Grassroots Marketing
free tips to grow your audience
I toiled away at two years of grad school at UCLA studying producing. And the one take away I think was worth the student debt was this: It’s all well and good to have a final product. But if you don’t have marketing and distribution, then you’re not going anywhere.
Thankfully audio dramas can use podcasting platforms for distribution. But with every person with a cheap mic and Audacity putting out podcasts, how do you gain audience? I’m deep into our third year on Madison, and I thought I’d share some of the FREE tools I’ve used to build our audience. Oh, we’re not off the charts with downloads. But we’re growing and gaining audience all the time. And slow and steady wins the race as long as you’re patient and don’t give up.
SOCIALS. Yeah. As many as you can. “Madison on the Air” as a show exists on Facebook, Twitter (X??), Instagram, Mastodon and newly added… BlueSky Social. You cannot limit where you reach audience. You cannot get political about who runs what platform or whatever. The fact is, these socials have millions of users and will thrive whether you post on them or not. Why miss out on audience? They’re all FREE.
WHAT TO POST. Where to start. I have made a point to post something new every single day. And it’s not just “listen to my show!!” posts. You can’t thrive with an audience on nothing but ads. So here’s the marketing tip: KNOW YOUR BRAND. What is your show’s “brand”? What topics, what colors, what images all make up YOUR show? I’ve seen some folks post as one of their characters. I chose to do all things 1930s-1950s. So not only do I drop trailers or other things to promote my show, I also post things relevant to my brand. Sometimes I’ll slap my logo on the image. But I ALWAYS include the link to my LinkTree (please tell me you have this…also FREE). Generate a #HASHTAG for yourself and also utilize other relevant hashtags (how many you use is dictated by etiquette on each service). I have seen followers click specifically on the #MadisonOnTheAir hashtag to “catch up” on what she’s been posting. Other audience have found me because I consistently post on the #OldTimeRadio hashtag. WARNING ABOUT SOCIAL POSTS: Do NOT use your show’s social account for personal stuff. Whether it’s politics, I hate my job, here’s my kitty… stick to your brand and save your personal, non-show related posts for your own personal accounts.
ENGAGE! Now you’re on the socials, BE SOCIAL. Not only should you actively respond to anyone who takes the time to comment on your posts, you should be liking, following, engaging with others’ posts on these platforms as well. That’s how you build a following. By building relationships and being visible. Now, I can’t speak to your personal brand, but one thing I actively make a point to do is BE POSITIVE. When people say social media is toxic it’s because they’re putting out the toxicity. I had never used Twitter before Madison. But I have made a point to like and support others, give lots of positive vibes, and never trash ANYone or ANYthing. You won’t even see me joining in on the “Star Wars v. Star Trek” debates. I will simply not put anything out there that expresses dislike or hate on ANYthing. And ya know what? My Twitter feed is the warmest place I visit all day. I dare you to try it!
YouTube. Why the heck aren’t you on YT?? Not only is it FREE, but before anyone was introduced to podcasts, YT was thriving. I have found that some people don’t like to use podcast apps. There can be any number of reasons. Some don’t want to learn a new app. Some are at work and can have a tab open, but not an app. The audience is there. You don’t have to make this a grand production. I use a moving wallpaper I got from a free site. Now, I build title cards and place them so if someone happens to look at the screen, they can see which actor is playing which role. OMG, you DON’T need to do this! ONE title card with your show’s name, maybe the episode name, cast list if you want… that’s IT. People are there to LISTEN to your podcast, not watch it, so no pressure. No need to do the whole “recorded live Zoom call of the cast” thing, either. But, you guys, there is audience to be found on YT and a LOT less competition in the audio drama world since so few creators are using it. You can #Hashtag there, too. Our Sherlock Holmes compilation with the hashtag #SherlockHolmes has, as of writing this, reached over 300 downloads. I only have 100 subscribers. Folks, what are you waiting for??
NEWSLETTERS. You are reading this because you got here through our newsletter. I used to make these professionally for the beauty trade industry. I use MailChimp (free for under 500 subscribers) I try to stay on brand, support my cast, and give exclusive content to incentivize people to want to get the newsletters. It’s a chance to remind folks there’s a new episode published (sadly, not all podcast platforms prompt this) and another way to make your brand part of people’s lives. I only do two a month so as to not overwhelm anyone’s inboxes and it’s been growing strong!
GUEST APPEAR! We just released another crossover episode. Find ways to get involved in OTHER creator’s audio dramas. I do guest voices, Madison does appearances, this is technically our fourth crossover, and I’ve appeared as me on several interview podcasts. When you build relationships with other creators, find ways to have them participate on your show, and you participate on theirs. You are now reaching other potential audiences.
PROMO SWAPS! As of Year Two I’ve introduced promo swaps in our traditional “commercial break” slot. These are FREE trades. I give my promo to a show to put into their episode, then I put theirs in mine. It’s been another great way to build relationships and audience. Plus I blast the other show on my socials and in the newsletter as well. To really celebrate and support everyone.
Is this a lot of work? Well, you get out of it what you put into it. 🙂
