Wondering why the number of listens on your podcast aren’t going up? Maybe you need to focus on audience engagement to boost your podcast downloads! In this episode I’m going to help you to create a plan to increase listens per episode, and some actionable steps to implement right away!

Listener reviews

Without a doubt listener reviews are the easiest way to increase audience engagement. Not only is it super simple for your listeners to leave a written review, it’s also super simple for you to record yourself reading a whole bunch of them, and then add one per episode, thanking your listeners for the review by name! 

Create a community

It’s not enough to just post on social media and disappear. You need to create a community of engaged followers. Kirsten Jorden lays it all out clearly for you in episode 30 of Ultimate Podcast Marketing - it’s all about creating value for your community, talking to them on social media, and sharing your podcast as a resource for them. 

Do an audience survey

This is a classic marketing technique and one that I think a lot of people shy away from - for whatever reason, market research surveys get a bad rap. But how else can you truly determine what your audience wants? 

Respond to messages

This goes without saying but it’s SO important to respond to your listeners! Whether it’s on a social post, via DM or if they reply to an email you sent out promoting the episode, always make sure to reply to them and thank them for listening. 

You can also encourage them to send you messages. Lots of podcasts use this technique! Ask listeners to send you an email to a designated email address so that you can read it out on the podcast. Again, it’s so powerful to hear your favourite podcasters reading your own words! So why not?

ALSO. NEW SEGMENT. WOW. I've asked my Instagram community to send me a voice memo over DM's asking their podcasting questions! And today's question came from Nia Lee from the Socialee Savvy Media Agency! Check her out here: https://www.socialeesavvy.com/

Highlights:

• 1:10 - Listener Review
• 2:05 - Using listener reviews to boost audience engagement
• 03:43 - Create a community https://theultimatecreative.com/perfectly-imperfect-social-media-with-kirsten-jordan/
• 04:45 - Collab with other podcasters
• 05:29 - Audience surveys
• 07:36 - Responding to listener messages
• 08:40 - Send me a voice memo and ask me anything about podcasting!

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 30 - Perfectly Imperfect Podcasting with Kirsten Jordan: https://theultimatecreative.com/perfectly-imperfect-social-media-with-kirsten-jordan/
• The Important Cinema Club: https://www.patreon.com/theimportantcinemaclub

I’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts on Apple Podcasts by leaving me a star rating and written review and I might just share it out on the pod!

Work with me!

Podcast Production: https://theultimatecreative.com/podcasting
Podcast Strategy: https://theultimatecreative.com/podcast-coaching

Follow me on Instagram at @the_ultimatecreative and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to Ultimate Podcast Marketing wherever you get your podcasts! https://ratethispodcast.com/ultimate