July 09, 2020

4 Proven Tips to Grow Your Podcast Audience

A surefire way to expand your audience is to develop eye-appealing, relevant content, but getting that in front of your target audience means finding a way that speaks to them. A podcast is one option that can take on many forms – some you may like; others not so much. However, you need to make sure that your podcast is exposed to its target audience. What can you do to ensure your podcast is well-received by your intended audience?

Website Optimization

It doesn’t matter how informative your podcast is, if your website isn’t optimized correctly or poorly, then your podcast will suffer for it. Don’t do this to yourself. You want your target audience to visit and listen to the podcast. Be sure to focus on the critical aspects of your website:

Create an About page. This page should let your audience know what to expect from you and how it can benefit them.
Create a Subscribe page. With this page, you can link to places like Google, Apple, Spotify, etc. You can help them to subscribe by letting them know why and how to do so.
Create a Contact Listing page. This will help you to stay in touch with your audience and vice versa. Be sure to include your social media links and email address.
Create SEO-Dedicated Page. Be sure every episode has an SEO-optimized page that contains notes about the show on it.
Create a descriptive domain name that is both memorable and easy for people to spell.
Ensure your site is desktop and mobile-ready and optimized.

One more thing: don’t forget to include social sharing buttons on all posts, so it’s easy for your listeners to promote the podcasts.

Add Calls-to-Action

A big problem podcasters make is overlooking the need for calls-to-action. They either ignore their current listeners with calls-to-action or forget to use calls-to-action entirely.

It doesn’t matter if you have two listeners, 50 listeners or 1,000 listeners, these individuals will help spread your message to a broader audience (friends and family). Before ending every podcast, ask the listener for a favor if they feel they’ve benefited somehow.

Some podcasters just ask their listeners to do a review, but this only goes so far. It doesn’t help in increasing the number of people who listen to your message.

It would be best if you had a more impactful call-to-action, such as asking your listeners to recommend someone who would enjoy and benefit from the message you have conveyed. A way to increase the chances of them sharing is to make a game of it. For example, you could tell your listeners to share the podcast on Twitter with an @mention the show in their tweet. You can thank individual listeners in the next podcast for following through.

Create Eye-Appealing, Descriptive Titles

The only way people will listen to your podcast is if you give it a descriptive, impactful title. While you can use a naming system such as Episode 5, labeling podcasts with numbers won’t entice your target audience to listen. After all, there is no idea of what the message is in it. Why should they listen to your podcast?

You need to create a hook that lures them into listening to your material. What you settle on depends on the content’s message. Keep in mind that titles that include “5 tips to” or “7 ways to” tend to be the most successful in improving listenership.

Now, if these don’t work for you and your podcast, don’t use them. You do need something beyond “Episode 6” for your intended audience to tune into your message.

Reach Out and Work With Other Podcasters

You might assume that podcasting is a lone sport, but the reality is that a fellow podcaster can be a friend and help you with expanding your listening base. If you notice another podcaster talking about topics similar to your own, consider reaching out and collaborating with them. Work together and share the message between each of your listeners.

You can also do a promo swap, where both of you play a small segment of the other’s show for a short time.

Another option is to co-host a show that you can both then publish on your website, social media, etc.

When it comes to podcasting, you can expand your audience reach, but only if it’s done correctly. If your website isn’t correctly optimized or you’re not giving unique titles to the episodes, you won’t get very far. Use the four tips above to start making your impact on the podcasting world today!

Bonus: Leverage Show Notes for SEO

One of the most overlooked growth strategies is writing comprehensive show notes for every episode. Well-crafted show notes serve multiple purposes: they help search engines discover and index your content, they give potential listeners a preview of what each episode covers, and they provide a place to include relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. Think of each episode's show notes as a mini blog post that drives organic traffic to your podcast over time.

For each episode, include a compelling summary (150–300 words), timestamps for key discussion points, links to resources mentioned, and a clear call-to-action. Over months, this library of SEO-optimized pages becomes one of your most powerful audience growth tools. Learn more in our detailed guide on how to write show notes that grow your audience.

Building a Long-Term Growth Strategy

These four tips are the foundation, but sustainable podcast growth requires a holistic approach. Here are additional strategies to layer on top:

Build an email list — email remains the most reliable way to notify your audience about new episodes. Platforms like OnPodium include built-in email marketing tools designed specifically for podcasters.
Create a dedicated podcast website — your website is the hub for all your content and the one platform you fully control. Learn why every podcast needs a website and explore the best podcast website examples for inspiration.
Promote strategically on social media — repurpose your podcast content into short clips, quote graphics, and thread posts. Check out our guide on promoting your podcast on social media.
Ask for reviews consistently — positive reviews on Apple Podcasts improve your visibility in search and recommendations. See our tips on how to get more podcast reviews.
Consider podcast transcription — full transcripts provide thousands of additional indexable words for search engines, expanding your organic reach significantly. Learn how to transcribe your podcast.

For a comprehensive walkthrough of audience growth from day one, read our in-depth guide on how to grow your podcast. And if you are just getting started, do not miss our complete guide to starting a podcast.

Ready to grow your podcast? Start free with OnPodium — podcast hosting, a professional website, email marketing, and monetization tools, all in one platform.