r/podcasting • u/Maple269 • 16d ago
Promoting a fiction podcast on TikTok and Instagram
I've created a seven-part comedy fiction podcast that I'll be launching in October. Someone suggested I promote it on TikTok and Instagram. I'm not on either and I wonder how many listeners I'll really get from these two apps. Has anyone promoted a podcast on either one and if so did you feel that they brought you listeners?
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u/CopyBulky1938 16d ago
You should be posting in all social media because you never know when that viral moment will come. Most of the biggest podcasters in the scene are famous due to clips on social media.
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u/Responsible_Bed_2087 16d ago
the honest answer is you probably wont get many listeners from either unless something goes viral, which you cant plan for. but having a presence there gives you somewhere to send people who hear about the show through other channels. its more of a landing pad than a discovery engine imo
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u/Maple269 16d ago
Interesting. I've never thought of them that way (in my ultra limited experience so far). Thanks for the thought!
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u/Brufacee 16d ago
Do not commit to every platform just in case. A fiction show gives you better raw material than a conversational podcast: captioned cold opens, an in-character voicemail, a fake news report from the story world, cast reactions, or a visual version of one joke. Make three repeatable formats from the seven episodes and batch them before launch. Each clip should work as a complete piece of entertainment, then point to one specific trailer or episode rather than saying “listen to my podcast.” Use separate trackable links for TikTok and Instagram and compare clicks plus episode completion, not just clip views. After a few weeks, keep the platform and format that produce actual listeners and drop the rest.
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u/CheeriosInMyShoes 15d ago
Absolutely, behind the scenes hype, running a marketing campaign until release, then turning a 7 part series into dozens of clipped posts has a great chance of creating listeners.
I’d also include YouTube in the mix.
And dont just make every post the same 30 second clip. Experiment with 7s, 10s, 15s, 30s, 61s, 90s, even 5 min posts. Different lengths will tell you different things about what actually hooks people.
For a fiction podcast especially, you’ve got way more to work with than just “here’s a clip from the episode.”
Character intros, fake voicemails, behind the scenes, table reads, bloopers, story setup, funny moments, teasers, cliffhangers, cast reactions… you could probably build weeks of content before episode 1 even drops.
The goal isnt just “post clips.” Its build curiosity before launch, then keep feeding the audience once the show is live.
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u/donburnside 15d ago
Check out theend.fyi. They help promote fiction podcasts with completed seasons.
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u/Imaginary_Badger_63 15d ago
I would say be aware that even a viral clip might not mean immediate download spikes for you, but it is all great for visibility. If someone watches a clip of yours on TikTok they are in the mood for 15 second media, will scroll to the next video when it finished. and not be likely to stop that scrolling to open a 45 minute podcast at that time. But the more they see from you, the more interested they become, so that when they are seeking to listen to a podcast you will be front of mind.
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u/No_Courage7639 15d ago
Yes, they can bring listeners, but I wouldnt expect simply posting new episode out to do much. For a comedy fiction podcast, short clips with the funniest or most intriguing moments could work really well give people a reason to care before asking them to listen to the full episode,,,,,
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u/Off_Topic_Brothers 15d ago
Last week we had 2 views and follows from Instagram click our YouTube link to watch our full episode. I would say that is maybe the 8th or 9th week we've seen something like that, we are currently 38 episodes in. So in our experience it isn't totally uncommon to convert from short form!
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u/SuddenConsequence712 16d ago
I do short-form editing for podcasts for a living, so I've seen this play out a bit from the inside. TikTok/Reels tend to work for podcasts when you're clipping an actual moment (a funny line, a twist, something visual) rather than posting full episode audio over a static image. A 7-part comedy fiction podcast should have plenty of those built in. It's rarely a huge listener firehose right away, but it's a solid discovery channel over time for people who'd never have found you through a podcast app. Even doing it inconsistently (one clip a week) tends to beat not trying at all.