Want More Podcast Listeners? Stop Growing Alone
One of the biggest mistakes podcasters make is believing they have to grow alone.
They obsess over algorithms, clips, microphones, SEO, and social media strategy while ignoring one of the most effective growth tools available to them:
Cross-promotion.
Cross-promotion is the process of working with other creators like podcast hosts, newsletter writers, YouTubers, or media brands in your niche or adjacent industries, to mutually grow each other’s audiences.
And the best part?
It works because audiences already trust recommendations from creators they already follow.
When two podcasts agree to promote each other by way of “ads” on each other’s shows, newsletter swaps, guest appearances, feed swaps, or collaborative episodes, both creators instantly gain access to a warm audience that is already likely to care about the topic.
That is significantly easier than convincing a stranger scrolling social media to stop and care about your podcast.
The smartest podcasters are not just building audiences.
They are building ecosystems.
Start With the Simplest Version
Cross-promotion does not have to start with some giant partnership.
It can begin with:
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Guesting on each other’s shows
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Newsletter mentions
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Feed drops
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Promo swaps
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Sharing each other’s clips
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Collaborative livestreams
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Swapping recommendations in episode intros
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Social media shoutouts
A simple 30-second host-read ad from another creator can outperform weeks of posting on social media.
Why?
Because podcast listeners trust hosts.
Cross-Promote Your Own Episodes Too
One of the most overlooked forms of cross-promotion is promoting your podcast inside your podcast.
Most listeners will not dig through your archive trying to figure out where to begin.
You need to guide them.
At the beginning or end of episodes, tease older episodes that they would enjoy.
Mention related conversations.
Tell listeners:
“If you liked this episode, go listen to episode 12 where we talked about…”
You can even create short trailers for your best episodes and run them as mini ads inside your newer episodes.
This does two things:
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It increases overall listen time across your catalog
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It helps listeners discover great episodes they otherwise never would have found
A podcast archive should feel like a connected universe, not a pile of disconnected uploads.
The Best Cross Promotions Feel Like Events
Once you build trust with another creator, take things further.
Create a special collaboration episode together. This way, you can combine your two audiences.
You can each publish the same episode in your feeds with unique intros and outros tailored to your audiences.
Or do something even more creative:
Split the episode in half.
Part one lives on your podcast.
Part two lives on theirs.
Now both audiences have a reason to subscribe to both shows (sneaky, eh?)!
It turns podcast growth into a shared experience instead of a competition.
Podcasting Grows Faster Through Relationships
Many creators treat podcasting like broadcasting. Remember when Law & Order franchises did the same case, so while you watched SVU, you had to watch Organized Crime to find out if the case was solved and justice served?
The best creators treat it like community building.
The truth is:
Most podcast audiences overlap more than creators realize.
Going back to the broadcast example, it’s like when Lisa Kudrow was working on “Mad About You” and “Friends” at the same time. So the writers of both shows had some fun and made the characters of each show interact with her character for the other series, and confusion ensued. It was fun, but everyone had fun and liked being part of these fictional worlds.
Similarly, in podcasting, cross-promos and working together on an episode can really build a loyal audience. So, your “competition” is often actually your best collaborator.
And when creators work together intentionally, everybody grows faster.
New here? Hi, I am Tara, and I am a nomadic podcast producer and strategist. This substack is a blog about podcasting, while being its own video podcast about travel.