Having seen a surge in popularity in recent years, podcasts have transformed the audio landscape and market. Diversifying to appeal to wider audiences — with celebrities, influencers, and experts — the pod-scene has taken over audio streaming services.
There are currently 10.3 million podcast listeners in the UK, and Statista predicts that by 2026 this will surpass 28 million.
Charlotte and Tezni headed to Podcon Cymru 2023 🎧 last week to gain an insight into the industry. Here are the top tips they learned for creating and marketing a podcast:
1. Identify your target audience
Once you have your podcast concept, it is important to visualise who you are talking to. Ask yourself, what they are interested in, what content they consume and what other podcasts do they listen to?
This will allow you to identify your target listeners and their habits — giving you a much better chance of reaching them.
2. Don’t underestimate the power of artwork
The visual is the first thing that listeners will come across and is a key indicator of the quality, tone, and content of your podcast.
Eye-catching artwork ensures that listeners remember your podcast from a visual perspective and improves chances of being recognised within your niche.
3. Remember the importance of the first two minutes
The first two minutes of your podcast are arguably the most important, it’s your time to hook your listeners into the episode, offering them a teaser of the content that’s to come.
The audience will decide whether to keep listening based on several factors including, the sound quality, your authenticity as a host and how interesting your topics are.
4. Understand loyalty
Listening to podcasts can be a very personal experience so it’s important to engage with your audience by staying on top of comments and reviews. This allows you to create a circular community where listeners will provide discussion topics and return to listen to your thoughts.
When looking to climb the charts, reviews and comments are key. Having an engaged community and audience will drive you to the top.
5. Don’t put all your eggs in one (promotional) basket
We don’t need to tell you that promotion is key to the success of a podcast. However, to ensure your podcast doesn't suffer from the scary pod-fade, marketing your content should be a constant effort, not just for the launch and the first episode.
Think about the recurring themes and messages of your podcast — what materials can you create to promote this long term?
6. Utilise key words
Key words are essential when publishing a podcast episode, they should contain a mix of terms and phrases relevant to your podcast’s themes and also words relating to trending topics — this will better your chances of appearing in popular searches.
SEO is incredibly important to podcast discovery, be mindful to ensure that key words are in all SEO elements such as the title, description, and transcript.
7. Repurpose your content
Social media is a powerful tool for spreading awareness of your podcast. Look at your content and see if there are any clips that would work well on YouTube or shorter form platforms like TikTok.
1 in 3 podcast listeners in the UK use YouTube as their go to pod-platform, keep in mind how you can use this to maximise your reach and engagement.
8. Podlediad Cymraeg — don’t dismiss the Welsh language audience
With Welsh language podcasts now a recognised category at the British Podcast Awards, it’s a great time to tap into the market.
Authenticity is key — so don’t worry about having the ‘perfect Welsh’, just give it a go!
A summary of Welsh language podcast growth:
· 2018: 38 Welsh podcasts
· 2020: 72 Welsh podcasts
· 2023: 216 Welsh podcasts
To find a podcast ‘yn Cymraeg’ that suits you, head to Y POD.