Lots of podcasters love Instagram because it adds a visual element to their podcast, plus it gives them an opportunity to connect with their listeners outside of the show. Instagram is also a great platform to get discovered organically, especially if you’re using hashtags related to your show and the topics you cover.
But many folks struggle when it comes to engaging their audience. I’ve seen numerous podcasters sign up for a social media account for their podcast, but all they do is promote new episodes. It doesn’t really give the audience much to interact with, and if you’re familiar with how algorithms work, you already know that engagement on a post can lead to Instagram pushing your post in front of more people, leading to more engagement and more views, etc.
By the way, when I say “engagement” on a post, it means any kind of interaction: Comment, Like, Share, Save, etc.
So how do podcasters get their audience to engage with them on Instagram?
By bringing them into the experience. This can be done through posts that show behind-the-scenes photos, sneak-peaks of upcoming episodes and guests, or shareable graphics of quotes from the podcast or trivia, like I used to do with The Story Behind podcast.
But you don’t just want to simply show the experience without asking them to be a part of it — so ask your audience questions and get their feedback! When your audience interacts, it shows Instagram your account and posts are worth interacting with so it’ll tell the algorithm to bump you up in front of more people’s eyes.
One of my favorite ways to increase engagement is by using Instagram Stories, especially if I want to make sure something I’m announcing or posting will get a lot more views.
Looking for ideas? Here are a few that will get your started and hopefully inspire you to come up with more that are specific to your show and your audience!
Poll Sticker — This is one of my favorite stickers to use because I find folks love to give their opinion, especially if it’s just as simple as pressing a button. Sometimes if I have more than 2 options, I like using the Quiz sticker with a note on top that says “No wrong answers”. Some Poll Sticker ideas for your podcast:
Quick reminder about the episode: “Did you listen to this week’s episode?”
Trying out something new on the podcast: “What do you think of the new podcast format/segment?”
Have the audience involved in episode scheduling: “Which episode should I release first?”
If you post a quote from the show, share it to your Stories: “Does this quote resonate with you?”
Ask about listener habits: “Where do you listen to the podcast?” or “When do you listen to the podcast?”
You can use multiple polls stickers for this, for example when you’re asking about where your audience listens, your options could look like Car/Home, Work/Gym, and Traveling/Shopping.
Podcast Pro-Tip: Give a shout-out on your show to let folks know you’re actually reading the results so they’re more likely to respond to future calls for interaction. Saying something like “Thank you for listening today, whether you’re in the car or your home or, like the majority of you who responded to our poll in our Instagram Stories, while you’re out and about doing your shopping. I’m so glad to be keeping you company.”
Question Sticker — This sticker requires a bit more energy to interact with for your audience so I usually caution podcasters not to ask for paragraphs upon paragraphs unless they have a very outspoken audience already. Asking a question with a one- or two-word quick answer is usually going to fare best for most. Some Question Sticker ideas for your podcast:
“What guests would you like to see on future episodes?”
“What topics would you like to see us cover?”
“Leave an emoji that best describes your reaction to this week’s episode”
“Want a question answered on the show? Leave it here!”
“AMA! Ask me anything” — this can be a great way to find out more of what your audience wants to hear from you 😉
📷 Add Yours Sticker — This is such a fun sticker to use to get to know your audience! One of my podcasting mentors, Dave Jackson, once asked his listeners to send him selfies of them listening to School of Podcasting and he posted them on the wall of his studio as a way to remind himself of who he was podcasting for. When this sticker came out, I was reminded of how great it is to get a glimpse into the world of your listeners so have fun with this! You can search through the responses by going to your original story and clicking on the 📷 Add Yours sticker.
Ask them to show off something they love: “Show your pets / favorite mug / hobby or collection / etc.”
Got a niche-specific podcast?: “Show your setup / workspace / works-in-progress / etc.”
Have fun with your audience: “Show your favorite vacation spot / something that inspires you / the last meme saved in your phone / etc.”
As you’re using these different stickers, make note of the ones your audience seems to like interacting with and what topics they seem to respond to the most. Since many of my Instagram followers came from my health and weight loss podcast, Hate to Weight, folks seem to love weighing in (forgive the pun) about anything related to food and health.
One of the benefits of being an Indie Podcaster is really getting to know your audience, especially when it’s small and intimate. Your audience may need a little while to warm up to the idea of interacting with your stickers. Getting little to no response to these stickers can be tough, so if you post a sticker for the first time and get no response, don’t give up! Like anything in podcasting, give it a try for a little while (not just once or twice) and pay attention to how your audience responds. If they’re an audience that’s already on Instagram regularly, they may be more inclined to interact. But if you find your audience is more comfortable interacting over on Twitter or Facebook, go where they are rather than trying to herd them over to a social media app they don’t use as often.
Like this post and want to see more like it? Let me know in the comments!
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