I am always looking for ways to boost my podcast’s discoverability, along with my clients. Growth in the audio space, is always something that is consistently evolving.

And If you are a fellow podcaster, you understand the struggle.

One of the biggest challenges is getting your show in front of the right audience. With Apple Podcasts accounting for two-thirds of all podcast listens, it’s clear that discoverability on their platform is key to growing your audience. In this article, we’ll dive into some tips and best practices to help you improve your discoverability on Apple Podcasts and grow your audience.

4 Tips and Best Practices for Growth

The Importance of Subscribers

One factor that heavily influences search results on Apple Podcasts is the number of total all-time subscribers (now called followers). This means that if ranking higher in search results is important to you, it is in your favor to change your call-to-action from “rate & review our podcast” to simply “click follow!” This small tweak can make a big difference in your visibility on Apple Podcasts. The more followers your podcast has, the more likely it is to show up at the top of the search results for a given topic.

Strategic Use of Keywords

Another important factor to consider is the use of keywords in your podcast title and author name. Apple search only looks at keywords in the title and author fields at the episode and show level, NOT the description. This means that you need to be strategic with the words you use in your podcast title and author name. Consider using relevant keywords that your target audience might be searching for. This will help your podcast show up in search results when people are looking for content related to your topic.

Be Mindful of Your Leading Word

It’s also important to be mindful of the leading word in your podcast title. If it is “The,” consider removing it, as this word is irrelevant for search purposes and takes up valuable real estate in your title. Instead, use a relevant keyword that will help your show stand out in search results.

Match Your Show Keywords to Predictive Text Options

Finally, it’s worth noting that most users rely on the predictive search results that are suggested in the dropdown text when searching for podcasts on a specific topic. Matching your show keywords to mirror one of the predictive text options can increase your chances of showing up in search. This means that if you’re creating content around a certain topic, it’s a good idea to use the keywords that are suggested in the predictive text options to help your podcast show up in search results.

And there you have it, 4 tips and best practices for growth. If you want to improve your discoverability on Apple Podcasts and grow your audience, it’s important to be strategic with your use of keywords and to focus on increasing your number of followers. By implementing these best practices, you’ll be well on your way to growing your audience and expanding your reach on one of the most important podcast platforms in the world.

Happy podcasting,

Kim