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Social media followers don’t equal podcast listeners. That’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way. Just because someone follows you, likes every post about your podcast and seems to be your number one fan, doesn’t mean they’ll ever actually listen to your podcast. Hard to believe, I know, but let me explain – we follow people on social media for a much different reason than we take the time to listen to someone’s podcast.

In this episode we’re going to talk about how to optimize your social media profile and content to drive listener traffic, why you have to put yourself in the mind of the content viewer and how to effectively turn a social media follower into a fan of your podcast.

Why Relying on Social Media Alone Isn’t Enough

Think about the last time you were just mindlessly scrolling on TikTok, or Instagram or Facebook. Probably wasn’t that long ago. For me it was about an hour ago. I was working on another podcast and I was getting sidetracked and I thought okay, I’m going to take a break and treat myself to a few minutes of scrolling. Before I knew it I’d been scrolling for 30-minutes and I had to pry myself off the phone and get back to work. For most of us social media is a distraction, it’s a treat, it’s a mental vacation we can go on and turn off our brain and let someone else drive..

Have you ever in the entirety of you using social media – saw a piece of content that was promoting an episode and left the social media app you’re on, opened Spotify, or Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast platform you use, and searched for the podcast and then started listening to that episode. For me, I can think of very, very, very few times. And maybe I’m on TikTok and I think – oh I’d love to listen to this episode and I save it and I never think about it again.  

Step 1: Capture Attention with Compelling Content

Instead of posting your standard (boring) “new episode” update, focus on pulling out the most intriguing or valuable part of your episode. Share a hook—something that makes your audience curious and want to hear more. Imagine your ideal listener stumbling upon your post. Will they be immediately interested? Here’s how to hook them:

• Use Storytelling: Start a story from the episode and tell them to listen to the full episode if they want to hear the end. 
• Questions: Ask a question you know is answered in the podcast episode and tell them to listen to the podcast for the answer.
  
  For example, if your episode shares a wild client story, start with “You won’t believe what happened when I…” and let curiosity do the rest.

Step 2: Give Clear Calls to Action

If you’re not telling people exactly what to do next, you’re missing out on podcast listeners. You want them to know why they should listen, where to find the episode, and how to get there. Use strong, clear calls to action that lay out each step. Here’s an example:

“Want to hear how I handled this insane situation? Listen to [Your Podcast Name] on Spotify—link in bio!”

Pro Tip: Video content can be especially effective for converting followers. When viewers see your personality in action, trust builds faster, and they’re more likely to take that next step.

Step 3: Optimize Your Social Media Profile

Conversion happens ON your profile, so make sure it’s ready! Do this quick audit:

• Direct Link: Have a link in your bio that goes straight to your podcast (or a Linktree if you’re sharing multiple links).
• Podcast Name in Your Bio: Don’t make people hunt for your podcast title—include it directly in your profile.
• CTA: Make sure you’re always directling your followers on where to go, why they’d want to go, and how to get there. 
• Less Than 3 Steps: It should take less than 3 steps for a follower to get your podcast (Ex. Click on profile (step 1), click on website (step 2), click on podcast episode (step 3), focus on having as few steps as possible.) 

The easier you make it, the more likely a follower will take action.

Step 4: Different Platforms, Different Strategies

Not all platforms function the same. Here’s how to tailor your approach:

• Instagram and TikTok: Links aren’t clickable in captions, so you’ll need to rely on a well-optimized profile. Guide viewers to “link in bio” and keep your instructions concise.
• Facebook and LinkedIn: Use clickable links in your posts. Make it as easy as possible—direct links to individual episodes are best.
• Pinterest: Pin your episodes  and keep links updated. Make sure there’s a clear path from discovery to download.
  

Step 5: Analyze What Works for You

Every audience is different, so pay attention to what resonates with your followers. When you find a post that gets more engagement, save it. Build on that insight with future posts. Your audience’s behavior will guide you toward better strategies as you go.

• Observe Trends: What makes you stop scrolling? Save the content that grabs your attention and examine it for inspiration.
• Adjust Your Approach: Experiment with different types of hooks, formats, and lengths to find your best-performing content.

Make Every Step Intentional

Views don’t equal downloads, but if you have a clear strategy on how to convert followers to listeners, it’s not a problem. Remember, use a clear and direct call to action and have a clear and direct path to finding your podcast. If you can master those two things, you will never have to worry about how to promote your podcast again.

Need a Social Media Audit?

Are you having trouble converting your podcast listeners organically through social media? Book my 1-hour, virtual social media podcast audit here.

What to expect: after purchase you will recieve an onboarding document with a form to collect all the information about your podcast and current social media(s). After a full analysis of your social media presense will be conducted to organize and create a step-by-step action plan to grow your podcast audience, downloads and reach. Schedule your audit.