how to grow a podcast (without using social media)

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Let’s face it.

A low podcast download count doesn’t feel all too good, especially when you’ve been working your guts out.

I can tell you this isn’t a marker of your success, but it’s hard not to feel like it is.

Growing a podcast is notoriously hard to do.

It sometimes takes people years before they build a sizeable audience.

Name any one of the top 10 podcasts (that has sustained their spot for more than a week), and I guarantee it has taken them more than a year to get there.

When you eventually crack it, it’s one of the most rewarding experiences.

These days, we look to social media to grow our podcasts.

My hot take…I don’t actually think social media moves the dial.

Socials market your show, but it doesn’t convert listeners to your show.

I’ve worked on some of the biggest podcasts in Australia and have grown shows from a humble 10,000 monthly downloads to 550,000+ downloads a month.

I’ve run experiments, tinkered with SEO and asked for many favours.

But ultimately, the best way to find your next brand new listener is on the platform itself. Keep your strategy within the same medium.

Here are the 6 tactics for growing your podcast without using social media:

Tactic #1: But first, have you leveraged your network?

Who do you know within your network who can reach 2x or more people than you?

• Ask them to promote your podcast in exchange for value.

• Ask them to recommend your podcast to their own network and/or audience.

Tactic #2: Appear as a guest on a podcast

This is my favourite tactic because you’re fulfilling a need (providing someone with content) whilst also leveraging their audience and promoting your own stuff.

• you must add value to the host’s audience. There is no point in you appearing on their show and not providing any reason for people to listen to your own podcast.

• Ask the host if you can share the episode on your own pod feed. This will boost credibility, and if the host is more well-known, then your podcast will also appear in the search engine.

Tactic #3: Interview a podcast host on their own show

This is slightly different from tactic #2 because you’re the one asking the questions. Most hosts will love this idea because rarely are they the ones in the hot seat. No doubt their audience has questions about the host, which saves them a week of content-making - a win-win-win!

• just like tactic #2, ask if you can share the episode on your own podcast feed.

Tactic #4: Cross-promote your show  

Despite its high leverage point, I don’t see this tactic done by podcasters all too much.

This tactic involves a co-creation episode where you and another podcaster produce one episode together and split Part 1 and Part 2 across each other’s podcast feeds.

• Make sure the right kind of audience is hearing your show.

• Be strategic with how you finish Part 1 to encourage listeners to seek out Part 2.

• The risk with this one is that it asks a lot for listeners to seek out Part 2.

Tactic #5: Guest people on the rise

Ned Brockmann was a nobody before he ran across Australia from Perth to Sydney back in 2022.

I booked him for an interview with Mark Bouris right before he embarked on his journey.

When Nedd crossed the finish line to an overwhelming crowd of supporters, they were hungry to learn more about the guy. Mark’s interview with Nedd was one of the few places they could seek out.

• The great thing about this tactic is that your guest will likely not have done a whole heap of interviews, so your show will be easy to find.

• Even people with small but loyal audience bases are more potent than larger ones.

Tactic #6: Paid acquisition

I’ll be honest, it’s not my fave, but it is a tactic!

• Pay for podcast host ad reads that can be inserted across the show.

• Podcast hosts will be less inclined to say yes because of fear of reducing their listenership.

• Use a tracking link to see where your listeners come from and what works best.

Of course, none of this will work if your content isn’t listenable. So before you go ahead and use these tactics, ask yourself the question: is my podcast up to scratch?

If you’d like a more tailored approach when it comes to growing your audience, I offer 1:1 strategy sessions which you can book here

Threads

• now lets you mute profiles.

Instagram

• As we approach the release of the Edits app, Instagram’s answer to CapCut, it seems that the app will initially be free but will eventually introduce paid features similar to CapCut.

• now displays the posting date of a Reel at the end of the caption.

LinkedIn

• testing new features

  explained

TikTok 

• lets you identify your friends in live streams, making it easy to see their likes, comments, and more.

• has added a ‘My Music’ tab in the main menu

YouTube

• share 10 ways to monetise on YouTube.

• new YouTube Shorts updates

  explained

READ: If you think a view is the be-all and end-all, then read this article from The Verge, ‘Views’ are lies. View counts are the most visible metric on social media but only explain a fraction of how well a video performs. The other problem with views is they mean totally different things for each social platform - there is no set standard.

LISTEN: Naval Ravikant is an entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder of AngelList. He is often seen as the voice of reason in business because of his philosophical approach. In this episode of the Modern Wisdom podcast, Naval offers up-to-date wisdom, specifically about how to get comfortable with being unapologetically selfish, which really means getting comfortable with having boundaries.

WATCH: Brock Johnson has built a multifigure company that coaches people on how to grow their Instagram profiles. He sat down with the platform’s boss, Adam Mosseri and asked him all of our questions about Instagram and more.

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