How to build an effective podcast strategy

A head start on your hustle.

You’ve taken your mic out of the box. You’re an audio whiz and a superstar interviewer. Now what? It’s time to grow and market your podcast. To go head-to-head with the likes of You’re Wrong About and Crime Junkie, you’ll need to develop a strategic plan for audience engagement. Because if your content is amazing but it’s not reaching listeners, well, that’s a big bummer—but as always, we gotchu.

To learn more about how to build an effective podcast strategy, Sidekick spoke with global head of content strategy and publishing of owned editorial at Spotify, Scott Henkemeyer; founder of the EarBuds Pod Collective and head of community and content @squadcastfm, Arielle Nissenblatt; and chief marketing officer at Pushkin Industries, Heather Fain.

All three of our experts are, first and foremost, podcast superfans—a fact that informs many of the marketing decisions they make. “It’s a very collaborative medium,” Arielle Nissenblatt told Sidekick. “You can really build marketing strategy into every aspect of your content creation.”

Heather Fain echoed that sentiment. She said that at Pushkin Media, the studio behind Well Read Black Girl and Broken Record, the marketing department plays a crucial role. “We’re a very voice-driven, storytelling company,” she said. “We make content that we want people to hear, so the content and marketing teams are very much aligned.”

That level of involvement can also mean adjusting a show’s format. Scott Henkemeyer told Sidekick that when Spotify first launched podcasts in 2020, the owned editorial team started with just one internal show—For the Record—which covered everything from company earnings to behind-the-scenes scoops with trending artists and more. But after looking at audience data, the team decided to split up some of the content.

“We made a more conscious decision to spin off our podcasts into three distinct brands [or] handles…that were really more tailored to the audience,” said Henkemeyer.

Nissenblatt also advocates for ways to keep the format fresh. For How to do the Pot, a show about cannabis consumption, host Ellen Scanlon created a recurring, prerecorded feature called “The First Time I Bought Legal Weed.” The segment gives the host downtime to report out for longer episodes and also builds relationships with the audience and other podcast creators, who can submit their recordings.

Fain and Nissenblatt agreed that this kind of cross promotion is key to marketing a podcast. “A podcast host has a more intimate relationship with listeners than they might in some other mediums,” said Fain. “So we are very intentional when interrupting with ads and promotions. We want them to be as good as the content itself.”

Here are more of their tips for growing your audience:

• What’s in the air? Pro tip: If it’s trending, talk about it. That doesn’t mean you should make a true crime show just because they’re popular, said Fain. It’s more about immersing yourself in the conversation and understanding what the audience is interested in at the moment. It also means trend forecasting to predict where those topics might lead. At Spotify, that could mean talking to a trending artist, Henkemeyer explained.
• Get obsessed. Nissenblatt told Sidekick she often listens to 10 podcasts a day. “I think a huge part of being good at podcast marketing is being aware of the ecosystem,” she said. Fain confessed to being obsessed with Story of the Week hosted by Joel Stein, but stressed that all the shows she works on are her “babies.” “We ask [ourselves] ‘Do we have an audience for this already?’” said Fain. “But we also look for shows that resonate with new markets.”
• Partnerships are crucial. Fain stressed that working with a variety of podcast apps is a must. “We have great relationships with Spotify and Apple,” she said. “But we also work closely with apps like Overcast and Pocket Casts because that’s where you find your influencers.” And those diehard listeners can even inform your content. At Spotify, the editorial team is always prepared to pivot. “We really go into each episode thinking about what the audience is going to find the most exciting,” said Henkemeyer.
• Cross promote. Spotify uses company blogs, public relations, social media, and other channels to promote their podcasts and redirect the audience to other Spotify-branded materials. At Pushkin, podcasts that already have a large following can do this through shout-outs to newer shows. It gives these emerging shows a shot at widening their reach and also showcases the platform’s content. It’s a win-win for everyone, and most importantly, it promotes the content that creators have worked so hard to bring into the world. So, plug yourself…a lot!

Finally, stay curious. Look for new content, read stories, and listen to and watch things that bring you inspiration, Henkemeyer said. “Innovate and be creative,” and eventually your audience will be attracted to your work.—SS