Quick question: Are you promoting your podcast on LinkedIn? Quick answer: You definitely should be! And here’s just a few quick stats to prove our point:  

1. LinkedIn has 63 million unique mobile visitors each month. 63 million!
2. There are 87 million millennials on LinkedIn. (If millennials are your target audience, then you need to get on the platform. Like yesterday!)
3. The platform currently has over 660 million registered users, with 303 million of them being active on a monthly basis. And on top of that, 90 million of these users are senior-level influencers, and 63 million are in decision-making positions.
4. And lastly, LinkedIn is 277% more effective than Facebook in generating leads.

*These stats and more can be found here.

Impressive right?! 

The beauty of LinkedIn is the business focus. Everyone on the platform is there looking for something in relation to building their brand, growing their network, or expanding their business in some shape or form. And that means already, you’re in the right place! Because your intentions are already aligned. You’re looking to grow your podcast, be that through sponsorship, brand partnerships, or through finding the best guests for your show, and then there are those business leaders, up-and-coming entrepreneurs, or small business owners looking for a way to expand their reach and meet the needs of their customers in new and innovative ways. Once the stars align and your virtual paths cross – via LinkedIn’s vast network  –  what you’ll have on your hands is a match made in marketing heaven! 

But how can you as a podcast host leverage all that power in favor of your podcast? How can you use LinkedIn as a way to grow your podcast? 

That’s where this post comes in! Today, we’re sharing ten ways you can use LinkedIn to generate great opportunities and successful partnerships for your podcast.

Let’s take a look!

1. Clearly Define Your Intention

This should be Step 1 in any social media marketing strategy you put together for your podcast, and LinkedIn is no different. You need to have a clear intention as to why you’re using the platform. Is it to grow your audience? Is it to find sponsors? Is it to find new guests? Is it to [fill in the blank here]? This is vitally important as it will guide your steps on the platform from here on out.

Whatever your purpose is will influence the type of audience you should target, the type of connections you should focus on making, as well as the type of content you should be putting out to help fulfill that intention. So it’s importatn that you spend some time making sure you know your heading. And then you can confidently move on to the next steps.

2. Create a Stand-Out Profile

Here is where you lay the foundation for a successful LinkedIn marketing strategy. You need to make sure that your profile is one that stands out in a crowd. And you start by nailing the basics. Make sure your name (and that of your podcast!) appears in the Introduction Section. Here you will also include a high-quality, clear profile picture.

And then depending on the type of profile you are creating (personal vs business) you want to include the basic information that concisely communicates who you and your podcast are. 

3. Reflect Your Brand

Tip 3 is really the second, yet equally important part of Step 2. If you want LinkedIn to help you successfully grow your podcast, then there is one key aspect you need to nail. You must make sure that your LinkedIn profile clearly reflects your personal brand. Remember, LinkedIn is for business professionals. They know what you’re looking for, they know what they want, they mean business, if you will. 

And because those using the platform are business-focused, you need to position your podcast in the best way possible to showcase that your show is exactly what they are looking for. So make sure that your profile reflects your podcast brand, and half the battle will already be won. 

4. Focus on Your Target Audience

So you know your intention, your profile (personal or business) is on point, and just one glance at your page screams you and your podcast! Great! Now you need to take all that goodness and put it in front of the right audience.

This point will come as no surprise to you as a podcaster – you need to know your target audience. This knowledge gives you all sorts of advantages when it comes to content creation. Just remember, that depending on what your intention of being on LinkedIn is, your target audience on the platform may or may not be the same as the target audience of your podcast.

5. Make Meaningful Connections

No matter your primary objective for being on LinkedIn in relation to your podcast – be it to connect with other podcast hosts in order to garner guest spot opportunities, to find those amazing guests for your show, or whatever your intention is (remember Step 1!) LinkedIn is a wonderful place for forging meaningful connections.

Because you’re all there for a purpose – as opposed to simply mindlessly scrolling as we’re prone to do on some of the other platforms – there is fertile ground for connections to take place. So go on the hunt for those whose interests, niches, objectives, or even target audiences align with yours, and start laying the groundwork for a long and productive relationship!

6. Share Posts that Encourage Conversation

You’re on LinkedIn to engage, so you need to make sure you’re sharing content that encourages engagement. Yes, you want to share content related to your podcast (more on that in just a bit) but your main focus on LinkedIn in particular is to build your network and forge long-lasting connections. And these connections happen through conversations and the sharing of opinions.

So besides sharing posts that offer value, angle some of your posts as the starting point for great conversations and engagement. Poise poignant questions, pick the brains or your network, or raise hypothetical scenarios that require input. Learn what your particular target audience responds best to, and be sure to cater to that with your posts. 

