Welcome to Season 8 Episode 1
Podcasts are a versatile and accessible way for disability services to connect with their community, share valuable insights and provide support. Leveraging existing channels and resources is crucial in promoting your podcast effectively. In this blog post, I’ll explore and give a brief overview of six powerful promotional techniques tailored to a disability service looking to boost the visibility and impact of their podcast. In the rest of this series I’ll deeply into each of these techniques and end with a bonus more general set of actions to boost your show and your website in general.
Let’s jump in, feet first.
1. Leverage Your Website as a Hub:
Your organisation’s website is the digital headquarters for your disability service, making it an ideal platform to promote your podcast. Create a dedicated section on your website for the podcast, complete with episode descriptions, show notes and embedded players. Ensure that the podcast page is easily navigable and prominently featured on your site’s homepage.
2. Email Newsletter Promotion:
If your disability service maintains an email newsletter, use it to notify subscribers about your podcast. Include teasers, episode summaries and links to your latest episodes in your newsletters. Encourage your subscribers to forward the newsletter to friends, family members or colleagues who might find the podcast relevant.
3. Utilise Social Media Strategically:
Leverage your existing social media channels to promote your podcast episodes. Share compelling graphics, quotes and audiograms that highlight key takeaways from each episode. Encourage your followers to like, share and comment on your posts to increase visibility. Don’t forget to use relevant hashtags and tag peer organisations that might be interested in your podcast.
4. Repurpose Content Across Channels:
Maximise the content you’ve already created by repurposing it across various channels. For example, transcribe your podcast episodes and convert them into blog posts or articles. Share these written versions on your website, LinkedIn or other platforms where your audience congregates. This approach not only provides alternative ways for your audience to engage with your content but also improves SEO.
5. Create Inclusive Visual Content:
Invest in creating visually appealing, accessible promotional materials. Ensure that your images and graphics are designed with accessibility in mind, including alt text for screen readers. Visual content such as custom episode artwork, audiogram videos and infographics can help attract and engage a more diverse audience.
6. Engage with Your Community:
Building and nurturing a community around your service’s podcast is vital for its long-term success. Actively participate in conversations, fora and groups related to your podcast’s niche. Offer valuable insights, share relevant resources and genuinely engage with members of these communities. Include links to your podcast episodes when appropriate, always ensuring your participation adds value rather than feels promotional.
Additional Tips for Success:
- Consistent Release Schedule: Establish a predictable release schedule for your podcast episodes. Whether you release new episodes daily (have fun with that, I can provide help with this as I’ve foolishly completed such a task) weekly, fortnightly or monthly, consistency helps your audience anticipate and look forward to your episodes.
- Promote User Engagement: Encourage your podcast listeners to leave reviews and ratings on platforms like Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. Positive reviews can significantly boost your podcast’s credibility.
- Monitor Analytics: Regularly review the performance of your podcast episodes. Use analytics to understand which episodes resonate most with your audience and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
- Feedback and Improvement: Actively seek feedback from your audience and be open to making improvements based on their suggestions. Engaging with your community and responding to their needs is key to building a loyal listener base.
In conclusion, promoting a disability service podcast through existing channels requires a strategic approach that combines web presence, email marketing, social media engagement and collaboration with influential advocates. By implementing these techniques and continuously engaging with your audience, your podcast can become a valuable resource for the disability community and a powerful tool for raising awareness, providing support and sharing inspiring stories.
If you’ve found this episode helpful, remember there’s seven more to come in this series where I’ll do a deep dive into the matters covered today. If you could tell others who may be interested, I’d be grateful. Thanks for listening! Until next we meet.