To help aspiring and experienced podcasters grow their audiences and create more engaging shows, Apple has developed a toolkit of Marketing Best Practices for Apple Podcasts. The guidelines arrive alongside the release of watchOS 5, which includes an all-new Podcasts app.
In June, Apple announced that Podcasts was now offering over 555,000 active programs in over 100 languages. At the time, the show Stuff You Should Know became the first show on the platform to cross 500 million streams/downloads.
With the exploding popularity of podcasting, Apple hopes to set creators on the path to success as new shows pop up every day. The new website first outlines podcasting fundamentals before diving into show presentation, audience development, common mistakes, and available marketing tools. Apple recommends optimizing first for mobile:
While effective storytelling and clean audio are often the top priorities for podcasters, great cover art and show descriptions can be just as important in driving new listeners to subscribe. Apple has compiled example lists of shows with clear logos and well-written descriptions to serve as reference guides.
In addition to tools like Apple’s Link Maker and Affiliate Program, the page mentions Podcast Analytics, a feature announced at WWDC 2017 that lets podcasters gain insight on their audience.
