Are you a podcaster? Do you use Instagram to promote your podcasts?

If your answer is negative, my advice is for you to start right away.

If you are already doing it, then keep up the good work. Whatever side of the barricade you may be, there will always be new things you can learn.

This is why, I have decided to publish this article in hope that in its way, it will help you get better at what you are doing or, if you are a beginner, help you get started.

Let’s take it step by step and explain the three main questions: Why? What? and How?

Why promote on Instagram?

We all know what Instagram is and the fact that it has become one of the most popular social media channels of Today’s online environment.

Most of the brands, most of the bloggers, vloggers and podcasters are using social media as a great way to promote their business. They do it because the strategy works and has a high return on investment, even if you are not investing anything else than time.

Social media is a great way to promote one’s business due to a high return on investment.

However, social media means more than Instagram and there are different channels that can be profitable for different reasons and to different businesses, depending on the targeted audience and the demographic and socio-economic status of this audience. Considering the huge variety of available channels, one should only ask:

Why Instagram? Is there a link between audio podcasting and Instagram in terms of audience and content?

Well, there is.

18-24 and 25-34 are two of the most important – in size – age groups on Instagram. These are all young people who are mostly mobile, who seldom leave their houses without their smartphones.

The same age groups are those who adapt easier to new technologies such as audio search and voice-activated AI assistants.

Distribution of Instagram users worldwide as of April 2018, by age and gender. Source: Statista

If you are wondering what age groups are also listening to podcasts, here’s the answer: They are the same.

There are slight differences in the distribution of the audiences between Instagram users and those who listen to the podcast but all in all, this is the social media channel you should target when you wish to market an audio blog.

Source

What else?

Consider that two-thirds of the podcasts are being listened to on mobile devices. Instagram is a mobile-based social media channel and therefore, the right place to market this type of content.

It may also help you to know that 60% of the Instagram users are people with an annual income of $100,000 or more.

It’s only logical to assume that at least a part of these people is not static. They are constantly on the move, they work a lot and therefore, their free time is limited.

Podcasts are a great way to get informed while you are on the move, while you travel on business or when you commute from home to work and vice versa.

Percentage of U.S. internet users who use Instagram as of January 2018, by annual household income (in U.S. dollars). Source.

Instagram has an audience that grows exponentially, with more than 800 million users active today. 60% of this audience is a huge demographic niche you can target to market a podcast.

Now, let’s see how you can do this better by using the video features of this huge social media channel.

Promote podcasts with video content

Earlier this summer, Instagram announced the launched of a brand new video platform that will make it easier for brands and websites to promote their businesses and services via video content.

Instagram TV, or IGTV as it is already known among users, is based on long-form videos but there is a difference between this aforementioned platform and YouTube or other similar platforms.

It features vertical videos instead of the traditional landscape formats and as a consequence, it is designed especially for mobile users and producers.

In other words, it’s an updated streaming channel that satisfies the needs of a mobile audience, the same audience that spends most of their time on Instagram and Facebook. 

How to promote your podcasts with IGTV

There are a lot of brands that are already using this platform as their main channel for Instagram marketing and promotion.

However, due to the fact that you are promoting a podcast, things tend to be more difficult than they are for a travel blog or a food network.

A travel blog can always share a video of a popular destination and a food network or a restaurant can share an educational video, a recipe or scenes from a kitchen.

What can you do as a podcaster? Are there any types of content you can adjust to please a video-hungry audience?

Well, the answer is yes. It all depends, however, on the type of content you are promoting for your podcasts. Here are a few guidelines to stick to:

1. Always provide value to your audience

To this end, you can create an educational video, a “tips and tricks” piece or a video that includes some strategies, tutorials and some insightful wisdom you know your readers will appreciate.

Example: If your podcast is about design,  you can share with the public a short video tutorial on how to design a logo, a banner or a website. It may not be a thorough guide but at the same time, you have the opportunity to include some links in the description, one of them to your podcast.

Also, in the description section, you can talk about why the audience should listen to you and the valuable information you have prepared for them in your audio blog.

Of course, throughout the video, you can promote your podcast in audio and visual formats.

Take for example @jeffstaple who is promoting his podcast with a video type animation while presenting his audience a snippet from his interview.

Welcome to SEASON TWO of the @businessofhype #BoH! We kick things off with none other than @m_shinoda of @linkinpark where we talk about art school, Japanese culture, Jay-Z, Kanye, his new solo album #posttraumatic & of course the late @chesterbe 🙏🏽. • Directing/Editing: @Daniel.Navetta @BYT_NYC @SiblingRivalryStudio for @hypebeastradio

Публикация от jeffstaple # (@jeffstaple) 8 Июл 2018 в 2:04 PDT

2. Be entertaining!

If you think you have nothing of value to share with your audience, you are wrong! There are a lot of ways you can convey a message and attract an audience even if you are promoting a podcast that has nothing to do with the video.

Be funny, entertaining, and creative with your content.

For instance, you can share something funny, something entertaining, a video that can promote your podcast without it being related to it in any way.

3. Create awareness

Introduce yourself, talk about what you are doing, present your podcast and what it’s all about. Create a short video description that shows the targeted audience who you are and what they should listen to you.

Pinpoint your major ideas and thoughts, your topics and if they are available, the influencers you have invited for your regular podcasts.

Here’s a cool example from Matt D’Avella and how he is using video to promote his podcast.

@parkerjt has a question about content creation. How do you decide what content has value? I did my best to answer this in under one minute! Might have to do a follow up video soon to go more in depth.

