You could train for a marathon without a plan. Just be prepared to finish last, if at all. đŹ
Think of your podcast marketing plan as your marathon training guide. Its purpose is to act as your North Star and to get everybody on the same page.
You see, a lot of marketers assume their teams are informed of the plan. But if itâs not thought out and documented, itâs likely they have no idea whatâs going on. Itâs not going to be easy to finish that marathon, in other words.
A written podcast marketing plan ensures that everyone has access to it and has the opportunity to voice their opinions. It kills the friction that stands in the way of your team finishing the marathon.
Your podcast marketing plan should consist of five main points:
- Podcast Information
- Target Audience
- Account-Based Marketing Strategy
- Content Marketing Strategy
- Thought Leadership Strategy
PODCAST MARKETING PLAN TEMPLATE: Want to jumpstart your own podcast marketing plan? Copy this free template from Google Docs to get it done fast.
Letâs dive in!
Podcast Information
Of course, when youâre in the midst of launching a new podcast, thereâs some important information to solidify. These podcast elements should be reviewed strategically and be clear to your entire team.
Name & Description
Just like with a real human baby, what you name your podcast is essential to its success. Although, while you can name your kid after you, you do NOT want to name your show after yourself or even your company.
[HEAR: The foolproof way to name your podcast.]
Consider what your ideal buyer would choose to listen to: The Flatfile Show or Customer Success Leader? One sounds very brand-focused and promotional. The other sounds educational and valuable to customer success professionals.


You should also be strategic with your showâs description. The description pops up on different podcast platforms and details what listeners can expect from the show.

Your podcastâs description can also help your team stay on track in regards to the topics you cover on the show.
Cover Art & Style Guide
The cover art for your show (sometimes mistaken as your podcastâs âlogoâ), communicates a lot about the content of the show. It should be carefully thought out.
The cover art conveys the vibe or personality of your show. As people search for new podcasts in their preferred podcast player, they judge each result by the name and the cover art. Make sure your cover art appeals to your ideal buyer and stands out among other similar shows.
[HEAR/READ: How to design kick-ass podcast cover art.]
Along with your cover art, you should have a style guide for your podcast written out. The style guide is important for directing other design components related to your podcast, like graphics and videos.

Premise
The premise or angle of your podcast should be clearly written out in your podcast marketing plan.
Are you going to do deep dives on a handful of topics? Or are you going to do quick tips on a wider variety of topics? Maybe a blend of both?
Determining your premise will also inform how long your episodes are going to be. For B2B Growth, we normally donât like going over 25 minutes or so. Listeners tend to stay engaged with episodes 10-15 minutes in length, but it also depends on your production cadence.
Podcast Website
Another strategic element youâll need to figure out is if the podcastâs website and your companyâs website are going to be combined or separate.
There are arguments both ways but itâs really up to your team to decide.
Social Media Properties
What type of social media posts are you going to use to promote your show? For any graphics, make sure they follow your style guide.
Will you need to loop in your design department? Maybe you have a social media manager who can batch and schedule posts. Or will your podcast agency take care of social media promotion?
Show Host(s)
Your showâs host(s) should also be included in your podcast marketing plan. The first thing you want to decide is if youâre going to have one host or multiple.
One Host: Having one host for your podcast is a perfectly effective method if youâre publishing no more than one episode per week. Itâs easy for listeners to get to know and build a closer relationship with one host.
Multiple Hosts: If youâre planning on doing a daily podcast â like B2B Growth â itâs a good idea to have multiple hosts. It just turns into a lot of work for one person. Plus, with multiple hosts, listeners are presented with different perspectives.
The other consideration, of course, is whoâs going to be the host? We highly recommend going with an internal person from your team, like your CEO or CMO. This way, you know the host is a subject matter expert.
[HEAR: 5 reasons you shouldnât hire an outside podcast host.]
Production Cadence

Lastly, decide what your production cadence is going to be. Do you have the resources to produce a daily podcast? Multiple times a week? Weekly or bi-weekly?
Along with your production cadence, make sure you describe why you chose what you did in the podcast marketing plan. Remember, we want everyone on the same page â that means explaining your thought process so your team can understand better.
Target Audience Details
The second component of your podcast marketing plan should be deets on the audience your show is targeting. The content of your show should be molded around your ideal listener.

