Are you considering podcast marketing services? Congratulations! That means you’re taking your podcasting journey seriously and have big dreams to scale in the future.
The good news is you’ll have plenty of options. The bad news is that it can be pretty overwhelming.
If you’re not sure where to start with podcast marketing services, you can use this guide to make informed decisions. We’re breaking down everything you should know about podcast marketing services — including social media, content creation, and hosting/syndication — plus the market’s best tools for growing your audience, reach, and income.
But first, let’s talk about why outsourced marketing matters.
- Why Should You Outsource Your Podcast Marketing?
- What Types of Podcast Marketing Services Are Available?
- How Do You Choose the Right Podcast Marketing Agency?
- Top Agencies and Tools for Podcast Marketing
- Answering Your Questions
- The Bottom Line on Podcast Marketing Services
Why Should You Outsource Your Podcast Marketing?
The thought of outsourcing your marketing could sound expensive and unnecessary on the surface. After all, how hard can it be? Isn’t delegated marketing for ‘rich’ podcasters anyway?
These are common misconceptions, in fact, most of the world’s biggest podcasts actually started with a marketing campaign first. And remember: the idea of ‘marketing’ has changed dramatically over the past 10 years. It’s not just about paid ads or press releases these days, and much more about crafting high-quality content.
Today, we know that podcast marketing services are cost-effective, accessible to everyone, and provide a surprisingly high ROI.
Here are a few other reasons why podcast marketing services matter:
- They save you time. A general rule of thumb in podcast editing is that it takes professional editors 3-4 times the length of the recording to finish editing and five to 10 minutes for an amateur. This means it could take you between five and 10 hours to record, edit, and publish your show. Thankfully, outsourcing these tasks to a podcast marketing service can help you free up time to focus on other tasks. Even if you outsource just two podcasts per month, you could save 10 to 20 hours to spend on topics, networking, and more.
- They save you headaches. Maybe you just finished editing an hour-long podcast — only to watch your DAW crash. Or maybe you’ve just uploaded your audio into an editing tool and feel overwhelmed by all the pops and ticks to fix. Sure, these are nightmares if you’re handling everything yourself, but with the right podcast marketing service, they’re no longer your problem. Professionals can help you push out quality content faster, and then streamline production more efficiently.
- They save you money. Contrary as it may seem, podcast agencies can save you money in the long run by offering cost-effective resources at the earliest stages of your show. They can also exponentially increase your impact by driving listeners to your distribution list. In other words, you spend less money on tools that don’t move the needle and maximize your reach and monetization opportunities.
All these benefits sound great on the surface, but how do you find a podcast marketing service that can deliver them?
Most marketing services are separated into three different categories.
Let’s take a look at what you should expect.
What Types of Podcast Marketing Services Are Available?
As mentioned, podcast marketing services can be separated into three major categories: social media, content creation, and content hosting or syndication. Some agencies cover all three verticals, while others specialize in just one or two.
Which option (or options) are right for your show?
Here’s what you need to know about each:
How Do Social Media Marketing Services Work for Podcasts?
As the name implies, social media marketing services can help you promote your podcast on platforms where your audience spends time. This could be a professional networking site like LinkedIn or a more casual platform like Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit.
Every podcast marketing service approaches social media differently. Many of them lean into repurposing your content, which means transforming your assets into bite-sized, palatable pieces like YouTube Shorts or audiograms.
You may need social media marketing services if you’re newer to podcasting and don’t know where to begin. This also applies if you’re unfamiliar with social network marketing and don’t want to learn the ropes of specific platforms or networks.
Learn more about the process of podcast promotion.
What Do Content Creation Services Include?
Podcast content creation services can help you produce, edit, and optimize your show. All you need is to show up with your guests — your marketing team will help handle the rest.
There are many different types of content creation agencies depending on the content format(s) you want for your show. Alternatively, some teams only offer content production services — in-person teams might help with the setup/teardown of equipment, and remote-only teams can help with interviews, recording, and more.
Depending on your agency, you can also leverage marketing services to:
- Choose the best topic and format for your show. Maybe 15-minute episodes are all you need, or perhaps niching down your idea could make your podcast more unique.
- Create additional content from podcast episodes. This could be blogs, videos, checklists, or other guides. You could also get transcripts to embed on your website.
