5 Ways to Grow Your Podcast on a Global Level

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Going global is no easy task in podcasting. In fact, in all honesty, a lot of podcasts never manage to take their shows to an international level. It’s not something that you can rush into – it takes time, focus and strategy – but if you feel the time is right to start broadening your podcast’s horizon, here are a few tips that will help you to expand your reach.

1. Platforms

Make sure you are on the right podcast platforms. This might sound like common sense but in many parts of the world there are platforms that have big engaged audiences, which you might have never heard of. For example, Podimo is fast becoming a big player in many European markets, whereas in India the podcast platform Gaana is the most popular with over 210 million users.

2. Get to know your analytics

Knowing when and where your podcast is being played is the key to plotting your global domination. Making more data-based decisions around your content and guests can really help to increase reach. For example, if you see an episode of a podcast receiving more downloads than usual in a particular region or country, then take a bit of a deep dive into why this may be the case. Was it something to do with your guest last week? A trending topic you jumped onto, perhaps? In order to grow your podcast, it’s worth identifying your key success points so that you can implicate them into future episodes.

3. Guests

If used tactically, guests can be the perfect way to get your podcast in front of a wider audience. Have a think about the market you want to expand into and which guests already have a presence or an appeal there. Many podcasters think this means you need big global stars, but that’s not necessarily true. It’s more about picking people who are actually relevant to your target audience, and who they will be able to relate to.

For more advice about picking the right hosts for your podcast, be sure to check out our YouTube video Top 10 Podcasting Mistakes to Avoid.

4. Add social media and YouTube to the mix

More and more podcasts are being discovered through social media and YouTube, so it’s really important that while you are planning how to grow your podcast, you factor these elements into your marketing. Many listeners come across podcasts due to a moment that has gone viral. For instance, who can’t forget this year’s “Uncut Jaaaams” on the wildly popular Call me Daddy podcast? So, if you are not thinking about social media at the moment, here’s your wake-up call.

5. Translations

This may not be the obvious option for every podcast, but if you have a scripted or story-based podcast then offering it in a different language could open doors to a whole new audience.

Spanish podcasts are said to be on the rise. And Edison’s Latino Podcast Listener Report found that 57% of Latino monthly podcasts consumers had listened to Spanish podcasts within the past month. They also found that 47% of their surveyed listeners consider it important to have audio content that references stories and perspectives of their country of origin.

But while the ability to translate your podcast can give you access to a much bigger audience, the only disadvantage here is that it’s often not cheap to do this. So, translating and producing your podcast in another language is something that needs careful research and consideration. Make sure you explore the podcast charts of the market you want to translate for. If true crime and sport dominate the charts, then translating your scripted comedy podcast might not be a worthwhile investment.

There you have it: 5 ways to grow your podcast. The sky’s the limit!

If you would like more info on globalising your podcast, check out our webinar on multilingual podcasts here.