How to promote a podcast and actually grow your audience
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When a host asks us how to promote a podcast, they're usually expecting a list of places to post. Share it on socials, send it to your newsletter, get the guest to repost. All of that helps, but it's the last step. The same goes for anyone asking how to market a podcast. The shows we've watched grow are the ones where podcast promotion is built in from the start, in the planning, the edit and the packaging, so every episode gives a stranger a reason to click and a reason to stay.
So here's what we tell clients, in the order the work actually happens.
Podcast promotion starts before you hit record
Growth starts with a plan for the show. What's it about? Who's it for? And what is this episode actually going to give them? If you only take one thing from this, make it the prep. The topic, the angle and, if you have one, the guest make up about half of what makes an episode work, because no amount of editing can create insight that was never in the conversation.
That's true whether you interview guests or record solo. Before you hit record, get clear on the one thing this episode is for. Not “let's have a chat about property”, but a specific angle, story or question your audience actually cares about. And if you're bringing someone in, know exactly why them. Even the episodes that come across as a relaxed, unplanned conversation usually aren't. The host knows where they want to end up and how they'll get there.
- Pick the angle first: the one idea this episode exists to deliver.
- Build the episode around it: the story, examples and points that prove it, mapped out before you record.
- If there's a guest, choose them for that angle: someone who can say something your audience can't hear anywhere else.
- Prep, whoever's talking: send a guest the angle and your key questions ahead of time, or plan your own points if you're solo, so the recording goes deep instead of wandering.
Edit for attention, not just clean audio
You can nail the planning, record a great conversation, and still lose it in the edit. If you don't know what to put at the front, how to build a story, how to catch someone's attention, keep them there and then give them a payoff, the episode won't do what it should. That's where we see a lot of shows go wrong: they grab whatever happened first and hope it holds.
A good edit opens on the moment that earns attention, structures the conversation so it builds, and lands on a payoff that makes people glad they stayed. A lot of it is subtle. If you're a slower talker, there's probably more cutting between your points than you'd notice, and sometimes a touch more pace, just to keep things moving. People consume content fast now, so it has to be quick and digestible.
But fast isn't the same as good. Sometimes you have to know when to hold a beat. Let something land. Give it the time and space. Quick cuts every few seconds with nothing allowed to breathe will lose people just as fast as a slow start. If you want to go deeper on structure and pacing, have a read of how to edit a podcast, or see how we approach podcast editing.
Package every episode as one decision
Think about how someone actually finds your episode. The thumbnail is your book cover. People do judge it, and if it doesn't stop the scroll, nothing else matters. If it does, they read the title for context. If both earn the click, they give you about 30 seconds to prove it's worth their time.
Those three things have to tell the same story. If someone clicks a thumbnail and title about one idea and your intro opens on something completely different, they're gone. We always build the opening, or a short trailer at the top, to confirm exactly what the packaging promised, so the viewer knows straight away they're in the right place.
And this is where the planning pays you back. If you brought the guest in for a specific angle, the packaging almost writes itself, because the thumbnail and title already have something to say. More on that in podcast titles and thumbnails.
Stops the scroll, like a book cover. One clear emotion and a few words at most, readable on a phone.How to grow your podcast on YouTube
On YouTube, people find your episode in two main ways: it's suggested to them alongside other videos, or it comes up when they search. Packaging and retention drive the first. Search comes down to your title and description, the same way it works for a website.
- Title it around what people search for, not just the guest's name or an episode number.
- Write a proper description. Not one line. Recap what the episode covers, so both search and viewers can tell what it answers.
- Add chapters for the key moments. Timestamps help viewers jump to what they came for, and every chapter title is another chance to match a search.
We go further into this in podcast SEO and YouTube optimisation for podcasts. And if you're not publishing on video yet, start with how to start a video podcast.
How to grow your podcast on Spotify
Everything above carries over to Spotify and the other podcast apps. Listeners there are still deciding from your cover, your episode title and the first minute, and your titles and descriptions are what search can see.
- Use specific, searchable episode titles that say what the episode is actually about.
- Write show notes and timestamps for every episode, so a new listener can see what's covered before they press play.
- Publish on a consistent schedule. Podcast apps are built on habit, and habit needs a rhythm.
- Ask people to follow the show, so new episodes find them without them having to remember.
If you're recording on video, Spotify supports video podcasts too, so the same edit can work across both. Our podcast publishing service handles the show notes, timestamps and distribution for every episode.
How to promote a podcast on social media
Short-form clips should be the backbone of your podcast social media strategy. They're how most people discover a podcast now, but only when each clip is built to stand on its own. Grabbing a random 30 seconds sometimes works, if the moment is really strong or catches someone off guard. Most of the time, a clip needs the same structure as the full episode: a hook in the first few seconds, a reason to keep watching, and a payoff.
Plan your clips while you're planning the episode, cut them for each platform, and caption them for people watching with the sound off. If you're not sure where to post, we break it down in Shorts vs Reels vs TikTok, or have a look at our short-form clips.
Consistency is the part no one wants to hear
The secret everyone's searching for, and nobody likes hearing, is that you just have to be consistent. It's like SEO for a website. It's not an overnight thing. Some episodes will take off compared to the rest, but most shows grow steadily over months of showing up to the same standard, not from two big months of effort.
If you want to grow a podcast audience, go in with a long-term commitment. And if you've been consistent and growth has still stalled, the problem is usually the structure of the episodes rather than how many you're putting out. We cover how to diagnose that in why podcasts plateau.
Build a feedback loop
The last piece of podcast growth is learning from every episode. What held attention? Which thumbnails and titles earned the click? What did your audience respond to? That should shape your next guest, your next edit and your next package.
This is also where the right partner earns their place. Someone working on podcasts day in, day out is across what's working and what isn't. If someone's working on your content, make sure they're not just editing. They should be committed to growing your show and able to tell you, “You did this really well, this worked, keep it in mind next time.” That feedback and coaching is the heart of a podcast growth strategy, and it's what our podcast management clients get with every episode.
FAQ
How do I promote my podcast for free?
Most of the promotion that actually works costs time, not money. Give every episode a clear angle, build the thumbnail and title around it, write titles and show notes people can find in search, cut short-form clips from each episode, and release on a consistent schedule. And make it easy for every guest to share the episode with their own audience.
How do you market a podcast?
The same way you promote one: give every episode a clear angle, package it so a stranger would click, publish it properly on every platform and cut clips for social media. Paid ads can add reach on top, but they work best once the episodes themselves hold attention. For a full plan, see our podcast marketing and content strategy service.
How do I get more podcast listeners?
Give a new listener a reason to click and a reason to stay. That means a specific angle for each episode, packaging that sells it, an opening that confirms it in the first 30 seconds, and an edit that holds attention right through to the payoff. More episodes without those things rarely brings more listeners.
How long does it take to grow a podcast?
Longer than most people want to hear. You'll usually see retention improve first, then new viewers and listeners build over the following months. A show that commits for the long term will almost always outgrow one chasing a two-month spike.
Should I buy podcast listeners or downloads?
No. Bought plays don't watch, follow or share, so they do nothing for the signals platforms use to recommend your show, and they make your own data useless when you're deciding what to do next.
Is it better to grow a podcast on YouTube or Spotify?
For most shows, both. YouTube rewards strong packaging and retention with search and suggested traffic, and podcast apps reward consistency with loyal, habitual listeners. Record on video once and you can publish to both.
Can you grow a podcast with no audience?
Absolutely. Every show starts at zero. The ones we've seen grow from nothing plan each episode around a specific angle, package it so a stranger would click, and use short-form clips as the front door for people who've never heard of them.