The consumption of podcasts in the United States has been on the rise for more than ten years. Notably, a 2022 survey showed that 38% of adults had listened to a podcast in the last month. This is about three times larger than what the case was in the early 2010s (Statista 2022).
With podcasts expected to grow further in the coming years, it’s not too late to launch your own podcast. And at ZenCast, we know a thing or two about launching and distributing podcasts. In fact, we offer a podcast publication and distribution platform, allowing users to share their content on a whole host of platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Tune In.
Today we’ll look at how you can distribute your podcast effectively and help you decide what platforms are right for you. Let’s go!
Launching a podcast
Before we get into podcast distribution, there are several key points to consider for launching your show in the first place.
Here are the steps involved in launching a podcast with ZenCast:
Fully develop your podcast idea.
Decide what format you would like to use (e.g. solo commentary, group discussion or one-on-one interview).
Ensure you have all the necessary equipment such as a sufficient microphone, headphones, memory storage devices and podcast recording software/audio editing software.
Write up a script for the first several podcasts.
Record and edit your first podcast(s).
Make sure your podcast meets the rules and regulations of the platform(s) you want to add it to.
Sign up to ZenCast using your email address. It takes only two minutes!
Upload your first podcasts to ZenCast while filling out the relevant information, such as its title and description. Ideally, you should launch your first three episodes simultaneously to ensure a wide reach that could bring in many potential listeners.
Distributing your podcast
Firstly, it’s important to realize that in most cases you can’t upload podcasts directly to a podcast platform. Instead, you’ll need to use an aggregator such as ZenCast to host your podcasts before adding them to the directories of platforms, such as Spotify.
So, how do you publish a podcast, exactly? Well, once you’ve uploaded your first podcast episode(s), it’s time to distribute them. You can do this by simply going to the distribution page with your ZenCast account. The exact steps can vary depending on the aggregator of your choice. Here, you can select the podcast platforms you’d like to add your content to.
ZenCast can provide an RSS feed link to the podcast platform(s) in question. This, in turn, adds your podcast to the directories of said websites, making them available to listeners the world over.
Each episode should take under an hour to appear on the platform(s) you’re adding them to. However, in some cases it can take longer. To stay on the safe side, it’s best not to promise your audience that your show will be live at a certain time since you may not be able to guarantee this.
Choosing the right podcast platform(s) for you
ZenCast can allow you to distribute your podcast on up to twelve platforms. Whether you want your podcast on Spotify, you’re interested in an iHeart podcast submission, or you’re looking to start your Apple Podcasts journey, you can achieve either of those ambitions through ZenCast.
Moreover, while you may want to focus on just one platform, you may, of course, prefer to distribute to a few platforms or maximize your reach by sharing your show with all twelve platforms.
If you want to go with the most popular podcast platforms, we’d recommend Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you want to choose just one, we’d favor Apple, partly because it is pre-installed on all iOS and Mac OS devices and many other platforms rely on Apple's podcast directory as their data source.
When to distribute your podcast episodes
You may also be wondering what is the best day to release a podcast? The most popular days of the week for this are generally Tuesday and Wednesday, though it may depend on the podcast platform.
Either way, the morning is the best option. In fact, according to Megaphone, 5 am EST is the ideal time to go with those podcasting in the United States. The reason is that this will make sure your show is already available for listeners from coast to coast. Due to the risk of any delays, you could even go with 4 am to stay on the safe side.
While some listeners will check out your podcast later in the day, many prefer to listen to podcasts first thing in the morning before work (perhaps while sipping on a cup of coffee). The point being is that by publishing your podcast at 5 am EST, you’ll cover all your bases in terms of audience reach.
Tips for successful distribution and growth
When it comes to launching a podcast, there are several things to consider for a successful launch. By taking the right approaches, you can ensure your show gets off to the best possible start.
Here are our tips for a successful launch:
Upload three episodes of your podcast at once from the get-go.
Ensure you promote these episodes on your social media pages.
Make sure your first episodes include calls to action (e.g. asking the audience to join next week for a new topic).
Consider advertising on social media and with Google Ads.
Integrate Google Analytics with your ZenCast account to get a full picture of how your show is performing.
Next, you’ll want to focus on growing and maintaining your podcast. Your Google Analytics results and audience feedback can point you in the right direction by giving you clarity ahead of distributing further episodes.
Here’s what you can do to grow and maintain your podcast effectively:
Convert your podcasts to videos so you can upload them to YouTube.
Consider transcribing the audio of your podcast episodes.
Leverage your guests’ audiences.
Include giveaway contests.
Ask listeners for their ideas and feedback.
Pose questions to your podcast audience.
Don’t be too repetitive.
Collaborate with different podcasters where suitable.
Benefits of ZenCast
There are a whole host of advantages to using ZenCast, many of which we’ve yet to mention, and our services extend beyond podcasting. However, let’s first look at what you can gain from podcasting with ZenCast.
The benefits of distributing podcasts through ZenCast:
ZenCast features no storage or download limits.
We offer a customizable podcast player. Our player is designed to maximize your subscription numbers.
We maintain a compliant RSS feed. The purpose of this is to make sure podcasters don’t lose subscribers because of an RSS feed that is malformatted.
You can even schedule your podcasts to appear at certain times using our Professional or Plus packages.
Monitor reviews and ratings through ZenCast. Our analytics service covers 150+ regional podcast directories. Again, integrating Google Analytics with ZenCast can give you even more information.
We do not insert ads in or around your show.
ZenCast includes the option of distributing to a private audience if preferred.
Beyond that, ZenCast offers podcast web hosting for no extra cost. Your podcasting website would update itself whenever you publish a new episode of your show via ZenCast. Your website would also be customizable and SEO-optimized. Furthermore, you can customize the domain if you wish.
Sign up to ZenCast
Today we’ve looked at the steps involved in distributing a podcast with ZenCast as well as how you can maintain and grow your podcast from there.
Get started with ZenCast, and before you know it, you’ll have your show live on one or more podcast platforms, depending on your preference.
Interested in knowing more about podcasting? Have a read of our blog. We explore topics such as how you can reach your first 1K listeners and the best podcasting microphones for every budget. Best of luck on your podcasting journey!