Why Your Podcast Should Come Before Your Social Media Strategy - The How To Podcast Series

Описание: Episode 539 - Why Your Podcast Should Come Before Your Social Media Strategy

Embracing a “podcast first” approach means prioritizing your podcast’s content, community, and discoverability directly within podcasting channels rather than relying on social media as your primary promotional vehicle. Many industry veterans and podcasters have observed that the most effective growth comes from focusing on producing high-value episodes consistently, engaging listeners where they already listen, and building credibility through genuine podcasting activity.Podcast First vs. Social Media FirstPodcast First Philosophy

• Focuses on Regular Content: Delivering episodes on a consistent schedule builds trust and listener expectations—your audience knows when to come back, and reliable publishing grows organic reach and discoverability over time.​

• Listener Word-of-Mouth: Your most loyal fans become your promoters. When you offer value, your audience becomes likelier to share and recommend your show, which often outpaces what social media can achieve for many podcasts.​

• Embedded Community: Engaging in podcasting communities (via listening apps, collaborations, guesting on other shows) often produces direct subscriber growth compared to unpredictable reach on platforms like Instagram or Twitter.​

• Shareability of Content: High-quality, topical episodes naturally become shareable—listeners send episodes to friends or cite your show, creating a virtuous cycle of organic growth.

Social Media First Philosophy

• Demands Constant Content: Social posting means regular snacks of content are needed, which can drain creative energy from making the podcasts themselves.​

• Unpredictable Algorithms: Social media virality is unreliable, and engagement doesn’t always translate to new podcast subscribers.​

• Shifting Audiences: Your followers on social may not be avid podcast listeners—getting them to cross over can be difficult.

Why “Podcast First” Works

• Trust and Credibility: Showing up consistently earns trust. Your podcast catalog acts as proof of commitment, which is far more convincing than a few viral social posts.​

• Podcast-Adjacent Growth: Featuring guests, collaborating with similar podcasts, and appearing on other shows leads to quality listeners who already enjoy podcasts—rather than chasing generic social traffic.​

• Content Longevity: Podcasts persist and accrue downloads for months and years, whereas social content fades quickly.​

• Listener Referral Power: Listener introductions, word-of-mouth, and features in podcast apps regularly outperform social media impressions for discoverability.

Best Practices for The Podcast First Approach

• Prioritize consistent, quality podcast episode releases.

• Engage with listeners via podcast app reviews, email newsletters, and direct feedback.

• Network by collaborating and guesting on other podcasts.

• Encourage your existing audience to share episodes and spread the word.

• Use social media as a supplementary channel, not your main strategy.

Conclusion

For many podcasters, particularly those serving niche or dedicated communities, a podcast first approach outperforms social-first tactics. Producing reliably great episodes and connecting directly within the podcast ecosystem builds sustainable, organic growth that’s hard for social channels to replicate.

If you’re seeing stronger results “in the app” and through podcast collaborations, you’re not alone—this is an increasingly validated path for podcasters aiming for genuine, lasting growth.
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