- Tap into traditional advertising services. This could be paid ads, email blasts, SMS marketing, and more.
To summarize, content creation and repurposing services are ideal for finance podcasters without much time to build an audience. They’re much less expensive than purchasing all your own podcasting equipment, especially if you don’t have a budget to spend on production.
Wondering if this is something you could do on your own? Check out our webinar on 10 proven podcast growth strategies first.
How Do Hosting and Distribution Services Help Your Podcast?
Podcast hosting and distribution services ensure your podcast appears on the right networks and databases. While they’re not directly involved in producing your show, they can still help you get seen by potential audience members.
With content hosting and distribution services, you can:
- Get your podcast published on Apple Podcasts, Spotify for Creators, and more
- Store large volumes of media content so you don’t have to pay for more expensive platforms (like Google Workspace or Dropbox)
- Access monetization services, including ad networks for individual listeners
You may want to consider a content hosting and distribution service if you plan on heavily monetizing your show. This makes it easier to keep track of your episodes and see how your content is performing on different channels, networks, and platforms.
💡Related: Top Tips to Grow Your Podcast
How Do You Choose the Right Podcast Marketing Agency?
There are plenty of podcast marketing agencies on the market, but only a few truly valuable options that can drive your podcast forward.
That said, there’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ marketing agency — only the service that suits your needs best.
With this in mind, here’s how to vet the best podcast marketing agency for your show, starting with the most important element:
Experience in your niche
The best podcast marketing agencies offer industry-specific experience in your unique topic, field, or niche. This means they’ve worked on shows that are similar to yours or cover a similar topic (think finance, marketing, or parenting advice). Not only can they help to benchmark your show, but they can offer custom advice based on what it may be missing. If you can’t tell whether an agency has experience in your niche, ask their sales rep if they can provide client references or at least examples of similar shows.
Transparency and analytics
An occasional email stating your podcast is ‘doing well’ is not an indication of progress or success. Considering 41% of marketing measures are vanity metrics, you need an honest provider that can provide performance metrics regularly. These metrics should be customized to your specific goals, such as improved performance, average consumption rate, and percent positive ratings/reviews. You should have access to metrics on at least a monthly basis, possibly in real-time depending on your needs.
Customization and flexibility
From content repurposing to ad campaigns, you need to partner with an agency that can pivot as you grow. Remember: you might start out with just a handful of subscribers, and a few years later, have a listener base of 1,000 or more. It’s a good idea to be open about where you’re looking to go with your podcast, and be honest about deal breakers that could potentially lose your business. If the agency isn’t willing to compromise, or if they don’t provide up-front assurances, you can safely cross them off the list and get in touch with a competitor.
Top Agencies and Tools for Podcast Marketing
Struggling to choose the best marketing services and tools on your shortlist?
Here are three options for social media marketing, content creation, and hosting/syndication:
The Podcast Consultant: Best All-In-One Agency for Podcast Marketing
- Services: Social Media; Podcast Editing; Video Content; Content Repurposing
- Industry Specialty: Finance; Finance Marketing
- Rating: 5/5
The Podcast Consultant (TPC) is a full-service podcasting agency that offers launching, auditing, and optimization services. Producing 10,000+ shows with over 100,000,000+ downloads, we command a deep experience in the finance, investment, and financial marketing industries.
We support our customers with three major services:
- Podcast Production: Our team of experienced engineers, editors, and producers assist with editing, polishing, and remote recording workflows. We follow strict guidelines for quality assurance and turn completed episodes around in 72 hours or less. Then, we publish finished episodes on your podcast hosting platform so you don’t need to worry about losing track of your show.
- Video Production: If you’re ready to upgrade your podcast from audio to video, The Podcast Consultant is available to help. Our editors can fix delays and sync issues, provide visual production elements, advise on promotional methods, and of course, publish finished episodes on requested platforms.
- Podcast Marketing: The Podcast Consultant transforms your existing podcast assets into evergreen collateral you can use to promote your show. This includes audiograms, video clips, and sound branding/music production. If you select our Full Promotion Package, you can access moving waveforms and subtitles that work on Instagram, LinkedIn, and more.
