I deleted Instagram off my phone and my podcast downloads didn't drop a single bit. In this episode, I'm sharing exactly why I walked away from Instagram and the podcast marketing strategies I use instead to keep growing my show sustainably.

Hi, I'm Andi Smiley, podcast coach for women and host of the Friendly Podcast Guide. I help women grow their podcasts without letting them take over their lives. I've grown my own show by 74% in the past year and gained over 200 email subscribers, all without relying on Instagram.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• Why I deleted Instagram and how it was affecting my mental health

• How I realized Instagram wasn't driving my podcast growth

• Why Pinterest is my favorite podcast marketing strategy

• How to use Threads to build real connections and grow your audience

• The power of podcast guesting for networking and new listeners

• How email marketing closes almost all of my sales

• Why sustainable podcasting strategies matter more than being everywhere at once

Key Takeaways

• You don't need Instagram to grow your podcast…there are better, more sustainable options out there

• Pinterest works like a search engine, which means your content keeps working for you long after you post it

• Threads is a low-lift platform where real conversations (and real connections) actually happen

• Podcast guesting is a slow burn, but the networking and referrals are incredibly valuable

• Email marketing is where the sales magic happens, it's the strategy that closes almost all of my offers

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:58) Why Instagram wasn't working for my podcast marketing

(03:08) Pinterest as a podcast growth strategy

(03:39) Why I love using Threads

(04:43) Podcast guesting and the power of networking

(07:07) Email marketing and how it closes my sales

Links & Resources

• Free "Is Pinterest Right for Your Podcast?" checklist

• About Progress episode, The Practice of Attention

• My Pinterest episode

• My podcast guesting episode

• My episode with Whitney about podcast experiments

• Follow Andi on Threads