If you're looking to grow your podcast's listenership, you should consider engaging your episode guests' audiences. 

The question is: How exactly can you pull it off? In short, you can do it through a combination of clever content and networking. But it’s never so simple.

In today’s post, we'll share everything you need to know about how to market a podcast by leveraging your guests’ audience. 

But first, we’ll take a look at why this strategy is worth trying out in the first place.

Let's go!

Are Your Guests the Key to Better Podcast Promotion?

It’s likely that the majority of your podcast listeners enjoy your guests. But what about your guests' followers? Maybe they would like you too. If you don't try to get their attention, you're wasting a great opportunity to connect with new listeners. In fact, connecting with your guests’ audiences should be a big part of your marketing podcast strategy. 

Here’s why:

• Your guests’ audiences are qualified traffic for your podcast. If you’re inviting someone to your podcast, they’re probably a relevant figure in your niche. So, their audience will most likely be interested in what you have to offer.
• It’s practically a referral. Your guests won’t just go to any podcast that invites them. The fact that they’ve decided to share the spotlight with you elevates you in the eyes of their audience. Much like with a referral or a good review, your guest is passing on some of their authority to you. 
• Organic growth. Connecting with your guests’ audiences is a cost-efficient way to expand your listenership. On the other hand, who wouldn’t wish for some word of mouth in the digital age?

How to Promote Your Podcast By Networking with Your Guests’ Audiences: 5 Essential Tips

After recording your podcast, you'll need to promote it across social media channels. By promoting your podcast, you’ll:

• Reconnect with your guests
• Provide content that they themselves can share with their followers

We recommend:

1. Repurposing intelligently
2. Beginning to promote early
3. Making your promotion strategy a part of the guests’ experience
4. Creating a promotion toolkit for guests
5. Providing a schedule

Let's take a look.

Repurpose Intelligently

Engaging your guests’ audiences on social media requires share-worthy content. Especially content that your guests themselves will want to share.

There are many formats to choose from. We recommend:

• Carousel posts
• Quotes
• Audiograms
• TikTok videos & Reels
• Twitter threads
• “Behind the scenes” photos

Carousel posts

Carousel posts are a succession of images/videos that engage viewers through linear storytelling. If your guest gave interesting tips on a certain issue, this resource can be incredibly useful - and something your guests will want to share.

Quotes

Highlight your guests’ most interesting statements through quote images. 

That way, you will:

• Help your guests to portray themselves as niche experts
• Hook your guests' audiences so they listen to the episode

Audiograms

Audiograms are audio snippets turned into short and snappy videos. Audiograms are often used to highlight a key moment from a podcast episode, and combine audio with a transcription. 

According to stats compiled by Hubspot, 85% of marketers say that short-form videos are the most effective content format today. So, if there’s a surefire way to get shared by your guests and their audiences alike, it’s to create audiograms.

In need of inspiration? Discover our favorite audiogram examples.

TikTok Videos & Reels

Aside from audiograms, you can record Reels and TikTok announcing up-and-coming guests, or inviting users to listen to your latest episodes.

Short-form video is an incredibly powerful format. But short-form videos showing a person talking to the camera are even more effective. 

Twitter Threads

Twitter threads are a series of connected tweets. If your guest provided valuable insights on a particular topic, compiling them into a thread can be an awesome way to repurpose your episode. Additionally, you may get retweeted by the guest themselves, so don’t forget to mention them. 

This tactic can be particularly powerful if your guest has an active Twitter presence. 

“Behind the Scenes” Photos

Sharing “Behind the scenes” pictures with your guests can help you humanize your brand. So if you're recording your podcast in person, don't be afraid to pull out your smartphone and snap a selfie.

Start Promoting Early

Create anticipation and start promoting your podcast’s episode four or five days before it’s live.

We recommend:

• Being suspenseful. Ask your audience to guess who will be your next guest. For instance, you can give them clues or upload a blurry photo.
• Giving a teaser of what listeners will hear next. Share an interesting quote from a recent talk or lecture from your guest.
• Creating reminders. Share new content on social media to remind your listeners that there will be a special guest on the next episode. Consider setting up an alarm on Instagram.
• Design a flyer. Promote your episode with a visual asset. A great design can be eye-catching and exciting for your audience. 

Make Your Promotion Strategy a Part of the Guests’ Experience

Approach each guest as a potential partner. Your goal should be to create a community where promotion is reciprocal. Even before they’ve agreed to appear on your podcast, you should let your guests know that:

• You plan to promote the episode on social before and after it goes live
• You’re open to helping them create promotional content for their own social media channels

As you continue to leverage your guests’ audiences, you’ll come up with your own strategy and best practices. If you develop a system for cross-platform promotion, let your guests know. As we’ll discuss later in this article, a strong podcast promotion strategy may be what you need to seal the deal. 

Create a Promotion Toolkit for Your Guests

In some cases, even if your guest wants to, they will not have time to create content to promote your episode. 

Make things easier for your guests by providing them with:

• Templates for writing social copy
• Suggestions for recording a TikTok video or reel
• Graphic assets

Provide a Schedule 

Let your guests know when the episode will be published, so they can schedule their social media posts accordingly. You can also ask them to:

• Share some additional content to build anticipation
• Share their participation after the show is recorded

Remember to stay helpful along the way. You don’t want to add more work to your guests’ already busy schedules.

Make The Most Of Your Guests' Audience with Audiotease

Your guests can become your ambassadors and connect you with new and larger audiences. And a strong social media presence may be the key to making it happen.

Short social media videos are extremely engaging. And, with the right tools, they’re also easy to create. 

With Audiotease, you can make eye-catching podcast videos automatically. Simply upload your audio, select a highlight, and adapt the design to your podcast’s visual identity. We’ll transcribe your audio and sync it for you in seconds. No expensive software or editing skills required.

Curious? Create your first audiogram today, for free.