Best way to share a podcast episode

Here are a variety of ways to share an episode of a podcast that anyone can open and listen to it. If you're a podcast creator, this will also help you get your episodes in front of more listeners.

1. Leverage Automatic Distribution

First, make sure your podcast is distributed to all major podcast platforms! With a hosting provider like Transistor, this process is largely automated:

• Most hosting providers offer easy submission tools. For example, Transistor provides one-click submission to various directories.

• Once you publish an episode, it should automatically go out to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, and other platforms where you've submitted your podcast.

2. Utilize Landing Pages

A dedicated landing page for each episode can be a powerful sharing tool:

• Many hosting providers offer built-in landing pages for each episode.

• These pages allow listeners to play the episode directly in their browser or choose their preferred podcast app.

• Share these landing page links on social media, in emails, or via text messages.

3. Leverage Your Podcast Website

If you have a website for your podcast, make sure each episode has its own page:

• Transistor provides a free website for every podcast, with individual pages for each episode.

• These pages are perfect for sharing and can help with SEO.

4. Use Specialized Sharing Services

There are services designed specifically for podcast sharing:

• Episodes.fm allows you to create shareable links for any podcast episode, even if you're not the host.

• Chartable offers "smart links" that can track clicks and even downloads, providing valuable analytics.

Note: Chartable is shutting down as of Dec. 24, 2024

5. Automate Social Media Sharing

Save time by setting up automatic social media posting:

• Many podcast hosts offer features to automatically post new episodes to platforms like Twitter or YouTube.

• You can also use a social media posting service like Buffer.

6. Create Video Teasers

I've found that short video clips can significantly boost engagement on social media:

• Even for audio-only podcasts, create short video snippets featuring key moments from your episodes.

• Share these clips along with a link to the full episode.

7. Share a Spotify episode on Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories offer a unique sharing opportunity:

• Use the Spotify app to share episodes directly to your Instagram Stories.

• Viewers can then click to listen to the episode on Spotify.

8. Encourage Personal Recommendations

Word-of-mouth remains one of the most effective ways to grow your podcast:

• Encourage your listeners to share episodes with friends who might enjoy them.

• Prompt your audience during the episode to share if they find the content valuable.

9. Leverage Email Newsletters

Don't underestimate the power of email for sharing your podcast:

• Set up an automated system to send new episodes to your email subscribers.

• Tools like ConvertKit can automatically detect new episodes in your RSS feed and create engaging email templates.