How to promote a podcast: a checklist for every episode

A per-episode podcast promotion checklist

Copy this into your task manager and run it for every episode. The times assume a weekly show.

Before release (1 to 2 days)

• Write a title that says what the listener learns, using the words they'd search
• Write the show notes: a two-line summary, timestamps, guest links, and everything mentioned (how to write show notes)
• Pick the best quote, word for word, with the speaker's name
• Make a carousel of the takeaways and one quote graphic
• Cut two or three clips, 30 to 60 seconds each
• Send the guest their share kit (below)

Release day

• Post the carousel on LinkedIn or Instagram, with the episode link
• Send the newsletter blurb: three lines and the link
• Post the first clip
• Share the episode in one community where it's relevant, if the rules allow it

Days 2 to 7

• Post the other clips and the quote graphic, one every day or two
• Reply to every comment, and pin the best one
• Ask listeners for a rating, once, with the reason it helps

Later

• Reuse the best quote when a related episode comes out
• Add the episode to a "start here" list on your site

Turn your latest episode into a carousel →

Why promote every episode instead of only the launch

A launch gets one week of attention. A weekly show gets 52 chances a year to reach someone new. A podcast episode's best marketing is already inside it: the guest's best line, verbatim. Every episode has one.

We saw the same thing outside podcasting. In a recorded sales-training call, the line that mattered was the buyer explaining it wasn't about the product working, it was about time. Notes would have summarised it away. As a quote slide, it was the most forwardable slide in the deck. A quote graphic is that slide, for your episode.

What do you call a podcast that's only been posted once? A well-kept secret.

How to promote a podcast on social media

Post the episode as content people can use without clicking, then give them the link. A takeaway they can read in the feed travels further than "new episode out now".

Apple's guide to connecting with listeners on social media covers its own share tools: links that open the episode in Apple Podcasts, and generated social posts.

How to promote a podcast on Instagram

Use carousels and Reels, not a static cover image. A 4:5 portrait carousel (1080×1350) fills more of the feed than a square post. Put the takeaway on the first card, since that's all most people see. Add the episode link to your profile or story, because links in Instagram captions aren't clickable.

Give your guest a share kit

Your guest's audience is the one you don't have yet. Most guests will share if you make it a two-minute job. Send this the day before release:

Hi [name], the episode goes live on [date]. Here's everything if you'd like to share it:

Link: [episode link]

Suggested post: "I talked with [host] about [topic]. The part I'd want you to hear: [one takeaway]. [link]"

Attached: the carousel, a quote graphic with your line, and a 45-second clip.

Thanks again for doing this.

Tag them in your own posts, so their followers see it twice.

How to promote a new podcast

A new show has no back catalogue and no listeners to share it, so the first month needs more than the weekly routine:

• Launch with three episodes. One episode is a sample; three lets a new listener decide whether to follow.
• Tell people one by one. A personal message to 20 people who'd care beats one broadcast post.
• Book guests with their own audience, and send each one the share kit.
• Guest on other shows about your topic in the first few months.
• Run the checklist from episode one, so the habit is in place before the show grows.

How to promote a podcast for free

Everything on the checklist is free except your time. The free channels that keep working, episode after episode:

• Search. Titles and show notes with the words people search for help both web search and podcast app search.
• Your newsletter. It's the one audience you own. Three lines and a link per episode is enough.
• Guests. The share kit above, every time.
• Other podcasts. Guesting on shows with a similar audience, or swapping a short promo with a show your size.
• Ratings. Ask once per episode, and say why: it helps the show get found. Apple's marketing assets guide covers the badges and artwork to use when you point people there.
• A schedule. Release on the same day each week, so listeners know when to look.

For turning one episode into more pieces of content, see how to repurpose podcast content. For the written recap that goes in your newsletter, see how to write a podcast summary.

Podcast marketing tools for each step

Podcast marketing is mostly the checklist above, done every week. Different tools cover different steps:

Where unfill.io fits: upload the episode, or paste its Apple Podcasts episode link, and pick the Podcast episode deck. It's transcribed, split into timestamped topics, and turned into an editable deck designed to include three to five takeaways, two or three verbatim quotes with the speaker's name, a chapter table from real timestamps, and the books and links mentioned. That's the material for your show notes. Each deck comes with a summary card on the free plan; on Pro you get a LinkedIn/Instagram carousel from your recording: 4 cards at 1080×1350. Try 2 decks free, no card required (pricing), or see the podcast show notes generator.

When unfill.io isn't the right tool: video. It doesn't cut clips, edit audio, or post to social media for you. The show notes material comes as slides, so you copy it into your host's episode description.