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Want to grow your podcast, and maybe even monetize it? You’re in the right place.
In this guide we’ll cover the latest podcast marketing strategies for 2025, including quick tips you can implement right to kickstart your growth.
Let's not waste any more time.
4 easy podcast marketing wins
With so many podcast marketing tips out there, it’s no surprise you may feel overwhelmed already. But there are a few things you absolutely should do because they provide non-negotiable benefits.
Start here:
Add your podcast to as many major listening apps as possible
According to a 2024 survey by The Podcast Host, 50% of people find new podcasts through their preferred podcast listening app (also known as a podcast directories). That means distribution to all major podcasting listening apps (and maybe a few niche ones too) is pretty much mandatory.
Fortunately, this is pretty easy to do. Most podcast hosts provide an RSS feed that you can use to add your podcast to all directories such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify for Creators, and YouTube.
Not sure where to start? Check out our ultimate guide to podcast directories.
Get your podcast on YouTube
According to Acast, 58% of listeners have discovered a podcast on YouTube, the world’s second-largest search engine with 2.5 billion monthly users. Even if your show is audio-only, you can (and should) be on YouTube.
In YouTube Studio, add your podcast videos to a playlist and label that playlist as a podcast to appear both on YouTube and YouTube Music.
If you don’t have a video podcast, just upload your episodes coupled with an audiogram or static image for the visual. Be sure to optimize your title and description for search, and include your transcript.
Read more: How to start a podcast on YouTube
Get active on social media
38% percent of listeners find new shows on social media platforms. This makes being active on social media a key part of podcast marketing. Which platforms you choose to focus on will depend on your audience, but TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit are some of the top contenders.
Be active by engaging with your own community where your listeners can feel like part of your podcast journey.
Need more tips? Check our guide on how to promote your podcast on social media.
Get recommended
45% of listeners discover podcasts based on recommendations from family and friends. But while being recommendable is definitely a goal worth having, it isn’t easy to achieve. It comes from creating powerful, unique content that creates a connection with your audience.
However, there are some things you can do to make your content easier to share:
- Add share buttons to your website and social media.
- Use Riverside’s Magic Clips to create short, engaging clips that are easy for fans to forward.
- Use native formats, like vertical on TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
- Add captions so it can be watched with audio off.
- End your episodes with CTAs to ask your fans to share them with friends.
16 more podcast marketing ideas that really work
Now that we’ve covered the biggest growth drivers, let’s look at some more strategies you can use. Because I know budget can be a concern for new podcasters, I’ve broken this list down into organic and paid podcast marketing ideas and provided some average costs.
Organic podcast marketing ideas
Organic marketing is all about obtaining visibility without spending on ads. Most of these tactics only cost your time and consistency.
Publish consistently
Cost: $0
A regular publishing schedule is one of the best ways to grow your podcast over time. Without it, most of these other tactics will hardly move the needle. Pick a cadence for content production you can realistically maintain and stick to it. Prioritize quality so that every episode delivers value to your listeners.
Many podcasters recommend recording and editing in batches for better efficiency. Riverside’s streamlined podcast recording and editing software makes this easy. You can record in high-quality, edit quickly, and create podcast promotion like short clips all in one workflow.
Make a slick brand package
Cost: $0-$1,000
Having a consistent style for your podcast across your cover art, YouTube thumbnail, social clips, and website is important. Branding helps listeners recognize your show instantly, even before they see your name. A unique, eye-catching look can also make your show stand out in a crowded feed.
Make sure your style communicates your topic and tone, and that it follows a consistent template. Use high-quality images, feature your logo prominently, and keep text large and readable on small screens.
Free checklist: Need some help branding your podcast? Just download this comprehensive checklist from Amy Ebert. It's a great place to start!
Fine-tune listener engagement
Cost: $0
Loyal listeners are more likely to comment, subscribe, download, share, and even buy your merchandise. Podcast platforms reward high listener engagement with more recommendations, making your show much more discoverable.
If you want to start dialing in on your engagement, start with your podcast analytics. Look at downloads, completion rate, and drop-off points in your shows. Experiment with episode length and structure to improve retention, or ask questions to encourage a healthy conversation.
Try contests and other interactive content
Cost: $0-$100+ depending on the prize
Contests give your audience a reason to engage and share, and help you gather listener data like emails. Incentives for the winners don’t need to be expensive. They can be something simple such as a gift card, merch, bonus content, or community shoutouts.
