PLANNING / 7 MIN READ
THE 14-DAY PODCAST PROMOTION CHECKLIST
Good promotion is usually won before the episode is published. A short lead time gives you room to choose the right angle, create the assets, and make sure every link works.
Fourteen days before release: gather the source material
Send the finished recording, transcript, episode title, intended release date, guest information, and the one action you want listeners to take. If the episode is already scheduled, share its listening links too.
The transcript matters because it lets your content team find the actual language, tension points, and useful explanations in the conversation. A title alone is rarely enough to build a thoughtful campaign.
Ten days before release: find the campaign angle
Write down the main question the episode answers. Then choose the angle that will make the right person pause. That may be a useful framework, an unpopular opinion, a story, or a sentence that gives the audience language for something they already feel.
Do not try to promote every topic in the recording. Pick one central idea, then make the supporting content feel connected to it. This is where an episode strategy saves time later.
Seven days before release: approve the creative system
Approve the episode graphic or thumbnail, five short clips, social posts, captions, and any guest-facing assets together. Looking at the package as a whole makes it easier to spot repetition, mismatched visual treatment, or a CTA that appears too late.
- Check that the clip captions are accurate and easy to follow without sound.
- Check that the thumbnail still reads at a small size.
- Check that every post links to the right episode or show destination.
- Check the guest’s name, title, pronouns, and any relevant links.
Launch week: use links on purpose
Use an episode link when the topic is specific and searchable. Use a clip link when the clip itself is the discovery tool. Use a show link when your goal is to introduce the podcast as a whole. Spotify makes this distinction in its podcast SEO guidance, and Apple’s marketing tools provide episode links, short links, embeds, and social assets for the same reason: remove friction between interest and listening.
Do not wait until launch day to ask a guest to share. Send one clear, ready-to-post kit in advance, then follow up with the direct link when the episode is live.
After launch: leave room to learn
Make a note of what the audience responded to, not only what received the most views. Did a question earn comments? Did a story make people save the post? Did a guest share bring new listeners? That information should shape the next episode’s promotion plan.