Cross-promotion for developing your podcast

You know what’s like online dating, but 500% better? Finding other creators to cross promote podcasts with. In this blog we’re going to teach you how to find and form partnerships to create more listeners and downloads for both podcasts involved– audio-based relationships where you truly will live happily ever after. 🥰

what is podcast cross-promotion?

First things first: What is cross promotion? Cross promotion is when you and another person advertise to each other’s audiences. 🤝 It is one of the best free, powerful marketing tools to grow your audience base. 🚀

We’re not talking about just swapping ads (although that is one option).

We’re talking about being visible to a new audience, expanding your community.

Some of the most loyal, active podcast listeners don’t think to, or don’t have time to, search for new podcasts on their own. In order for them to find you, you have to show up in the podcast episode they are currently listening to.

A surefire way to grow your audience

Cross promotion lets you promote your show to a qualified audience, since they already listen to podcasts. 🚀

Cross promotion is an exchange of visibility between two podcasts and is usually free. Each host is invited to the other’s podcast to promote their show. 🤜🤛 This is a very common practice among podcasters, since it allows them to tap into an audience that already listens to podcasts in order to acquire new listeners.

Several types of cross promotions

Cross Promotion Method: Episode Guest

The most common way to do cross promotion in podcasting is the episode guest. You appear as a guest on another podcast, help make up its audio content, and at the end of the episode you pitch your podcast.

There’s a reason this is the most common method: It is simple and mutually beneficial. You will have helped the other creator by providing content and they will have helped you by giving you exposure to their listeners. 🤝

Also, you both will have upped each other’s credibility– you are legitimizing their show by being a guest on it, and they have legitimized yours by inviting you on the episode.

Plus, there is basically no extra work involved. The interviewing host can keep their podcast structure the same as usual.

Win, win! You love to see it! 🥰

But this isn’t the only cross promotional method. 👇

Cross Promotion Method: Co-create Episode

Let’s say the podcast format doesn’t lend itself to interviews. Another way to do cross promotion is to co-create the content of an episode and have the episode popup on both podcast’s feeds.

For example, maybe there is a narrative podcast on German history and there is a narrative podcast on historical female activists. 🤓 Those podcasters could join together to make a narrative episode about Rosa Luxemburg, crediting each other and listing the episode under both of their podcasts.

Cross Promotion Method: Ad Swap

Maybe you want to test the water a bit before you commit to a more involved cross promotion method. It might be best to consider the cross promotional method of placing ads in each other’s episodes. That way you aren’t locking yourself into a whole production.

The ads could be as simple as having the hosts read a few promo lines. 🎙️ It could get as complex as making a video ad to play during the episode, if the other podcast has a video component. Explore your options and think creatively!

Cross Promotions Outside of Podcasts

Keep in mind that the cross promotion doesn’t necessarily have to be in a podcast or audio format. Maybe rather than ads on each others’ podcast episodes, you agree to share each other’s social media posts. 📱

If you have blogs, writing a guest blog post can be a great cross promotion tool ✏️. The same goes for newsletter or emails. The folks who read these may have never even considered listening to a podcast!

And don’t exclude non-podcasters from the fun!

Maybe there is an attorney who specializes in elder rights and you have a podcast about taking care of aging parents. The attorney could come on one of your episodes to educate listeners about elder law, and then you could have the attorney share your podcast with their social media community or by client newsletter/email.

Don’t forget – YouTube creators are great partners for cross promotion. 🎬 There is a lot of natural crossover between podcasts and YouTube. Making video content might be new to you, but it won’t be to a YouTube host. Plus, they should be able to share with you granular data about their audience since YouTube provides that level of marketing specificity. 📈

Is your mind starting to race with all the possibilities? Good! It should. 💪 There’s a ton of untapped potential in cross promotions as an advertising and outreach tool.

How do you find the right podcast for cross promotion?

Ok, you’re sold on the concept. Now to get it done. But how? It is not like there’s some sort of dating app for this kind of thing. 🤔

Use websites to find other podcasts

Sites like Radio Guest List and Matchmaker.fm can help you look for guests or slots for you to be a guest, creating cross promotion opportunities. But don’t just leave it to the marketing professionals. Your own personal network might be a good place to start. 💪

You can start by taking a look at your social media network apps.

Do you know anyone else who has a podcast or audio product?
Do you know anyone who isn’t a podcaster but works on the same topics your podcast covers?

Linkedin might be the best network to use for this if you are looking to cross promote to a business-minded audience. Instagram might be better if you are looking for a millennial audience.

Which kind of Podcasts do you want to reach for cross promotion?

Remember, there are two things you are looking for in a cross promotion:

Can they contribute something to your current audience?
Is their audience your target audience?

You don’t want to lose some of the listeners you already have because you have given them episode content they don’t care about. You also don’t want to waste time getting exposure to an audience that isn’t of high value to you. 😬

It is all about finding the right fit. 🤝

After going through your own networks, then it is time to start looking through other podcasts where you might not know the host, but where a collaboration could make sense.

Podcasters and creators as a group are usually very open to cross promotion and are always looking for ways to grow their audience and increase their podcast downloads. 📈 Dream big– the worst they can say is ‘no.’ Plus, in the next section we’re going to show you how to put together a pitch that will make them say ‘yes’!