Публикация от Matt D’Avella (@mattdavella) 14 Мар 2018 в 4:13 PDT

4. Showcase your work

Do it in your own way or hire a professional video blogger or an influencer to do it for you. Present what you do in a funny and attractive way.

Or, you can publish a short video with highlights from your latest interview with a public person, an influencer or another individual you think that they can attract an audience.

5. Repurpose your content

You can shoot a horizontal video and re-edit it for IGTV or, you can search through your old archive of videos and do the same thing. James Wedmore, for instance, is already using this feature to promote his podcasts and he is doing a great job of repurposing content for it.

What would it look like for you to perform at an Olympic level? Are you doing that right now? In today’s episode of the #MindYourBusinessPodcast, I welcome my guest @jasonjdparker who happens to be an Olympic medalist and international speaker on high-performance and the mindset of top achievers. Today Jason will be sharing his champion mindset and how you can apply it so that you can take your life and business to the next level! 🎧👇🏻 Full episode in the link in bio 👉🏻 @jameswedmore or go to http://www.mindyourbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/175

Публикация от James Wedmore (@jameswedmore) 9 Июл 2018 в 10:21 PDT

Other tips to promote your podcast on Instagram

1. Use IGTV instead of Instagram Stories and treat it like you would treat Facebook live. You can publish similar videos on Instagram and then share them on Facebook as well, for more interaction.
   
2. Always include a CTA in your video. This is one of the most important things and you should never forget about it. You want people to subscribe to your podcast after they see your marketing video. Therefore, make sure you have a clear, comprehensible and engaging CTA they can follow through.
   
3. Make sure your stand out from the crowd. This one is a little bit tricky as you need to work on it in order to make sure you are successful.

Promote your podcast with Instagram Stories

A great thing about Instagram Stories is that if you have at least 10,000 subscribers, you can insert a link in the story and a call to action. The “swipe up” option, therefore, will allow your audience to get right to your podcast and listen to it or subscribe to your series right from the Story you have published.

One of the best examples, in this case, comes from Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the most popular podcasters and a great influencer of today’s online environment. He is well known for promoting his podcasts on Instagram, especially via Instagram Stories.

His approach works due to all the facts I have already stated in the previous paragraphs. Also, being an influencer, he has a wide audience, way over the threshold that allows you to insert a swipe up a slide with a call to action and a link.

What can you do with Instagram Stories?

Well, you have two options:

• You can either create a slideshow that mimics an animation or,
• you can record or upload a short video clip to convey your message.

You can also combine the two options into a mixed content slideshow that features both, video and static visuals.

Whether you are using static visuals, videos or both, you will still need a great design for your swipe up the slide. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a professional designer nowadays to be able to put together an appealing visual with an attractive call to action message.

Whether you are using static visuals, videos or both, you will still need a great design for your swipe up the slide.

You can work with tools such as Bannersnack and generate your banners in just a few minutes without putting much of an effort. All you need is the winning idea, some inspiration and of course, a good copy text.

Also, with Bannersnack you can generate a full set of banners that look identical but that are also optimized for all social media channels, for all sizes and requirements of web marketing and advertising. And you can start your visual sets from your own podcast artwork.

Tool recommendation: Create a video with Anchor.fm

Anchor.fm is a service that allows podcasters to publish their audio streams straight from their mobile phones.

Recently, they have launched a new feature that enables podcasters to create a short video that features a small audio part of their podcast. These videos can be shared on social media channels and of course, on Instagram.

A great example, in this case, comes from Eric Siu, who promotes his audio blog in such a manner.

Sneak peak of this week’s @growth_everywhere podcast with @hubspot global head of growth & seo @matthewbarby #seo #entrepreneur #growthhacker #marketing #nerd

Публикация от Podcast Host ➔ Eric Siu (@ericosiu) 14 Авг 2017 в 8:37 PDT

Promote your podcast with Instagram Stories Ads

As you might already know, Instagram allows you to buy and publish Stories ads. You are also allowed to create ads that can be placed between the slides of other people’s’ Stories. Since this feature has become increasingly popular, it’s only logical to make use of it, should you possess the required budget. 

The great thing about ads is that you do not require a large pool of fans to convey a message. All you need is a Facebook account, a budget and a little bit of a market research to allow you to know the targeted audience.

What do you need?

First, you will need a professional and attractive video clip that is not too long and hence, that does not bore the audience. Then, you need a simple yet effective copy text that conveys your message and a call to action followed by a link.

Conclusion

We all know how important Instagram can prove to be as a marketing tool, especially for amateur bloggers, podcasters, and video creators.

If you are a podcaster, even more, you are already targeting the right audience by marketing your stream on Instagram, since most of the users that are active on this social media channels are also part of the age groups that are active podcasts listeners.

There are several methods in which you can promote your podcast on Instagram and today, I have resented you with some of the best methods of doing it via video content. However, if you are aware of any other types of marketing strategies applicable to Instagram and especially Instagram TV, feel free to give us your inputs.

What do you think about video promotion and if you have already tried it, how successful was it? Share in the comments below!

About the author: Robert Katai has been working in digital marketing for over 10 years. He’s the Content Marketing Manager at Bannersnack. His background is very diverse when it comes to Content Marketing and social media, and most of his experience involves SaaS products, B2B and B2C.

Robert is highly motivated and enthusiastic about online marketing and always updated with the latest news in the industry. He writes regularly on his personal blog www.robertkatai.com and was featured on top websites like Adweek, Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs, and CrazyEgg blog.