Demographics
Who you speak to shapes the topics you discuss. The more specific you get within your podcast episodes, the better.
Writing out your target demographics helps to flesh out the topics you cover in your show. Keep in mind that the target demographics in your podcast marketing plan might differ a little from your companyâs overall target demographics.
Consider listener demographics such asâŠ
- Gender
- Age
- Geographic location
- Education
- Profession
These target demographics not only impact the content of your show but that of the assets surrounding the podcast. Things like blogs, social media, CTAs, visual assets, etc.
[READ: 14 unique ways to grow a podcast audience.]
Psychographics
The next elements that should be clear in your podcast marketing plan are target psychographics. These further detail the kind of listener you want to appeal to with your podcast and the promotional material surrounding it.
Psychographics includeâŠ
- Personality (introvert, extrovert)
- Lifestyle (married, single, parent, pet owner, workaholic)
- Interests (sports fan, gym rat, music junkie, book worm, movie buff)
- Opinions, attitudes, beliefs (religious, political, cynical, optimistic)
- Values (environmental, human rights, morality, family values)
Psychographics affect the types of websites, books, and podcasts a person consumes. They also impact the kinds of influencers someone follows.
Firmographics
Firmographic data are very valuable to B2B marketing efforts. This is information that can be used to categorize organizations, such asâŠ
- Geographic location
- Number of customers
- Type
- Industry
- Kinds of technologies used
- Level of revenue
- Number of employees
These data points come in useful especially in your account-based marketing strategy.
Ideal Customer Profile or Buyer Persona
Once you have all of your âgraphics listed, itâs time to combine them into a comprehensive Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) or Buyer Persona.
A buyer persona is a fictional person or organization that embodies all of your target demographics, psychographics, and firmographics. Itâs really important that your team understands who your buyer persona(s) is fully.

For example, Sweet Fishâs and B2B Growthâs buyer personas happen to be the same (because we sell podcast services). Ideally, our buyers are VPs of Marketing at SaaS companies with 50+ employees located in the U.S. or Canada. Their company has a blog but has yet to get into podcasting.
Because our team knows who our buyer persona is, weâre able to shape all of our podcast and subsequent marketing material around it. A buyer persona or ICP is a culmination of all that you want in a customer and should be used as a guide for everyone involved with your podcast.
Account-Based Marketing Strategy
B2B podcasting is a tactic for an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy. Your podcast should be seen as a platform for building relationships with decision-makers from your target accounts.

Initial Target List
The first part of your ABM strategy as it relates to your podcast is to come up with an initial target list.
Now, if youâve been taking an ABM approach for any time at all, you probably have a list of your target accounts. This list can also be used for your podcast marketing plan.
Basically, your initial target list should consist of the ideal accounts youâd like to work with. The list should include the company and the decision-maker(s) who youâd like to build a relationship with.
This part should be pretty easy as long as your buyer persona exists.
In your podcast marketing plan it should also be noted how often the target account list is modified and the parameters that are being used to choose accounts.
Outreach Plan
Once you have your initial target list created, you need to identify how youâre going to reach out to the decision-makers to schedule interviews.
Are you going to use social media or email or a combination of both? What channels do your particular accounts prefer (maybe itâs in your buyer persona description)? What messaging is going to be most effective to get people on your show?
If youâre doing your own guest outreach, we suggest making a âVIP plan.â Outline the whole interview process for them and explain how the experience will benefit them. Make it look like you know what youâre doing, even if you donât. đ

