How to Promote a Podcast on TikTok

Have you been thinking about starting a TikTok account to promote your podcast, but not sure what is involved? We have got you covered!

In this blog post we walk you through everything you need to know to launch a TikTok account that is sure to boost your audience numbers. 🚀

Don’t Forget: Ausha’s Video Generator

If you know us, you know that Ausha is all about saving podcasters’ time and energy when it comes to marketing. ⏱️

That is why we want to remind any of our members reading this that they can use the Ausha video generator for TikTok, just like they already do for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. No extra work! 😮

Just pick the section of audio you want to make a video of, and Ausha automatically creates a video file of waveforms and text on screen for that section.

You can customize the colors if you want. 🧑‍🎨

You can also pick what format you want the video in: Horizontal, vertical, or square (you are going to want vertical for TikTok).

Again, this means that Ausha members can promote their podcast on TikTok while not adding more work to their to-do list. With nothing to lose, why not make a podcast TikTok?! 🤷

Of course, if you want to really get into TikTok, you can make videos on TikTok itself, using TikTok effects, sound library, etc. We will get into all that in a second. Just know that you can use videos from the Ausha generator if you want.

Overview: How to Promote Your Podcast on TikTok

Here is a quick overview of the steps we are going to cover in this blog. Feel free to skip to the sections you need the most info on:

Pick the Best Fit: Personal vs. Business Account
Make an Awesome Profile: Branding and Q&A feature
Know Your Video Types: Post vs. Story vs. Live
Time to Create: Film, Edit, and More!
Two Key Tips: Trends and Consistency
As Always, Analytics

Ok, are you ready for this journey o’ knowledge?! Buckle up. Blastoff! 👩‍🚀

Step #1 Pick the Best Fit: Personal vs Business Account

The first step in making a TikTok profile is to decide if you want a personal account or a business account. We took a look at the two different options through the eyes of a podcaster.

Here are the benefits of each option:

Personal TikTok Account for Podcasters

Music 🎵

With a personal TikTok account, you can access a ton of sounds and music. Basically you can use copyrighted music like what is popular on the radio. With a Business Account, you can only use generic kind of music.

Music and other sounds are one of the most fun, engaging parts of TikTok so this is a big ‘pro’ in terms of choosing a Personal Account as a podcaster! 💃

Make Money 🤑

Personal accounts can make money through a variety of ways on TikTok. Besides being eligible for the Creator Fund once you start getting lots of followers, you can start making money early on through the Tips feature (like a tip jar) and through the Creator Marketplace. The Creator Marketplace is where you link up with companies to get paid to promote their products.

In podcasting, it never hurts to have access to different ways to make money. If you feel like you can make money through tips and doing promotional content for companies, a Personal account is right for you. 👍

Business Account for Podcasters

If your podcasting model is more focused on long term lead generation, a Business Account might be the better fit for you.

Calls to Action 📢

With this kind of account, you have access to ‘call to action’ buttons. You can use the ‘sign up’ button to help you build an email list. The ‘subscribe’ button can help you grow subscribers for your show. You can put these buttons in both your profile and your posts.

With this kind of account, you can also put an email button in your profile so people have a direct way to contact you. 💌

You can also put a link in your bio, after you reach 1,000 followers. Like the ‘call to action’ buttons, this can really boost your lead generation and community building efforts. (PS- If you are an Ausha member, you definitely want to use your Smartlink here).

Sell Merch 👕

You can still access a way to monetize your podcast with the Business account. These kind of accounts can sell and display directly on TikTok through their Shopify site. So if selling merchandise is a way you fund your podcast, this might be the right option for you. 💰

You Can Always Switch 🔄

The good news is that you can always change between a Personal account and Business account at any point in your TikTok journey. So go ahead and pick the one that you think is the best fit with no worries! 💆

Step #2 Make an Awesome Profile: Branding and Q&A Feature

This step should be pretty quick and easy. A TikTok profile is very similar to typical social media profiles. You just need a compelling photo and description. 📸

Your podcast cover art can make for a great profile picture. Your description can be pretty much identical to your show description. As long as you already have your foundational branding assets, you should be able to just plug them in here. 🔌

Two tips, though:

Tip 1: Although you cannot always put an active link in your bio (see the above section about personal vs. business account differences), you can put the link text in for people to copy and paste. If you are an Ausha member, be sure to put your Smartlink here. 🔗

Tip 2: Turn on the Q&A feature. Everyone has the ability to turn on this feature in their profile. The Q&A button takes people to a page where they can ask you questions and you can type in your answers. This is a great engagement tool, so be sure to activate it on your podcast TikTok! 🤝

Step #3 Know Your Video Types: Post vs. Story vs. Live

Again, similar to other social media platforms, TikTok has three basic categories of videos you can make.

