How To Use Spotify To Promote Your Podcast

With over 200 million listeners across 75 countries, Spotify has quickly become a household name. While many exclusively associate the platform with music, there are almost half a million podcasts on Spotify too. But a podcast demands much more time and attention from your listeners than music does, so it’s important to promote it effectively.

Fortunately, there are several ways to promote your podcast using Spotify – and we’ve broken them all down for you below.

✴ Submit Your Podcast To Spotify

First things first, you need to submit your podcast to Spotify. Go to the Spotify for Podcasters page and register an account. Once you’ve signed up, the submission process is as follows:

Step 1: Log in to your Spotify account.

Step 2: Go to your Spotify dashboard and click “Get Started”

Step 3: Insert your podcast RSS feed URL into the input box provided.

Step 4: Check that all your podcast information is correct. If everything is as intended, click “Next”

Step 5: Go to the email address associated with your Spotify account. There will be a code sent to the email to verify ownership. Copy and paste this code into the form provided and click “Next”.

Step 6: Spotify will now prompt you to provide further information about your podcast. You can choose a primary category and 3 sub-categories that best describe your podcast. After filling out the form, click “Next”.

Step 7: Review the information that you have provided. If everything is correct, submit the form.

Now, sit back and wait for Spotify to approve your podcast. It usually takes just a few hours. Once your podcast has been approved, the task of promoting it can get underway.

✴ Choose your categories wisely

Before you submitted your podcast for approval, you were asked to choose a primary category and 3 sub-categories that best described it. These categories will help new listeners discover your content on Spotify as they browse for new shows to follow.

Spotify also collects data on listening habits to provide recommendations to its users. If a user regularly tunes in to sports podcasts, and your podcast falls within that category, there are better chances you’ll show up in their recommendations. Categories are a way to present yourself to Spotify’s algorithms in just a few short words. Make them count.

✴ Create eye-catching artwork

One of Spotify’s greatest features is that it allows you to create artwork for each of your episodes. The decision to click on your link instead of another can solely come down to attractive artistry. Treat it like a print advertisement, but one that is designed to entice listeners in this case.

If you have a special guest on the podcast, especially recognizable figures, incorporating them into your artwork could work to your advantage. Your audience will feel even more compelled to listen.

✴ Select interesting titles

Besides your artwork, episode titles are another critical component that affects the level of interest your content receives. As one of the first things your listeners encounter, your titles need to walk a fine line between accurate and clickable.

A clickbait title might attract more listeners, but it doesn’t keep people engaged for very long. Immediately after they realize the title was misleading, they’ll click away – leaving with a bad taste in their mouths. As a result, it’s important to ensure that your titles grip the reader without deceiving them.

✴ Treat the description as a sales pitch

Once users get past an episode’s artwork and title, they’ll be faced with a description. If they’ve come this far, they are primed to be sold on the content of your episode.

The first few lines of your description will appear in your episode preview. This is geared more towards new listeners as it can be read quickly. Experiment with emotive language, cliff-hangers and a call to action. On the other hand, the remainder of your description should be targeted at your existing followers – less selling, more summarizing.

✴ Convert listeners into followers

It might seem obvious, but you can easily promote your podcast during each episode. Remind listeners to follow your podcast on Spotify at the beginning and end of each show. Doing so will ensure your listeners are notified whenever a new episode goes live.

Your followers will soon become a loyal community of fans who eagerly await new episodes. Oh, and don’t forget social media. Every time an episode goes live be sure to share it on all relevant platforms using the link provided on Spotify.

✴ Make use of Spotify Codes

Spotify Codes is a new and useful tool that helps you promote your podcast. And it’s as simple as taking a picture. You can create a scannable image using a QR-style code that links directly to your podcast on Spotify. Each code can be customized with a range of colors and placed on your podcast website. You can also print out your Spotify Code and place it on flyers, business cards, event posters and anything else you can think of.

✴ Analyze your statistics

Spotify’s statistics show more than just the number of listeners your podcast is receiving. It also displays the age demographic of your listeners, where they are from, what their general listening habits are and which devices they’re using to stream your episodes.

If you find that your podcast is attracting an unexpected audience, you can tailor your promotional material accordingly. When used proactively, statistics can help you decide what content works best for future episodes.

✴ Recap

As can be seen, there are many ways to promote your podcast using Spotify. Be sure to choose your categories wisely as they will help new listeners discover you. Once they come across your podcast, you’ll need to convince them to listen. Think engaging titles and eye-catching artwork. Then, build a loyal community by promoting the follow button, so your audience is notified of new episodes. Through a strategic combination of all the above and more, you should start to see noticeable growth in your listenership over time.

Feeling like a marketing pro? Check out these other strategies for growing your podcast.

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