4 Things Podcasters Should Do For Higher Engagement
Sometimes making a podcast can feel like shouting into the void.
There’s a lot of work that goes into the production side of things, but your job is not done once you hit publish. With 80,000 podcasts being released every month, your podcast will not magically play in listeners’ earbuds. (We wish!) You have to do some legwork to get audiences to listen to your podcasts.
The bright side is that we have some tips to incorporate into your podcast practice today to boost listener engagement.
Don’t underestimate the power of a good episode title and description
People make snap judgements all the time. Attention spans are not very robust.
That’s why it’s important to focus on crafting direct, to-the-point episode titles. Try to capture what listeners will learn if they tune in, and make sure that what you promise is actually delivered.
We love this guide from Steve Stewart that reminds us character space is precious in podcast directories. They break down max character display for titles, descriptions, and show notes for each platform. After all, there’s no use in stuffing your descriptions with copy if no one can see it!
We also like this guide from Bello Collective that goes over which naming conventions will work best for your show. You should also learn the difference between episode titles, episode descriptions, and episode notes, and write them accordingly.
Build a landing page
A landing page can be an important investment for your podcast.
Here’s why: Let’s pretend someone has never listened to a podcast before. You can direct new listeners to your page, instead of sending a link to Apple or Spotify. It’s a dedicated space to organize all your episodes in one spot—especially if you publish frequently, since podcast distributors only display one hundred or so episodes. Plus, landing pages make your podcast look professional, and it establishes a permanent home for your podcast. Another bonus? It totally helps with SEO.
Wanna see an example? Building Good has a really clean-looking landing page that introduces the podcast in an effective way, provides links on where to listen, and organizes episodes.
Promote it on TikTok (And other social platforms!)
Whenever I find a new podcast, I like to check them out on social media and see what other listeners are saying.
It’s also a good way to gauge whether they’re currently publishing a season, working on new episodes, or taking a break. At Vocal Fry, we’ve been dabbling in making TikToks — a platform with a huge and growing audience — and it’s been a lot of fun trying to figure out how to promote our podcasts there.
High quality storytelling
Are you cutting to the chase?
I’m currently reading an Agatha Christie novel, and my God, is that a writer who gets to the point. By page 20, I was already at the murder victim’s house! Anyway, storytelling is an art. You can’t expect listeners to sit through a long, confusing, or meandering introduction. Don’t save your best tape until the very end, because chances are you already lost your audience.
And, if you notice your consumption rates are dropping off before you get into the meat of your episode, you may need to rejig your story structure. If you’re a little lost on how to do that, we recently created a podcast beat sheet that you can use to write an effective podcast script.
The takeaway?
Building podcast listener engagement is a process, but you can do simple things to spark curiosity. Whether it’s reworking episode titles to grab attention, creating a new channel to communicate with your audience, or establishing a permanent home for your show, there are many routes you can take to engage new listeners. And remember, one of the best parts about podcasting is the freedom to experiment. So go out there, be creative, and try new things!
