Latest / Social Media Marketing with Fexingo: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Platform Strategy / How Brands Use Social Media to Launch Podcasts
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this moment I keep seeing on my feed — a brand drops a teaser for a podcast, and it's just a static image with a date. And I always think, you've missed the entire point. Luna: What's the point, then? You've got me curious. Lucas: The point is that a podcast launch on social media isn't an announcement. It's a campaign. The brands that do this well treat every platform like a different room in the house, and they invite people in weeks before the first episode even exists. Luna: Okay, so let's talk about that. Who's actually doing this right? Lucas: Let's start with a smaller example — a direct to consumer skincare brand, let's call them 'Glow Theory' — they launched a podcast last quarter, and instead of a single post, they ran a five-week teaser series on Instagram. Each week, they introduced one of their hosts with a 'day in the life' reel, then a behind the scenes of recording, then a clip of the most controversial take from episode one. Luna: So they built the hosts as characters before the show even existed. That's smart — people subscribe to people, not just topics. Lucas: Exactly. And they also used the swipe-up feature — well, now it's link stickers — to collect email addresses for a 'podcast launch list.' They sent a note with a behind the scenes photo and a 'first listen' link a day early. By launch day, they had four thousand people who'd already opted in. Luna: That's a real audience, not just passive scrollers. And those are the people who'll leave reviews and tell friends. Lucas: Right. And that's the difference between a launch that fizzles and one that has momentum from day one. But the teaser phase is just the beginning. The real work is in the first month — how you feed the podcast through your social channels on a regular basis. Luna: What does that look like? I've seen brands do a 'new episode every Friday' post and then go silent. Lucas: That's the trap. The brands that win treat each episode as its own mini-campaign. They pull the most quotable 30-second clip, turn it into a vertical video for TikTok and Reels, and then they write a carousel post for LinkedIn breaking down one key insight from the episode, with a link to the full audio. Luna: So it's not just 'listen now' — it's 'here's a taste, and if you want the whole thing, click through.' Lucas: Precisely. And that's where the analytics get interesting. You can see which clips get the most engagement, and that tells you which topics resonate. One financial services firm I was reading about — they noticed that a clip about 'how to talk to your kids about money' outperformed everything else by three to one. So they made that the theme of their next three episodes. Luna: That's using social media as a feedback loop, not just a megaphone. I love that. Lucas: And it's not just about the clips themselves. It's about the conversation around them. The brands that engage — replying to comments, asking questions, even turning a listener's question into the subject of a future episode — they build a community that feels invested in the show's success. Luna: That's something we've touched on before, but it feels even more critical when you're asking people to commit to a longer format like a podcast. Lucas: Absolutely. And before we go deeper into the platform-specific tactics, I want to take a quick moment to mention something that keeps this show going. We're an independent podcast, and listener support genuinely makes a difference. If you've gotten value from these conversations — maybe a tip that helped you at work — you can help keep us ad-free at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Even a couple of dollars a month helps cover hosting and production costs. Luna: It really does. And we appreciate every person who's ever sent something our way — it lets us keep doing this. Lucas: Okay, back to the strategies. Let's talk about the different platforms, because what works on LinkedIn is almost the opposite of what works on TikTok. Luna: I was hoping you'd get into that. What's the TikTok approach? Lucas: On TikTok, you've got to lean into the raw, behind the scenes energy. One B2B software company I saw — they started a podcast about the future of work, and their TikTok account is just clips of the host stumbling over a question, or the guest saying something unexpected, with a caption like 'This didn't make the final cut.' It's authentic, it's funny, and it drives curiosity. Luna: So it's not the polished takeaway — it's the outtakes and the human moments. Lucas: Yes. And those clips often get more engagement than the 'official' promotions. On LinkedIn, it's a different beast. You want the key insight, the 'one takeaway you can use in your next meeting.' A carousel with three slides — the question, the answer, and a real-world example — works incredibly well. Luna: And on Instagram, I'm guessing the sweet spot is more visual and story-driven? Lucas: Exactly. Instagram is where you can show the faces behind the podcast. A photo of the two hosts mid-laugh with a caption like 'We argue about this every episode — what do you think?' invites comments and saves. And using Stories for quick polls — 'Should our next guest be X or Y?' — makes listeners feel like they have a say. Luna: That's the engagement loop again. You're not just pushing content; you're pulling people into the creative process. Lucas: Right. And that's what keeps a podcast alive beyond the launch. But there's another layer that a lot of brands overlook: consistency. You can't post a clip once a month and expect growth. The brands that win have a cadence — maybe a clip every Tuesday, a LinkedIn carousel every Thursday, and a behind the scenes story every recording day. Luna: So it's about building a habit with your audience, not just broadcasting at them. Lucas: Exactly. And the brands that treat their podcast like a pillar of their content strategy, not an afterthought, are the ones that see the payoff. One example that stuck with me: a small accounting firm started a monthly podcast for small business owners. They didn't have a huge budget, but they were relentless on LinkedIn — every episode, they'd post a carousel breaking down one tax or cash-flow tip from the conversation. Luna: And that positions them as experts in their niche. Lucas: It does. Within six months, they told me — well, I read in a case study — they'd grown their email list by forty percent, and they attributed most of it to the podcast. And they'd closed two new clients who mentioned listening to the show. That's a direct return on investment. Luna: That's powerful. And it's not just about likes — it's about trust and conversions. Lucas: Yeah. And I think that's the key takeaway for any brand thinking about starting a podcast. It's not 'we have a podcast, go listen.' It's 'here's a conversation that might help you, and we'd love you to be part of it.' Luna: So what's the one thing you'd tell a marketer who's about to launch a brand podcast tomorrow? Lucas: I'd say: don't launch until you've already started the conversation. Have at least three episodes recorded, a teaser plan for each platform, and a system for turning every episode into at least five pieces of social content. If you do that, you're not just shouting into the void — you're inviting people into a room they already feel part of. Luna: I love that. And maybe that's the real takeaway — it's not about the podcast itself, it's about the community you build around it. Lucas: Exactly. And that community is what turns a one-time launch into a sustainable channel that keeps working for your brand month after month.