Updated June 27, 2022
Twitter is the main tool I use to promote my podcasts. Looks like I just hit 13,000 Tweets and I have millions of downloads. Let me share with you 15 hard-fought lessons from using Twitter to promote podcasts that you can use today.
- Use “quotes”
- Audiograms work
- Click to Tweet in Show Notes Page
- “Like” button
- Create a list on Twitter
- Post often
- Make a calendar
- Engage the audience
- Beware of automation
- Read the thought leaders
- Improve Twitter profile
- Put Twitter link on homepage
- Retweet
- Small but powerful: 100 characters
- Ask a question?
1. Use quotes
Do not forget to include quotes in your Tweets.
Humans love to connect to humans, a quote is a great way to avoid looking like a bot.
That is why quotes are a remarkably effective way to get the word out about your podcast episode. Year after year quotes perform best on my Twitter feed.
My favorite quote is from Vint Cerf. The Internet-savvy reader will know he led a team to create a communication system called TCP/IP in the early days of the Internet. Some claim he is the father of the Internet.
Vint Cerf is currently building the Deep Space Internet to Mars. During my interview with him, I asked what his greatest challenge was, he told me the speed of light was not fast enough.
If you just use a plain old “The Speed of Light is Too Slow” it will lack impact. Many have had success with what is called a “quote card.”
Let’s try out Canva and see how this quote looks in a couple of variations:
Canva and others offer free tools that allow you to quickly create a background for a quote.
2. Audiograms
An audiogram can bring a quote to life. My last audiogram had 3600 views the first day. Additionally, they are a great gift to your guest — they can grab it and promote the podcast with the custom audiogram you create.
3. Click to Tweet
If you have a WordPress blog that you use for your show notes, then you can use a free plugin called “Click to Tweet.” Potential listeners may search for a topic or person. When they hit your show notes page, they may like the quote and send it to their audience.
4. "Like" button
Once you implement the first three practices, you will have Tweets with impact. However, there are some unwritten rules about interactions on Twitter.
Most of these suggestions show you how to engage your audience politely.
- “Like” other Tweets from influencers. When you use the “Like” button, the person gets a note from Twitter about the activity. This is a baby step in developing a relationship with a thought leader. You have a chance of them visiting your profile and following you. This is a gentle reminder and the person may remember you when you ask them to be a guest on your podcast.
- “Like” Tweets in your target’s most recent hashtag. Search for a hashtag that involves your field. If someone is reading a thread about a specific hashtag, your profile may attract some attention. Best practice is to have a link to your podcast on your profile page.
- “Like” Tweets in a similar audience. If you are active in the aerospace community, then limit the Tweets you like to that area. It will do you no good to gain a group of followers who are interested in racing drones if you assist with concrete construction.
5. Create a list
When you create a list, Twitter lets each person on that list know about that activity. Another baby step in developing a relationship. This gets the name of your podcast out in the world, enhancing brand awareness.
For example, there is a strong cybersecurity community on Twitter. If you place 50 people on a list that is titled, “cybersecurity experts,” that will get the attention of every person on the list. This may spark interaction between you and that thought leader. The person listens to your podcast and tells his audience to listen.
There is a cyberscecurity company called “Ooda” that has a great set of lists for this particular segment of the technology industry.
6. Post often
You really cannot post too often on Twitter; studies show people are only on Twitter for 31 minutes a day.
That means you must distribute your Tweets throughout the day.
Please remember you cannot send identical Tweets. Carefully construct a new, unique Tweet each time.
7. Make a calendar
Activity is great, however it must be used judiciously. If you send out 50 Tweets a month all on the same day, you will limit your ability to make contact with an audience on Twitter that is spread out during the month.
Create a calendar for Tweet activity and distribute it widely over the month.
MeetEdgar, Buffer, and many companies have scheduling tools you can use if you need them.
8. Engage the audience
Hala Taha — the master at Twitter engagement
Remember the goal of social media is engagement, not shouting from the rooftops.
There is no problem with a Tweet that informs people you have interviewed a person about secure identification with the Amazon cloud.
However, respond to Tweets, “Like” Tweets, and bring up related articles, podcasts, or videos that the audience may appreciate. Engage, not broadcast.
Twitter “Tweet Storm” sample from SingleGrain
Below is an example of a “Tweet Storm” from Single Grain. They use it for Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs), but it can be used for podcasting just as easily. They attempt to engage his audience with the request to retweet and a question.
9 Automation: Danger, Will Robinson!
The downside of automation is it can make your Tweets look dull and repetitive. Hootsuite, Tweet Deck, and MeetEdgar give you the ability to schedule Tweets day and night. The bad news, many use boilerplate Tweets and stock photography that causes Tweet blindness.
Authenticity can be lost with automation tools.
10. Read the thought leaders
Read the Tweets of the top 100 leaders in your respective field. When you do this consistently, then you will develop a great knowledge of current topics that are resonating with your audience. You will be able to make podcast episodes that are dialed into the needs of your listeners.
Here’s a thought leader with over a million followers . . .
11. Twitter profile
Why not mention your podcast on your Twitter profile and have a link to your podcast?
12. Website
You have all kinds of places to put a link to your Twitter feed on your website. The home page is obvious, but icons can easily be placed on blog posts as well.
13. Retweet
Have the discipline to retweet anyone who mentions your podcast. The more retweets received, there is a greater likelihood that your podcast will go viral.
14. Small but powerful
In 2018 Twitter doubled the size of Tweets from 140 characters to 240. Unfortunately, studies have shown that the most effective Tweets are around 100 characters. Keep it punchy.
15. Ask a question
Probably the easiest way to engage an audience is to ask a question or offer a survey to your general audience. You also have the option of targeting the question to a specific follower of yours.
CONCLUSION
Twitter is just part of a marketing strategy to promote your podcast. Effective Tweeting starts with the basic formula of Hook, Handle, and Hashtag and flows from there.
Quotes are a powerful way to gain an audience. We have listed several ways to use quotes, they include Click to Tweet and audiograms.
If you want to get more life out of your Twitter account, take advantage of the fifteen examples listed above. The basic rule is to treat people like humans and not shout, repeat, or break the boundaries of normal human interaction.
Do not forget that many influencers are on Twitter and love to voice an opinion—let’s try to get them to mention your podcast!
If you liked this article, you may want to read “10 Simple Ways to Promote Your Podcast on LinkedIn”
John Gilroy
Has been in front of a microphone since 1991. He can help you structure, launch, and promote your company podcast. johngilroy@theoakmontgroupllc.com
Leave a Reply