Promote On Instagram
It feels like Instagram is 12 apps in one and with no links in posts, as a podcaster you may wonder – is it even worth being on instagram? YAS it so is! I brought on Savvy Social Podcast Host and social media strategist Andrea Jones to the show, who gives us the full scoop on Instagram marketing best practices, tips to grow your podcast and how to get more engagement.
Getting Your Social Media Mindset Right
- When using social media, we often don’t really think about how we’re going to use a specific platform (like Instagram) for impact but we just show up and hope that things will work.
- That often leads to us spending 30 minutes on social media without even realizing it – and without actually having done that much…
- Social media apps are designed to be addictive and to have people come back for more, so being deliberate on how to use them is key.
- Andrea suggests doing the following: take a moment to scroll through an app and focus on the feeling you want to feel vs. what the app is making you feel right at that moment.
- If we want to feel connected and empowered but what we see in our feed is making us feel discouraged or sad, then we need to change the way we approach the app.
How to Approach Instagram as a Podcaster
- Being on Instagram as a podcaster means to potentially have your show be displayed in someone’s feed – and gain a new podcast listener as a result of that.
- Because there aren’t links in Instagram posts, it isn’t easy to track clicks. However, Instagram has been focusing on making accounts more discoverable through Reels and other types of posts that are displayed to new people.
- Instagram Reels mainly go out to users who aren’t following you on Instagram, so, when posting about your show through Instagram Reels, you need to think of how to position it for someone who has never heard of your show before.
- A client of Andrea’s promotes her podcast by pulling out quotes from her show, adding a moving background to them – through Canva – and by sharing the repurposed content as a Reel. Andrea, on the other hand, prefers a face-to-camera video/Reel.
- You Reels could include an image or some text that gives context, then you and/or your guest talking about something, and then, at the end of your Reels, you could have a Call-to-Action that invites people to check out the show.
About Instagram Reels and Hashtags
- Instagram Reels are primarily displayed to people who aren’t following your Instagram page
- Keep in mind that, at times, Instagram will “force” you to pick a vertical layout for your photos or videos, while Andrea prefers to keep them.
- For Andrea, the goal is to draw people in without telling them ‘listen to my podcast’. You can use questions to do that instead.
- Andrea is a fan of using as many relevant hashtags as possible in an Instagram post.
- She and her team have tested this on a number of clients: their posts include 20-30 hashtags, even though Instagram’s CEO has said that the sweet spot is between 1 and 5 hashtags per post.
Instagram Marketing 101: Getting Started With Instagram Stories as a Podcaster
- According to Andea, the easiest way to get started with Stories on Instagram is by resharing a post into a Story.
- Spotify works well with Stories. A user can make parts of a Story clickable to get some traction. And this applies even to older posts you may have.
- Andrea sees stories as something that gives the listener a glimpse of what the experience looks like – because of some behind-the-scenes, a look at your studio, etc.
- By her own admission, Andrea is a story-only viewer. She has experimented with a client and found that the client’s Stories were seen the most – even more than posts.
“Look at your stats to identify what seems to be working and double-down on that. And don’t be afraid of repeating yourself… Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours!”
Being Connected Through Social Media
- Andrea met her husband on YouTube, some of her closest friends on Instagram and she recently went out for a cup of coffee in Niagara Falls with someone she originally connected with on Facebook.
- Andrea sees social media as the way to find and connect with people – and to say things she would never say in person.
- As an introvert, she wouldn’t start a conversation but she gets to do that on social.
- ‘Showing up with the intention of connection and responding to other people’s stories are a great way to get started on Instagram.
ABOUT ANDREA
Andréa Jones is the social media strategist for passion-led coaches and experts who want to make a difference in the world with their message.
She’s guided her clients and students from stuck to strategic, passion-led powerhouses and visionary thought leaders with her simple approach to social media: “take one little step each day. Build social media savvy overtime.”
Digital business owners around the world flock to her award-winning agency; Thrive Mentorship Program; Savvy Social School; and top-100-rated marketing podcast by the same name — so they can discover how to make their impact on the world with social media (without the overwhelm). And spread their positivity across social platforms.
When she’s not teaching the power and positivity of social media, you can find Andréa at home with her growing family (she welcomes her first child to the world in April of 2022) in picturesque Niagara Falls, Canada.
Resources mentioned:
Andrea’s downloadable social media starter kit
Andrea’s Instagram Mindset Guide
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