Over the last few years podcasting and video podcasting have skyrocketed in popularity. Everyone is diving into the world of audio. While it used to be good enough to just show up as a podcaster and reap the reward of engaged listeners, you now need to have a strategy and a promotion plan in order to be successful.
According to Podcast Industry Insights, there are now over 2 million podcasts. Think about that for a moment. There are millions of different options for listeners. Regardless of your topic, your podcast is always going to be one among many.
Promotion is key. The right strategy matters, too.
Podcast promotion needs to start before you ever launch your podcast. To be successful, you need to plan your podcast and have a set strategy for success. You should be clear about why you are launching a video podcast and what you will be talking about.
And of course, you should choose the right promotion channel. If we are talking about a video podcast, then promotion on Instagram is an excellent option. Want to know why?
Let’s take a look at the marketers’ experience. As specified in the industry report, Instagram has become one of the top three popular video channels. Also, the use of Instagram Stories saw a dramatic increase from 22% in 2019 to 46%.
So why do marketers choose Instagram as their promotion channel?
Why Promote Your Video Podcast on Instagram?
Instagram is one of the most popular social networks in the world. According to one report, the number of active Instagram users is 1 billion per month and 500 million people use the platform every day.
Besides its general popularity, Instagram is a great place for promoting your video podcast. Here’s why:
- Your listeners are active on Instagram. It’s one of the fastest-growing social media networks with the most engaged user base. So it’s more likely that your target audience will be active on this platform.
- It’s a visual platform. Instagram is focused on photo and video content. It’s a great place to share shorter promotional video clips or audiograms from your podcast.
- Instagram has business-specific features for podcast promotion. You can switch to a business account for free to make the most out of features like clickable links and Instagram analytics. You’ll also be able to promote your posts to reach a wider audience.
As you can see, Instagram is an effective marketing tool for promoting video content that you create with Ecamm Live.
Here are five effective ways to promote your video podcast on Instagram.
# 1 – Leverage your Instagram profile.
In the last few years, Instagram has become increasingly important in informing the customer buying journey. In fact, a staggering 83% of users discover new products or services on this platform. So make sure that your podcast is discoverable.
In your Instagram profile, be sure to include important information about your podcast, including its name, when it airs, what platforms to find it on, and the topic. You can use emoji to help highlight this content or add a style. It’s also a great idea to have a hashtag for your podcast. If you do, be sure to drop that into the profile description as well.
Remember that you only get one link on Instagram, so make it count. If you need more options, consider using a tool like LinkTree to help you build a “tree” of links for users to choose from.
Once you’ve built out your profile, then you have somewhere to drive back to when you post your first announcement.
Here’s an example of a simple yet effective announcement.
Now when someone is interested by your announcement video or image, they can simply click through to your bio for the full information and the link back to listen to your show. Win!
#2 – Promote Your Video Podcast in Instagram Stories
As you already know marketers are increasingly using Instagram Stories… and for good reason.
- Stories have become very popular in recent years — 500 million people use Stories every day.
- Although Stories appeared on Instagram back in 2016, this format is still newer than traditional posts. And everything new is of interest.
- Stories’ lifespan is only 24 hours. Users try to watch all Stories from people and brands they love in order not to miss something important or interesting.
As a result, using IG Stories can be a great way to reach a hooked audience and tell about your video podcast, providing that you design and edit them well. This could be a trailer just before the podcast launches or a part of a video if the podcast has already been released.
As social media marketing expert Cori Widen points out, IG Stories are great for cross-promoting media that you’ve published on other platforms, especially videos. “If you’re a YouTuber who also excels at Instagram, plug your latest YouTube video in your Stories,” she writes in a recent article for Boosted by Lightricks.
Just don’t overdo it with these teasers. “Try not to cross-promote too often (to avoid being considered ‘spammy’), and try to reserve this type of Story for your best social content,” Widen adds.
Promoting your podcast with excerpt clips in your Stories works well, but if you want to create unique podcast teaser content for your Stories, that’s great, too. Usually, people use a smartphone to shoot a video for Stories. But you can record in Instagram’s tall format using Ecamm Live on your Mac and upload it to Instagram — it’s easier than you think!
