Seven Ways to Promote your Podcasts
September 21st, 2006 by 
adminSeven Ways to Promote your Podcasts
There’s a podcast for everyone: cooking shows for the busy mom, foreign language tapes for the college student, exclusive interviews and music reviews for a band’s number one fan.
The challenge, however is, announcing the podcast’s availability, especially when there are thousands of podcasts competing for attention?
1. Tie up with Related Websites. If your podcast is about how to improve your golf swing, or analyses of last week’s game, then it makes sense to tie up with websites that cater to fans of this sport. Do a quick search on the Internet for the highest ranking sites for keywords related to playing golf. Then, email the website owners (the numbers are usually listed on “About Us” or “Contact Us” and offer a marketing deal: you give a sample broadcast every other week, which their viewers can download for free on the page, in exchange for a write-up on your podcasts and a link back to your page.
2. Submit PR news releases to sports magazines and newspapers. Editors are always on the lookout for new products, especially if they will be of real interest to the readers anyway. But before you a send a mass-email to every print publication in the country, study its editorial content and voice, and adapt these in your news release. Also keep your news release short, but send an additional FAQ so the editor has the option of expanding the article if he finds it interesting.
3. Submit feature articles to online directories. These articles are not hard-sell, meaning they don’t directly promote the product in the first paragraphs. They take a subtler slant, providing information that is related to product, and is often disguised as a how-to article or an industry report. The name of the product, or a link to the website, is only inserted in the last paragraph. Studies show that feature articles are more likely to be read and remembered than straight-out ads.
4. Place ads in related websites. Place banner or pop up ads in very well known websites that do not otherwise accept article submissions or are not interested in allowing you to place a link.
5. Guest on radio shows or TV shows. A publicist can help you get in touch with the producers of TV and radio stations, who are often on the look out for resource people for their own content. Offer to “lend” them the expert who makes your podcasts in exchange for the chance to plug your product. Be prepared to give segment topics related to your field of expertise.
6. Participate In community events. If you have a hard time penetrating mass media like TV, magazines or radio, don’t forget the smaller community papers and events. You can reach thousands of people from one area, and conquer the country one city at a time.
7. Distribute flyers at places that sell iPods. Keep flyers short, with a synopsis of the kind of content you offer and where they can find your podcast.