If youâre working with a full-service podcast agency like Sweet Fish, guest outreach and follow-up are covered. Still, these elements should be detailed in your podcast marketing plan so your team knows whatâs going on.
Guest Engagement Plan
Hereâs the part where you jot down the guest experience from the pre-interview to the follow-up. Itâs essential to have this process fleshed out so you donât look like a deer in headlights every time you interview someone (potential customers, BTW).
[HEAR: The power of podcasting for ABM engagement is immense â hereâs why.]
In the pre-interview â before you hit Record â go over some potential questions with your guest. Get them feeling comfortable. One strategy you can use is POV (Point of View) Discovery.
This helps your guest uncover a unique perspective that listeners will glean value from.
Then, donât forget to follow up with the guest after the episode has gone live. Youâre trying to cultivate a relationship with this person, remember.
Guest Activation Plan
Once the interview is done and the episode is live, how are you going to ask the individual if theyâre interested in doing business with you? Maybe you hint at it in the follow-up or after youâve posted a video of the episode.
This is going to be nuanced for each guest on your show, but itâs still important to have a plan in place.
[HEAR/READ: 3 reasons why itâs okay that your podcast didnât result in a direct sale.]
Measurement Plan
Implementing an ABM approach for your B2B podcast means finding a way to measure its success. There are a few metrics you could use to do this:
- Number of downloads (a vanity metric, but important nonetheless)
- Subscriptions
- Ratings/reviews
- Listener conversion rates
- Guest conversion rates (how many guests vs. how many guests are now customers)
The last one is obviously the biggest tell of success for your podcast. Just remember that those conversions donât happen immediately. However, itâs more likely that theyâll happen compared to how many times a conversion occurs with cold sales outreach.
So thereâs that.
Content Marketing Strategy
Hereâs the Big Kahuna â your content marketing strategy (for your podcast).
Mapping out your content for a new podcast will support your showâs purpose and keep your whole team on track.

Content Categories
Every good podcast has several different categories it speaks to, not unlike tags in a blog. Some of B2B Growthâs categories includeâŠ
- Demand gen
- B2B podcasting
- Thought leadership
- PPC advertising
- Content marketing
- ABM
Because B2B Growth is a daily show with multiple hosts, we have quite a few categories we cover. For those just starting out in the space, we suggest 3-6 different categories. The less frequently you post, the fewer categories you should try to cover.
Podcast Episode Types
There are (apparently) seven common types of podcast formats. For a B2B podcast, we suggest focusing on two â maybe three â types of episode formats:
- One-on-one interview
- Solo episodes
- Panels
The really cool thing is you can mix and match different podcast formats to keep things fresh for your listeners. Just make sure your processes for each format you plan on doing are noted in the podcast marketing plan.
Podcast Syndication
What podcast platforms will your show be available on? Apple Podcasts? Spotify? iHeart Radio?
To determine this, look back at your ICP. What are they most likely listening on? Maybe itâs a unique podcast player.
Write this down in your plan so syndication remains consistent.
Content Splintering
Podcasting creates a raging content waterfall if you let it.
In this section, decide the kinds of content you think your episodes can be repurposed for. Depending on your team and the resources you have at your disposal, content could includeâŠ
- Blog posts
- YouTube videos
- Micro-videos for social media
- Text-only posts for social media
- Slide decks
- Quote graphics
- Audiograms
- Case studies
- Newsletters
Different people digest content in different ways. Some like video, some like audio, some like reading. Refer back to your buyer persona â how do they prefer to take in content? What channels are they using?
Allow your buyer persona (aka, ICP) to inform how you repurpose podcast episodes, where you post, and how often you post.

Primary Promotion Channels
When youâre thinking about what channels to promote your podcastâs marketing content in, pick 1-2 primary promotion channels.
Unless youâre a large organization with tons of resources, itâs better to focus on just a couple of main channels. For us, LinkedIn has been our #1 channel for promotion.
Think about your buyer persona. What are the primary channels theyâre on? Email? YouTube? Twitter?
Secondary Promotional Channels
Next, write down any secondary promotional channels you believe it would be beneficial to syndicate to.
These channels wonât get as much focus or activity as your primary ones, but theyâre still important to note. For secondary channels, itâs okay to schedule somewhat generic posts in an app like HubSpot or Hootsuite.
Who knows â maybe youâll get in front of somebody who needs your services.
Guest Social Media Plan
Now itâs time to think up a guest social media plan. What are you going to do to get guests to share the content theyâre featured in?
Many guests are going to be excited about being on your podcast. Even so, you want to make them look good in your repurposed content so theyâre even more pumped to share it with their followers.

