Targeted Podcast Promotion: Going Where Your Audience Already Hangs Out

Podcast promotion breaks down to this:Identify who your audience isGo to where they are (online and offline)Make friends with themTell them about your showDon't Overthink itSo a person on Reddit mentioned they wanted to grow their podcast about horror movies.Let's see.... where could I find a bunch of people who like horror movies... if only there was a place where people who like horror MOVIES go. If only......Go to Where They AreSo go to the movie cineplex, if you want to go all out have a t-shirt made for you with your logo and URL on the shirt (see Stickermule), and have some business cards made with your logo and website address, and a QR code (I use switchy for that. It not only makes QR code and a whole lot more but I can track how many times that QR code was used).Then as people are entering the building ask them, "Are you hear to see (scary movie title)?" and if they say "Yes," then give them a card and say "I do a podcast for people just like you."ExpectationsYes, some will throw the card away. Some will put it in their pocket. Other will be bored sitting through endless advertisements waiting for the movies to start and will point their phone at the QR code (which takes them to my follow page).Keep in mind you build you audience one person at a time.And often that one person hangs out with other people who also like what they like, and word of mouth starts to grow your show. Now, word of mouth is effective. We know it is. It ranks high in all the ways to promote your podcast, but we also know it is slow. If you are looking for a giant switch to give you 30,000 downloads an episode, that just doesn't happen.The More You Do It The better You Get At itI know for me, selling my book, Profit From Your Podcast, in person is always a little uncomfortable, but the more I did it, the better I got at it and the more books I soldDo You Need Help Growing Your Podcast?If you need help growing your show, come visit me at schoolofpodcasting.com. One of the features we have there are listener parties where a group of us will get together and you get to watch us listen to your show. This way you can see if we laugh when we're supposed to laugh and cry when we're supposed to cry. If it's not working, you'll know immediately and it's time to go back and do some basic editing. Check it out at schoolofpodcasting.com.Mentioned In This EpisodeStickermule (T-shirts and more)Canva (business Cards)Design Crowd (crowd source your business card or t-shirt design)Switchy (QR codes that are trackable)Mentioned in this episode:Start Podcasting in Six Week - Starts June 3rdHave you been struggling trying to start a podcast? Did you drown in all the jargon? Did you feel overwhelmed? The School of Podcasting is offering a course, Podcasting in Six Weeks, that will walk you through the entire process. Learn from 20-year Hall of Fame veteran Dave Jackson as he walks you through the process of planning, launching, and growing your show. The best part is the class is only $1. For more information, go to schoolofpodcasting.com/sixweeks. Podcasting in Six WeeksThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy