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How To Get Your Podcast into the New and Noteworthy
Megan from the Wild Healers podcast asks, "Is it possible for an independent podcast to make it into the Apple New and Noteworthy section?"
Special thanks to Kris Emerson, host of the Excel Still More podcast, for sharing his experience getting into the New and Noteworthy section.
TL;DR The Apple Podcasts New and Noteworthy section is a common goal for new podcasters. The appeal is that if you can get your podcast listed there, you'll be able to grow your audience faster, build momentum, and ride that wave off into the sunset of your podcasting dreams.
So... how exactly do you get in? In this episode, we'll share what we know and ask Kris, a fellow Buzzsprout podcaster, what he did to land in the New and Noteworthy section.
What's the best strategy?
The best way to get into the Apple New and Noteworthy section is to focus on getting a lot of listeners to subscribe to your show in Apple Podcasts in a short period of time. As a new podcast, your window to make this happen is typically 90 days from when you launch your first episode.
At one point, many podcasters believed that it was the number of downloads or reviews you received that got you in the N&N section. But over time, as we've seen podcasters try and game the system, we've found that those aren't big indicators.
Apply isn't spilling the beans on their process any time soon, but we DO know that an algorithm based on how many subscribers you get feeds possible selections to an Apple employee who ultimately determines how makes it in and who doesn't.
TL;DR Launching a new podcast is a lot of work and is something you should celebrate! It’s only natural to want as many people as possible to listen to it, but where should you place your expectations?
In this episode, we’ll walk through 3 questions that will help you determine what your benchmark for success should be.
1. Do you have an existing audience?
If you’re starting from scratch, you should expect fewer downloads than someone who has 100,000 followers on Instagram.
It’s okay if you’re just getting started, just set your expectations accordingly.
2. How popular is your podcast subject?
The reality is, some podcast topics have larger built-in audiences than others. As an example, True Crime podcasts are currently more popular than Home Gardening podcasts and will naturally have a larger audience.
We would never recommend you start a podcast just to become popular, just recognize that the potential size of your audience is partially determined by how many people are interested in your subject matter.
3. How good is your first impression?
If you have a poor first impression, that will negatively impact your download numbers no matter how good your podcast is. You'll want to make sure you have hi-quality artwork (use a service like 99designs or Upwork to work with graphic designers), practice good mic technique for crisp audio, and use catchy episode titles to grab someone's attention.
If you make a good first impression, and then back that up with great content, your podcast will grow.
What's the average number of downloads?
The average Buzzsprout podcaster gets around 50 downloads per episode. This is a great target for when you're first getting started!
Krystal from The Proffitt Podcast asks, "What's the most important information to look at when you're deciding on keywords for podcast SEO?"
TL;DR Search Engine Optimization (also known as SEO) is the practice of tailoring your online content in a way that's easy for search engines like Google to index and display in their search results. When done well, this means that more people find you without having to spend a dime on advertising.
Podcast directories also use this kind of information when populating results in their apps. If you open up Apple Podcasts and type "Business Podcast" into the search bar, Apple combs through its entire catalog of podcasts and presents the top results based on what you searched.
What is a keyword? It's the word or phrase that your target audience is searching in the search bar. Once you know what those words and phrases are, you can create episodes around them and separate yourself from other podcasts in your category.
In short, podcast SEO is the key to reaching new listeners in your sleep without having to spend money on advertising.
4x Steps To Optimize Your Podcast For SEO:
Target relevant keywords and search terms
Research the competition
Make a complete answer
Use accurate, keyword-friendly episode titles
More Tips From Travis:
Use Upwork.com to outsource SEO research for your podcast by hiring an expert to come up with your list of relevant keywords to target for future episodes
Buzzsprout Head of Marketing, Alban Brooke, joins this week's episode of Podcasting Q&A to give SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tips and how to optimize your podcast's discoverability with easy SEO techniques.
Co-founder of Buzzsprout, Tom Rossi, joins this week's episode of Podcasting Q&A to explain how RSS Feeds work & different ways to create a Private RSS Feed.
Visual soundbites, or audiograms, are a great way to promote your podcast on social media. But sometimes, it can be hard to choose the right clip or artwork to share.
In this episode of Podcasting Q&A, Jordan and Alban answer three questions from Charles, the host of JUMP...Success is Waiting!, about selecting what soundbites to share, what length they should be, and what kind of artwork works best for audiograms.
In today's world nearly 40% of podcasters are recording their interviews using Zoom. The only problem is that Zoom's default settings don't provide the high-quality audio that will podcasters are looking for.
So in this episode of Podcasting Q&A, we'll show you how to get the best audio quality from your Zoom recordings.