Thought Leadership Strategy
Launching a business podcast gives you the opportunity to position yourself (or your host) as an industry thought leader. To successfully achieve thought leadership, though, it pays to have a plan.
Organizational Thought Leadership
The first step is to determine whether your thought leadership efforts are going to be personal, organizational, or a blend of both.
A personal plan involves you as the host without any or very little company branding. While your personal brand might be less recognizable than your organizationâs, people tend to trust individuals more than companies.
Again, your show should not be named after you or your company whether you go with an organizational thought leadership plan or not.
If your thought leadership plan involves the rest of your organization, itâs a good idea toâŠ
- Get more internal people to co-host your podcast
- Interview internal people on your podcast
- Get booked as a guest on other shows

If you decide to go solo on your thought leadership journey, make sure to interview lots of outside experts and mix in a solo episode here and there.
Collective Thought Leadership Plan
With a collective thought leadership plan, different people from your team are responsible for their own area of expertise. Collectively, everyone supports each other on their paths to reaching thought leadership.
If youâre not sure whether or not a collective plan is the best strategy, ask yourself a question:
Do you want to go faster or do you want to go farther?
With more people participating in your thought leadership plan, your efforts are bound to reach more people and make a bigger impact.
[READ/HEAR: How to build an amazing evangelist program for your employees â 10 steps.]
Key Thought Leaders
Deciding to go with a collective thought leadership plan means that your team needs to decide who the key thought leaders are.
Some organizations recruit only the CEO or individuals from the leadership team. Others encourage any team member to get involved.
The more people participating in your thought leadership plan, the more content youâll need to repurpose from the podcast episodes.
Podcast Guesting Strategy
To garner more exposure for your thought leaders, itâs a good idea to get them scheduled on other similar shows (otherwise known as a podcast tour).
When you or your podcast agency offers guest booking services, thereâs a good chance a network of hosts and guests has been developed. Having a robust network of podcasters helps a ton with getting your orgâs thought leaders on other shows.
Get it Written Down
In order for your team to get on the same page, itâs critical to get your podcast marketing plan down on paper.
Just like with your thought leadership strategy, podcast marketing is about going farther together. For that to happen, your teammates need to know what the plan is.
Who knows â maybe writing down your podcast marketing plan will help you understand it better, too. đ
For more on podcast marketing, subscribe toB2B GrowthonApple Podcastsor wherever you listen to podcasts.
FAQs
How do you announce a new podcast? âș
To promote your new podcast, it's essential to use a variety of channels and messaging before, during, and after the launch. Channels like your website, blog, email list, LinkedIn, and Twitter should all be leveraged to reach new listeners. Sounds like a lot, I know.
How do I market my podcast 2022? âș- #Strategy 1: Create a Human and Relatable Voice.
- #Strategy 2: You'll Win Hearts With a Purpose Driven Podcast.
- #Strategy 3: Pay Attention to Social Media Promotion for Your Podcast.
- #Strategy 4: Bring Your Audience into the Fold and Create a Community.
Podcast marketing is a strategy that implies promoting and selling your product or service through audio content. It helps reach new audiences, tell the brand's story, build authority, and encourage word-of-mouth marketing.
How do I promote my podcast on social media 2022? âș- Create a Separate Website for Your Podcasts.
- Boost Your Social Media Engagement.
- Make Guest Appearances on Other Podcasts.
- Invite Guest Speakers And Leverage Their Existing Audience.
- Help Your Listeners Find You.
You may want to join as many social media platforms as you can to promote a podcast on social media, but that's rarely a smart strategy unless you're a massive brand with a lot of resources. Your audience most likely uses one or two social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or LinkedIn.
