40. Podcasting Tips to Get Your Show Discovered Faster (POP: Two Consoles Too Late)

Do you want potential listeners to find and choose your show through a simple search in their podcast player? Who doesn't?!? In this episode, I sit down with Jackson Kuebler, host of the Two Consoles Too Late podcast, to dive deep into optimizing his show's discoverability. We discuss the power of a show subtitle, updating episode titles, and intentional imagery on your cover art.

Listen to Two Consoles Too Late.

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Transcript

Julia Levine:
Hey hey and welcome back! Today, I have another POP episode for you - I’ve reviewed someone’s podcast and have created a podcast optimization plan to make their podcast POP!

If you’re a current or aspiring podcaster, listen in as a fly on the wall for our conversation - I guarantee that you’ll find something of value in this episode that you can apply to your current or future podcast. 

If you’d like to chat with me about how we can make YOUR podcast POP, you can schedule your own free call with me at ThePodcastTeacher.com/POP. 

Today, I’m chatting with Jackson Keebler, host of the Two Consoles Too Late podcast, about how to optimize his show’s discoverability. We talked about how to get people to find and choose his show organically,  without a lot of marketing effort. If that sounds like something you want too, keep listening!

I took a look at your show, and I have a few suggestions for you of things that you can do. So the first thing I wanted to say is that, you know, your show is good. Your audio sounds pretty good. I like the noises, like, from the different video games. That's kinda fun, gives an ambiance. I like the fact that you have different segments in there, like the auction alert and your stick it segment, like, that kind of thing. That really creates a routine and structure to your episodes, which is great. And I do have a few suggestions for you of things that you can do.

Julia Levine:
So I think that your your biggest problem is just discoverability, like people finding your show. And so from my perspective, I have 3 particular things that I identified that you can do to kind of help with that discoverability aspect.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
So the first thing that I would suggest is that you add a subtitle to your show. So the title of, 2 consoles too late, it's fun. It's kind of quirky. Like, it implies the content, but you're not gonna show up in the search results for someone who's looking for a video game podcast.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
So I would suggest adding a subtitle. And a subtitle, you never have to say it. You don't even have to put it on your cover art. It's literally put into the text field so that you come up in the search.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
That's its sole purpose. So I like the formula of having your main part of your title and then following it by blank for blank. So what for who? And so for you, I just came up with a a quick draft of 2 consoles too late. Retro video games and video game news for gamers, geeks, and pop culture enthusiasts.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
And, you know, my husband told me that geeks is the correct word here. I'll I'll let your your discretion of what your audience calls themselves. Alright. But he he's into some games. So I was like, what word would go here? What word is not offensive? But

Jackson Kuebler:
Right. I just, I just changed my podcast icon. So I have exploring retro video game sales and reviews, but then you're saying so take that and just add a 4.

Julia Levine:
So yeah. So on your cover art, you kind of have that subtitle ish there.

Jackson Kuebler:
Yep.

Julia Levine:
But that is not in your text field of your title.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
So in your podcast host, which I believe is Spotify for podcasters anchor Yeah. So when you're entering the title, I want you to put all of those words into the title field.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
And the reason for that is so that it comes up in the search results. And literally, the goal here is thinking, okay. What is my person that I'm trying to reach? What are they typing into their search bar? They're probably typing in video games. They might be typing in podcasts for gamers, so I like the word gamers. They might be typing in geek podcasts. They might be typing in, so I only listen to a couple episodes to get an idea. So I don't know

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
If you have a a lens, but, you know, I could see someone typing in, like, eighties pop culture podcast or nineties pop culture podcast, kind of whatever. So just trying to get at whatever people might be typing into their search bar that your show could fill the need that they're searching for.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay. Yeah. I mean, it's when I talk about persona, it's you know, at the intro of the show, I always say, you know, I am Jackson Keebler, and I am 2 consoles too late. The whole kind of thing is that, like, okay. COVID happened. A lot of people had nothing to do. I got back into video games, and I just kinda, like, went down the rabbit hole. And I'm just kinda, like, finding this stuff out for the first time.

Jackson Kuebler:
Mhmm. You know? So I'm like a lot of times, I'm just really out of my element. Like, I started playing this one game Fallout, you know, and it seems like everyone knows about this game except for me, and that's kinda like the joke of 2 consoles too late is that I'm really late to the party on this, and, you know, that's kinda like the fun of the podcast of, you know, the impetus, I guess, behind what I say persona.

Julia Levine:
Yeah. And just from the couple episodes that I listened to, like, I I got that. I got that kind of joke, if you will, the implication there. So I I think that's great. I I don't think you necessarily need to change the main title, still run with that, and still lean into the, hey. You know, here I am just joining the party type of thing, because I'm sure other people can relate to that as well. But, again, for the discoverability factor, just putting some of those keywords into your title. So I don't know if you happen to listen to my episode on podcast SEO, but that's basically what we're doing here.

Jackson Kuebler:
Yes.

Julia Levine:
And so the title field is the most important field for your search. So cramming some of those words in there.

Jackson Kuebler:
Got it. Retro video games, geeks.

Julia Levine:
And those, again, are just things that kind of I came up with. Obviously, you know your niche a whole lot better than I do, so pick whatever words you think would fit best. I just wanted to kinda give you an example of, like, the kind of thing we're going for, and you can swap out words that would be the best fit for your audience.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay. Alright. So SEO.

