How to Market a Podcast: A Beginner Plan for Your First 30 Days

TL;DR

Marketing a podcast is easier when you stop chasing random tactics and build one repeatable loop.

• Week 1: Fix your “basics” (positioning, show notes, CTA)
• Week 2: Start your clip system (3 clips per episode)
• Week 3: Start compounding discovery (SEO + collaborations)
• Week 4: Run a participation loop (prompt -> replies -> feature -> repeat)
• Try whatayarn to collect listener voice messages

Podcast marketing feels overwhelming because most advice assumes you have a team.

You don’t need 20 channels. You need a simple plan you can actually finish and a way to turn listeners into participants (not just passive downloads).

What “marketing a podcast” really means (for beginners)

Marketing isn’t just promotion. It’s everything that makes it easier for the right people to:

• discover your show,
• enjoy it enough to come back, and
• share it because they feel involved.

This 30-day plan focuses on the highest-leverage beginner moves:

1. Make your show easier to understand and follow.
2. Turn each episode into a few shareable assets.
3. Add one audience participation loop so momentum compounds.

Before you start: one decision that makes everything easier

Pick one recurring prompt you’ll ask every week.

Examples:

• “What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started?”
• “What’s your hot take on [topic]?”
• “Tell me your best 60-second story about [topic].”

Then make it easy to reply. The lowest-friction option is a voice message link people can tap on their phone.

If you want the full workflow, read Podcast Call-In Show: How to Get Listener Questions Every Week.

Week 1 (Days 1-7): Fix the basics so marketing actually works

If your foundation is messy, promotion just sends more people to bounce.

Day 1: Write a one-sentence promise for the show

Use this format:

If you’re stuck, start here: Podcast Description Template.

Day 2: Update your podcast description and episode titles

Quick rules:

• Put the keyword/topic early in the title.
• Cut inside jokes (save those for the intro).
• Make the first 2 lines of your description painfully clear.

Day 3: Tighten your intro and outro

Your outro is your marketing engine. Use it to ask the prompt and tell people exactly where to reply.

Script ideas: Podcast Intro & Outro Script Templates.

Day 4: Set up a show notes template (and reuse it forever)

Copy/paste: Podcast Show Notes Template.

Your goal is simple: make the CTA impossible to miss.

Day 5: Create your “leave a voice message” link

This is the wedge that turns marketing into a loop:

• One link you can put everywhere (site, show notes, socials)
• Listeners tap-record-send in seconds
• You feature the best messages, which creates UGC and repeat listening

Set it up with whatayarn.

Day 6: Build a tiny “link stack” for marketing

Make one place that contains:

• Your show link(s)
• Your best episode (or trailer)
• Your voice message link

This can be your website, a pinned post, or a link-in-bio page. The point is consistency.

Day 7: Put the voice message link everywhere (seriously)

Add it to:

• your show notes (top third),
• your podcast website,
• your YouTube description (if you have one),
• your social bios,
• your pinned posts,
• your email signature (optional).

Week 2 (Days 8-14): Start your clip system (so promotion is automatic)

Day 8: Decide your weekly clip quota

Start small:

• 3 clips per episode
• 30-60 seconds each
• 1 clear hook line + 1 clear CTA (listen/follow/reply)

Day 9: Choose 10 “clip formats” you’ll reuse

Examples:

• “Here’s the mistake I made…” (story)
• “If you’re doing X, stop.” (hot take)
• “Listener question -> my answer” (participation)
• “Before/after” (transformation)

We’ll go deeper here: Podcast Clips: Turn 1 Episode into 10 Short-Form Videos.

Day 10: Clip your first episode

Don’t overthink editing. The goal is consistency, not cinema.

If you only make one clip, make it this:

1. A listener message (question/story)
2. Your reaction (the punchline/insight)

Day 11: Write a reusable caption template

Copy/paste:

Day 12: Post 3 clips in 3 days

This is less about virality and more about building the habit.

Day 13: Invite replies (not just likes)

Ask for something people can do in 60 seconds:

• reply with a voice message,
• answer a poll,
• DM a quick take.

Day 14: Run your first call-in prompt

Tell listeners:

• what you want (one specific question),
• how long it should be (60-90 seconds),
• where to send it (your voice message link),
• when you’ll feature it (next episode).

Week 3 (Days 15-21): Start compounding discovery (SEO + collaborations)

Day 15: Pick one “pillar” topic you want to own

Example: “freelance pricing” or “wedding planning” or “strength training for beginners.”

The point is to stop being “a podcast about everything” and become a show people can search for.

Day 16: Run the podcast SEO checklist

Use this to clean up the basics: Podcast SEO Checklist.

Or read the full guide: Podcast SEO: How to Get Found.

Day 17: Publish one evergreen page

Pick a template/explainer your audience searches for.

Internal linking matters. A good starting structure is:

• Marketing hub: Podcast Marketing Strategy
• SEO: Podcast SEO
• Show notes: Show Notes Template
• Voicemail: Podcast Voicemail

Day 18: Reach out to 5 “one-rung-up” shows

Don’t pitch huge shows. Pitch shows slightly bigger than you.

Simple outreach angle:

• “I loved your episode on X.”
• “I’d love to share a tight story/lesson on Y.”
• “I can bring a listener question segment (voice messages) for your audience.”

Day 19: Do one small collaboration

Easy options:

• guest swap,
• promo swap,
• “answer one listener question” swap.

Day 20: Make one “best clip” compilation

Grab 3 clips and stitch them into one “If you like X, you’ll like this show” video.

Day 21: Record a listener segment

Play 1-3 voice messages and react.

This turns marketing into something people can share because they’re part of it.

Week 4 (Days 22-30): Turn marketing into a participation loop

Day 22: Pick your weekly participation ritual

Pick one:

• “Question of the week”
• “Hot take line”
• “Story time”
• “Advice line”

Day 23: Build your on-air segment template

Keep it consistent:

1. Read the prompt
2. Play 1-2 messages
3. React and add a takeaway
4. Ask the next prompt

Day 24: Add the prompt to your show notes template

Near the top, every time.

If you want a copy/paste block, use the Podcast Show Notes Template.

Day 25: Create a simple “featured listener” clip format

Clip formula:

• listener message (5-15 seconds)
• your reaction (15-45 seconds)
• CTA: “Leave a message. We feature listeners every week.”

Day 26: Ask for 5 messages (and make it easy)

Specific beats vague.

Good prompt:

• “Tell me your best 60-second story about X.”

Bad prompt:

• “What do you think?”

Day 27: Feature the replies quickly

Speed is the secret.

• Mention names (with permission)
• Thank them
• Make it feel real and rewarding

Day 28: Update your “best episode” link

Point new people to the best starting episode, not “the latest one.”

Day 29: Review what worked (and cut the rest)

Look at:

• Which clips got saves/shares
• Which CTAs got replies
• Which topics got the most listens

Double down on the top 1-2.

Day 30: Lock in a weekly system you can repeat for 90 days

Your goal isn’t a perfect month. It’s a repeatable month.

Checklist to Get Started

• ✅ Write a one-sentence promise for the show
• ✅ Add a show notes template you reuse every episode
• ✅ Create a voice message link and put it everywhere
• ✅ Post 3 clips per episode using repeatable formats
• ✅ Run one weekly call-in prompt and feature replies on air
• ✅ Publish one SEO page for your biggest topic

FAQs about marketing a podcast

Final Word

Podcast marketing isn’t a megaphone. It’s a loop.

If you want the simplest “beginner growth lever” to add this week, start here: