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You have enthusiastically started producing your podcast. You've recorded the first episodes, hosted your podcast show like Springcast and already signed up with platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts through the host.
And then it's time to finally share your podcast with the world...
Then of course you can launch your podcast very low profile, nothing wrong with that. But if you are going for the followers and you want to reach a lot of people, then "creating a buzz" is good for a successful launch.
Therefore, in this article we share with you what Dutch podcast experts have to say about launching your podcast.
Learn from Dutch experts
Some Dutch podcasters have already preceded you in launching a podcast and there are quite a few of them. Dutch podcast experts.
Therefore, in this article we share tips and examples from experts such as David achter de Molen, Mirjam Hegger and Barbara de Bruyckere.
They show how you can use various social media for your launch, how video is also interesting to use for a launch and that it is always important to create added value with a clear goal in mind.
Here are the Dutch experts who successfully launched a podcast for customers or for themselves:
Mirjam Hegger
David behind the Mill
Thijs Lindhout
Barbara de Bruyckere
Aramik Garabidian
Martijn & Tonny
Podcasting with a purpose
First of all, it all starts with the goal you have in mind. You can only reach and hold on to listeners if your goal is clear. Do you want a grand and successful launch? Then you have that goal clearly in mind.
For Thijs Lindhout, who is now a Dutch celebrity, the aim was to increase his own brand recognition. His podcast had to contribute to his branding and it did! Thijs expanded his network with many Dutch celebrities and even saw his dream come true...
That was to do his story in sold-out theatres in front of a large audience. He finally achieved his goal because all his building blocks (his technology, content and marketing, etc.) were in place, but it really started with that specific goal.
So always check if your launch strategy fits your ultimate goal.
And Thijs wants everyone to have a good launch, so he offers an online training course to launch your podcast successfully.
Use your social media friends!
It is also key to make your social media work for you. There are various social media channels that you can use to create awareness for the launch of your podcast. Within those channels there are also various options for bringing attention to your podcast launch.
Voice coach Barbara de Bruykere shows very well how she uses a real social media bomb to create a lot of publicity for the launch of her new podcast. That takes guts, because...what if the response is disappointing?
But she did not let that stop her. She shared her launch via her personal Facebook page, via her own Facebook group PodPodonline, her Instagram page, LinkedIn and... via Clubhouse.
The new kid on the block: Clubhouse
In the run-up to her launch, Barbara will be talking to other experts at Clubhouse about voice use and how you can let your professionalism shine through. She uses Clubhouse to warm up for her podcast launch.
LinkedIn and Social Selling expert Aramik Garabidian also sees the power of Clubhouse. He shared free 7 strategies to boost your business on Clubhouse. And teaches you specifically how to make your Clubhouse profile work for you. Pretty handy 😀
And Aramik grew from 200 to 1,000 Clubhouse followers in one week! He shares in his own podcast Daily Business Boost exactly how that developed. Yes, his own podcast... nice cross-pollination, right?
Tonny and Martijn from the IMU also devoted a podcast episode to Clubhouse. They are divided in their enthusiasm. They do see the possibility of interaction on Clubhouse as an opportunity to connect with the listeners of their podcast. It's pretty cool that your podcast listeners can ask you questions.
They also note that the preference for audio channels is really on the rise now. And therein lies an opportunity. But, where the podcast is always stored, your content on Clubhouse is immediately gone. Your content is therefore not timeless, argue Martijn and Tonny.
So you can definitely use Clubhouse for marketing and launching your podcast. Martijn and Tonny do say; don't sit on it all day ;).
Social media is your launching buddy
So, social media is your friend. Don't use it haphazardly, but make a plan in advance, keeping in mind who your target group is and where they can be found.
We list some of the social media channels with ideas for you below:
So make sure that you can be found on the social media channels and... that wherever you share your podcast, your social media channels can be found too. Think of your own podcast website, your podcast player, in your bio at all media channels, etc.
Use video for exposure
Also a real podcast expert and successful producer is David behind the Mill. He started his podcast company The Podcast Office in 2016 and now produces podcasts for Netflix and the AIVD, but also for well-known artists such as Roel van Velzen and Nielson.
He understands better than anyone that for a successful launch it is important to choose the form that best suits your story; the music, voice-over, script... it all has to be right to meet the listener's expectations.
And video can contribute to that. And so David also produces videos for his clients. So before you launch, you can already share videos of your new podcast via your own YouTube channel or from your own podcast platform.
Below is a video for the podcast 'Klap van de Molen'.
And also Rachel Levi, guest at podcast expert and coach Mirjam Hegger, has positive experiences with the use of video content to promote your podcast launch.
When Rachel launched her podcast, she had specially made a number of videos during the filming days. And so she did a mini-launch video for her podcast launch.
And immediately in the first weekend 1000 people downloaded her podcast!
The power of your network
In the Podcast Masters Podcast, Rachel Levi also tells how she initially expected her loyal followers to listen to her podcast. But that was not the case, she actually gained a new group of followers!
Rachel tells how suggestions in the podcast app led to new listeners listening to her podcast. But also tags in social media, listeners who shared an episode, or her guests who also shared the episode they were guests in.
For new episodes that Rachel launches, she uses part of the podcast as a teaser and shares this together with unique artwork on social media, and she also asks her network and guests to share this.
Guests play an important role in your outreach, not only in your podcast, but also outside of it. Finding a guest is not always easy. Via LinkedIn or a community you can spot interesting guests and already estimate their experience, target group and range.
Create the buzz, be a hit!
All experts have one thing in common; they know how to create a buzz. Whether this is via LinkedIn, Clubhouse, with video, a loyal network or simply by having a clear goal in mind.
So make a launch plan that suits your goal and target group and conquer the charts!
