The art of podcasting is a booming field. An estimated 193 million Americans listen to online audio every month. Many podcasters may come and go, but only the sturdy sustain. There are many factors to consider before starting a podcast. But after starting a podcast and seeing consumers start coming in, the podcasters need subscribers as a mental boost for their work.
It is not only the new podcasters who are craving more subscribers. Even branded and established podcasters seek further subscribers. The number of subscribers plays a significant role nowadays in determining the quality and type of content the podcasters provide. It helps in various ways, including making money from a podcast.
Let us see a few tips on doubling the subscribers and sustaining them.
- Post Superb Quality Content
A quality product markets itself. This age-old saying is relevant for all times and in all fields. Identifying and aptly studying the target audience is imperative to ensure a podcast’s superior quality.
Understand what their pain points and blockers are. Give research-backed quality solutions to their demands on time.
Most podcasters rarely stick to their niche. Always give relevant information regarding your niche. Do other activities like repurposing the existing content to tune with the audience and incorporating a player online. It increases your reputation and listener base, which eventually turns into subscriptions.
Problems arise when the instructions to acquire the subscription aren’t clear, or the subscription process is very uneasy. That is why podcasters need a subscription platform.
- A Flexible Subscription Platform
If the process of acquiring a subscription to a podcaster’s content is very convoluted, it demotivates the fans who are willing to subscribe. While doing topic research for podcasts, writing scripts, recording, editing, and uploading podcasts fill a podcaster’s day. It leaves less room for podcasters to focus on such subscription mechanisms. It costs a lot to create a new platform for this. It also requires technical knowledge and a great deal of time, which only a few podcasters have.
Those podcasters can use a podcast subscription platform to increase their subscriptions. These platforms make acquiring subscriptions a bed of roses with their simple, user-friendly design and large, devoted user base.
These platforms can ensure quicker subscriptions, wholesome integration with many podcast platforms, and provide much-needed auto-renewal options. Dedicated platforms like Patreon exist. But trying an alternative to Patreon offers more facilities than Patreon and is also more affordable. Try them out.
- Stay Active To Get Active Subscribers
Nobody wants to subscribe to a podcaster who posts irrelevant, boring, and non-trending content. Nobody wants to subscribe to a podcaster who posts once in a blue moon. Active posting is mandatory to keep the fans’ spirits alive and kicking.
Engage in actions like keeping crazy, sometimes pessimistic titles to get more listeners. Own a blog about podcasts. Write new articles and repurpose existing content to make it more relatable and shareable.
Conduct a few “Talk With Listeners” sessions to understand their pulse and demand to create subscription-worthy content. Also, keep in mind that you can create a podcast focusing on the locality of the audience. The audience generally subscribes to a platform during festivals or happy events. So, actively engage with them during local fun events and watch the subscriber numbers go up.
- Be Benevolent With Offers
Who doesn’t love offers? Everyone, including the podcast listeners, does. The right type of offer at the right time undoubtedly raises the subscriber count. Joyful subscribers more positively acquire subscriptions during festive times like Christmas. So during these times, roll-out offers to subscribe to podcasts that the audience couldn’t refuse.
Podcasters can offer a one-day or one-week trial. Contrarily, they can organize online secret ballots to choose a name randomly and give away a free one-month subscription. It makes the winners spread positivity about the podcasts. It also makes more people listen and desire the giveaway.
Another form of offer can be the referral bonus and combo offers like couples’ or family packs. Also, alter the billing options from monthly plans to quarterly or yearly plans. So the subscribers don’t leave just after a month. Try these strategies, and getting more subscribers will no longer be a dark dream.
- An Engaged Presence on Social Media
More than 3.6 billion people use social media globally, making it a huge platform for advertising podcasts. Social media is one of the best ways to get people to subscribe to any podcast.
As discussed earlier, people always prefer active podcasters. So, have a dedicated page for podcasts on all the leading social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Post all your activities, like upcoming releases, dates for the release of successive episodes, and promos for interviews with star guests. Include posters, trailers, and teasers for the podcast episodes on all these platforms.
Use Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts to post relevant, entertaining content like bloopers and behind-the-scenes activities. These updates and entertainment spark curiosity, create a positive image of the podcast and pull people towards it.
Include a call-to-action, for example, to subscribe to the podcast or visit a website for the audience. Based on traffic to that site or an increase in the subscriber count, its impact is measurable.
Social media has a send and share option. It means all this information can circulate among friends, leading to an increased listener base and subscribers.
Closing Thoughts
These are the best tips that are very practical to double the number of subscribers for the podcasts. It includes providing quality content, using a podcast subscription platform, and being active on social media.
But a few questions about podcasts exist. To answer these general questions like “how do podcasts make money?” or “how to monetize a podcast?” a very high number of subscribers is always required to earn money from the podcast.
Currently, there are around 2 million podcasters present in this industry. But in greed to monetize, many podcasters tend to lose the quality of their creations to please their new subscribers. Podcasters should always keep in mind that quality is always above quantity. Podcasters will get more subscribers by uploading quality content, not by uploading content that merely pleases the audience in the short term.
Hence, to all the podcasters who don’t have more followers, don’t lose hope. Focus on the quality of your content, and subscribers will increase reflexively. As said earlier, a quality product self-markets itself.
Happy Podcasting!