Don’t forget to show off creative ways of using IG Stories and add some text to tell more about the video, insert a website link so your audience can get more information, or even use a countdown sticker to remind users when your podcast episode airs.
#3 – Team Up with Niche Instagram Influencers
People who follow famous bloggers or celebrities on social networks usually trust their opinion. Why don’t you take advantage of this?
If you find the right influencer, this person can be of immense help in your podcast promotion. When looking for an influencer, pay attention to the biography, and sphere of expertise — this way you will quickly understand if the person is suitable for your tasks. To choose the right influencer, you need to know your audience well.
You can consider different formats of collaboration with influencers. They might just advertise your podcast. But it’s better if the influencer takes some part in the project.
A famous person can become a guest of an episode. Or he/she can become your podcast regular host and thereby guarantee its popularity.
Let’s take a look at this promotion method using the Nikki Glaser podcast as an example. Nikki became famous for stand-up comedy and later started hosting podcasts. She launched the last podcast with the laconic name Nikki Glaser Podcast in March.
Using the influencer’s name in the podcast title is a great way to highlight your relationship and build your viewers. Glaser has almost 750,000 Instagram followers, making it much easier for her podcast to get more video views with that audience.
#4 – Host an Expert Q+A
Experts can help give your podcast added authority and increase your reach to more viewers and listeners who may not have heard of you beforehand. When thinking about hosting an expert Q+A, consider topics that your audience has been asking questions about and find experts that can help you answer these questions.
Pro tip! Always make sure you have a set list of questions for your guest even if you’re expecting live questions to come through. This will help you make sure that you don’t have any lulls in the conversation.
If you’re going to be conducting a live Q+A, be sure to schedule the broadcast in advance and allow for time for your viewers and listeners to submit their questions. You can have them leave comments below your scheduled broadcast, send in questions via email, or use a form. You can also opt to take live questions.
Why bother with a Q+A? This format allows your audience to get an expert opinion on their questions, engages live viewers in dialogue, and adds authenticity and credibility to you and your show.
You can go even further and repurpose live videos for Instagram. This will give your content added value and increase your return on investment.
Clip down a video where the expert explains a key point. Publish this video on an Instagram post, and in the caption be sure to provide more information about your video podcast. And be sure to give a link to the full interview and Q+A.
Pro tip! Consider burning captions onto the video clip itself using a tool like Quicc or Descript to help capture more attention in the feed since most watch video clips without sound when scrolling. Or you can grab your podcast transcript with tools like VEED.
Another way to get the most out of your podcast is through merchandise and swag. According to Sellfy, wearing your own merch in your Instagram content can be an effective marketing technique to spread the word about your merchandise and raise brand awareness.
Researching the audience, looking for an expert, editing a video, preparing merch — it can be a lot of work to get everything running the way you want. As your podcast grows, you may want to hire a marketing team or a VA. Added help will let you focus on the content itself rather than the process.
#5 – Run an Instagram Ad Campaign
When promoting a video podcast, you shouldn’t forget about advertising. This will require additional investment from you, but a well-chosen ad campaign can give good results.
Here’s an example of what you can achieve with the right Instagram promotion.
Deezer, a music streaming service, wanted to find new customers and increase app installs without increasing costs. To achieve these goals, Deezer used existing video ads but adapted them to the Instagram Stories format. This approach not only made it possible to save money on creating a new video but also to keep content consistent.
The company then targeted ads to users interested in similar services. And here’s what happened: Deezer managed to double the conversion rate. At the same time, the subscriber acquisition cost decreased by 52%.
Sometimes it can be difficult to predict how many users will see your content. People often wait until the last moment. For example, 29% of viewers wait until the day of the webinar to register.
Use ads to grab your audience’s attention and generate interest.
Content First, Marketing Second
Merely having a podcast on a key topic can have a significant impact in growing your business or brand, but you’ll need to also promote your podcast in order to expand your audience and convey your message.
Leverage Instagram to help you get your content in front of new users and repurpose past episodes to give them a longer lifespan. You can also use this important platform for collaborating with influencers and experts and advertising. These promotion methods will increase the popularity of your podcast and help you get the most out of podcasting.
This article was written and contributed by Hugh Beaulac. Hugh is a content strategist behind AssignU who also helps SMBs establish an Instagram presence as a freelance SMM manager.
