20 Creative Examples of Podcast Marketing
Running low on podcast marketing inspiration? You don't have to come up with a golden ticket idea a la Michael Scott to be a creative podcast marketer.
Leave the top hat at home and scroll through this list of 20 unique podcast marketing ideas and examples.
20 Creative Examples of Podcast Marketing:
- Have Multiple Show Hosts
- Schedule Podcast Tours for Hosts
- Cross-Promote w/ Other Hosts
- Leverage Clubhouse
- Highlight Your Podcast's Main Themes
- Start an Evangelist Program
- Build a Community
- Add "Podcast Host" to Your LinkedIn
- Encourage Ratings On Apple Podcasts
- Design Eye-Catching Cover Art
- Design Graphics w/ the Cover Art Theme
- Create Carousels for LinkedIn
- Consistently Post On LinkedIn
- Publish Episodes On YouTube
- Make Funny Videos
- Create Micro-Videos
- Create Audiograms
- Write Blog Posts
- Leverage Email
- Leverage Paid Media
Podcast Marketing Examples
Don't limit your podcast's potential with a generic marketing plan -- it deserves better. Use these ideas and examples to become a podcasting wizard. 🧙♂️
1. Have Multiple Show Hosts
Boost your show's exposure by bringing two or more hosts on board.
Multiple hosts means multiple audiences, multiple perspectives, and a billion more ideas for getting your podcast out there. When there's more than one person with skin in the game, it creates a think tank of humans who really give a 💩 about the end product.
Plus, your audience will benefit from the unique perspectives of each of the hosts on top of those of the guests.
Example: Not to toot our own horn, but we've seen a ton of benefits of having multiple hosts on B2B Growth. Each person has their own strengths that make for an engaging mix of content. And, of course, more hosts means more reach in terms of audience.
Here are just a few of the B2B Growth hosts:
2. Schedule Podcast Tours for Hosts
Send 'em on tour!
Podcast tours are a seriously effective way of gaining more awareness for your show. Not to mention, podcast hosts love to interview other hosts because...
- You know how to articulate your message.
- You most likely have quality recording equipment.
- They want to be interviewed on your show too.
[WATCH/READ: Ask yourself these questions to become a desirable podcast guest.]
If you're looking for other podcasts to be featured on, search for shows that have similar audiences to yours. This way, you'll appeal to more of your ideal listeners and potential customers.
Example: Our very own James Carbary has been interviewed on countless other shows with similar audiences to B2B Growth. We can't help but think that it's grown our own listenership.
Here, he was talking about making instant connections with anyone you want to know on The Customer Experience Podcast.
3. Cross-Promote w/ Other Hosts
Return the favor of being on someone's show by inviting them to be a guest on your show.
When you have other podcast hosts on your show, they're very likely to share the episode with their followers.
Example: Ethan Beute, the host of The Customer Experience Podcast, is often featured on B2B Growth. Like in this episode about a better structure for teaching and learning.
4. Leverage Clubhouse
... for as long as it's around. 😉
Clubhouse is one of those platforms that you can't be sure of its longevity. But hey -- who thought TikTok would be around this long?
Might as well get the most out of the audio social media app while it's here.
Essentially, you can host a live podcast while guests (it's invite-only) listen in. Then, you can repurpose the recording to make a podcast episode out of it.
Even if you don't decide to repurpose the audio, having one or more of your podcast hosts lead a conversation on Clubhouse will definitely get your show into more ears.
Example: Dan and James -- two of B2B Growth's hosts -- have all but mastered the art that is Clubhouse convos. They invite other thought leaders into their conversations, allowing all parties to get in front of more ideal listeners.
5. Highlight Your Podcast's Main Themes
If you want to be known for everything, you'll be known for nothing.
This is a fundamental building block for your show's marketing strategy and success. Emphasizing the core themes of your podcast helps people know what to expect and where to go for the top insights concerning those themes.
[READ: Don't have a podcast marketing plan yet? Here's a free template.]
Having multiple hosts also helps in this regard. Each host can own 3-4 of the main themes, positioning themselves as authorities in those areas.
Some ways you can highlight your podcast's main themes:
- Organize your episodes by tags and hashtags on your website.
- Consistently post about them on LinkedIn.
- Write blog posts about them.
