On social media, people are in screen mode.

They are in bite-size content mode.

They are snacking.

The problem is that podcasts are not screen-based and they are not bite-sized. They are an amazing solution precisely when you CAN’T use a screen. And they are a full meal, often clocking in at 30 minutes or more. So when someone sees a social post for a podcast, they are very likely not in the right context to want to listen. So how do you effectively promote a podcast on social media?

The problem to be solved for podcasting is how to get people in snacking + screen mode to see a podcast and remember it when they are in non-screen + full-meal mode.

I’ve seen two pretty interesting examples recently. The first was this example for How Not to F*ck Up Your Kids Too Bad

This is a parenting article, written by Stephen Marche. Stephen just happens to be the host of a new parenting show on Audible (full disclosure, Pacific Content produced the show 🙂 ). This article was the most popular article and the most emailed article on the New York Times on September 10th. The article is not about the parenting podcast and it is not trying to get you to listen to the podcast. It’s trying to share a new perspective about parenting… which is also what the podcast does. And unlike the podcast itself, this content is in a form — a text article — that IS friendly to social media and email sharing. Clearly, it grabbed the attention of a lot of people. And if you liked the article, you might just be intrigued to check out the series on Audible, as this light touch bio for Stephen suggests:

Example number two — Wondery’s new show, Dr. Death:

This is a full article in Esquire, also sent out to their email newsletter list, profiling one of the victims of Dr. Death. This is not an article announcing a new podcast — it’s telling you a compelling story. And if you like that compelling story? Well, there’s this casual call to action:

Once again, this article is a perfect fit for social media and email sharing. THIS is the type of content that people talk about. And it plants a great hook for the podcast as an easy next step for interested audiences.

Is this how to solve podcasting’s social media problem? Only Audible and Wondery will know whether these articles helped introduce listeners to their series.

Regardless, I love that these are podcast promotion strategies designed to work WITH the way people consume social media and email newsletters, not against it.

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