How To Get Your Podcast into the New and Noteworthy

In today's episode, you'll learn what it takes to get to Apple podcasts new and noteworthy section. Welcome to Podcasting Q&A, where you learn the best tips and strategies to launch, grow and monetize your podcast. This week's question comes from Megan.

Our podcast is called Wild healers and we are growing at a very rapid rate having only been around for a month. But I'm noticing that all the new and noteworthy podcasts for Apple seem to be coming from large companies lately, due to covid 19. Having everyone in their mother putting out podcasts. Is there any way for a small private podcast to even make the new and noteworthy section anymore? We would love to make it up there.

Thanks for your question, Megan. Now getting on to Apple podcasts new and noteworthy section is a common goal that new podcasters at The idea is to get some exposure, and then use that to build momentum to grow your podcast moving forward. So in this episode, we're going to discuss what is commonly believed to be the best strategy to land on Apple podcasts, new and noteworthy section. And then we're going to be speaking with a fellow Buzzsprout podcaster to learn what they did to land in the new and noteworthy section. So, what does it take to get Apple podcasts new and noteworthy section? The truth is, nobody really knows unless you work at Apple. But what we do know is that it probably has to do with the number of subscribers that you get. So whether it's a number of subscribers during a 24 hour period, or the number of subscribers that you get 90 days from the date of the launch. At one point in time, many people believe that it was a number of downloads or reviews that helped you make it to the new and noteworthy list and overtime we found out that it's just not the case. There are plenty of Have shows with lots of reviews that don't even make it on the list. And then there's some shows with a few reviews that make it on Apple podcasts new and noteworthy. So at the end of the day, there is an algorithm that influences what goes on Apple podcasts, new and noteworthy lists. However, there is a person that ultimately decides what does and doesn't go in that section. Now to answer your question, whether an independent podcaster can make it to the new and noteworthy list, the answer is yes. Which is why we spoke to Kris, a fellow Buzzsprout podcaster, who got his show onto the new and noteworthy lists, you'll hear him sharing what he did to promote his podcast in the beginning, and some of the long term benefits he's had for a show since landing on the new noteworthy list.

Okay, so the start was really crucial. You need momentum early. So a strategy that I employed was a lot of research. First of all, maybe a podcast like this can shortcut it for listeners. But I just researched for hours online on how do you get a good start and is the new and noteworthy Apple section possible for someone like me just starting out. And I found some things that really matter trying to get three episodes in the can like really have a nice little package of three things. My episodes are 20 minutes in length. But the idea of putting three together so that if people listen and they like it, they don't have to wait a week or whatever to hear more, they can become really engrossed in it and just pick up the next one in the next one. So three in the can early I think with great advice, and that helped. But still if nobody knew about it, what was that going to do? So I leveraged my friends, you can let Listen, you can leverage your friends for about six months after that they want you to leave them alone. But you use it early. I made sure all the Facebook friends that I had, they knew that it was going to launch on January 24 2019 with three episodes, I reached out through email to a bunch of friends and said, Hey, this thing's gonna drop. Check it out. If you like it, like what you do in that first week. It's gonna make a huge, huge difference. Create a Facebook page decent graphic on it. And so it launched on January 24. And that day, there were already hundreds of friends and friends of friends who knew it was coming. We're able to get three episodes in so they could decide they really liked it and started sharing and that was key. By February the fifth you know, after January the 24th. We already had a couple hundred reviews. You know, we had a I think we had like 75 reviews and a couple hundred ratings. And that made all the difference in the world man getting your friends on board early. So it did not take long. I go one day and all sudden boom, it's like 25% higher than the day before. And I didn't know why. So I go to podcasts. And I check out the Christian new and noteworthy and there's Excel still more right there and it was only a couple weeks in it stayed for I think it's an eight week run. I think I did the research and that's about what we were in there for. So we had this nice sustain boost, you know, where it was not, was growing but was growing a lot faster than it was in that first two weeks. And it just kind of went like this. And then, you know, eight weeks later is quickly as we arrived, we were booted, you know, and that's what you get, because you're not new anymore. And maybe you're not noteworthy, I don't know, and then replace it with other new stuff. And, you know, immediately I could tell that that growth curved off. I mean, I was back to just the exposure of people who knew me or knew the program. Whereas for eight weeks, I was getting exposure to people who've never met me and never heard of the program. But I believe that that momentum has led to some cool stuff, emails, I get messages, contacts through Facebook of people who live on the other side of the world, people who live across the United States who I don't know who don't know anybody I know. And yet they know me because podcasting so personal, and we made some really cool connections. I'm convinced those connections came from that eight weeks and what happened, you know, as a derivative of that over 18 months.

So I hope that gives you an insight on what it takes to get into Apple podcasts new and noteworthy section. Now the truth is, most podcasters aren't going to make it to that list. And that's okay. Because your podcast success shouldn't be tied on whether you make it on a list somewhere or not. The important thing is a you show up for your audience. And that means being consistent with your podcast episodes. That is what makes a successful podcast. Thanks for sending us your question. Megan. If you have a question you would like for us to answer on a future episode of the show. Head to speakpipe.com/buzzsprout or click on the link in the show notes and record a brief audio message Podcasting Q&A is available both video and audio format. If you'd like video, please subscribe to the Buzzsprout YouTube channel. Now if you prefer podcast, Podcasting Q&A is available in your favorite podcast app. That's it for today. Thanks for listening and as always keep podcasting.