may also ask your guests or collaborators to promote your newest episodes with their networks by providing quotes or previews. Cross-promoting your newest episodes on other podcasts, blogs, or platforms is also a great idea with swaps or shoutouts. Finally, creating bonus or exclusive content for your newest episodes such as behind-the-scenes, Q&A sessions, or giveaways can be a great way to further engage with your listeners.
I promote new episodes in 2 ways - on initial recording I post clips straight from the recording on the day as a teaser. Then on release day, I share the episode artwork, whilst also creating a weekly LinkedIn newsletter showcasing behind the scenes info on the episode with links to listen and learn more. All mentions have the guest tagged where possible.
Finding the right balance between showcasing and promoting your podcast content is not an easy task. It depends on your goals, audience, and resources. Nevertheless, some general guidelines can be followed. Showcase your best content at regular intervals, but not too frequently. This should be a mix of evergreen and seasonal content that highlights your value and variety. When it comes to promoting new episodes, do it consistently but not excessively. Aim for a balance of excitement and value that encourages your audience to stay tuned and share the content. Finally, don’t rely on guesswork or assumptions. Utilize analytics and feedback tools to track and evaluate performance and engagement. Try different formats, frequencies, and channels to find what works best for you and your audience.
To balance showcasing your best content and promoting your newest episodes, you can: 1. Feature both on your website or platform: Create separate sections for "Popular/Best Content" and "New Releases" so visitors can easily find both. 2. Utilize social media: Regularly post about your new episodes, while occasionally highlighting your best content as throwbacks or fan favorites. 3. Email newsletters: Include a mix of new episodes and popular past content in your email updates. 4. Cross-promotion: In new episodes, briefly mention or link to your best content, and vice versa. 5. Leverage analytics: Track what your audience engages with and adjust your promotion strategy accordingly.
Balancing showcasing and promoting your podcast content is an ongoing process that requires creativity and flexibility. It's important to not settle for good enough or get complacent, but instead, keep improving and innovating your podcast content. To do this, listen to your audience by using surveys, polls, reviews, or comments to gather and analyze their feedback. Ask them what they like, dislike, want, or expect from your podcast. Additionally, listen to other podcasts as sources of inspiration, learning, and networking. Learn from their successes and failures, their strengths and weaknesses, their strategies and tactics. Lastly, listen to yourself and use your podcast as a platform to express yourself, share your ideas, and connect with your audience. Stay true to yourself, your values, and your goals while challenging yourself, having fun, and enjoying the journey.
Incorporate the best-performing episodes into your promotional strategy. Highlight these episodes in your social media posts, website, and email newsletters. You can also repurpose these episodes into blog posts, infographics, or video content to reach new audiences. By regularly showcasing your best content, you'll attract new listeners and retain existing ones. When promoting new episodes, avoid spamming your audience with repetitive or excessive promotions. Instead, focus on creating engaging and informative promotions that provide value and build anticipation for the upcoming episode. Use social media, email newsletters, and cross-promotion with other podcasts to create buzz around your new content.