Post 🖼️

A video usually under 1 min. long, though you now have the option to make them longer. It stays on your profile indefinitely.

Story 🌬️

A video under 15 seconds that is available for 24 hours.

Live 🎙️

A live stream video. You can pay to promote your Live if you want to get more eyes on it.

A podcaster can utilize each one of these videos to their benefit. You can do a Live taping of your episodes, make super short snackable content for Stories, and tease each new episode in its own Post.

Step #4 Time to Create: Film, Edit, and More!

Here’s the meat of it all! Time to make some TikToks!

While TikTok is a social media platform, it is also a fantastic video creation app. Play around with it and you may surprise yourself with what you can create! 😎

Film or Upload

You can either film directly on the app, or you can upload videos to work with.

The framing should be vertical. It should be well lit and generally at eye-level. Remember, even though the final video should be max 1 min. or 15 sec., what you record can be longer and then you just need to cut it down in editing. ✂️

Edit

You can adjust the clips directly in TikTok. Shorten clips, move them around, add transitions between clips, etc. ⬇️

Effects 🤖

The real fun comes in with adding effects. At the bottom of the creation screen, there is an effects icon. Once you click it, you can see effects organized by categories like Trending, New, Beauty, etc.

Buttons and Text on Screen 🆒

One of the features that is iconic to TikTok is the buttons or texts on screen. These add a whole new dimension to your creations. They are really helpful if you are trying to explain something or getting your point across. It also helps users enjoy your videos even with the sound off.

Don’t forget the Hashtags!!! 👈

Not that you ever would, but you know we have to say it: Do not forget the hashtags! When you post a video, be sure to add the relevant hashtags so people can more easily find your content. Hashtags will also help your content get put at the top of the search results for that kind of topic.

Step #5 Two Key Tips: Trends and Consistency

While you are creating your masterpieces, keep in mind two main tips: Tap into trends, and be consistent.

Tap in Trends 🚰

TikTok is known for its trends. Many of the well known ones are dancing trends– doing a certain dance in all kinds of different locations, with different people, etc.

Not a dancer? Not to worry! 😅

First of all, a dancing trend done poorly but with humor can be a fun way to tie your content into the trend.

But more importantly there are a ton of trends out there. It could be something as simple as “My Point of View” or “Today I Learned.”

Keep an eye on trends and then jump on one that works for you and your podcast brand! 😍

Be Consistent 🐢

Like all social media algorithms, TikTok’s prefers those who constantly feed it. So as you plan out your podcast TikTok marketing, figure out what is a sustainable pace for you so you can stay consistent.

Again, this is where Ausha’s generator can be super helpful. While you may only be able to make one trending kind of TikTok video once a month, you can post an Ausha generated video every week without breaking a sweat!

Of course, we always recommend that creators make at least one post for every new episode release. 🥳

In terms of consistency, it also helps to share other creators’ TikToks somewhat regularly. Pick ones that you are confident your listeners will enjoy.

Step #6 As Always, Analytics

As you get going on TikTok, check your analytics to see what is working and what you need to pivot away from. 📈

This platform’s analytics are broken down into three main categories:

Overview Category 📅

In this section you can view follower growth, video views, profile views, likes, comments, and shares. You can compare that data over 7, 28, or 60 days, or any custom date range up to 60 days.

Content Category 👓

This category gives you more of a birds eye view of things, though you can only look at the data from the last seven days. Here you can see your total views, likes, comments, and shares. You can also view average watch time, percentage of viewers who watched the entire video, traffic source type (where viewers found your videos), and audience locations.

Followers Category 🌎

This category is all about the community you are building. It shows you where your audience members are from, when they are most active on the app, and overall change in how many followers you have. This category also shows how many times your profile has been viewed.

As we always say about analytics, let them guide you but do not be completely steered by them. Sometimes your content is perfect, your account just needs more time to grow. Other times, you may be setting a new trend that will become more popular over time. The most important thing is to be authentic and provide the best content you can to the world. 😀

Final Word on Podcast TikTok

Listen, we know that most podcasts do not have a full team behind them. As a podcast creator, you have to be careful with how you spend your precious time. A podcast TikTok can definitely be worth your time, if you have a smart approach. 🤓

Use the tools and techniques you already use for your social media marketing. Plus, watch what other podcasts and podcast companies, like Spotify, are doing on the platform to get a feel for what could work for you.

Even if potential listeners are not on TikTok, they are likely to see TikTok videos shared on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. So remember that any work you put into this platform can be spread to other platforms. 🏗️

You can do this! 💪 💜