It seems like these days everybody has a podcast, but once the show is recorded what’s next? Here are practical tips from EIJ19 panelists on ways to get people to listen to your work.

Social Media

Marketing a podcast on social media might seem obvious, but there are smart (and not so smart) ways to get followers to actually listen. Al Tompkins from the Poynter Institute has cool tools that can help get people to the show.

Headliner is a free app that can be used to make audiograms. Audiograms–short soundbites paired with visual elements–can act as a short video and engage the viewer. Engagement and ease of sharing make audiograms a smart marketing move for podcasters.

Other Podcasts

Sheryl Worsley says that going on other people’s podcasts can be a powerful tool. Worsley is the director of audience development at KSL in Salt Lake City, UT, and oversaw the production of the investigative true-crime hit podcast, “COLD.”

“COLD”–an 18-part series that deep-dives into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell–quickly made it to number one on Apple Podcast’s charts.

According to Worsley, the “COLD” team accepted every podcast interview request they received. The team figured that it made to try to recruit listeners who were already consuming that form of media.

Tap Into Existing Social Groups

Dave Cawley, investigative journalist and host of “COLD,” shared information directly to social media groups that were already interested in the topic.

Facebook already had groups dedicated to finding Susan Powell, so he made sure that those group members would definitely hear about his podcast.

Look for these groups on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and others as well.

Shameless Self-Promotion

Don’t be afraid to ask for ratings and reviews. They factor into the way services like Apple Podcast rank shows.

“Shameless self-promotion is required to stand out,” Worsley said.

She and Cawley tried to stay completely transparent about their goals. They happily revealed their motives for doing a Reddit AMA: to get to the front page of Reddit.

The team at “COLD” also did some unconventional marketing like making a video trailer for their audio podcast.

People probably won’t leave a review, rate the podcast, or share it on social media unless they are asked. Podcasts don’t get what they don’t ask for.