Have a topic or question we should address on a future episode? Text us or email the Buzzsprout Podcaster Success Team at support@buzzsprout.com
Whether you're in the beginning stages of your podcast journey or if you've been podcasting for some time now, you might wonder, "What's the best way to measure the success of my podcast?"
Of course, success is defined differently for all of us. So in this episode, you'll learn some helpful metrics for gauging the success of your podcast.
TL;DR One of the great things about podcasting is that there are so few rules regarding what makes a great podcast. There are some podcasts that have episodes longer than 3 hours (*cough* Joe Rogan *cough*) and some that are 10 minutes or less. Focus on making your podcast as long as it needs to be to say what you need to say without worrying about hitting a certain target.
As an overall trend, we've seen the average podcast episode length hover around 43 minutes (and it hasn't really changed for 5+ years). There have certainly been plenty of short-format podcasts coming out recently, but there's nothing magical about having shorter episodes.
Also, because there are no rules around how long your episodes need to be, you can have varying lengths of podcast episodes within your show. If your episodes normally come in around 15 minutes, it's totally fine to drop a 25-minute episode if you know your audience is gonna love it! Just don't get too crazy and do something wildly different than what you're audience is expecting without giving them a heads up first.
Marketing your podcast tends to be an afterthought if you are new to podcasting and if you're a seasoned podcaster it tends to be the chore of your passion project.
However, marketing is an integral part of running a successful podcast and Social Media Marketing provides a crucial touch point with current listeners and gives you the opportunity to get in contact with new potential listeners to grow your audience.
So in today's episode, you'll learn all the ways you can market your podcast on Facebook.
Have a topic or question we should address on a future episode? Text us or email the Buzzsprout Podcaster Success Team at support@buzzsprout.com
Having an occasional or rotating cast of guests is a great way of adding value to your podcast. A great guest can bring a fresh perspective, new information, and captivating stories for your listeners.
And inviting a well-known or established guest on your podcast can help you grow your audience, especially if they share that episode of their audience.
But before you can benefit from having great podcast guests, you need to know where to find them.
So in this episode of Podcasting Q&A, you'll learn some of our favorite methods on how and where to find great guests for your podcast.
To say podcasting is a growing or popular medium and hobby would be an understatement. Spotify alone claims have added more than 1.2 million new podcasts in 2021.
You may be among that group of inspired and motivated future podcasters right at the cusp of starting your own show, and you just need that extra push.
In this episode of Podcasting Q&A, you'll learn about four important factors to consider if on the fence about starting your first podcast.
It may seem like getting a guest on your podcast is really simple, right? Send an email and that's it.
But the truth is, there are quite a few more steps if you want to seamlessly book your guest, have them have such a great time on your interview that they're excited to share your show, and follow up with them when the episode is actually published.
So let's walk step by step through the ultimate podcast guest checklist.
Felice from Action Packed Travel asks, "How can I monetize my podcast without doing ads or affiliate promotions?"
Ads and affiliates are two popular ways to monetize your podcast, but that doesn't mean they are always the best strategy. Depending on how large your audience is and the payouts offered by the affiliates you choose, you might be better off trying something else.
So in this episode, we'll share our three favorite ways to generate revenue from your podcast without running ads and affiliate links.
For many podcasters, building a show successful enough to be acquired by a major podcast network is #goals...
But if you're someone who likes to create your own opportunities, there's nothing stopping you from building your own podcast network and connecting with other creators in your space.
So in this episode, we'll explain the decisions you'll need to think through to create a successful podcast network.
Kylie from Halfwit History asks, "What makes a successful podcast?"
TL;DR How you choose to define success is up to you. There's no right or wrong answer, but having a clear sense of purpose for your podcast will help you stay focused on the right metrics instead of getting caught chasing download numbers (which is only one way to see if your podcast is doing well).
Regardless of the definition you choose, you can maximize your podcast's potential by doing a handful of things consistently right - get listed in the major podcast directories, focus on audio quality, and promote new episodes when they come out.
4x Possible Ways To Measure Success:
Get leads for your business
Interview cool people
Share your passions
Build an online community
More Tips From Sarah:
Our favorite microphone for new podcasters is the Samson Q2U, a USB/XLR mic that records great audio at an affordable price
Check out our blog post with a dozen royalty-free music options for podcasters (including nine free options)
Need an easy way to create compelling social media posts? Try out the Buzzsprout Visual Soundbite and turn Facebook and Instagram followers into podcast subscribers
Audio Editing Software Options: (Click the link to watch our YouTube tutorial)
Apple Podcasts is one of the largest podcast directories in the world and accounts for millions of downloads every month, so it's important that your podcast is available on their directory.