When seeking the ideal partner, keep the following in mind:

Audience size 💪 : Do you have similar size audiences? In other words, do you have the same number of monthly listeners? When one podcast has a larger audience, cross-promotion may still be interesting if the smaller audience is specialized and engaged. If not, a paid partnership may be suitable.
Podcast content✨ : Are the content and themes similar? Do you have audiences with shared interests? For example, cross-promotional transactions could be envisioned between a podcast dealing with politics and one talking about democracy.

Bonus tip: To find podcasts with similar audiences, use the Podcast Audience Graph tool. All podcasts found on Apple Podcasts are referenced. You’ll most likely find yours!

Pitching Your Podcast Cross Promotion

You’ve come up with a short list of people you think would be open to cross promotion with you. Now what?

Now you pitch them. 🤩

You want your pitch to be individualized, show that you have done your research, and quickly explain what the benefits will be for them. When the recipient reads it, they should feel like you actually care about them and their audience.

Here’s an example of a pitch email:

Hi Jeremiah,

I really enjoy your podcast about bullfrogs. I think it does a great job of being both entertaining and educational– I had no idea they can lay 25,000 eggs at a time! I have a similar podcast about beavers.

Would you be interested in doing a joint episode about how beavers and bullfrogs are critical for creating healthy ecosystems for each other? I think my audience would love to learn about your podcast this way. Let me know if you are interested and we can find a time to chat! I have some ideas about how to keep production super easy for both of us.

Many thanks,

Igor

Chances are, other podcasts or businesses are also thinking about how to market themselves so they will be open to an invitation like this. If you don’t get a response, see if there is another way to contact them– if you first messaged them on their social media, try emailing them. And consider doing one follow-up too.

Podcasters and business people are pretty busy and may not check certain inboxes, or they may have meant to respond, but forgot. 🤭 No need to follow-up more than that though. You can take the silence as a no, and just keep moving on. There are plenty more folks to reach out to!

How do you start a cross-promotion exchange?

When you find your partner podcast, you should agree upfront on a broadcast duration and/or a number of impressions, even if the promo swap is free.

Once you have agreed on the terms, you can then record your blurbs. 🎙️

Two common options are conducting a mini-interview with the other podcast’s host or just recording yourself.

In any case, keep in mind that you’re addressing a different audience than your own. 👋 Highlight 2-3 key pieces of information and a call-to-action encouraging future listeners to check out your podcast. 😁

Always be consistent with the tone, format and style of the show that will air the campaign. I recommend recording a specific message for each podcast.

For extra visibility, don’t hesitate to couple a cross-promotional campaign with posts on social media and/or your newsletter. 🚀

Podcast listener feedback with cross promotion

Cross-promotion is not limited to podcasts. New players, like Reachmaker, are now advocating co-marketing. This platform, created by Caroline Mignaux from the podcast “Marketing Square”, helps you find the ideal partners to split budgets, boost visibility and increase your marketing impact tenfold. 🚀

Basic Content To Cover in a Cross Promotion

Let’s say Jeremiah has agreed to do a joint episode. It can be easy at this point to just relax, chit chat on the show, and then be done. But preparation is important! You want to make sure you give Jeremiah’s audience the information and intrigue to follow your podcast.

You work hard on making every one of your episodes great, but pay special attention to this one- this is essentially your tryout in front of potential new listeners. Work with the other podcaster to put together an awesome episode with high-quality audio. 🤩 🎧

Also think through how you want to frame your podcast. Yes, you want to explain what it is, but you also want to persuade the new audience to tune in– maybe frame it as super interesting storytelling, or frame it as a critical source of info. Whatever you think will resonate with that audience the most.

Make sure to include this information in the episode as well as the show notes. If it is a video podcast, see if it is possible to put some of this information visually on the video for viewers to read:

Your podcast’s name
Your name
Where they can download your podcast
Where listeners can find you: website, social handles, and email

What you definitely don’t want to have happen is for the new audience to enjoy the joint episode, but then not be able to easily find your podcast afterwards.

How do you measure the results of your campaign?

Of course, like any other marketing tool, you want to look at the data afterwards to see how to tweak your approach.

Did you get more listeners after you did cross promotion?
Did you get more traffic on social media?
Did you get more downloads?
Did you get any feedback from listeners?
If it didn’t go well, what can you change for next time?

Also, run the cross-promotional campaign on its own to see if it is impacting your audience. In other words, try it without any other communication campaigns. That way you know your podcast statistics are accurate. 📈

You can also survey your listeners to see what they think. Pay attention to messages received during the campaign broadcast on your social networks as well as on platforms like Apple Podcasts. 🥰

If it’s been mutually beneficial, feel free to schedule a new campaign in the following months.

Add cross-promotion to your audience development strategy

In conclusion, cross-promotion is a useful tool employed by many podcasters in the United States, the UK, and France… This method is effectively proven to increase your podcast’s visibility and grow your audience.

Joining some small podcast networks can really help make this process easier.

Don’t underestimate the power of your peers’ recommendations to their audiences. Word-of-mouth is one of the main drivers for podcast discovery. People are more willing to listen to a new show if it was recommended by someone they trust, and this is especially true if that someone is the host of their favorite podcast. 🤝

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Overall, cross promotion is not only a free, powerful promotional tool, but it can be a great way to build community and make podcasting even more fulfilling. So go ahead and give it a try! There are friends and listeners out there waiting for you! It can be a super powerful podcast advertising option for your show.