7. Share Engaging Podcast-Related Content

You can share niche-related content, infographics, scroll-stopping ads – all of these should be a part of your podcast’s LinkedIn marketing strategy. Make fun announcements whenever a new episode drops by sharing a LinkedIn post or eye-catching image. Share episode highlights or expanded episode content in LinkedIn articles to whet viewer’s appetites for all that you offer on your podcast.

But what you should also seriously consider creating for some serious engagement is some stand-out videos. Why? Because in one year alone, it was reported that videos shared via LinkedIn generated more than 300 million impressions on the platform!¹ That is a rather impressive number, don’t you think? It has also been recorded that videos tend to earn an average of three times the amount of engagement that text-based posts receive. Again, seriously impressive! So put on your director’s cap and create some great videos, either of your recording process, a studio tour, or audiograms of some of the best snippets in an upcoming episode. 

Related read: How To Use Podcast Audiograms To Engage Your Audience On Social Media

8. Spend Consistent Time on the Platform

You already have a jam-packed podcasting schedule and so maybe you’re seeing this tip and thinking, “Whoa! Maybe LinkedIn isn’t for me! I don’t have the hours needed to be consistently on the platform!” But, to that I’ll say, “Whoa! Don’t panic! It’s easier than you think!”

Yes, in order to really make LinkedIn work for you, you will have to consistently and actively spend time on the site, but we’re talking minutes, not hours here! (And everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief!) That’s right, you just need to schedule in a few minutes every day to keep your LinkedIn marketing goals alive. But you want to make those minutes count! So here are three hints to what you need to do while you’re there.

1. Share content related to your podcast. This could be an audiogram of your latest episode, or a quick “sneak peek” video – particularly if you’ve got a great interview coming up. But change it up by sharing longer-form content periodically.
2. Make those connections. You also want to spend some of your time looking for new people to connect with, and building on those relationships you’ve formed already. 
3. Check your inbox. Be sure to stay on top of all that’s going on here. If you’re had enquiries, respond. If you’ve been asked a question in relation to your expert knowledge, answer it. 

Pro Tip: Whenever you’re engaging with potential guests or sponsors, or anyone else on the LinkedIn platform, make sure that you are genuine. Don’t use a template approach to reaching out to people. Remember, everyone on the platform is business-focused, and will likely see right through a generic message. So be personable, but above all, genuine, in all your interactions.

9.  Create a Showcase Page

Showcase Pages are a really great LinkedIn feature, and can be particularly useful for podcast creators who want to highlight a unique quality or aspect their podcast offers. These showcase pages are therefore essentially extensions of your LinkedIn Business page, but they serve a slightly different purchase. Your Showcase Page will be listed under ‘Affiliated Pages’ on your main LinkedIn Page, and is the perfect place to highlight the value your podcast offers.

You can check out LinkedIn’s recommendations for starting a Showcase Page here.

*NOTE: You will need to create a Business Page if you want to use this feature.

Bonus Tip: Join or start a LinkedIn Group! Now, I will preface this tip by saying that LinkedIn groups can be hit-or-miss. You may find groups that seem to align with your niche or target audience, but they’re about as active as that gym membership I purchased pre-pandemic. But if you can find an active group that adds value to your niche, join it and engage!

But if you can’t find such a group, start one! Create that space for like-minded people to collaborate, share, and learn from each other! 

10. Always Add Value

Yes, you’re on LinkedIn, and all the other social media platforms for that matter, as a way to grow your podcast’s reach, expand your reach, and do all those things that will help you achieve your podcasting goals and aspirations. Simply put, you’re on these platforms to market your podcast. However, (and it’s a big “however”), no clever slogan, shiny video campaign, or eye-catching advertisement will ever be able to hold a candle to valuable content. 

Simply put, valuable content cannot be beat. So whether you’re sharing your top tips via infographics, taking your listeners behind the scenes with the help of your engaging videos, or even just sharing some of your top podcast recommendations that you know your target audience will love, make sure you’re always adding value. 

In Conclusion

LinkedIn is a super valuable, but majorly overlooked resource in the podcaster’s tool kit! Because of the business focus, it’s a thriving hub of opportunities to grow your reach, make really valuable connections, as well as find some incredible guests to join you on your show. 

So clearly define those intentions and craft a stellar profile, make sure it reflects your brand and rings true to who you and your show are, make those personal connections, and consistently put out engaging content, and you’ll reap the benefits and leverage all the power LinkedIn puts in your hands. But above all, whether it’s via LinkedIn, your podcast, your weekly newsletter, or any of the other social media platforms you use, your aim must always be to serve your target audience with valuable content. Do this, and there’ll be no stopping you or your podcast from reaching long term success.

Sources:

1. Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Video: https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-video/