With that said one of the biggest obstacles and headaches a new podcaster can experience when first trying to get the show off the ground are delays and getting listed in Apple podcasts.
So in this episode, we'll break down some of the most common causes of why you might be experiencing those delays and what you can do about it.
Instagram is a great way to promote your podcast, and there are plenty of features you can utilize to create an engaged audience and build awareness for your show.
So in this episode, we're going to look at some ways you can effectively promote your podcast using Instagram Stories.
If you've been podcasting for any amount of time, you already know that creating content is sometimes the least of what you do.
Getting that amazing content in front of your audience and potential listeners is another big piece of what goes into podcasting and social media marketing can be a free, accessible way to do that.
So on this episode, we are going to show you the key steps to setting up an Instagram account for your podcast.
Transcripts are a word for word manuscript of your podcast, so creating transcripts from episodes of your podcast is a great idea if you're looking to increase your show's discoverability.
So in today's episode, you'll learn about three of the best transcripts and services available to you.
Dana asks, "What's the best way to promote a brand new podcast?"
There are so many podcast marketing strategies out there, it's difficult to know which strategy will be most effective for your show (ESPECIALLY if you're launching a brand new podcast).
So in this episode, we'll share six proven strategies that you can use to lay a solid foundation and start your show off with a bang.
When should you monetize your podcast? That's the million dollar question, or probably more appropriately the $1,000 question, and it's a question that we get a lot at Buzzsprout.
So in this episode, we'll break down the benchmarks we recommend for independent podcasters before they start pursuing monetization.
While most podcast episodes are recorded from home, the office, or over the internet, one fun way to change it up is to record in front of a live studio audience!
So in this episode, Badr and Travis discuss the pros and cons of recording with a live audience and how to pull off a successful show.
What should you do if you've been podcasting for a little while, and you realize that your audience just isn't growing anymore? No matter what you do, or how good the episodes are, you're not getting more listeners and more downloads for your podcast.
In this episode, we're gonna talk about three things that you can do to break out of that plateau and keep growing your podcast.
When it comes to interviews, it can often feel like snagging the guests is the most intimidating part of the process. But once you got the guest, what do you do? How do you make the most of that moment with them? You ask quality questions.
So in today's episode, we're going to give you five amazing questions to help you maximize the time that you have with your podcast guests.
There are so many options out there for recording long-distance podcast interviews it can be difficult to know which one will best fit your needs.
That's why in this week's episode of Podcasting Q&A, Gilon breaks down our top 3 remote recording software options and helps you decide which one you should go with.
Gez from Motivation Without the Hype asks, "How can you ask for listener support without sounding too desperate?" TL;DR Whether it's a one time donation, becoming a member of your Patreon community, or buying your merch, asking for listeners to give you money can feel weird.
But the thing is, you'd be surprised at how much your listeners want to support you when given the opportunity.
So in this episode, we'll share five tips to help you ask for listener support without sounding desperate.
Will from the Skeptic Metaphysician podcast asks, "How would you go about selecting the best category for your podcast?" TL;DR The podcast category you choose for your show helps directories like Apple Podcasts and Spotify index your podcast and make it easier to find for the listeners that will love it the most.
But not all podcasts fit neatly into the categories that are available.
So in this episode, we'll share several pointers to help you pick the best podcast category for your show.
Felice from the Action Packed Travel podcast asks, "Is there any way of finding out how many subscribers my podcast has?" TL;DR Podcast directories like Apple Podcasts and Spotify have different ways of measuring subscribers. And, unfortunately, it's difficult to make sense of the data that available to podcast creators.
So in this episode, you'll learn about a few different places where you can look at your data, why it's not always accurate, and a better way to measure audience growth and engagement using the advanced stats you get with Buzzsprout.
Brad from the Queer Writers of Crime podcast asks, "What is the purpose of having a newsletter for my podcast and what should I include in one?" TL;DR Building an email list allows you to maintain a direct connection with your audience without having to wrestle with any kind of social media algorithms.
In this episode, Ona and Gilon discuss the real value of having an email newsletter, what you should include in one, and how to leverage your email list to grow your podcast and get more listeners.
Simone from the Memoirs From Abroad podcast asks, "How can I use Instagram to engage with my audience and get more listeners?" TL;DR Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, but how can podcasters use it to engage with their audience and find new listeners?
In this episode, Ona and Travis discuss what's working right now on Instagram and how to create a comprehensive Instagram strategy.
In Part 11 of our Podcast Marketing Series, you'll learn how to use search engine optimization techniques to make your podcast more "findable" by your ideal listeners.
In Part 10 of our Podcast Marketing Series, you'll learn how to use social media as an effective podcast marketing strategy (and the beginner mistakes you should absolutely avoid!).