How to Grow Your Podcast Audience (Without Paid Ads)

How to Grow Your Podcast Audience (Without Paid Ads)

1. Optimize Your Podcast for Search & Discovery

If people can’t find your podcast, they can’t listen to it. Search engine optimization (SEO) doesn’t just apply to websites—it works for podcasts, too. Optimizing your podcast title, description, and episode content makes it easier for new listeners to discover your show.


How to do it

  • Use keywords in your podcast title and description to make it more searchable.
  • Write SEO-friendly episode titles that describe the content clearly and include relevant keywords.
  • Add timestamps and detailed show notes so search engines can index your content properly.


Tip: Research keywords your ideal listeners are searching for and naturally incorporate them into your podcast metadata.

2. Leverage Guest Appearances & Cross-Promotion

Getting in front of other people’s audiences is one of the fastest ways to grow your own. By collaborating with other podcasters and industry experts, you can tap into new listener bases and drive traffic to your show.


How to do it

  • Be a guest on other podcasts in your niche and share valuable insights.
  • Invite guest experts to your show who will promote the episode to their audience.
  • Run cross-promotions where you mention other podcasters, and they mention you.


Quick Win: Create a “Podcast Swap” partnership with a podcaster in your niche and promote each other’s episodes.

3. Repurpose Podcast Episodes into Shareable Content

One podcast episode can be turned into multiple pieces of content that reach different audiences across platforms. Repurposing helps maximize visibility without extra effort.


How to do it

  • Turn key takeaways into short-form social media posts.
  • Create video snippets or audiograms and share them on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
  • Expand your episode content into a blog post or LinkedIn article to attract search traffic.


Tip: Use a tool like Headliner or Descript to easily create shareable video clips from your podcast.

4. Build an Engaged Podcast Community

Growing your audience isn’t just about getting more listeners—it’s about keeping them engaged so they become loyal fans who share your podcast with others.


How to do it

  • Create a private Facebook group, Discord server, or LinkedIn community for your listeners.
  • Host live Q&A sessions where listeners can interact with you directly.
  • Encourage listener-generated content, like answering audience questions on air.


Quick Win: Start a listener challenge or giveaway to encourage engagement and word-of-mouth referrals.

Final Thoughts: Growing Your Podcast the Smart Way

You don’t need paid ads to grow your podcast—you just need smart organic marketing strategies. By optimizing your show for search, leveraging guest appearances, repurposing content, and building an engaged community, you’ll attract more listeners and keep them coming back for more.


Want to take your podcast growth to the next level?


The Podcast Profit System™ provides a step-by-step framework to help you build, market, and monetize your podcast like a pro.


Click here to get started: PodcastProfitSystem.com

Donna Kunde

Donna Kunde is a podcast host, radio personality (in 184 countries), and co-founder of IBGR.network. She's the co-author of THE INFLUENCERS FORMULA and has produced over 15,000 podcasts (with 1.3M+ downloads), several in the top 100. Donna is also a public speaker, one of Virginia's top 50 Women Leaders, and received the Lead and Lift Others Culture award from John Maxwell. From stages around the world, Donna has reached the ears of millions.

Amplify Your Voice. Grow with Us.

Get monthly insights on how purpose-driven podcasters are turning their message into income—plus updates from our team and community.

Copyright FeelGd, LLC

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED