There is so much information out there about launching your podcast that it can sometimes be overwhelming. Launching your podcast is very exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time! So how do you decide whether all your focus and attention should be on the launch or if it should be saved for after the launch to keep your podcast quality consistent? Well, the simple answer is both.
Podcasting isn’t as easy as some people might have you believe; it takes up a lot of your time and effort to create a successful podcast. That is why you should care 100% about launching your podcast and making a big deal about it! You put a lot of time and work into planning, recording, editing, and publishing your podcast so making it successful should definitely be a goal on your list.
Every part of your podcast deserves your full attention to ensure that you keep the quality you had in the beginning right through to the end. This includes having a successful launch for your new listeners to be excited about and giving them something to look forward to as future episodes go live! Your listeners become a big part of your life and in the end, you want to create a podcast that is worthy of them.
So why should you care about your podcast launch? To make sure you get the most out of all the hard work you put in and give your listeners the incredible content they were looking to find! Keep in mind, even if you have the most successful podcast launch, it might take some time to gain the traction you were looking for. So use your podcast launch as a springboard to set the precedent for what listeners can expect going forward, consistently showing up for them in every way you first set out to!
Now that we’ve established that your podcast launch is important, let’s dig in a little deeper!
Reasons Why The Launch is Important
- First and foremost, you have put in a lot of hard work so you don’t want that to go to waste!
- The more successful the launch, the bigger the possibility of more subscribers and higher rankings.
- The episodes used during the launch will set the tone for the rest of your podcast, the quality, episode time and even your future publishing schedule.
Strategies For a Successful Launch
1. Set a Launch Date
Deadlines are a great way for you to keep track of your progress as you work towards a very specific goal. Each step of the way you can breakdown your bigger goal into smaller milestones that help you to get immediate feedback on how things are going and where you are in process. This is especially important when you are planning for the launch of your podcast.
Having a set date can help you start to plan each aspect of the launch, such as putting out marketing content, making sure that your episodes are ready to launch, and planning a launch party to kick things off! Plus, when you get more people involved and looking forward to your launch, there won’t be any backing out or changing the date just because you got cold feet.
2. Create Some Buzz
The best way to ensure that your podcast launch is a success is to get others excited about the event! Get people talking about your podcast before it even exists, and once it launches there will be enough buzz around it to really get the attention you are hoping for. Create a community based on the incredible podcast that is to come. Use that word of mouth from your audience to get the news out there and let others know when your podcast will be released!
One of the best ways to create buzz around your podcast is by getting potential listeners to sign up to your email newsletter and sending them sneak peeks of what they can look forward to with your podcast launch. Also, use social me and blog content to create awareness around the launch date and remind listeners to tune in.
Related read: Top 8 Ways to Create Buzz Around Your Podcast
3. Use Marketing Channels
There are several great marketing channels to use when promoting the launch of your podcast. First, there is your email newsletter where you can send out a podcast launch announcement to your subscribers to let them know to stay tuned. Remember to keep them updated with the progress of your podcasting journey to help build up the suspense for when your podcast finally launches. You can also do a blog series about your podcast-in-the-making to create some awareness of the podcast to your readers.
Of course, social media is also a great tool to use to create some excitement around your podcast launch. Connect with your audience through Instagram stories, giving them a behind-the-scenes look at your podcasting process and showing them a glimpse of what is to come. Reach out to other podcasters to help support your launch, and join communities where fellow podcasters can help with tips and tricks to successfully launch your podcast.
Related read: 7 Tips to Market Your Podcast on Instagram
4. Remind Listeners to Subscribe
To make sure that you don’t lose all the momentum from your podcast launch, be sure to remind listeners to subscribe to your podcast so that they won’t miss a beat! Before the official podcast launch, make sure to start informing your audience how to subscribe, where to find the information, and why it is in their best interest to hit that subscribe button.
Also, be mindful that not all podcast listeners at that up-to-date on how to best keep up with your new episode releases. So don’t assume that all of your listeners know how to subscribe to your podcast. At the end of your podcast tell them exactly how and give them a specific call to action to help get those subscribers queued up for the show. You can also send them to your newsletter opt-in as another way to keep them alerted when new episodes are aired.
Related read: How to Use Your Email Newsletter to Grow Your Podcast
5. Submit Your Podcast to Directories
Often times, discoverability is one of the biggest challenges that podcasters face. To help combat this, listing your podcast on as many directories as possible will help listeners to better find your podcast – both new and old! Listing your podcast on a variety of podcast directories will make it easier for listeners to discover your podcast on the platforms they are most comfortable using.
Keep in mind, the approval process for podcast directories can take a while. So definitely plan ahead and make sure that everything is ready for submission. You are at their discretion for approval, so stay ahead of the game to make the process as seamless as possible. Once your podcast is available on the chosen directories, let listeners know exactly where they will be able to find the show.
Related read: 20 Best Podcast Directories
6. Launch with Multiple Episodes
When launching your podcast, we always recommend launching with at least three episodes right off the bat. When you launch your show with multiple episodes, this gives listeners even more great content to consume all at once, boosting those initial launch-day downloads by three times the amount than if you would have only launched with one episode.
This is where planning ahead really comes in handy, so you don’t get overwhelmed. A great method to stay ahead is to batch record your podcast episodes (The 9 Major Benefits of Batching Your Podcast Episodes). This is a strategy to not only use for your podcast launch but to also ensure consistent publishing of episodes as your podcast keeps on growing. When you batch record several episodes you can always stay ahead with a few episodes in the bank so that you are never caught off guard, with no time to get a new episode published.
Related read: 7 Steps For a Successful Podcast Launch
7. Set Up Featured Interviews
Featured interviews is another great tool to help you successfully launch your podcast. Whether that’s having someone on your show for an interview or being a guest on someone else’s podcast, this is a very useful strategy to draw a larger audience to your show. Being featured on someone else’s podcast gives you the opportunity to promote your podcast to their audience in the same way that an author would promote their newly released book to audiences.
If you choose to interview someone during the first few episodes of your podcast then try and find a guest with an engaged audience, who would find value from the content you provide on your podcast. This way you can tap into that existing community and give your podcast that extra bit of attention and engagement you need to boost your launch success.
Related read: 5-Step Email Sequence for Hosting a Podcast Guest
8. Host An Event
The most important thing to remember when launching your podcast is to have fun with it! Share your excitement with the world and it will become contagious. It is your creative work that took up a lot of your time and you should be proud of the amazing job you have done so far. And what better way to celebrate than by hosting an event where people can come together and be part of this incredible success!
This is the perfect opportunity to invite fellow podcasters, fans, and even friends and family to preview the podcast together and come together over something that you have created to share with them all.
Related read: 18 Social Media Tips To Grow Your Podcast
Featured image: Biruk Masresha
