4 Reasons to Launch Your Podcast on Social Media in 2023 (& How to Do it!)

We all listen to podcasts, and more and more of us host them too now. Fact is, this once quaint audio format has been catapulted into the 21st century, and has become a part of our daily lives. If you’re a podcast lover, and if you host one or more podcasts yourself, this article is for you. You may be wondering why you’d even contemplate launching your podcast on social media in 2023.

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Well, let me tell you: we’ve done our homework, and have come to the conclusion that promoting your audio content through social could just be gamechanging for you. Here are 4 reasons to launch your podcast on social media in 2023, and, obviously, I’ll share our recommendations for how to go about it too.

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Keep an eye on your social media performance, schedule your posts with ease, and keep on top of the competition with Iconosquare by signing up for a free account today!

Reasons to launch your podcast on social media

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1. 36% of all podcasts are discovered through social media

According to the latest CSA and Havas Paris study (October 2022), 36 of podcasts are discovered by listeners on social media. This figure, as astonishing as it may seem, is actually kind of unsurprising when you consider the huge space that social media takes up in our daily lives. I’d go as far to guess that most things are probably discovered on social media in this day and age! 🕵

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The takeaway here is simple: if you’ve got something to sell, promote or share in the 21st century, you need to get it on social media.

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2. 4.38Bn users could be your future listeners

Instagram counts over 1.44 billion active users, and Facebook boasts over 2.96 billion. Combined, this user base is your potential audience if you were to begin promoting your podcast on this Meta duo alone. Don’t get me started on the potential success you could harvest through YouTube, TikTok, Linkedin or even Twitter! 

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Obviously, you need to locate your audience before you can begin making estimates in terms of how many new listeners you can hope to attract. This important first step will help you to narrow down which platforms you want to begin communicating on, and allow you to test the waters and gather those all-important first results.

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Access the free TDLR inforgraphic of this article right here.

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3. Each social media platform has dedicated podcast specificities

To each platform its audience, and to each audience their preferences. So it goes without saying that depending on the platform, you won’t get the same results when promoting your podcast. 

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• Linkedin, (as you know) is ideal for business content and therefore more adapted to business-related podcasts. 

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• On Twitter and Facebook, you can find many accounts and private groups dedicated to podcast curation, so get yourself in with one or a few of them and get your content noticed! 

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• Instagram is the undeniable favourite among podcast producers. 26% of all podcasts are discovered on Instagram thanks to the ease of communication (Stories, Reels, Lives, carousels, video clips, and static images) and customisation options.

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In essence, everything is laid out for you on these platforms, all you have to do is dive in!

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Check out these 5 killer tips for creating Linkedin posts that go viral.

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4. You could get incredible engagement, especially on Facebook

Facebook is still without doubt the most popular social platform, so don’t underestimate its potential. Posting to Facebook with an external link (to a podcast, for example!) delivers an average result of 390 link clicks, according to an Iconosquare study from November 2022. 

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As mentioned earlier, Instagram is also a high-achiever when it comes to audio content, so I’d recommend using Facebook and Instagram together for best results. Get those clicks flowing in from all sources! Every click could become a listen, and every listener is gold. 💰

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So, what are you thinking? 

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If I were you, I’d literally be convinced to go ahead and start promoting my podcast on social media right now. But if we’re talking about getting serious, we need to dig a little deeper into how you can communicate about your podcast through social. 

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So before this great idea turns into yet another forgotten New Year’s resolution (I mean, it’s already  February after all), here are three tips on how to actually go about promoting your podcast on social.

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Keep an eye on your social media performance, schedule your posts with ease, and keep on top of the competition with Iconosquare by signing up for a free account today!

How to communicate about your podcast on social media

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1. Use video

Utilising video is the single most natural way to communicate about audio content. And this applies even if you don’t have any video content to accompany your podcast. 

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Huh? Am I supposed to leave a blank screen and just play my audio in the background?

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Yeah, no. 😅

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Ausha very conveniently helps you to promote your podcast episodes by generating a simple video clip, which you can customise with image and your choice of colour palette, and you can also add subtitles. These video clips are incredibly helpful when you need to publish an episode on social media.

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Here are some stats to get you inspired:

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• Video clips of your episode obtain an average of 6% more engagement than a static visual on social media, according to an Ausha study on more than 10,000 shows between Spetember and November 2022.

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• Sharing video clips on Instagram Reels is the perfect recipe for engagement and visibility. The average engagement rate for Instagram Reels is 2.41%, which is higher than any other average Instagram engagement rate (by post type).

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• Video teasers can be a great way to give potential listeners a glimpse of an episode to come, without them ever having to leave the social platform they were scrolling. And keeping people engaged in-app — whatever social app that may be — is always favoured by algorithms as opposed to driving traffic away from the platform. So take advantage of this when planning out your podcast communication strategy!

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You literally have hardly any work to do, and everything to gain!

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Access the free TDLR inforgraphic of this article right here.

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2. Vary your content

There are a variety of ways you can promote your podcast episodes on social media. Just because one content type works for you, doesn’t mean another won’t be just as powerful. Repurposing your content can also have some pretty effective results. Here are some examples of content you could use to communicate about your podcast:

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• Share video clips (as mentioned above!)
• Share quotes from your guests
• Photos or illustrations of anything that represents the topic of the episode
• Backstage sneak peeks of the recording stages of the episode
• Pictures of your guest speaker (if you have one!)
• Ask your audience questions through native polls

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The final idea is especially interesting as it involves using a native tool. Research (and just general life experience) has shown that using native features such as poll stickers on Instagram Stories for example, helps your post benefit from an algorithm boost. In short: social media platforms love it when we use their nifty tools, and will help any posts that do to achieve better reach.

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Sounds like a win-win!

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3. Add transcripts

This one’s a no-brainer. Adding subtitles to your podcast video clips allows for new listeners to discover your content even with sound off. Granted, most people have their ear buds surgically attached these days, but you never know who could potentially miss out if you don’t include this essential detail.

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Ausha allows you to do this very simply, with auto-generated transcription which you then then fine-tune before publishing your video clip. Fast and effective!

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And here’s the deciding element: you’ll get an average of 6% more impressions on your subtitled videos in comparison to those that don’t include transcription. Actual proof that videos with subtitles get seen more.

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What are you waiting for?!

To summarise

Whether your podcast has existed for years with a loyal audience, or you’re just getting started and are hoping to increase your listener base, promoting your episodes on social media is always a good idea.

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With the aforementioned tips and stats, you shouldn’t have any trouble starting your podcast journey on social media. Keep an eye on your social media performance, schedule your posts with ease, and keep on top of the competition with Iconosquare by signing up for a free account today!

Access the free TDLR inforgraphic of this article right here.