So you spend all this time, toiling away, creating a podcast of epic proportions… and then what? Do you publish your weekly episode to crickets (and a high five from your mum)? Or maybe you feel weird and formulaic when you try to put it “out there”? Or perhaps you’re endlessly frustrated that the world doesn’t just already KNOW that they should be listening?
I get it, I get it.
I can’t tell you how many business owners create truly brilliant content, only to stumble at that most vital final hurdle – the promoting of said content. It really is an important step. If you don’t pour time and energy into pushing your stuff in front of the people, you might as well be creating in a vacuum.
Luckily, I am here with my content-godmothering magic wand and a whole bunch of creative ideas to help build a bit of a buzz around your weekly podcast. You’re welcome. Now let’s get to it.
(Wait, before we get going… make sure your podcast is halfway decent first by reading this.)
25 creative ways to use Instagram to promote your podcast
(Note: These tactics can *of course* be tweaked to promote any other form of content too – from blog posts to video diaries, and everything in between.)
In your Instagram grid…
Share a photo of the person you’ll be interviewing. In the caption, you could share their bio, some of their biggest achievements or career highlights and why you had so much fun interviewing them. I would post this at least a day before the episode goes live.
Share the episode artwork and list out the big takeaways from the episode. I would post this on “publish” day.
Share a short video (under 1 minute) featuring a snippet of the episode. I would post this one a day or two after you’ve published the episode.
Share your favourite quote and expand it into a mini opinion piece. I would post this a week or more after you release the episode in question.
In your Instagram Stories…
Prior to recording an interview, use the “Questions” feature to crowdsource some interview q’s.
Post a boomerang of you getting the episode ready with a little tease.
Ask your people to share posts and Stories of them listening to your podcast, then share that juicy user-generated content to your own Stories.
Always share you Instagram POSTS to your Stories, there are a few ways to do that:
- Take a screenshot of your grid and highlight the latest post, prompting people to read it.
- Screenshot the written post itself.
- Tap the little paper aeroplane icon beneath your post and share it directly to your Story.
Take a screenshot of the episode on your website and share that.
Take a screenshot of the episode in your pod app of choice and share that.
Share a collection of notes (or a short video) sharing your favourite moments from the episode.
Using the “Questions” feature, ask a question that only listeners of the episode will “get”.
Share the responses to that question (along with your own commentary, of course).
Screenshot all of your podcast reviews and share them as much as you can – ALWAYS including a call-to-action to nudge people towards the latest episode.
Share a taste of all of the IGTV video you share relating to the episode (more on those below)
In your Instagram Story highlights…
Round up your best Stories promoting the podcast in a highlight. Every couple of weeks or so, screenshot your Instagram profile and share it to your Stories, pointing out the latest highlights.
Cross-reference each episode into all the relevant highlights. Be discerning though. Only save the best Stories.
On IGTV…
Upload a short teaser video touching on the main topic and why this was something you were eager to talk about.
OR upload a short teaser talking about your podcast guest and why you were so excited to interview them.
Announce your new episode, providing a short round-up of discussion points and ending with a reminder that they should go listen AND share their biggest takeaway in their Instagram Stories.
Keep the conversation going and share some of the thoughts you had on the topic AFTER you finished recording.
On Instagram Live…
Live stream the recording of your episode.
Live stream yourself listening to the episode while you work, pausing and chatting every time you have something to add.
Go on, now try telling me you don’t know how to promote your podcast on Instagram!
