53% of marketers recognize the potency of short-form videos, especially for promoting podcasts on Instagram and video content overall. It’s not a misconception; short-form videos have proven highly effective. As a leading platform for short video ads, Instagram Reels has already captured the preference of most advertisers.
But what about long-form video content like podcasts? Discover the strategies for Instagram marketing for podcasts in this blog.
Using Instagram Reels to Promote Podcast Channels
In the wake of the short-form video trend in 2020, Instagram swiftly introduced Instagram Reels. Fast forward to 2024, and content on Instagram Reels boasts a 22% higher engagement rate than regular Instagram videos. It has undoubtedly become a noteworthy platform for brands, promoters, and influencers.
Growing a podcast audience demands dedicated efforts, from nurturing your podcast content to cross-platform posting and engaging with listeners. As part of an effective podcast marketing strategy, Instagram Reels can be a helpful tool to promote podcasts to American Instagram users, exceeding 158 million users. This blog provides insights and strategies for leveraging short-form video advertising to promote your podcast on Instagram Reels.
Instagram Marketing for Podcasts: Why Paid Advertising is the Way to Go
Although limited to 90-second videos, Instagram Reels may seem an unlikely choice for promoting podcasts, especially when episodes typically span 20-40 minutes. Trimming content to fit this brief format is just one hurdle; the bigger challenge arises when brands and influencers neglect to promote podcasts on Instagram Reels.
To gain a deeper insight into why paid advertising is necessary for podcast growth on Instagram, consider the following limitations:
Sluggish podcast audience growth
- Relying solely on primary podcast platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts can only harbor slow audience growth. Similar to advertisers diversifying across paid social media platforms, influencers and promoters must consider Instagram Reels and other short-form video platforms to broaden their podcast audience.
Profile optimization without guaranteed visits
- Many influencers and promoters use Instagram’s aesthetic features, such as organizing creatives in groups of three or maintaining a specific color scheme to establish a recognizable brand identity.
- However, the success of this strategy depends mainly on audience visits and active engagement with your content.
Different video sizes on varied platforms
- Challenges ensue when you turn podcast episodes into Instagram Reels due to differing platform orientations and sizes. Ensuring alignment with the Instagram safe zone and appropriate ad sizes is crucial to prevent platform elements from obstructing essential points.
- This manual arrangement process within your Instagram account posts can be time-consuming, diverting attention from creating your subsequent podcast episode.
Organic reach can be very limited
- Despite crafting bite-sized clips from your full video for Reels, each lasting less than a minute or two, the organic reach remains constrained. Organic posts cannot select your audience, and although you can choose topics related to your Instagram Reels content, it doesn’t offer precise targeting for your audience.
YouTube Shorts vs Instagram Reels vs TikTok for Podcast Promotion
Cross-promotion is a common practice to maximize each platform’s diverse social media audiences. Each caters to a distinct demographic and reach, making it essential to extend your reach to increase your podcast listeners. To determine the most effective platform for your goals, let’s evaluate these short-form video advertising platforms:
YouTube Shorts
TikTok
Instagram Reels
Monthly users: 1.5 billion
Pros: Leverages existing YouTube audience and search engine optimization, potentially reaching podcast listeners already active on the platform.
Cons: Offers only up to 60 seconds in length compared to other platforms, limiting brands and influencers from creating more in-depth podcast snippets.
Monthly users: 1.1 billion
Pros: Renowned for its discovery-driven algorithm, potentially reaching large audiences beyond current followers. A highly engaged user base drives organic reach, particularly for creative and entertaining content. Advanced editing tools and features contribute to virality.
Cons: TikTok’s demographic is mostly 18-34 years old, which might not match all podcasts’ target audience.
Monthly users: 2.35 billion
Pros: Reels visibility benefits from an established Instagram user base and cross-posting to Facebook, potentially reaching active podcast listeners on these platforms. The algorithm prioritizes content relevant to existing interests and connections, which can be leveraged to target specific demographics. While less extensive than TikTok, editing features still offer creative options for engaging content.
Cons: Organic reach can be moderate to low, especially for new creators. The algorithm prioritizes engagement with existing content, making discovering new podcasts more challenging.
How Can Instagram Reels Be Used to Increase Podcast Listeners?
Opting for paid Instagram podcast marketing can significantly enhance your visibility on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram). The opportunities provided by Meta open doors for effective podcast promotion on Instagram Reels ads. Here’s how you can make the most of it:
Potential for collaboration
- Growing a podcast audience involves increasing visibility among fellow podcast creators and influencers. Utilizing Instagram Reel ads for advertising provides an avenue to connect with prominent brands and promoters, fostering community building and loyalty.
- Establishing a sense of belonging for your audience enhances resonance with your content, increasing the likelihood of continued engagement with your future updates.
Campaign objectives aimed at your goals
- If you aim to boost video views on your source platform as a brand or influencer, utilizing the traffic objective is a strategic choice to guide audiences to your primary platform.
- Alternatively, for those seeking increased views on their Instagram page, you can attract listeners to your podcast clips through the engagement objective.
Wider audience reach and targeting options
- With the predominant age group on Instagram falling between 18 and 44 years, aligning seamlessly with the podcast audience demographics, which also boasts 66% from the same age range, the platform provides substantial reach. Using Meta’s audience targeting options, you can refine your focus based on age, gender, demographics, interests, and behaviors.
- Tips and tricks: If you have an existing database, you can upload your list on Meta Ads Manager and generate a lookalike audience. The ad platform will analyze your database’s profile, allowing for more precise targeting of audiences similar to your existing user base.
Measurable results through ad metrics
- Evaluate the achievement of your diverse goals through various Instagram Reels advertising campaigns. Are you witnessing an increase in Reels views when they are stored in your Instagram profile? Alternatively, do your audiences favor clicking through to your podcast channel on platforms like Amazon or Google Podcast to access your complete podcast episode?
- These measurable metrics, available through Meta Ads Manager, offer tangible results that allow you to make smarter decisions about promoting your podcast on Instagram reels going forward.
Other Tips and Strategies To Get More Views on Podcast Reels
Together with your podcast engagement strategies through Instagram Reels advertising, consider incorporating the following approaches:
Utilizing trending hashtags
Hashtags serve to categorize specific videos into niche topics, catering to an audience actively searching for them. For example, some top hashtags for podcasts include:
“Link in bio” approach
The “link in bio” strategy is a practical way to consolidate your outreach efforts. Incorporating a URL such as Linktree into your Instagram bio establishes a centralized hub for outgoing links that direct users to different destinations, including your podcast channels, other social media platforms, or dedicated websites.
Implementing a “Link in Bio” enables your campaign to generate clicks to your Instagram profile. This, in turn, encourages more audience engagement with your profile and the associated content.
Gain More Listeners by Promoting Podcast on Instagram Reels
Growing a podcast audience may pose challenges if you’re uncertain where and how to promote it. Having gone through this guide, we trust you can effectively implement these podcast engagement strategies and commence promoting your podcast on Instagram Reels.
The best practices for podcast Reels marketing have been revealed. Your next move now is to create engaging podcast snippets for Instagram Reels. The creative aspect of your ads is under your control. We’ve laid the groundwork; it’s now up to you to take action. Start promoting your podcast in Instagram Reels and witness a rapid increase in your podcast listenership.
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