The internet does not need another list of podcast promotion tips that starts with “post on social media” and ends with “be consistent.” You already know that. What you may not have is a clear, organized picture of all the levers available to you, and a realistic sense of which ones are worth pulling first. Here’s 38 ways to promote your podcast without being annoying about it.
Podcast Wizard
The One-Person Shop: A Practical Guide for the Solo Podcast Producer
Last week we laid out the full scope of what a podcast producer really does: the research, the guest management, the editorial calendar, the audio work, the distribution pipeline, the strategic analysis. It’s a lot. And if you read that piece and thought “I do all of that myself,” this one is for you. The Solo Podcast Producer.
What a Podcast Producer Really Does
Ask most podcasters what a Podcast Producer really does and you’ll get some version of the same answer: they edit the audio. Maybe they handle the show notes. Perhaps they schedule guests and manage the RSS feed. These are reasonable answers, but these are also roughly only twenty percent of the actual job.
How to Tell a Guest You’re Not Publishing Their Episode
Last week we walked through the framework for deciding whether to pull the plug on a recorded episode: when to salvage, when to spike, and how to know the difference. If you haven’t read that piece, it’s worth starting there.
When to Scrub an Episode
Every podcaster eventually records an episode they can’t publish. Spiking a bad recording is sometimes an act of editorial judgment. Here’s a practical framework for deciding whether to salvage a flawed episode or when to scrub an episode, and how to handle the conversation with your guest when you do.
The Art of the Follow-Up Question
A prepared question gets you to the surface. A well-timed follow-up gets you underneath it. Most podcast hosts invest heavily in crafting their question list and then let vague, tangential, or incomplete answers slide right past them. Here’s why the follow-up question is the most underused skill in interviewing, and how to use it.
You Are Not Who The Comments Say You Are
One vague comment calling you arrogant, fake, or unlikeable can outweigh a hundred supportive listeners. But not all feedback deserves the same weight. You are not who the comments say you are.
What “Engagement” Actually Means
I think it’s a word that’s lost its meaning. A few weeks ago I made the case that download numbers are a noisy, often misleading proxy for whether your podcast is actually working. The same skepticism deserves to be pointed at another word podcasters throw around constantly: engagement. Here’s what Engagement actually means…
Be A Good Podcast Guest
Recent interviews are prompting me to revisit this topic >>>
Specifically, I wanted to writeup “Be A Good Podcast Guest” for podcast hosts to be able to share with their guests. This blog is therefore written to the potential guest.
Being invited to guest on a podcast is something of a privilege. And being a guest on someone’s podcast is an opportunity to put your best foot forward. If you’re trying to be heard, your podcast appearance should be the best it can be. So while the host is lending you their audience, their platform, and their trust, how you show up before, during, and after the recording says a lot about how seriously you want to be taken.
Your Download Numbers Are Lying to You
Every podcaster knows the ritual. You publish an episode, wait a few days, and then open your hosting dashboard to see how it performed. Your download numbers stare back at you. Maybe it’s good. Maybe it’s disappointing. Either way, you treat it like a verdict.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: that number is not telling you what you think it is.