How do I grow my podcast audience? âș- âTarget your specific audience.
- Research your podcast audience.
- Connect with your listeners.
- Optimize your show for search-results success on Spotifyâ
- Welcome a guest.
- Create a trailer.
- Set your goals and track how you're meeting them.
- Create a Short-List of Potential Guests. ...
- Send the Initial Invite. ...
- Send A Follow-Up. ...
- Prepare For The Interview. ...
- Send A Reminder. ...
- Send A âThank Youâ
- Focus on âwhoâ before âhowâ ...
- Solve your listeners' problems. ...
- Plant the seeds for your podcast on social media. ...
- Book guests who bring listeners with them. ...
- Write an episode description they can't resist.
Industry experts will tell you that an effective content strategy must have three core elements to be successful: brand focus, user experience, and content distribution.
How do I grow my podcast on Spotify? âș- Share your podcast on social media.
- Embed a Spotify player on your website.
- Create and share playlists with your podcast episodes in them. Note: It's only possible to do this on the Spotify mobile app.
- Add links to your episode description.
- Got music on Spotify?
Is there a podcast directory? âș
Popular podcast directories include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. For podcasters, the podcast directory is the last step in your podcast creating and distribution journey. After you've recorded and edited your show, you'll upload it to your podcast host of choice.
How do I make a podcast trailer? âș- Introduce your show. Start off by introducing your show and hosts to let people know what and who they're listening to. ...
- Share the highlights. Find the moments from your show that define what the listening experience is like. ...
- Make them want more. ...
- Give them a call to action.
What is the Goal of your Podcast? To communication with a specific audience: Whether you have a message you want to market, a few opinions you would like to share or an interest in communication with a specific community, podcasting is an accessible way to reach your desired audience.
How do you start a podcast with no audience? âș- Pick an idea (ideation)
- Create a listener persona (marketing)
- Pick an angle for your show (ideation)
- Define your brand idea (marketing)
- Choose your recording gear.
- Draft or script coherent c.a. 5 episodes.
- Record your episodes and cut your material.
- Stop Focusing on Sharing Episodes.
- Podcast Audience Pattern Interrupt.
- You Don't Create Traffic.
- Jumping In Front of an Existing Audience.
- Episode Titles and Content Creation Framework.
- Tools of Podcast Discoverability.
Who Listens To Podcasts? 50% of monthly U.S. podcast listeners are aged between 12-34, 43% between 35 and 54 years old, and 22% are aged over 55.
How do podcasts get views? âș- Create a Podcast trailer.
- Use Call to Actions.
- Promote your Podcast on social media.
- Repurpose your Podcast content.
- Podcast SEO.
- Invite guests and star as a guest.
If your episodes get more than 124 downloads in 30 days, you're in the top 50% of podcasts. If your episodes get more than 1,000 downloads, you're in the top 20%. If your episodes get more than 2,900 downloads, you're in the top 10%.
How do you pitch a podcast? âș- Craft a clear message.
- Know your audience.
- Build up your thought leadership.
- Make a list of shows you want to pitch.
- Listen to the shows you're pitching.
- Interact w/ the host on social media.
- Create a media kit.
- Nail the pitch.
How long does it take a podcast to grow? You should start to see podcast growth within the first 30 days of your launch, and your podcast growth should continue indefinitely month over month, even if it's a small amount. Slow and steady growth is a good thing in the podcasting space.
How do I drive traffic to my podcast? âș
- Social media promotion. ...
- Share episode updates. ...
- Pin your episode to your page. ...
- Create stand alone images. ...
- Tease the audience. ...
- Reshare, reshare, reshare. ...
- Use stories to your advantage. ...
- Launch day.
- How to reach the first 1,000 listeners? ...
- Build your podcast audience. ...
- Give your listeners excellent value on any topic, and they'll always come back for more. ...
- Bring fresh value and excitement in each episode.
- Define your goal.
- Conduct persona research.
- Run a content audit.
- Choose a content management system.
