As I write this its Halloween and children want ONE thing: CANDY. Do they ask, “Hey I see 10 houses with their lights on, which one should I go to?”
THEY GO TO ALL OF THEM AS THEY MIGHT GET ONE MORE PIECE OF CANDY.
Podcasters Want More Downloads
You want to make it easy to play your show on your website, and you want to make it easy to find you by being listed in podcast directories. Will it bring you HUNDREDS of downloads? Not if you don't tell anyone, but directories give you links to your show to make it easy. Your show will be one click away.
Top Podcast Directories You NEED to Be In
First things first, if you want to control and own your show, YOU should be the one submitting the show to Apple (not some media host or a third party). Yes, I'm talking about Anchor. Moving on….
While there are a TON of podcast directories to submit your show to, here are the top directories I recommend
- Apple Podcasts – Apple currently is the top podcast directory. When you are added to Apple, you are also added to many apps such as Overcast, Pocketcast, and many others.
- Spotify – Depending on your audience some podcasts do very well in Spotify. If you are using Libsyn you can submit via your dashboard, if not you can submit directly. You can also submit it directly if you're not on Libsyn
- Stitcher – one of the older directories that was purchased in 2018 by Scripps huge publishing company)
- TuneIn – one of the biggest advantages of being in TuneIn is anyone with an Amazon Alexa device can ask her to play your show on TuneIn (Alexa Play Your Podcasting Consultant Tunein.com)
- Google Podcasts – This is Google's latest stab at podcasting and they are taking it very seriously. The weird thing is you don't submit your show, you put some code on your website and wait for Google to search your site ( I hate this method as you have no control). Directions
- Pandora – if you are on Libsyn you can ask to be included in Pandora which has a HUGE user database. Currently, in June of 2019 they are being very selective on who is accepted into their directory. I am hoping they open this up to everyone eventually.
Other Podcast Directories and Apps You Should Submit To Eventually
This list is of directories that you can add your show to, but if I only have a few minutes I would start with the list above, and come back to these later
Acast is a podcast host but does have its own app and website.
Audioburst – Audioburst is an audio search engine, and this may get your podcast discovered by new listeners.
BluBrry runs a full podcast directory that can be used by other developers
Bullhorn runs a podcast app with a difference: you can use it without any data connection. Instead, the app gives each listener a temporary telephone number to call to listen to a podcast – using their free cellphone minutes.
Deezer makes a copy of your content and gives you weekly consumption reports. Check with your media hosting to see if this is an option.
iHeart – You may have heard of this company….. Check with your media host to see if this is an option
Radio Public will also let you earn money, if you want, and has a bunch of other useful tools for podcasters.
Podbean – While primarily a media host, they also have a directory.
Podchaser This pulls from Apple Podcasts. Best to claim your podcast here though, to add more data.
Podknife – Register then use the “Add a podcast” menu item
Radio.com – This is a US-only option. Libsyn has this as a destination, but if you're not using Libsn you can add your show here
When You Add Your Show To Apple You Are Automatically Add To:
- Castbox
- Himalaya
- Listen Notes
- Overcast
- PocketCasts
- Podchaser
- Player.fm
This is why Apple podcasts should be one of the first places you submit your show for approval.
A great list of podcast directories. Are you listed in all these free locations?Click To TweetHow to Speed Up The Submitting Your Show to Podcast Directories
One of my ALL TIME Favorite tools is text expander. Text expander allows you to take things you may have to enter over and over and make it easy to types those items with a few keystrokes that they call “snippets”. For example, when I type #dje it types my email ( I always use a # so I don't trigger a “Snippet” by accident). With this in mind you could make a snippet of you:
- Description
- email address
- website address
- Your name
And fill out these forms in record time. There is a free trial, so you could use this software to submit your show to directories and never purchase the software (although there are a TON of things you can do with it like set up an episode template).
Check out Text Expander For Free
Getting Into Directories Isn't The End
Its not enough to be listed in the directories as you will see in this video, in some cases it's HARD to be found as search tools are (currently) pretty bad.
You Work So Hard To Get People To Your Listing: DON'T DROP THE BALL
You're lucky and your audience is able to find your show in the directories. Then you BORE THEM TO TEARS with your description. Here are some of the top mistakes:
- You make your description all about you – it should be all about THEM.
- You try to get people to leave the app and go to their website. Don't expect to be featured when you are sending people off the app.
Two Questions That Lead to Great Podcast Descriptions
- What can I expect?
- Who is this for.
BAD EXAMPLE:
Dave Jackson has been podcasting since 2005 and has started over 30 podcasts with 4 million total downloads. He is an award-winning, Hall of Fame Podcast consultant. The show is delivered every Monday.
While the description is true, it doesn't talk about the show. It doesn't talk about you. It talks about the host.
BETTER DESCRIPTION:
Starting a podcast can be overwhelming with all the information on the Internet. The School of Podcasting provides great content for the beginner looking to start their podcast as well as a veteran podcaster looking to grow their downloads an influence. Hall of Fame Podcaster Dave Jackson delivers strategies to make better content, deliver more value, and get more downloads using his unique “Edutainment” delivery style. Enjoy a weekly chuckle as you learn to plan, launch, and grow your podcast.
This example uses another optional strategy by stating the obvious that everyone agrees upon (in this case podcasting can be overwhelming). I debated putting “Hall of Fame” podcasters as that is all about me (and not them, and they may not care) but not many people can say that so I included it. If I went to edit the description it would be one of the first things to go.
Make it Easy To Subscribe on Your Site
Don't just do this in directories do this on your website. Also on your website, you can have that great first paragraph and NOW you can talk about the hosts and why you should listen to them. Your description has been great, and they are interested they click on your EASY TO FIND PLAY BUTTON and they are ready to subscribe. You can use Text Expander to remember the code for all your subscribe links or use a great plugin like Subscribe and Follow (which looks great on your site)
How Do I Know if My Show is Listed?
Here is a quick video that shows you how to find your links
Links mentioned in the video
Google Podcasts: https://search.google.com/devtools/podcast/preview
Google Play Music: http://g.co/podcastportal
Stitcher Partner Portal: https://partners.stitcher.com/
Tunein: www.tunein.com
iHeart: www.iheart.com
When you get your links you can save them in your Libsyn Dashboard by going to settings > edit show settings
Libsyn Promo Code
I mention Libsyn.com (a media host) in these tutorials. If you are ready to start your podcast go to www.libsyn.com and use the promo code sopfree to get a free month of hosting. Libsyn ( Libsyn is short for Liberated Syndication ) is a podcast media host.
Because Of My Podcast
Karen Jackson from A Long Look, Slow Art podcast got a contract to write verbal descriptions for the national gallery. Ready to start having opportunities come your way? Start your Podcast today.
Mentioned In This Podcast
Karen Jackson A long look Slow Art
Social Subscribe and Follow Plugin
Ready To Start Your Podcast? Take This Free Baby Step Course
That’s a nice post. There’s a new podcast directory emerging in India which has a lot of regional and international content. They have content in over 15 languages and their recommendations are great. It’s Hubhopper. Since I’m in India, I would definitely go for them Do check them out and consider adding them if you liked them