Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
You might have read my recent blog post where I explained how valuable TikTok can be for podcasters.
But regardless of how you got here, you’re probably thinking one of these things: I need to start promoting my podcast on TikTok, or, I need to get better at promoting my podcast on TikTok.
Either way, you’ve come to the right place my podcasting friend, as I’m about to give you 8 tips.
All of these tips are achievable, won’t take you mountains of time to implement, and have the power to make your podcast much more successful on TikTok.
So, let’s get started…
1. Be meaningful
TikTok is a video-based platform. But podcasts are audio-based. So, what’s the best way to create TikTok content for your podcast?
The easiest (and most obvious) way to do this is by filming your podcast episodes. When you record the audio for your podcast, set up a camera too. Create a few clips to share on social media. Job done!
Some podcasts are already doing this on TikTok, such as The Diary of a CEO, The High Performance Podcast and The Girls Bathroom.
However, you do need to bear something in mind. These are very popular podcasts. And they were already popular before they started actively using TikTok.
In other words, these podcasts aren’t popular because of TikTok.
They already had huge fan bases behind them, big talent drawing listeners in, and so on.
So, if you’re a small, unheard-of podcaster just starting out, you might need to do things a little differently.
Basically, you can’t rely on people coming to you and your podcast – you need to go to them. Put on your community management hat and start engaging.
Follow members of your niche on TikTok. Interact with them. Leave comments on their videos. Make duets with their content (this is when you share their video but add your own content to it). But you need to be meaningful while doing this. You don’t want to come across as some ingenuine, spammy account who is only interacting with others for their own gain. You want to actually build relationships with members of your niche because not only are these people your best bet for new podcast listeners, but they’re your best bet for recommending your podcast to others.
2. Think outside the box
Expanding on tip number 1, you can’t just rely on posting snippets from your latest podcast episode if you want to go far on TikTok. Granted, there’s nothing wrong with throwing a juicy teaser out for your upcoming episode – but don’t rely solely on this. Mix things up a bit.
You could try making some:
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Bloopers
- Games and challenges (the more interactive the better)
- Relatable content – something that people will feel inclined to share among their friends
Remember, your profile is a chance to really illustrate the tone and personality behind your podcast, so make it count.
3. Keep your content short
Keep your content concise and engaging. If people watch the whole thing, your content will be ranked higher in the algorithm and recommended to more people.
4. Hashtag wisely
Use hashtags to connect with your niche, but don’t go overboard. While TikTok doesn’t have a hashtag limit (like Instagram does) it does only allow 300 characters in captions, so this means you have to keep things relatively short and sweet.
Most people (including us!) recommend using 3-5 relevant hashtags in your captions.
5. Think like a consumer
When you’re creating content for TikTok (or any social media platform for that matter) remember that you aren’t making this content for you: you’re doing it for your target audience.
So, don’t get too caught up in what you want to make – think about what your audience will actually enjoy.
Which would they prefer: a 1-minute clip of two people blabbing behind a mic, or a ‘you decide what happens next’ interactive video? Which one would actually spark their interest, and hold their attention, if they stumble across your podcast on TikTok?
Having said this, it’s always a good idea to have some ‘wild cards’ in the bank – a couple of ideas which are a little unconventional. These often turn out to be people’s best performing posts.
6. Have a ‘clickbaity’ cover
Anyone who stumbles across your TikTok account will be greeted by a wall of covers. And they aren’t likely to stick around unless they see a cover they like the look of.
You cannot upload a customised cover to TikTok (like you can with YouTube thumbnails) but you can add any text you like. So, add an enticing quote, or some suspenseful copy that will grab people’s attention.
If you need some inspiration, Saving Grace and The Diary of a CEO podcasts do this very well.
7. Hop onto trends
Give your content a boost by hopping onto trends (where relevant). This could be as simple as using a trending song in your video, or participating in a popular challenge.
8. Learn from the best
Consume content. Spend 10 minutes a day on TikTok looking at what’s been recommended on your ‘for you’ page. This is where you’ll find some of your best inspiration.
If you’re looking for some podcasts to follow on TikTok and gain some inspiration from, check out my blog post ‘10 Podcasts Using TikTok to Grow Their Audience‘.
That’s 8 tips which should make your content travel further on TikTok, and translate into some podcasting success.