Music & AudioBeginnerPreview
Podcast Marketing
A practical, end-to-end guide to launching a podcast, growing its audience through proven distribution and PR tactics, and turning listeners into revenue through sponsorships, ads, and products.
Entrepreneurs, marketers, and creators who want to start a podcast or grow an existing one — without guessing at what actually moves the needle.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook accompanies the Podcast Marketing course and gives you a structured place to apply every framework, complete every exercise, and build the core assets of your show. Work through each section alongside the corresponding module — do not skip ahead. The templates at the end are ready-to-use production tools you will return to every week.
Positioning, Niche, and Launch Architecture
Complete your Podcast Positioning Canvas, lock in your show format decisions, and build your 7-day launch plan before recording episode one.
Exercise: Complete the Podcast Positioning Canvas
Answer each prompt in a single specific sentence. Vague answers disqualify — rewrite until every answer could apply to only YOUR show, not any show in your category.
- Audience: Who is your listener, stated as a job title + career stage + company type? (e.g., "mid-career product managers at B2B SaaS companies, post-IC pre-director")
- Problem: What specific, named frustration does your listener have right now that your show addresses? Quote the language from Reddit threads or competitor reviews you researched.
- Format: What format and cadence will you publish, and what makes that format better for your listener than an alternative (blog, book, video)?
- Proof: What qualifies you or your guest access to teach this topic? List 3 specific credentials, experiences, or access points.
Worksheet: Show Architecture Decision Sheet
Fill in every field before recording your first episode. These decisions are hard to reverse after launch — treat them as contracts with your audience.
- Show name
- Tagline (under 12 words)
- Primary format (solo / interview / co-host / narrative)
- Episode length range (min–max minutes)
- Publishing cadence (weekly / bi-weekly / other)
- Episode structural template (list the 5-7 recurring segments in order)
- Hosting platform selected and monthly cost
- Cover art tool and designer (or URL if outsourcing)
- 3-episode back-catalogue titles planned for launch day
- Target launch date
Checklist: 7-Day Launch Readiness Checklist
- RSS feed submitted to Apple Podcasts (allow 5–10 days for approval)
- RSS feed submitted to Spotify for Podcasters
- RSS feed submitted to Amazon Music for Podcasters
- Trailer episode recorded (90 seconds, structured per lesson script)
- 3 back-catalogue episodes fully edited and queued
- Cover art passes the 55px test on both light and dark backgrounds
- Launch announcement drafted for email list
- 50 personal DMs drafted for day-of launch review ask
- Calendly or scheduling link created for guest bookings
- UTM parameters set up in your URL builder for each distribution channel
Multi-Channel Distribution and Repurposing
Map your full distribution stack, build your weekly content batch template, and set up your SEO foundation so every episode compounds over time.
Worksheet: Distribution Stack Map
For each directory and platform, record your submission status, your show URL on that platform, and the monthly download attribution you see from that source in your hosting analytics. Update monthly.
- Apple Podcasts — submission date, show URL, monthly downloads from this source
- Spotify — submission date, show URL, monthly downloads from this source
- Amazon Music — submission date, show URL, monthly downloads
- YouTube — channel URL, average views per episode, click-through rate to podcast
- iHeart Radio — submission date, show URL
- Overcast — auto-indexed date confirmed, show URL
- Pocket Casts — auto-indexed date confirmed
- TuneIn — manual submission date, show URL
- Podchaser — claimed profile URL, number of reviews
- LinkedIn newsletter / Substack (if applicable) — subscriber count, open rate
Exercise: Build Your Weekly Content Stack for One Episode
Choose one recent or upcoming episode. Using the Episode-to-Content Ratio framework from Module 2, produce every listed asset below. This exercise should take 90 minutes. Time yourself on the first attempt — the goal is under 90 minutes by week four.
- Paste the 3 most surprising or counterintuitive moments from your episode transcript below. These become your clip and quote card source material.
- Write your Twitter/X thread hook tweet (must state the payoff in the first sentence, not the setup) and your closing CTA tweet.
- Write the subject line and 400-word body for your email newsletter segment tied to this episode. Include one key insight and a direct listen link with UTM source=email.
Checklist: Episode SEO Checklist
- Episode title includes primary keyword within first 5 words
- Primary keyword has 100–2,000 monthly searches (verified in Ahrefs or Keywords Everywhere)
- Show notes page is at least 800 words
- H2 headings in show notes use secondary keywords
- Transcript published on your own domain (not a hosting platform subdomain)
- Transcript includes a Key Takeaways bulleted list at the top
- 3–5 internal links to related episodes included in show notes
- Audio embed player added above transcript on show notes page
- Episode meta description written (under 155 characters, includes primary keyword)
- YouTube upload includes full keyword-rich description and closed captions
Guest Strategy, PR, and Audience Amplification
Build your guest pipeline, write your pitch template, and set up the PR and community systems that compound your audience growth.
Worksheet: Guest Pipeline Tracker Setup
Build your tiered guest list. For each prospect, fill in every field. Tier 1 guests require a 30-day warm-up period of genuine engagement before pitching — mark the warm-up start date.