- Ask listeners to leave a review (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podchaser) and send a screenshot as proof.
- Post a trivia question from your episode and reward correct answers.
- Invite fans to submit their own story, clip, or art inspired by your show.
Example: The “Fantasy Footballers” podcast has built a huge audience partly by running contests and interactive listener campaigns. Every preseason, they run a contest where fans can win a spot in a special fantasy football league with the hosts. To enter, listeners must leave a review or share the show and submit proof via a web form.
Start a newsletter
Cost: $0-$50/month
Email is still one of the most effective ways to stay in touch with subscribers and keep them coming back for more. You could send episode alerts and recaps, behind-the-scenes content, or exclusive extras. Just collect emails through your website with a simple signup form and manage them with an email marketing tool like Mailchimp (many offer free plans).
Example: Tim Ferriss runs a weekly newsletter called 5-Bullet Friday, where he shares books, tools, and quotes. It’s not a direct podcast promo, but it subtly links to his interviews and keeps his audience engaged. (And yes, Tim Ferriss records with Riverside.)
Take care of podcast SEO
Cost: $0-$50/month
Podcast SEO makes your show easier to find on both listening apps and search engines. Start with the basics like including keywords in your podcast titles and descriptions and adding transcripts to your episodes. Next step would be creating a podcast website where you can repurpose your episodes into blog posts.
Riverside automatically transcribes your recordings and creates accurate descriptions, summaries, and show notes, making podcast SEO faster and easier. If you want to dive deeper, check out our piece on podcast seo.
Write guest posts
Cost: $0-$100/month
Guest posting is a classic content marketing strategy that involves writing articles or blog posts for other websites in your niche. In those posts, you can include links to your podcast episodes, or mention your show as a resource or in your author bio. Some websites may require a small publication fee, while others may let you do that for free.
Thai way you can reach new audiences, boost your SEO efforts with backlinks to your website/podcast pages, and position yourself as an authority in your niche. Start by collecting a list of relevant blogs and publications in your niche, then pitch articles or ideas that can be relevant to their audience.
Example: Aubrey Gordon, host of the health and wellness podcast Maintenance Phase, built a Medium blog with 36,000+ followers. That visibility helped her grow her podcast audience and land features in major outlets creating additional promotion for her work.
Mention previous episodes
Cost: $0
To get more traffic to your older podcast episodes, don’t be afraid to promote your back catalog to your listeners.
For instance, you might say something like, “We talked about [topic] back in episode 84. Make sure to check it out if you missed it!”
This way, you can entice people to listen to your most popular episodes, keeping them fresh and consistently featured in the "top episodes" charts. You can also use short clips to highlight the best moments of past episodes, or feature them on socials and in your newsletter.
Build a clever brand collaboration
Cost: $0
Brand collaboration involves partnering with a company or brand to co-promote your show. Instead of buying ads, you’re trading value. You provide your podcast’s audience, your niche expertise, and unique content in exchange for exposure through a brand’s marketing channels. This can work especially well if the band aligns with your audience and values.
Example: The Confidently You podcast partnered with Nike on a campaign to encourage young girls in sports. Nike promoted the podcast across its site and socials, expanding the show’s reach far beyond its usual channels.
Paid podcast marketing ideas
Paid podcast marketing can speed up your growth even more, but it isn’t cheap. Even if you've got some budget, it’s better to know your cost per subscriber and what a subscriber is worth to you before you start spending.
Start by checking out the video below for a quick breakdown:
Once we’ve got that sorted, here are a few proven paid tactics to try:
Run social media ads
Cost: $150-$2,000+/month
Social ads can work very well even with modest budgets if you target the right audience on the right platform. Use platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook depending on where your audience spends time.
Start small so you can test snippets from episodes, trailers, highlight reels, and guest interviews for as little as $1/day. Test for a few weeks (experts recommend 90 days or more) to collect enough data about what works.
Try Google ads
Cost: $150-$1,000/month
Unlike social ads that target audiences, Google ads are driven by users’ search intent. If your podcast answers specific questions or solves problems, Google Ads will put you directly in front of people who are searching for what you offer.
The first step is to research keywords your audience might be searching for, like, “Best podcasts about [topic]” or “How to [solve problem].” It’s best if you can direct these clicks to a podcast website instead of Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This way, you can gain more data on what people who click do next. You could also use retargeting to stay visible to past visitors.
