Podcast Fundamentals: Reach Your Audience
Podcast Fundamentals: Reach Your Audience
Instructor: Amanda McLoughlin
Class Dates: June 17 - August 5, 2020
Registration Closes: Friday, June 19, 2020
Recommended Experience Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Maximum Class Size: 14
Discover how to amplify your podcast’s reach by leveraging the power of social media, advertising, website optimization, cross-promos and more. You’ll walk away with your own definition of success and a strategic marketing plan to get you there.
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All Online Classes
This class is full!
Sign up for the waitlist using the form on this page. If a space becomes available, we will notify you by email, and you will have 24 hours to register before the spot is offered to the next person on the waitlist.
Learn about our scholarships >
About This Class
The secret to a successful podcast is... planning.
Whether you’re a seasoned podcaster or making your debut, figuring out how to reach your listeners can feel daunting. The good news is that the earlier in the process you think about marketing, the easier and more successful your efforts will be. This class will help you develop an understanding of how marketing and audience engagement work in podcasting, as well as a clear picture of your own goals for your podcast and the steps you can take to get there. You’ll walk away with all of the key pieces of an actionable marketing plan and the motivation to move forward!
How it Works
This class takes place over six weeks. Each week, you’ll receive a new lesson from your instructors, along with exercises and prompts to help you take your work to the next level. You’ll have deadlines for submitting assignments, but you’ll complete the work each week at your own pace.
Because we keep the class size small, you can expect regular, constructive feedback from your instructors. What’s more, the small class size gives you the opportunity to learn from others in your class. You’ll be asked to give your best feedback to your classmates, and they’ll be asked to do the same for you.
By the end of this six-week class, you’ll be able to:
Build a successful social media plan for your podcast
Optimize your podcast metadata to make it more discoverable
Pitch your podcast to the media with a professional press kit
Collaborate with other podcasts to engage with their fans
Develop live and digital events that deepen your relationship with your audience
This class is for you, if:
You want to learn best practices to promote your podcast and get it into as many earbuds as possible
You have a clear idea of what your podcast is and some idea of who you want to reach (or an existing podcast to promote)
You are seeking a proven process and an accountability partner
You want lots and lots of feedback!
Please note: This class does not cover audio production or storytelling skills. You’ll come away with many ideas for how to get your podcast out in the world.
If you want to strengthen your audio skills, please consider registering for Podcast Fundamentals: Produce Your Audio. Or, if you have the beginning of a podcast idea and want to set yourself up for success by figuring out who needs your podcast, please consider registering for Podcast Fundamentals: Shape Your Idea.
Schedule
+ WEEK ONE: SETTING GOALS
Let’s figure out where you want to go with your podcast and develop a map to get there! This week is dedicated to audience development, goal setting, and what marketing means for podcasters.
+ WEEK TWO: CREATING AUDIENCE PROFILES
Learn how to create an audience profile by further understanding your target listener, using surveys, research, and more. Once you know more about who they are, you’ll discover effective ways of reaching them.
+ WEEK THREE: METADATA IS YOUR FRIEND
Podcasts have very few tools to signal to potential listeners what we’re all about. That means we need to use the ones we do have to the fullest. Let’s talk data and search engine optimization (this means more than just Google!).
+ WEEK FOUR: COMMUNITY BUILDING IS A TWO-WAY STREET
Audience development means building a relationship with your listeners. And like any relationship, it takes work on both sides to get it right.
+ WEEK FIVE: THE PITCHING PROCESS
Who should you tell about your podcast, and how can you pitch for success? To answer this, you’ll create your own pitch deck to send to press, partners, and more.
+ WEEK SIX: THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
What other options are available to you as you pursue your podcast goals? Is your audience bananas for buttons they can put on their backpacks? Who might be a valuable partner for cross-promotion (and how do you set that up)?
Setting Expectations
You are not expected to have previous experience with marketing. The only prerequisites for this class are basic computer skills and the time to complete the work, which is estimated to be roughly five hours per week.
Meet Your Instructors!
Amanda McLoughlin (Lead Instructor) is a podcaster, business builder, and queer martini aunt. She is the creator and CEO of Multitude, an independent podcast collective and production studio based in New York City. Multitude produces original shows, publishes free resources for podcasters, and helps clients of all sizes create, market, and grow great shows. Her career is dedicated to helping other creators make a living by making great stuff online.
Palace Shaw (Supporting Staff, PRX Podcast Garage) has been steeped in community-driven arts and media work, and believes in the importance of voice and storytelling as essential in building community. She’s previously worked at The Institute of Contemporary Art, UNTITLED Art Fair in Miami, Groundswell Community Mural Project in Brooklyn, and ArtMorpheus. She’s invested in supporting new and underrepresented voices in podcasting. She also co-hosts and produces The Whitest Cube, a podcast about race and art institutions that speaks with artists, activists, and the city of Boston to envision a radical future for museums.
Apply for a Scholarship
At this time, we can provide one full or partial scholarship for each class. Anyone with financial need can apply. It is not based on your previous experiences or skills in audio.
Sound School Policies
The following policies exist to help create a positive, meaningful and educational experience for all. Please read through them carefully before you register for a class.
+ Cancellation and Refunds
You may cancel your registration up to 48 hours before the official start date of the class and receive a full refund or credit for a future class. We offer no refunds for cancellations within 48 hours or past the official start date of the class. You must notify staff at PRX — not the instructor — in writing at info@podcastgarage.org to cancel or withdraw from a class.
In the event of a personal emergency or illness, we may offer you a full refund or credit for a future class. These requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and must be requested in writing at info@podcastgarage.org as soon as possible.
If PRX must cancel a class for any reason, you will receive a full refund.
Credit does not guarantee a spot in a future class; you must still go through the registration process.
+ Participation and Completion
You are expected to log on at least once a week to review the session, complete assignments and interact with your classmates and instructor. PRX instructors cannot guarantee feedback on late assignments.
If you do not log into our online learning system within the first two weeks, we will check in with you via email. If there is no response or activity, you may be removed from the class without a refund.
All classes will remain open to participants for two weeks after the official end date of the class. After that time, we will close our online learning system and send you the class materials for your reference.
You will have the opportunity to evaluate the class and instructor throughout the class through an online form. Your feedback is very important to us!
All students are expected to follow the Podcast Garage’s Community Policies — anyone in violation will be removed from the class without a refund.