Example: On B2B Growth, we talk a lot about how to produce a top-notch B2B podcast. So, we make those episodes and blogs easy to find on our website by tagging them with #HowToPodcast.
This method has worked to make us a leader -- if not, the leader -- in B2B podcasting insights. And it doesn't hurt the SEO juice for our website either.
6. Start an Evangelist Program
There's enough of the podcast marketing pie for everyone to have a piece.
Because people trust people more than logos, it's a good idea to recruit some of your people to share your message. Building up an army of internal evangelists makes your brand -- and, therefore, your podcast -- more trustworthy and personable.
Each evangelist should generate content that demonstrates their unique point of view on your show's main themes (example #5 ^^^). The content coming from your evangelist team should be shared on your dominant channels, whether it be YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Medium, or anything else.
Then, of course, your evangelist content needs to subtly point back to your podcast. Being too pushy will turn people off.
Example: The Sweet Fish/B2B Growth evangelist team mainly focuses on LinkedIn because we've found it effective. Our evangelists speak to their specializations, using personality, realness, and candor.
7. Build a Community
Another unique example of podcast marketing that we've found to work really well is community building.
Many B2B brands claim that they're building community when they're actually trying to grow their audience. Audience growth isn't bad -- it's just different. Audiences are one-to-many while communities are more one-to-one-to-one-to-one.
The cool thing is that it can be your podcast that brings all of those like-minded people together. And that's pretty powerful.
Establishing communities allows you to build long-lasting relationships with your ideal customers as they build strong relationships with each other.
Example: The intimate communities that we've built around the premise of B2B Growth are called mastermind groups. In each group, there are about five professional peers who are dedicated to learning more about their field together.
We're actually so dedicated to community building that we've hired a full-time facilitator.
8. Add "Podcast Host" to Your LinkedIn
Even if it doesn't feel like work, you (or your host) should add "podcast host" to your experience on LinkedIn. Additionally, create a showcase page for your podcast that you can link to from within the Experience section.
We also advise people to add their hosting position to the headline right below their name.
Now, whenever you show up around LinkedIn, people see your show's name and can access it directly on LinkedIn.
Example: The B2B Growth hosts all include their hosting positions in their LinkedIn info. We've also created a showcase page for the show, just so people can learn a little more about it.
Plus, we encourage all team members to include a quick description of Sweet Fish's services in their headlines. This isn't directly related to B2B Growth, but still helps with overall brand awareness.
9. Encourage Ratings on Apple Podcasts
Your friends. Your family. Your listeners. Your team.
Everyone should be urged to leave a rating of your show on Apple Podcasts. This is a great marketing technique because it makes your show look really loved and pushes Apple Podcasts to feature it in its Top Charts.
"Apple Podcast popularity with the large number of iPhone users drives a lot of ad money and influence."
Jonathan Feist, Android Authority
Example: Our Producer team assigns tasks in Asana to leave ratings for each of Sweet Fish's new shows. This helps to legitimize those podcasts so that they can gain more traction in Apple Podcasts.
10. Design Eye-Catching Cover Art
You know the type. 👀
The kind of podcast cover art that stops your scrolling in its tracks. The kind where you don't care so much about the topic of the show because you need to hear the voice of whoever is responsible for this finery.
Well... at least close to something like that.
Podcast cover art -- also known as a logo to some -- is the main design correlated with your show.
Cover art is one of the biggest elements you should be leveraging for your podcast. If you have crappy cover art, no one's going to take you seriously (if they come across your show at all).
[READ/HEAR: Learn how to design podcast cover art that doesn't suck.]
Example: The Sweet Fish team takes design very seriously. But not too seriously.
We like to use vivid colors and minimal text because a lot of people are looking at these on their phones. 🧐
11. Design Graphics w/ the Cover Art Theme
Great design can spread your podcast's message even further. Any and all graphics related to your show have the potential to expand your brand's reach.
Branded graphics can include...
- Video frames
- Guest quote graphics
- Instagram posts
- LinkedIn background images (on profile pages)
- Carousels on LinkedIn (more on those in #12)
- Slide decks
Example: Videos featuring guests on Digital Builder are framed with graphics that mirror the cover art's themes.
12. Create Carousels for LinkedIn
Carousels -- aka, Documents -- on LinkedIn are a fun and engaging way to share insights from your podcast.
These podcast marketing assets should carry the same design themes as your cover art. Additionally, limited copy on each slide tends to perform better with readers.
