NOTE: What follows is a guest post from Amir Shahzeidi on YouTube For Podcast Promotion - and while we at Polymash may not agree with all the points in this article, we agree with the power of YouTube for creating short native video content for your podcast growth. Here is Amir's article with a lot of insights and tips on how to make this work:
Your podcast is out there. You’ve consistently put in the hours to create amazing episodes to attract more listeners. But something’s amiss… You can’t seem to get any traction. You’re not generating the growth you need. Here’s the thing, building a business and brand today is less about selling and more about showing how you can add value to your audience’s lives.
And that’s probably one of the main reasons why you started your podcast.
Adding value, however, involves more than just creating great content. You need to promote it feverishly to capture the attention and hold the attention of your target audience.
The former, unfortunately, isn’t always the easiest for brands to accomplish. Most brands still believe in building content and hoping their ideal customers will stumble upon it.
That does not make for sound marketing practice or strategy.
Marketing needs to be consistent.
Take the rule of seven, it dictates that customers need to see or hear of you brand seven times before they become a customer. What’s more, with the increase in web content and social media posts produces each day, I’d argue that customers may need more than seven interactions.
So, how do you promote your podcast effectively?
Have you considered YouTube?
It may seem almost counter-intuitive as an idea, but there’s a lot of logic behind using it as a marketing channel to grow your podcast.
For example, YouTube is still the 2nd largest search engine in the world. It receives 1 billion users each month (that’s almost a 3rd of the internet).
It's also great for reach. More than 70% of YouTube users watch content on mobile devices, making it the perfect platform to engage more people. In fact, today YouTube is available in 80 languages, making it accessible to 95% of the Internet population.
As you can see, you can leverage YouTube. In fact, you could grow your podcast with the help of a YouTube marketing funnel filled with content that attracts and helps convert viewers into subscribers and paying customers.
But can you really promote your podcast on YouTube?
Yes, and I'll show you four ways to do so.
What do the results look like? Here's a snapshot of the first five results for the search term podcast on YouTube:
Take a look at the number of views that each podcast has received.
Pretty convincing, right?
Here are four ways to promote your podcast on YouTube:
1. Upload Your Podcast Audio
This is an easy action to take. Simply upload your podcasts to your YouTube channel. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to shoot video content to get views.
In the example below, CrypoWZRD shows that it’s possible to build an audience with a simple still image and podcast audio.
2. Create Shorter Videos
Another great way to promote your podcast is by creating a trailer or shorter videos from your material. This gives viewers a taste of what to expect, and if promoted using paid media, you should be able to generate a fair amount of reach, too.
Carrier created a trailer for their podcast that’s both captivating and has generated over 2,300 views.
3. Go Live
Live streaming isn’t limited to social media or special events. It’s also used for podcasts. RachelVlogs hosts a podcast called “All Things Internet.” She shows that it’s possible to live stream your podcast on YouTube, without a sophisticated studio or equipment.
4. Create Video Podcasts
Most podcasts are released as pre-recorded videos, and you should give this option a go. Video podcasts are intimate due to the ability to see the host and guest.
Because they are also pre-recorded, you’re able to edit your footage and include different camera shots and special effects to create a more engaging viewer experience.
Now that you have four ways to market your podcast, let’s take a look at how to make your content stand out on YouTube.
Four Tips on Generating Better Rankings When Using Youtube For Podcast Promotion
Here are four more tips to help you generate better rankings, more views, and subscribers.
Tip #1: Use YouTube SEO
Like Google, YouTube videos and content can also be optimized for search. In fact, when using YouTube for podcast promotion some of the same principles apply and can help you rank your podcast videos higher in search results and get more views on YouTube.
For example, you should be using keywords in video titles. Beyond the obvious benefit of viewer spotting search terms, YouTube will be able to return your podcast as a result.
Be sure to include your keywords in descriptions as well. YouTube sees descriptions as valuable, because, just like Google, YouTube wants to provide users with the best possible results for their searches.
Should you use tags?
The jury is still out on this feature. It appears to be available for a reason, so use them, but only add relevant tags to describe your video.
Tip #2: Design a Captivating Thumbnails
Want to make your content stand out? Here are four tips on designing a thumbnail that will grab attention:
Use Color
The human eye is drawn to color. While it can see 7,000,000 colors, creating a combination that’s attractive is really what will stop viewers from scrolling through their feeds.
When you use color, focus on contrasting complementary colors (colors further away from each other on the color wheel). Doing so will create the right amount of contrast between colors you use and help your content stand out.
Add Your Face
People are attracted to faces that show a certain emotion or appear to be communicating a message.
If you’re only uploading audio of your podcast, don’t add a clip of your face. This could be perceived as clickbait and might hurt your brand.
Brand Your Content
Building a brand is all about becoming recognizable for what you do. Don’t miss the opportunity to brand your thumbnail with your logo.
Create Interesting Titles
Get creative with your thumbnails by using different copy, but keep it related to your video title. This hack makes your content appear more interesting than using repetitive messaging.
Tip #3: Focus on Watch-Time
Watch-time is one of the most important ranking factors YouTube applies. Briggsby conducted a study that showed a correlation between watch-time and rankings. They found that the more watch-time a video receives, the higher it ranks in search. So how do you use this insight when using YouTube for podcast promotion?
One of the most effective ways of increasing watch-time is by introducing pattern interrupts. These are ideas that are abruptly introduced to completely change the focus of your listeners.
And they’re effective! Buzzsumo used pattern interrupts to grow its channel by 59% in just 30 days.
Why do pattern interrupts work?
They force listeners to pay attention for longer. By asking a question or painting a picture, you automatically engage your audience.
If they’re paying attention for longer, you’ll be able to increase your watch-time and increase the likelihood of better rankings for your podcast.
Tip #4: Use a Call to Action
You’ve managed to attract new YouTube viewers, but what happens when they are done with your video?
While call to actions are a universal component in marketing, they’re often not allows applied.
Don’t be like other marketers.
Include call to actions at the end of each video you upload to ensure that you grow and retain your audience.
What kind call to actions should you use?
In the YouTube for podcast promotion example below, Tom Ferry uses a video suggestion and a link to his website where you can get show notes and also listen to other podcasts.
Ferry also takes advantage of the description section on YouTube. In addition to his brief write-up, he pushes viewers to other links that include the episode’s show notes, various platforms to listen to his podcast, and his social media accounts to connect with him directly.
Ferry also has his own branded website. If you plan on growing your podcast, with the prospect of developing a multimedia platform of your own, you could create a video website.
Everyone knows that YouTubers make money from ads (and some from endorsements), but few know that almost 96.5% of YouTube video creators don’t make enough to rise above the poverty line.
By creating your own platform, you’re able to generate revenue for your brand by selling your podcast and video content directly to your subscribers.
Conclusion
Podcasts, like all other marketing channels, can only grow if promoted. One of the most interesting ways is to expand your content with video and to use Youtube for podcast promotion. It’s a large platform with over a billion users, making it the perfect place to find your audience. It also affords podcasters the opportunity to promote their content in various ways, making is easier to attract and engage more viewers and turn them into subscribers.
About Our Guest Author Amir Shahzeidi:
Amir is the digital marketing manager at Uscreen, an all-in-one video monetization and live streaming platform that empowers video entrepreneurs and creators to monetize their content and build thriving businesses around their videos.