- Guest name
- Tier (1 / 2 / 3)
- Their show, publication, or primary platform
- Their audience size (approximate)
- Specific episode angle prepared for them (not generic)
- Personalised first-line reference (specific tweet, article, or talk they gave)
- Contact method (LinkedIn / Twitter / Email / Mutual intro)
- Pitch sent date
- Response received (yes / no / follow-up needed)
- Booking confirmed date
- Recording date
- Publish date
- Guest Promotion Kit sent (yes / no)
- Downloads attributable to guest share (from UTM data)
Exercise: Write Your Cold Pitch Template and Guest Promotion Kit
Draft your reusable pitch template using the 4-part structure from Module 3, Lesson 1. Then draft the Guest Promotion Kit you will send within 24 hours of every episode publishing.
- Write your pitch subject line formula with a placeholder for the personalised element.
- Write the full 4-part pitch body (personalised opener, show positioning, specific episode angle, social proof + CTA). Keep the total under 150 words — count them.
- Write two pre-written social captions for your Guest Promotion Kit: one for LinkedIn (150–200 words, no external link in the body), one for Twitter/X (under 280 characters, includes episode link).
Checklist: PR and Community Launch Checklist
- 10 journalist or newsletter writer targets identified using Muck Rack or HARO who cover your topic
- 3 story angles drafted (not show pitches — data or narrative angles about your topic)
- Podcasts Connect promotional submission completed (requires 3+ published episodes)
- Spotify editorial growth tools form submitted
- Podmatch or Podcast Swap Facebook Group joined for cross-promotion swap opportunities
- Community platform selected and account created (Discord / Circle / Facebook Group)
- 5 seed posts published in community before first listener invitation
- Weekly community ritual schedule defined (e.g., Monday thread + Friday win + monthly live Q&A)
- SparkLoop or equivalent referral program set up with a defined reward
- Referral CTA scripted for inclusion in an upcoming episode
Monetisation Systems: Sponsorships, Ads, and Listener Revenue
Build your sponsorship media kit, set up your listener-supported revenue tier, and design the funnel that turns listeners into customers.
Worksheet: Sponsorship Media Kit Builder
Fill in each field. This becomes your one-page media kit. Update download numbers monthly. The pricing fields should use your CPM calculation: (downloads per episode ÷ 1,000) × CPM rate = price per placement.
- Show name and tagline
- Listener avatar (job title, industry, income range if relevant)
- Average downloads per episode (30-day average)
- Download trend (growing / stable / declining) and 90-day change percentage
- Top 3 platforms where listeners consume the show (from hosting analytics)
- Notable guests (list 3–5 most recognisable names)
- Press mentions or awards (if any)
- Tier 1 Episode Sponsor: deliverables and price
- Tier 2 Monthly Partner: deliverables and price
- Tier 3 Series Sponsor: deliverables, category exclusivity terms, and price
- Contact email for sponsorship inquiries
- 20 target brands identified from Rephonic sponsor database (list names)
Exercise: Design Your Listener Membership Tier Structure
Map out your three membership tiers, the specific deliverables at each tier, and write your founding-member announcement script for an upcoming episode.
- For each of your three tiers, list the price, the 3–5 specific deliverables, and the platform you will use to deliver them (Supercast / Patreon / Spotify Subscriptions).
- Write the first bonus episode title and format you will deliver within 48 hours of a new member subscribing — this is your most important retention move.
- Write the 120-second in-episode membership announcement script. It must explain the why (what the membership enables) before the what (the tiers and prices).
Checklist: Listener-to-Customer Funnel Setup Checklist
- Lead magnet created (PDF template, framework, checklist, or resource library directly tied to show's core promise)
- Landing page built with email opt-in form (ConvertKit / MailerLite)
- 5-email welcome sequence written and automated (Day 0/2/4/7/10 per module framework)
- Lead magnet CTA scripted for permanent inclusion in every episode
- UTM parameters set up on lead magnet URL to track which episodes drive the most sign-ups
- One case-study episode planned per month (real client result with permission)
- Discovery call booking link created and tested (Calendly or Cal.com)
- Listener-only pricing or offer defined for service or product
- Email list and podcast cross-promotion rhythm set up (every 4–6 weeks, email drives to new episode)
- First product or service CTA scripted for an upcoming episode (problem-solving demo, not feature list)
Your Action Plan
- Complete the Podcast Positioning Canvas fully before recording any episodes — do not move forward until every cell is specific and non-generic
- Submit your RSS feed to Apple Podcasts and Spotify at least 10 days before your planned launch date to allow for approval processing
- Record your trailer episode and 3 back-catalogue episodes before your public launch announcement
- Build and schedule your full weekly content stack for your first published episode using the 90-minute batch process
- Send 10 guest pitches in your first week of publishing, starting with Tier 3 prospects to build your featured-guest list
- Publish your Sponsorship Media Kit and pitch at least 5 target brands from your Rephonic research list by episode 20
- Launch your listener membership program by episode 15 with a dedicated announcement episode and a founding-member discount active for 30 days
- Create and promote your lead magnet in every episode from episode 1; set a target of 100 email subscribers before episode 20
- Execute at least 2 cross-promotion swaps with shows of similar audience size within your first 60 days of publishing
- Review your download analytics, email sign-up rates, and sponsorship pipeline weekly — update your media kit monthly with current numbers
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