Example: B2B Growth hosts and evangelists have been using carousels on LinkedIn to highlight really smart stuff our guests say. We also write up a short post to accompany the carousel and tag the guest.
13. Consistently Post on LinkedIn
Heard enough about LinkedIn yet? Well, here's the last thing (maybe).
Our team has found big success in posting consistently on LinkedIn. And it's not all promotional 💩 about our show. In fact, it's hardly ever promotional.
We base our text-only LinkedIn posts on valuable advice we glean from B2B Growth guests. If it doesn't offer real, actionable value, it doesn't get posted.
The other thing: You have post consistently to start seeing results for your podcast. That means at least 3x per week.
Example: B2B Growth hosts call out the show in some of their posts, but only after they've offered up some actionable tips.
14. Publish Episodes on YouTube
Already recording your video calls? Why not post them to the second largest search engine in the world?
YouTube is a great place to market your podcast in video form. Giants like Joe Rogan are already doing it. All you have to do is make sure your guests are okay with their video being recorded.
For this purpose, we recommend using Riverside.fm.
Example: Here's an episode of B2B Growth featuring Logan Lyles and James Carbary:
15. Make Funny Videos
Making someone feel good -- better yet, making them laugh -- is a powerful way to keep your brand top-of-mind. The next time they see it, they'll remember how good it made them feel.
Funny videos can make that connection for your podcast's brand.
Example: Our team created a video starring our CEO, James, as a "GaryVee Wannabe" (which isn't that far off from who he really is). Your funny video doesn't have to be as produced as this one to get your message across. Think of The Office -- one of the lowest budget TV shows NBC was producing at the time. Also one of the most legendary.
16. Create Micro-Videos
From the video of your podcast interviews, you can create short, shareable videos. We call them micro-videos.
Micro-videos are normally between 30 seconds and two minutes and highlight a specific insight that followers will find valuable. These quick clips do really well on social media because of their length and useful content.
Like we discussed before, you should try to frame your micro-videos with graphics in line with your show's branding. Subtitles are also a good idea.
Example: Host of The Customer Experience Podcast, Ethan Beute, posts branded micro-videos directly from his personal LinkedIn page.
17. Create Audiograms
If you can't get the video recording, audiograms are the next best thing.
These too should be short -- no more than two minutes long. They should also have your show's branding integrated into the design.
Example: Metrics & Chill makes their audiograms quick, informative, and engaging.
18. Write Blog Posts
Not as inventive as other podcast marketing strategies, but just as impactful are blog posts.
We're not talking about transcriptions from your podcast episodes. To enable an effective blog strategy, you should write helpful blogs based on your episodes -- not an exact copy of what was said.
Make them user-friendly. Think about the intent behind the search. Use a targeted keyword to drive the angle of your article. Then, see the SEO power compound.
Example: Here's a blog post we wrote based on a B2B Growth episode, focused on podcast cover art.
19. Leverage Email
Dust off the ol' mailing list and start sending out insights from your podcast via email.
These don't have to be much different from what you're posting on LinkedIn or your blog. Always keep in mind that you're slinging value, not sales-y garbage.
Keep it fun. Keep it brief. Include links to where people can find more. Use a GIF here and there.
You're bound to draw more people to your podcast through authentic emails that add value to everyday life.
Example: Creative Boom, an online community for artists, produces a podcast as well as an inspirational and helpful weekly email.
20. Leverage Paid Media
Our final example of creative podcast marketing involves paid media.
There are lots of avenues you can take when it comes to PPC advertising for your podcast. However, one of the best forms of advertising for your show is podcast ads. That's right -- ads that you pay to be read by other hosts on their podcasts.
Probably the easiest way to implement a podcast ad strategy is to partner with an agency that specializes in it (here are our top 10 recommendations).
Example: Check out this example of what recording a host-read midroll ad looks like. 👇
When Inspiration Strikes
Few marketers understand how seriously creative you can get with podcasts. There's so much gold that comes out of interviews with industry leaders -- take advantage of it.
One last thing to remember about these creative podcast marketing examples: Many of them take time. You're not going to see instant results with most of these tactics.
But when you stick to a consistent plan and continually poke that inspiration fire, it won't be long until you see a roaring blaze.
Get even more podcast marketing tips by subscribing to B2B Growth on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.