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Podcast apps and networks
Cost: $100+ per month
Advertising on podcast apps and networks is very efficient since you’re targeting people who are already podcast fans. Platforms like Overcast, Podcast Addict, and Spotify let you buy placements such as:
- In-app banner ads
- Audio ads inside other podcasts
- Featured show listings
As with other types of advertising, appearance matters. Make sure your cover art and description pop since these are often what people see first.
Advertise on other podcasts
Cost: $0-250+
You don’t need a big network to run cross-promotions. You can pay (or trade) with another podcaster for a short pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll spot in their episodes.
If you can find another podcaster with a similar-sized audience, you can swap promos to keep costs $0. You can also try an “episode drop,” where you publish each other’s episodes in your feeds. Otherwise, it will likely cost the same as any other podcast ad, which is between $18 and $25 CPM (cost per 1,000 downloads).
Example: Two Dungeons & Dragons podcasts reported subscriber growth as “off the charts” after doing cross-promos together.
Collaborate with influencers
Cost: $50-$1,000+
Influencer marketing works because the recommendation comes from someone their followers trust. You can team up with creators on all social media platforms, pay for shoutouts or sponsored clips, or even invite them onto your show.
Example: Bobbi Althoff launched The Really Good Podcast in 2023 by paying influencers to appear on her show. The strategy went viral, helping her book A-list guests like Drake and Lil Yachty.
Sell podcast merchandise
Cost: $300-$1,000+ to start
Merch isn’t just a way to increase your revenues, it’s a powerful marketing tool. Every hoodie, mug, or sticker puts your podcast out in the world and turns fans into walking billboards. When you encourage listeners to share photos of themselves rocking your merch on social media, you spark buzz and strengthen your community.
Example: The popular true crime podcast My Favorite Murder has turned fan merch into a marketing engine. They created quirky shirts and stickers with inside jokes only fans would understand, helping them find each other in the wild.
Live events
Cost: $100-$5,000+
Even a small live event can take your show out of people’s headphones and into the world, and give fans a chance to gain a deeper connection. Live shows can also provide word-of-mouth marketing and some local press.
This can start as small as a local meetup or a live taping at a local bookstore, cafe, or coworking space. Remember that growth can be compounding, so even gaining a few new superfans can be worthwhile.
How effective is podcast marketing?
Podcast marketing works, but it’s something you need to build on over time. How effective it is depends on how well you execute your strategies, and whether you’re targeting the right audience.
Growth is usually incremental, so you need to combine consistent publishing with consistent promotion. In other words, pick a few strategies that fit your strengths, track what moves the needle, and double down over time.
FAQs about podcast marketing
How much does it cost to market a podcast?
Podcast marketing can cost anywhere from $0 to $5,000+, depending on your mix of free tactics (social media, newsletters, SEO) and paid ones (ads, PR, collaborations). Remember that what matters isn’t how much you spend, but whether you get a return on your investment. If you’re spending less to acquire a listener than you’re earning through ads, sponsors, or products, your marketing is doing its job.
How to market a Spotify podcast?
You can market a Spotify podcast by optimizing your show page with eye-catching cover art, and a clear, keyword-friendly description. You should also leverage Spotify’s built-in tools, such trailers, host recommendations, ratings, follow buttons, and notifications. Ask your listeners to follow and subscribe, and share direct Spotify links on your socials and website. You can also run Spotify Ads if you have the budget.
How many followers do you need to monetize a podcast?
There’s no set number of followers since podcast monetization depends on downloads per episode. To join an ad network, you usually need at least 1,000 downloads per month. At an average podcast CPM of $18 to $50, you’ll need thousands of downloads per episode to start making real money. For example, at a $25 CPM, you would need 5,000 downloads per episode to make $125 per episode.
However, niche shows can get direct sponsors at any size if the audience is valuable to an advertiser.
Learn more in our guide on how to get podcast sponsorships.
Is niche marketing a successful strategy?
Niche marketing can be very successful, often more than broad marketing, especially for beginners and mid-sized shows. Niche listeners tend to be more passionate and engaged, making them more likely to act on ads or recommendations. In fact, data from Acast has found that niche shows drive stronger ad recall and better conversion rates. Keep this in mind when you’re looking for ways to promote your show!
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