One Growth Strategy Every Podcaster NEEDS to Be Doing

Hey y’all!

I hope March has been great for you! It's crazy to think that 2023 is already about 1/4 of the way done. Hopefully, you've been able to see some steady, if not consistent, growth in your show.

The comforting thing you can take solace in is that every day and every week that you keep going, you continue to increase the likelihood that your podcast will succeed.

I recently made a post about the various types of podcasters out there, and I'd love to get your feedback on which type of podcaster you are.

Leave a comment on the post or send me a message with what category you’re in. The reason I'm asking is because each of those podcaster types needs slightly different strategies to grow and succeed, so I want to make sure that I'm providing the advice and strategies most relevant to you.

But anyways... on to today's topic:

Podcast Growth.

Specifically, we're going to discuss growing your podcast with promotion swaps.

We recently had one of the biggest podcast networks (in our niche) reach out to us to promote one of their top shows. For reference, this show gets about 100,000 downloads a month, and they were reaching out to us for a collaboration. They mentioned that one of their biggest growth channels was promotion swaps, not just paid advertising.

The reason I bring this up is that I think many indie podcasters assume that these big shows are simply throwing a lot of money at an advertising budget to gain listeners. While some might be, it's important to note that even some of the largest shows find it beneficial to create collaborations with other podcasts.

So that’s why the purpose of this article is to provide an overview of how to get started with promotion swaps and perhaps give you a little nudge to take action.

Now, let's provide some context before we delve into the "how-to's."

Do you remember a few years ago when everyone went crazy over "shoutouts" on Instagram? If someone, especially someone who was "Instafamous," gave you a shoutout on their page, it was likely that many of their followers would click over to your page and follow you as well.

It's the same concept for podcasters.

A podcast promotion swap occurs when two or more podcasters agree to promote each other's shows on their own podcasts. You can do this in various ways, which we'll discuss later, but it's that simple.

Promo swaps work well for a couple of reasons. The first is that:

The listeners are already familiar with podcasts.

I know this sounds obvious, but many podcasters focus on social media to grow their podcast. While there may be a large audience of people on those platforms, not all of them listen to podcasts, and not all are looking for podcasts when scrolling through their feeds. So promoting your podcast on social media can be beneficial for branding purposes and engaging your current audience, but it's not always the best at attracting new listeners.

Another challenge with social media is that those platforms aim to keep their users engaged on the platform, not clicking off to something else. As a result, the algorithms don't always favor content promoting something like a podcast, which requires users to leave the platform.

The second reason is that with promotion swaps,

You can find your target audience more easily (and affordably)

Podcasts are like books in the sense that the people who consume them are very interested in those topics. This means they're likely to enjoy similar types of content and often look for new content within that niche. And because podcasts are so niche, this creates a great opportunity to reach listeners who are genuinely interested in your show.

It's also important to understand that your listeners look to you for recommendations. They wouldn't be tuning into your show if they didn't see you as a valuable source of information. That’s why sharing other creators who can offer your audience real value can be a great service you provide to your listeners. They look to you for these recommendations because they see you as the expert or the person with insider information.

The other added benefit of promotion swaps is that they are often free. I’m sure that there are some creators who are charging podcasters for a spot, but that’s technically not a “swap.” Because each host is providing their own audience, generally that’s enough of a trade. This means that you can do as many promotions that make sense without having to worry about breaking the budget.

Now let’s talk about the various ways that you can make this happen:

1 - You can swap interviews with the other podcaster.

This is an easy option for many people, especially those already conducting interviews. You can interview your collaborator on your show, and they can do the same – or you can have one conversation and publish the episode on both of your shows.

Here’s an example:

Cal Fussman, host of the 'Big Questions, ' recently interviewed Phillip Stutts. After the interview was published on Cal's podcast, we took that audio, added an intro segment and some music, and then published it on Phillip's feed . So they did one recording and published it on both of their feeds helping promote both of their shows.

2 - You can swap full episodes with the other show

Some podcasters don't do interviews, and for those shows, it might make sense to do an episode swap or what has commonly been referred to as a "feed drop." This is when you send an episode to your collaborator to post on their feed, and they'll send you one to post on yours.

It's helpful to record a short segment informing your listeners about what's happening and providing some context for the episode. And the great thing about these swaps is that there's minimal extra effort required since you're just publishing an already edited episode.

3 - You can also swap “ads” on each other’s shows

The last style of swap involves recommending the show by reading a short "ad" or playing the other show's trailer at the beginning or end of your show. Although these may be the least effective of the swaps, it’s helpful to organize collaborations with various hosts and creators to diversify your promotional efforts.

Some people choose to do these promo swaps on specific episodes, while others place them on their entire catalog for a period of time. Different hosting providers make this easier than others, so consult with your host to see if you can "dynamically insert" a promotion or not. If you can, things are much more flexible!

Now let’s talk a bit about how to get these started

A - Research 100 Potential Promo Partners

The first step is to do your research on who you want to collaborate with. I recommend writing down 100 potential collaborators, as this will challenge you and help you discover opportunities you might not have realized were there. Also, don't be afraid to include some long-shots or shows that you feel might be bigger than yours or not interested. Don't prejudge at this point. Just write down as many perfect potential collaborators as you can. To get your brain going, here are some different types of shows you could potentially collaborate with:

1. Podcasts in your niche - similar in topic, theme, etc.
2. Podcasts in related niches - think real estate and investing or mental health and fitness
3. Industry/Genre-specific podcasts - shows about your industry or genre
4. Podcasts with the same target audience - Same audience, different topics
5. Local podcasts in your area - Because why not?

B - Reach out to ALL of them

The next step is to reach out to all of them. That's right, all of them. You never know who's going to say yes and who might be looking for similar opportunities to promote their product, service, or new offering. Additionally, you can't really control the timing of things. So put them down on the list, reach out to them, and maybe it will work out now or perhaps make more sense down the line. But opening that communication and dialogue is a huge first step to these collaborations.

C - Coordinate, Schedule, and Execute

I wish these promotions were as easy to set up as something like a Facebook ad. Unfortunately, you can't just click a few buttons and have these promotions up and running. They require some back-and-forth communication and logistical follow-through to actually make them happen. Each promotion is a little different, but that's a good thing. The more individualized and specific the promotion is to the shows involved, the more effective it will be.

Here are some tips to make this part go smoothly:

1. Agree on the promotion format - Not everyone is familiar with promo swaps, so present the options you're open to and ask which they'd be open to as well.
2. Identify your "selling points" - It also helps to know what aspects of each other's show you'll promote and highlight to your audience.
3. Set a clear timeline - Some podcasts have production schedules for episodes months in advance, while others record them just in time. Figure out what timeline works best for both of you so that the promotions can happen simultaneously on each other's feeds.

That was a bit more than I’m used to, but hopefully this gave you some clear direction and motivation to get out there and start growing your show.

Because the truth is that you have everything you need to get started.

Now you’ve just gotta get to it!

See ya next time!

P.s… If you missed the announcement on last edition, we have some exciting news! Podcasting Success Secrets has officially partnered with Momento to keep bringing you the best podcast success strategies out there!

If you want to see how Momento can help you grow your show, you can try it out for free at Momento.fm !