While podcasting is growing in popularity, the tastes of the audience are also evolving, and not all listeners will like every content. Thus, many podcasters, especially video podcasters, are struggling with finding the right audience and not getting sufficient views, despite maintaining content quality.
Here, the reasons for this struggle will be explored, with a look into some hidden mistakes. The strategic solutions to these problems will also be looked into in this post.
Mistake #1: Your Search is Not Optimized
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a critical concept in understanding how people search on the internet and the search results they receive. Podcast distribution is also significantly connected to this aspect.
One reason that you might not be gaining access to a larger audience may be that your podcast name, description, and episode names are not optimized according to SEO.
This could mean some of the following issues are remaining in your content:
- Your podcast/episode title does not contain SEO-friendly keywords.
- The podcast description is not keyword-rich.
- A lack of tags, timestamps, or SEO-friendly thumbnails in your podcast.
- The absence of optimization in your podcast metadata.
Fix
If your content has these problems, how can you fix them? It is simple, really. You need to research to support optimization. This can include identifying the most appropriate keywords, optimizing your metadata content, and creating compelling titles that not only will attract the attention of the listeners but also have your content show up on the first page of a search list.
Mistake #2: Your Hook Fails to Attract the Audience
Your podcast should have a hook that immediately grabs the attention of the viewers. This could include an intro that is too long or poorly scripted, leading to losing viewers in the first 30 seconds.
Fix
So, how can you fix this problem? This might sound like a joke, but the solution is to get your hook to hook. And to do that, you need to either start with a bold question that immediately strikes the audience, or you can start with a quick teaser of some things that the podcast will discuss.
Otherwise, a strong cold open can also be capable of grabbing the viewers’ attention.
Mistake #3: You’re Not Promoting It Enough
Another mistake that many blossoming video podcasters make is not promoting their podcasts enough. This can include overreliance on YouTube or other podcast platforms. This would imply that only a section of the potential viewers is being targeted.
Moreover, another mistake you can be making in this context is avoiding cross-promotion on social media platforms, or even missing out on collaborations, which means that your podcast is not reaching a new and potential audience.
Fix
A simple solution to this issue is to use a reputable video podcast hosting platform, such as Hubhopper, BuzzSprout, or PodBean. These platforms will help your podcast reach a wide variety of audiences with the help of promotional tools.
Also, you can cut out clips from the video and use them as promotional pieces on social media websites with short-form video content such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts.
Another practice that can be a great help to improving your video podcast distribution is to plug your content into other social media websites through Tweets on X (Twitter) or posts on Facebook. It can encourage guests to share, increasing your podcast’s reach.
Mistake #4: Weak Video and Sound Quality
An issue that can completely derail how a video podcast is perceived is the ideal balance of sound and video quality. If your podcast gets blurry from time to time, or the sound cuts off multiple times along the video’s length, it ruins the viewer experience.
Fix
The main solution to this problem will be to upgrade your video and audio kit. Get a better camera with a stable zoom and focus, a basic lighting kit, and a higher-quality microphone. Also, most video podcast hosting platforms will provide you with the option to edit out the audio clutter from surrounding distractions. You can also use that to improve your video and sound quality.
Mistake #5: Your Thumbnails Aren’t Click-Worthy
A question to ask yourself when uploading a podcast is: “Is the Thumbnail attracting clicks?”. This is important. The thumbnail of your podcast can often be a visual engagement element of your podcast.
Your thumbnail should be visible, not too cluttered, and should convey the message of your podcast clearly. If any of these aspects are missing, your podcast distribution will be negatively affected.
Fix
A simple fix for this will be to look at how your podcast’s thumbnail is designed. Your thumbnail should be:
- Clearly visible, especially when in a minimized size
- Should have a clear indication of your podcast’s content
- Should not be cluttered with too many elements
Summing Up
Is your video podcast suffering from a lack of audience? It can be due to several reasons. It could be due to a lack of search engine optimization. It could also be due to insufficient promotion on different platforms.
A lack of promotional effort, weak quality of video and sound, and a lack of clickworthiness of thumbnails can also harm your podcast’s visibility.
Fixing them can help the potential success of your video podcasts and reach the correct audience.
Increase Your Podcast’s Visibility with a Hosting Platform
Do you feel like your podcast is not getting enough views, and something needs to be tweaked? Find a suitable video podcast hosting platform and identify the key metrics required for the podcast’s success. Good luck with your video podcasts!