Three marketing strategies to amplify your podcast’s reach throughout the year

With over 4 million podcasts available worldwide, you may ask yourself: How do I stand out from the sea of online noise and remain relevant to current and new audiences? The answer is simple: rethink your podcast marketing strategy 💡

Most podcasters’ current marketing efforts rely on promoting new seasons or episodes, with very little time spent nurturing new and existing audiences. In fact, as a podcaster, you may have noticed that while your efforts have been consistent online, your results vary immensely.

This fluctuation is because audiences ebb and flow, much like the seasons throughout the year 🍂

So if you’re looking to expand your knowledge in marketing, grow your downloads consistently, and work smarter, not harder, keep reading.

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This article was written in collaboration with Ana Xavier, Award-winning Podcast Marketer, Consultant & Coach for Impact-driven Women, Minority, and Multilingual Businesses.

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Understanding Podcast Audience Fluctuation

Did you know that not all months are optimal for capturing new listeners for your podcast?

According to Spotify’s 2023 Fan Study Insights, there are four months out of the year when listeners are more open to discovering new shows:

In fact, audience fluctuation allows you to strategize when to focus your marketing efforts. January, March, July, and October are the best months to partner with other podcasters to:

• Organize cross-promotion on social media
• Swap podcast episodes or teasers with other podcasts,
• Guest on shows with aligned audiences who may be interested in your content,
• Create social media campaigns aimed at capturing new audiences.

Does it matter when you hit publish? It kind of does

Have you ever thought about your audience’s habits and routines?

Podcasters who don’t follow a consistent publishing schedule may struggle not only to grow their podcast but also to retain their current listeners. This is because they fail to consider that humans are creatures of habit. We find solace and even thrive when we stick to routines 🗂️

Research has shown that listeners multitask when consuming podcasts. According to SiriusXM Media’s research, podcasts are a part of their daily routine, and 92% of listeners say they look forward to new episodes of their favorite shows. But what are they doing when they listen?

• 70% listen while traveling or getting ready for the day/for bed,
• 67% listen while commuting,
• 65% listen while working,
• 62% play podcasts while exercising or working out.

To maximize your downloads, publish consistently, and during these times:

• 78% of consumption happens Monday to Friday,
• 22% happens on Saturdays and Sundays,
• Listenership peaks at 8 AM and 5 PM—prime commuting times,
• On Saturdays and Sundays, consumption spikes between 11 AM – 12 PM and in the evening.

While this data provides a great baseline for how most podcast audiences behave, understanding your own audience’s behaviors is key to optimizing your downloads and performance 🧠

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That’s where Ausha comes in—our platform makes it easy to get these insights with a simple dashboard that offers the most advanced data available on the market. Whether it’s tracking your downloads, top-performing episodes, unique listeners, or audience demographics, Ausha helps you dive deep into the metrics that matter most !

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Engaging Social Media Audiences

Another way to capture new listeners and diversify podcast marketing efforts is to understand that just as podcast audiences appreciate the authenticity and intimacy of podcasting, the same applies to social media.

According to research by Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights, podcast listeners seek to further their connection with their favorite hosts on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: 62%
• YouTube: 58%
• Facebook: 57%
• Twitter/X: 42%
• TikTok: 37%

Beyond showcasing behind-the-scenes or exclusive content, hosts can remind listeners to revisit older episodes or episodes that underperformed, as 67% of U.S. podcast listeners shared that they do go back and play episodes they missed.

Leveraging High and Low-Effort Content to Generate More Downloads

Lastly, with so many tasks to focus on, creating yet another podcast promo may feel overwhelming. But what if you reconsidered what great content looks like?

Leaning into what you’re naturally good at and what resonates with your listeners are key elements to consider when promoting your podcast 👂

Here are two types of content promoting the same feature:

• A carousel post that breaks down the features across multiple slides
• A talking-head video that shows viewers how to use the platform.

Feel free to test different concepts and review the data to see what your audience prefers.

Just like podcast dashboards, social media platforms want to see you succeed. Your social media dashboard can show when your audience is online, allowing you to schedule content around those times to maximize reach.

Hopefully, by now, you’ve realized that marketing your podcast doesn’t have to be a guessing game. You can leverage the data above to effectively grow your podcast year-round 🗓️

To recap:

• Audience behaviors fluctuate throughout the year. Focus marketing efforts in January, March, July, and October when audiences are more likely to discover new shows.
• Unsure when to publish? The most popular times to listen to podcasts are on weekdays during commuting hours.
• Maximize your time online by reviewing audience engagement and testing different formats to understand what resonates.
• Repurpose old content, as nearly 70% of podcast listeners go back and listen to episodes they missed.

If you’ve enjoyed this content, follow Ana Xavier at The Podcast Space. Subscribe to Ana’s podcast The Podcast Space to learn about the different ways in which you can leverage your podcast to grow your audience, stand out as a thought leader, and hit your business goals.