As you can see, The Podcast Consultant is the best podcast marketing agency for financial professionals and marketing teams.
No need to take our word for it, though.
Browse our case studies and client shows to see for yourself.
Canva: Best Design Tool for Content Creation and Podcast Artwork
- Services: Social Media Design; Podcast Artwork
- Industry Specialty: All
- Rating: 4.7/5
Canva is a cloud-based graphic design tool that lets you create images, videos, and cover art. You can use their free version to craft professional-looking graphics, platform-ready podcast logos, video clips and more.
If you upgrade to a paid Canva plan, you can access additional cloud storage, AI tools, and scheduled social content tools. Just keep in mind it’s not a full-service agency — you’ll have to manually create, schedule, and optimize content for your show.
Canva is best for newer podcasters with younger shows who just want to get their foot in the door. It may not be able to edit your show directly, but you can always pair it with popular editing tools like REAPER or Hindenburg PRO.
Buzzsprout: Best Podcast Host for Show Syndication
- Services: Content Repurposing; Content Syndication
- Industry Specialty: All
- Rating: 4.8/5
Buzzsprout is a freemium hosting tool that lets you upload, sync, and distribute podcast episodes. You can also sweeten your audio with Magic Mastering™, list your shows in popular directories, and track their performance over time with advanced podcast metrics.
You can also use Buzzsprout to help monetize your show, whether or not you have an existing system in place. For example, you can:
- Set up recurring support and subscriptions
- Run ads on your podcast through the Buzzsprout network
- Create a free podcast website with multiple options for listener support
Buzzsprout is the best podcast hosting platform for podcasters looking to monetize beyond ads. It may not offer complete editing packages or auditing/optimization packages, but it can still provide a solid foundation for DIY content syndication.
Answering Your Questions
When should I start using podcast marketing services? Consider marketing services when you’re consistently publishing episodes, have basic audio quality figured out, and want to focus more time on content creation rather than technical tasks.
What’s the difference between podcast marketing and podcast production Podcast production focuses on creating the actual episodes (recording, editing, publishing), while podcast marketing promotes and distributes your content to grow your audience. Many agencies, such as The Podcast Consultant, offer both services.
How do I measure ROI from podcast marketing services? Track metrics like listener growth, download increases, social media engagement, website traffic from podcast referrals, email list sign-ups, and any direct business inquiries or sales attributed to your podcast. Compare these gains against service costs.
Should I choose a specialist agency or a full-service provider? A: It depends on your needs and budget. Specialists often excel in their specific area (like social media or editing). Full-service providers offer convenience and integrated strategies but typically cost more. Consider your time availability and coordination preferences.
What if I’m in a very specific niche – can marketing agencies still help? Niche expertise is actually advantageous. Look for agencies with experience in your industry (finance, healthcare, tech, etc.) as they understand your audience, terminology, and effective promotion strategies better than generalist providers.
Can I start with one service and add others later? Absolutely. Most agencies offer modular services. You might start with just show notes & transcripts, or only video clips, then add social media management, and later include full production services as your podcast grows and generates revenue.
What red flags should I watch for when choosing a podcast marketing agency? Avoid agencies that guarantee specific download numbers, have no verifiable client testimonials, request long-term contracts without trial periods, can’t show examples of their work, or use primarily automated/bot-driven engagement strategies.
Is it better to hire individual freelancers or work with a podcast agency? Agencies provide consistency, accountability, and integrated services but cost more. Freelancers offer specialized skills and flexibility at lower costs but require more management. Consider your budget, time availability, and comfort level with project management.
The Bottom Line on Podcast Marketing Services
It’s not a question of if you need podcast marketing services — it’s a question of when. Because to grow your show in today’s competitive podcasting market, only the best of the best will help you stand out from the crowd.
Again, you shouldn’t try looking for the ‘best’ podcast marketing services, because the best podcast agency is the one that suits your needs. If your goals, budget, and niche align, it’s likely the best possible fit for your growing show.
Hundreds of podcasts believe The Podcast Consultant offers the perfect blend of podcast services for growing shows. If you’re looking for a podcast marketing agency that offers social media, content creation, and content hosting services, our team of experts may be right for you.
Book a discovery call with our team to learn more about how we can collaborate on your podcast.