- Determine which type of content you want to create.
- Brainstorm content ideas.
- Publish and manage your content.
The 5 Elements of a Powerful Content Marketing Strategy. An effective Content Marketing strategy should have these five core elements to be successful: audience personas, brand positioning, owned media value proposition, business case, and an action plan.
How many downloads does the average podcast get? âșA podcast episode that has been live approximately 30 days averages 141 downloads. If you have over 3400 downloads you are in the top 10%. If you have over 9000 downloads you are in the top 5%. Lastly, if you have over 50,000 downloads per episode (again after having it live for 30 days) you are in the top 1%.
How do I grow my podcast audience? âș- âTarget your specific audience.
- Research your podcast audience.
- Connect with your listeners.
- Optimize your show for search-results success on Spotifyâ
- Welcome a guest.
- Create a trailer.
- Set your goals and track how you're meeting them.
- Do some field research. ...
- Send a formal invitation. ...
- Search online on different websites. ...
- Write an inspiring pitch. ...
- Ask experts with recent publications. ...
- Try social media handles. ...
- Contact experts through directories. ...
- Meet potential guests in person.
A podcasting business provides entertainment by uploading audio files online for listeners to subscribe to. Normally listened to over a smartphone app, a podcast generates money for the creator via advertisements. Listeners can also pay to get access to ongoing podcasts, bonus material, and extra episodes.
What makes a podcast unique? âșPodcasts are a unique form of media because people use them both to learn and to be entertained, according to The Canadian Podcast Listener 2020, which has released a sneak preview of some of its findings. The research says that the attentive, lean-in audience for podcasts is great for advertisers.
What is the most popular podcast genre? âșIn October 2020, it was found that the most popular podcast genre in the United States was comedy, with 22 percent of respondents to a survey stating that they were very interested in podcasts designed to make them laugh. News podcasts and those based on true crime were also popular choices, as well as sport and health ...
What is a podcast audience called? âș
This morning, the Knight Foundation published a report â conducted by Edison Research â that identifies a specific subset within the podcast listening population: what it's calling âsuper listeners,â referring to exceptionally engaged consumers of informative digital audio content.
How do I get my first 100 podcast listeners? âș- Focus on âwhoâ before âhowâ ...
- Solve your listeners' problems. ...
- Plant the seeds for your podcast on social media. ...
- Book guests who bring listeners with them. ...
- Write an episode description they can't resist.
- Talk about things you're interested in. ...
- Focus on your target audience. ...
- Tell lots of stories. ...
- Help your audience take the next step. ...
- Ask your listeners questions and report their responses. ...
- Stay on topic and don't wander too much. ...
- Invite unique experts onto your show.
Who Listens To Podcasts? 50% of monthly U.S. podcast listeners are aged between 12-34, 43% between 35 and 54 years old, and 22% are aged over 55.
What is the #1 podcast in the world? âșPodcast Industry Ranking | ||
---|---|---|
Top 20 Podcasts | ||
Rank | Podcast | Publisher |
1 | The Daily | The New York Times |
2 | Morbid | Wondery |
Podcast Guests Are Paying Up to $50,000 to Appear on Popular Shows. Critics call it âpayola,â and say listeners deserve better disclosure of promotional ties.
What should a podcast proposal include? âș- Podcast name.
- Focus. Topic. Purpose. Audience. Description.
- Format. Style. Length. Release frequency.
- Media.
- Equipment.
- Podcast hosting service.
- Estimated level of effort (LOE) per episode.
- Promotion plan.
- Focus On Your Podcast Audience. ...
- Define Your Podcast Mision & Vision. ...
- Establish Your Podcast Brand Voice. ...
- Solidify Your Brand Presence. ...
- Consistently Create On-Brand Content. ...
- Create The Ultimate User Experience.
- Sponsorships and affiliate marketing. Sponsorships won't only promote your podcast, but they may also pay well for it. ...
- Subscriptions and exclusive content. ...
- Selling paid content. ...
- Crowdfunding and donations.