How Podcasters Can Generate Great Ideas For Social Media Posts
Posting about your podcast on social media without posting ONLY about your podcast can be exhausting. I can’t fix that, but I can give you 10 questions to ask yourself that make for great social post ideas.
So there I was, staring at the flashing “What’s happening?” prompt on my computer. And nothing was coming to mind.
As a podcaster, I’m sure that’s happened to you before. If you’re a natural-born social media person, perhaps not all that often. Or, if you, like me, are a writer, you probably have solid practices for busting through writer’s block that you can bring to bear when looking at a blank social media post field.
But if putting words into print doesn’t come naturally to you-as it often doesn’t come naturally to podcasters-you may feel anxious even thinking about posting content on your social media. Or maybe you’ve no problem writing a quick status update, but you are unhappy with the proliferation of visual social media apps. You might be great with text, and you may be great behind the mic…but you look at services like TikTok and wonder how the hell you’re supposed to compete with that stuff?
Social media-hard or not-takes work. As with all kinds of work, it takes developing new skills and adapting to changing environments. Even natural-born storytellers-many podcasters fit that bill-aren’t great when telling stories on social media platforms.
However, social media is also part of the game-a game we have to play as podcasters.
We know the value-even if the value is difficult to accurately measure-of engaging with our listeners, engaging with other podcasters, and doing our best to build our brand, find new people to introduce to our content, to keep connected in our particular niche, and even make connections in the larger world of podcasting.
We know we can’t get by just posting a link to our latest episode and thinking we’ve covered all our social media bases.
We know this, but knowing this does nothing to help when you’re staring at that blank “What’s happening?” prompt. That knowledge comforts us not when we’re looking at our selfie image, wondering what we were thinking when we pushed that big plus symbol on that visual social app that’s all the rage with the kids.
No, I’m not going to be so bold as to tell you what to post on social media. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all method to follow that will work for you. Or anyone.
But I can give you, as I am wont to do, some questions to think about the next time you berate yourself for having nothing to post on social media. And I promise you that one or more of these will work for you-every time.
10 Ideas For Podcasters Who Have No Idea What To Post About On Social Media Other Than Their Latest Episode
1. Did someone recently leave you inspired with a new episode idea?
Share that experience as it happens, and tag that person in your post! Don’t bottle it up and wait till you’ve got it worked into a final episode. No need to wait! Tell everyone how much you appreciate the person and the conversation and how excited you are about crafting that awesome idea into a new episode.
2. Did you recently record a fantastic interview?
Don’t wait-share it! And next time, share it as soon as you end the recording session. Tag the person you just interviewed. Mention some key insights you heard from them and that you’re looking forward to sharing more when you release the final episode. That’s not teasing. That’s building anticipation!
3. Has anything changed in your podcast tech stack?
Maybe you upgraded your mic cables. Or perhaps you switched DAWs. Things like that might seem mundane to you as you consider, “Do my listeners want to hear about this behind-the-scenes stuff?” but they are not mundane! Someone in your social circles-perhaps lots of someones-will find this interesting. And it’s possible another group of someones was hoping you’d make a change to your setup. Maybe now they’ll give your show another shot.
4. Did you recently schedule an episode?
Super smart podcasters, like at least some podcasters are some of the time, get their episodes produced and scheduled well in advance of the publishing date. That’s a great thing to post on social media! Let your audience know that you’ve just scheduled a fantastic episode that won’t come out for a few days or weeks or whatever. It doesn’t matter! And be sure to tag the people or the companies mentioned in the episode along with a link to your show’s website. This is another example of getting people excited about what’s to come on your podcast.
5. Have you learned something new?
Maybe you learned it at a podcast conference. Or perhaps something at a conference or in a webinar for your particular niche. If you attended something that left you with a new trick or technique that you’re excited about putting into place on your podcast-share that! Many in your audience will want to know that you’re constantly improving. And others interested in that new thing you discovered might be intrigued enough by your post to give you or your show a follow.
6. Did you just sculpt the most fantastic bit of sound?
Audio engineering is an art. When you figured out how to smooth out a tricky edit or nailed the timing of the bed music with the VO so well that you were pumping your fist in the background, you’ve just done something share-worthy. Take a screenshot. Better yet, use that screenshot as the background of an audiogram that just isolates the part of the mix that you’re so proud of. That’s fun content, and it should get the attention of other podcasters. And being attached and connected to more podcasters is always a good idea.
7. Have you made any personnel changes?
Maybe a new hire. Or perhaps you’ve outsourced a part of your process, like a PR firm. Let the world know about that! The other party you mentioned will likely reciprocate and maybe reshare your status update with their audience. Plus, it gives people following you another reason to look at your podcast, if only to see what’s changed.
8. Have you been noodling on writing an article?
Maybe you’re cooking up a manifesto or have an outline for some long-form content. Well… do it! All of today’s social media properties allow for long-form content. So write it out. Or record a video. Do whatever you need to get it out of your head and into the social sphere.
9. Are you frustrated, scared, or facing yet another existential crisis?
Maybe you’re feeling that way about yourself. Or perhaps you feel that way about your show. That’s OK. Open up and be vulnerable about that reality. I know that’s hard. I struggle with it, too, because I was raised in the Dark Ages. But remember-and get your shot glasses ready-that podcasting is an intimate medium. That sort of honesty is almost always repaid with an outpouring of supporters who have your back.
10. What’s happening?
If all else fails, post about your life. That question staring you in the face? Answer it. No, not every single thing about your life is something that should be posted on social media. But at the same time, not everything you post on social should be about your podcast. Heck, I’d even say that most of the things you post should not be about your podcast. So go ahead and share what’s happening in your personal life. Be a person. Other people love that.
So there you have it. There are ten ideas for podcasters who have no idea what to post about on social media besides their latest episode.
Many people make this stuff look easy. And for them, it is. While I can’t promise it will ever become easy for you, I’ve hopefully given you some ideas for the next time you feel stuck on what to post on social media, podcaster. Feel free to share this list with others.
I shall be back next week with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
Cheers!
Podcast Pontifications is written and narrated by Evo Terra. He’s on a mission to make podcasting better. Allie Press proofed the copy, corrected the transcript, and edited the video. Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media.
Originally published at https://podcastpontifications.com.
