Podcasts can be an effective way to expand your reach and meet new people. Not only can they increase audience growth and expand your brand recognition, they may even help generate additional revenue streams for you.
Establishing your podcast’s target audience is essential to its success. Doing so will enable you to tailor both its content and approach accordingly.
1. Sign up for a Stitcher account
Stitcher is a media company and podcast app dedicated solely to podcasts. It enables podcasters to create, publish and monetize their shows but is best known for its global directory accessible through Apple/iTunes Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and other listening platforms. Stitcher utilizes RSS feed technology so it doesn’t host your audio files; therefore you simply submit your show rather than uploading to Stitcher directly.
Stitcher can help your podcast reach new listeners who may not currently subscribe, as well as increase exposure for episodes by featuring them on their Discover tab or through email newsletters or paid social ads.
To list your podcast on Stitcher, head to their Podcast Creator application page and complete their form with all your show details – titles, descriptions and URLs should all be provided so listeners can easily locate it. Once all fields have been filled out click Submit Application.
As soon as your application has been accepted, Stitcher will notify you via email and allow you to log onto its dashboard to start uploading podcast episodes – up to 100 at once can be uploaded at one time – quickly getting your podcast content online and running smoothly.
As part of your uploading, be sure to take a careful look at your show details in the dashboard and double-check that they appear correct. Accurate metadata ensures your podcast can be found and enjoyed by its intended listeners, so be sure to edit show description and episode descriptions as necessary to fit within their word limits.
Once your podcast has been uploaded to Stitcher, the Partner Portal makes it easy for you to view show stats and listener analytics for its episodes. There, you’ll see details such as download count for each episode as well as compare performance to similar shows on Stitcher.
2. Upload your podcast files
Stitcher is an easy and user-friendly podcast listening platform dedicated to podcasts that is widely used. As it hosts multiple creators and offers subscription services to listeners, Stitcher can be an ideal platform to host your content if you’re an audio podcast creator looking for distribution. However, before uploading anything onto Stitcher you should know some key details.
Stitcher provides several podcast hosting plans, with the most expensive plan costing $4.99 per month for ad-free listening. If your goal is to monetize your podcast, select one that best meets your budget requirements.
Once you have decided on a plan, the next step will be creating an RSS feed and uploading files using Libsyn or another tool to your directory.
After uploading your files to Libsyn, Stitcher requires you to set up an RSS feed for them. After creating a podcast listing and clicking through to verify it via an email from them, this will ensure they can accept and publish episodes to their platform.
If your podcast does not yet have its own website, Squarespace makes creating one easier with their stunning templates that showcase episodes for your listeners. Through an easy drag-and-drop interface, you can customize its look and feel to suit your specific needs.
Once your podcast has its own website, you can begin promoting and sharing episodes with audiences. Keep in mind that not everyone is listening on the same device so make sure your marketing strategy addresses each platform specifically.
Not only should you promote your podcast on social media and email newsletters, but you should also list it with popular podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and iHeartRadio to maximize exposure and reach. Listed on multiple of these platforms will give your show greater visibility and increase reach – it is recommended to register on as many as possible to maximize its visibility and exposure.
3. Create a Stitcher profile
Stitcher is one of the leading podcast platforms and boasts over 65 million active users, making it an excellent way to reach new listeners and expand your show’s audience. Submitting to Stitcher is relatively straightforward compared to other platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify or TuneIn; each step follows similar procedures.
Start off by going to Stitcher.com and creating an account as a Content Provider (also referred to as Partners). Provide an RSS feed of your podcast along with basic details of it as well as providing an image. After signing up, Stitcher will send an email asking for authorization of adding your show, just click on the link provided within that email to finish this process.
Once your show is approved, it should appear on Stitcher within 24 hours and you can log into your Partner Portal to view analytics for your show and episodes. Stitcher also offers a free podcast analytics dashboard which allows you to track how many listens it has received on their platform.
Promoting your podcast across other audio platforms such as Spotify, TuneIn and Apple CarPlay can also help increase its listenership and boost its iTunes ranking. In addition, creating a dedicated landing page for it through Squarespace’s tools provides another effective method for growing listenership: it features widgets for managing social sharing buttons, audio embeds and more!
4. Promote your podcast on Stitcher
As part of your website’s content marketing plan, creating a dedicated podcast section can be an excellent way to attract listeners. Here you can place an embedded player and call-to-action (CTA) that entice people to subscribe. Additionally, Stitcher makes this simple with their partner signup process; once signed up as one, your podcast will automatically appear on their global podcast directory.
Start publishing podcasts on Stitcher easily by creating an account and submitting your RSS feed. From there, you can start building a community and growing your listeners through this unique platform. To get started with Stitcher Partner Portal (formerly Simplecast Creator Connect) follow their quick signup walkthrough for quick sign up success.
Once registered, create an account using your email address and the RSS feed of your podcast. Next, click “Add Shows” to add it and within an hour it should appear in our global podcast directory.
Customize your podcast’s listing to include a detailed description and image as well as links to any social media accounts where listeners can interact with it. Taking advantage of this metadata could make all the difference when it comes to discovering your show!
Stitcher offers you the ability to submit your podcast for consideration for featured spots on its editorial pages, giving it even greater exposure for free! However, to be eligible, your show must have at least 5,000 monthly active listeners on Stitcher.
Promote Your Podcast Through Giveaways! Running giveaways is an incredible marketing strategy to expand online audience size, increase podcast subscriptions and Patreon contributions, and more. Stitcher’s Giveaway Template makes creating engaging competitions with multiple entry options simpler.
