By African American Books Writer Denise Turney

Want to grow your literary podcast listener base? Check out these 7 podcasts marketing tips. These marketing tips can work whether your aim is to create audio only or video podcast shows. Even more, these marketing tips work if you’re promoting books, book marketing services or publishing products during podcasts interviews. Just know that you have to distinguish yourself from a growing crowd. Why?

Early Podcast Days

Gone are the days when you could attract hundreds, if not thousands, of listeners simply by firing up a microphone, switching on video and starting a podcast. Celebrities, entertainers, news stations, media outlets and radio stations are launching podcasts today, some pulling in millions of daily and weekly listeners.

To stand out, attracting attention calls for more than a good interview, humor and sharing valuable information. It’s not the way it was in 2004, when Adam Curry and Dave Winer started their podcast “iPodder”. Their background, one a VJ and the other a technologist, made for a successful launch.

If you want to build your listener audience, you’re going to have to get the word out about your podcast. With this goal in mind, start by finding a good podcast directory.

Podcast Directories are a Must for Podcasts Marketing Tips

iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and RadioGuesList.com are podcasts directories. Other podcasts directories include iHeartRadio, Overcast, Pocket Casts and Google Play. Of course, you could start a YouTube podcast. Podcast directories are great places to distribute your show episodes. More about that later in this article.

Also, have a focus for each show. For example, if you’re interviewing an author about her nonfiction books, focus on the specific points you want to share with listeners. What do you want listeners to walk away thinking after they catch your podcast interviews?

How do you want listeners to feel and what do you want them to focus on? Not sure? Here are interview focus ideas:

1. Kick off the interview by asking guests to share their name and the titles of their books, book marketing products or publishing services.
2. Build rapport by asking guests where they are from and what inspired them to do what they do, including write the books they write.
3. Tell listeners what your guest’s website URL is. This way, listeners can visit the website and learn more about your guests.
4. Share a funny or insightful fact about yourself. Even more, you could share insight on how or why you created your podcast, one or more of your books, products or services.
5. Repeat customer testimonials that focus on specific elements of your podcast you want listeners to pay attention to.
6. Be natural. Remember, you’re about to share valuable information with podcast listeners.

Recording Audio Matters

Relax, and remember you can edit and polish the show after it ends. But do make sure you and your guests use a good microphone. Fortunately, a computer mic is generally sufficient.

Regarding your responsibilities as a podcast host, have back-up questions on hand should you need to fill empty space or brief instances of silence. Here are seven more podcast marketing tips that are good to remember:

1. Use a good sound system while recording audio for podcast shows. As a tip, if you’re using a telephone, consider going with a land line phone. Why? A land line phone may come in clearer than a cell phone. And you can get a podcast recording system like a USB microphone for a computer. Take this route, and you won’t need a telephone.
2. Before you start recording audio, do a walk-thru with guests. Let guests know how the podcast intro will go. For instance, tell guests if there are ads or music at the top of the show. Also, let guests know if there will be breaks during the show and how long breaks are. Whether or not there is live Q&A with listeners is another area to cover with guests before the show starts.
3. Sounds simple, but this is important among the podcast marketing tips. Slip up here and you could spend hours editing each show. Conduct podcast interviews in a quiet place. Tell everyone in recording space that you’re recording audio. Let them know you can’t be disturbed while interviewing. If you’ve ever seen someone bomb a Zoom recording, you know how distracting it can be to hear an unexpected voice cross the line.
4. Even if you use exciting background visuals, you have to make the interview interesting. Relax and be conversational. Coach guests to expand on their answers, steering them away from one-word answers. Also, interject humor into the interview. As an example, you could read a funny excerpt from a guest’s book.

More Podcasts Marketing Tips

As an extra tip, listen to popular podcasts to pick up intro, closing, background and Q&A ideas. Here are additional tips to produce better podcasts, potentially attracting more listeners:

• For added visual appeal, if in addition to being a podcast host, you’re also a book author, sit in front of a background that highlights your books. Regardless of the recording system you use, test the camera. Make sure you come across clearly on the video from your shoulders up. (If you’re short like me, you might have to sit on a pillow.)
• Allow sufficient light inside the space where you’re recording video podcasts.
• Repeat the titles of guests’ books, book marketing products or publishing services at the end of the podcast, especially if guests paid to be on your show.
• Edit shows and send a downloadable link to each guest. But don’t just share the link with guests, encourage guests to promote the show at their social media accounts. Also, share the link with your supporters via email, etc. The more traffic your podcast gets, the better. Traffic is a good way to attract advertisers and great podcast guests.

Professional Podcast Production

If you’re recording audio for podcast as a show host, familiarize yourself with video podcast hosting companies like Vimeo, Wistia, Burbrry, Simplecast and Wave before you create video podcast shows. Check out professional podcast production features like distribution channels, web player analytics, pricing, number of downloads you get each month, demographics and other listener metrics.

Also, see if you can get professional podcast production features free of charge, especially if you are only going to create video podcast once a month. Keep promoting and marketing your literary podcast shows. As with other items in this article, this applies whether you interview on podcasts or host your own podcast.

If you’re looking for another way to market your podcasts, create a website for your literary podcast show. Ways to increase the website traffic includes writing blogs that link to topics your guests cover during their interviews. Additionally, you could write and distribute press releases.