Increase Your Audience Size with a Better Social Media Strategy
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One of your top priorities for your podcast is to increase your audience size.
So at first glance, you may think that running Facebook Ads or organic posts would be a good marketing option to help increase your listening numbers and followers. After all, Facebook ads allow you to finely target your audience. And you can do it in a very cost-effective way.
The point with this episode is not so much to argue that Facebook is inherently a poor platform to advertise or organically post podcast information. But rather to point out that there is a better way.
What you need to consider is where you send traffic once someone clicks on your ad or link from your post.
For the most part, podcasters promote their podcasts and episodes on Facebook by directly linking to the Apple Podcasts or Android episode pages.
This could be because of a couple of reasons.
One, podcasters have been indoctrinated from the start that Apple Podcasts is the largest and most listened to podcast directory. And for Android users, Spotify is most friendly and universal. Then it stands to reason that when you promote your podcast, send the listener there. This should make it very easy for your potential listener to listen to your podcast.
Apple Podcasts and Spotify are, after all, where you want people to go to follow your show. And this seems to be the best way to meet your potential listener halfway. To capture people on mobile devices. Target an iOS audience to the direct link of the Apple Podcasts episode. And for Android users, by sending them to the Spotify episode link.
Secondly, this could be coming from the fact that most podcasters do not have a standalone website. That is, a podcast website outside of your hosting platform. A website you own and maintain. Or, at the very least, the podcaster\\u2019s website is not user friendly, and does not represent the branding of the podcast. Is it \\u201cfree\\u201d with your audio hosting platform, or a free version of Wix, or similar free web hosting platforms.
To that end, I have seen comments in Facebook podcasting groups arguing that sending your listeners to Apple Podcasts or Spotify is better than sending people to a podcast show notes page on your website. In fact, many of these posts argue that you don\\u2019t need podcast show notes pages at all. So save the time and effort.
There are a few reasons I fundamentally disagree with sending new listeners to your Apple Podcasts and Spotify podcast links.
Apple Podcasts and Spotify don\\u2019t need more traffic from your Facebook organic or paid podcast marketing. You are paying, with your time or money, for traffic that you\\u2019re sending to Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Really?
Instead, your podcast website could be benefitting from greater search engine authority, rank and traffic. That increases your find-ability for all Google searches.
Buying Facebook ads will cost you too much in the long run. \\u200b\\u200bYour ads may result in getting more followers to your podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The cost per new listener is usually quite high.
Facebook podcast marketing ads should have a better goal than just to add listeners to your podcast.
Think of it this way. You could be adding leads for your business, building your email list, increasing the rank and traffic for your site, and building a digital asset for your brand.
Facebook ads should focus on lead generation and list growth instead of getting more listeners.
Additional episode information. Your podcast listeners should be coming to YOUR podcast website, because you should be offering valuable additional episode information. They could be signing up to receive podcast notifications via email. Listeners could be finding links and resources about your guests. And they could be downloading these resources from you in exchange for an email address.
Social media has its place to help you market your podcast. Apple...'