Julia Levine:
Yeah. So my first suggestion there is a subtitle. And then the second solution that I have for you for discoverability is kind of along the similar lines as for your episode titles. So in your episode titles, I noticed that you're putting, the title of your show as the the first thing. Don't do that. That is redundant, and it's not helping you with the search.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
So I would take that out for sure. And then, the hashtags. So podcasts don't work off of hashtags like social media does. Okay. And so some of the words that you're putting in those hashtags are good words to use, but I would take out the actual hashtag symbol.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
And then I would try and focus on, like, kind of what the main topic of that episode is, like, in the title. So, you know, if you are focusing, you know, 60% of the episode is about a specific game, like, put that game in the title. And then in the description, the little, like, byline of what the episode is about, there you can put some of that other stuff like, you know, the the orioles or whatever, like my my experience here. But you kinda want to grab people who are kind of skimming, and you want them to see, hey. This episode largely focuses on this. I'm interested in this, so I'm gonna click on it.

Jackson Kuebler:
Alright. That makes sense. So can I just go back into Spotify and just, like would it be good just to rework all the titles for all the episodes?

Julia Levine:
Yes.

Jackson Kuebler:
I mean, it's a lot of work, but I'd rather do that because I'm one of the big question one question I had for you is, like, I've considered just completely, like, just rebooting the entire thing. You know, just going back to square 1, starting okay. This is now the new episode 1.

Julia Levine:
Mhmm.

Jackson Kuebler:
And I've thought about that, but I'm not sure if that would be a smart idea. Because I do have interviews that I've done with people, and I'm not sure if they were like, hey. I was on a podcast. Check it out, and then suddenly have it gone. See, I don't wanna do that.

Julia Levine:
Yeah. So I would probably keep it the same and just kind of make these modifications moving forward.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
That would definitely be the priority is with every new episode, really hone in on that title. So I encourage people to pick what I call a primary keyword. So, like, the number one thing that your podcast is about. So for me, it's podcasting. That's my primary keyword. And so when you type in podcasting, podcasting tips, how to do podcasting, that kind of thing, my show pops up. And so we wanna do the same thing for yours. So whatever that primary keyword is, I'm speculating that it's video games, but you obviously get to make that executive decision.

Julia Levine:
So whatever that keyword is, incorporate that into as many of your episode titles as well. So if you'll notice my episodes, almost every single one of my titles has the word podcasting in there, and that is very deliberate. So same concept. Pick that keyword and just hammer it over and over and over every single title, every single time.

Jackson Kuebler:
Got it. Alright. So I could definitely do that. Great.

Julia Levine:
Yeah. And you asked about going back and doing the old titles. I would go back and change them. Obviously, this is not your full time job. I would work in reverse chronological order. So with the, you know, last week's episode the week before, like, working backwards, just whenever you have time to do that.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay. Perfect.

Julia Levine:
And then a third solution that I have for you is, maybe redoing your cover art. So I don't know if that's what you had just redone. You had mentioned the

Jackson Kuebler:
I just redid it. Yeah.

Julia Levine:
So it's it's not, I mean, it's not ugly or anything like that. I don't I don't want you to think that's what I'm saying. But in terms of again, we're looking at first impressions. We're looking at people search something like video games, podcasts pop up, and we want them to immediately know that your show fits their need. And so I would love to see something like, you know, a video game controller or a console or something that is, like, goof proof obvious that this is a podcast about video games, about gaming, that kind of thing. Alright. Remember, you're thinking about the stranger that has no idea who you are, no idea what your content is, no idea what your personality is. They don't know anything other than the title of your show.

Julia Levine:
And that picture, that's your cover art. That's all the information they have.

Jackson Kuebler:
Alright. Well, those are 3 very easily done projects.

Julia Levine:
Yeah. And I have just a couple other notes for you. Like, those are the main three things that I wanted to tell you. Like, these three things are gonna move your podcast forward in the discoverability area. And I try not to give people too many things to focus on because I know it can be overwhelming. But I did notice that there was kind of some sporadic release of episodes.

Jackson Kuebler:
Yeah. It was, it was weekly, and then I put it down for a while, then it came back. And then, you know, it's I try to stay consistent with it. And, you know, recently, it's been, like, every 2 weeks, but then if I don't have a game, it's I don't wanna you know, excuse my French. I don't wanna have a BS episode.

Julia Levine:
Mhmm.

Jackson Kuebler:
You know, it's I don't wanna create an episode for an episode's sake sometimes.

Julia Levine:
Mhmm.

Jackson Kuebler:
Like like this past weekend, I was like, I should make a podcast, but I've I've got nothing. You know? I'm I'm not playing a new game. I'm, you know, I might be shopping for something. You know? So that's kinda where I'm at with that.

Julia Levine:
Yeah. And I I will say that I typically work with people who are using their podcast as a tool for business. And so, you know, as as a hobbyist podcast, that's that's a different aspect. But I do know that consistency builds a relationship with listeners, builds trust, and, you know, that that continuity factor. Like, you feel like you're friends. You know? I I have certain podcasts that I listen to that they don't know who the heck I am, but I'm like, oh, yeah. My friends.

Jackson Kuebler:
Yeah.

Julia Levine:
Because I feel like they're my friends because they, I listen to them every week. So when there's that consistency, that regularity, that helps that factor.

Jackson Kuebler:
That's another thing. It's just kinda like getting someone another voice on the podcast because it's just it's been frustrating because it's I I've noticed that the episodes where I have someone on and I do an interview, the numbers go up. You know? Mhmm. But, you know, if it's just me talking about, you know, Shadowrun or whatever, it's like, well, okay. Some people wanna hear about, but most people don't. So, you know and, a lot of podcasts I listen to, you know, there's 2 hosts. Mhmm. You know? And they have that dynamic, you know, that back and forth, which which I like, and I've always wanted for the podcast.

Jackson Kuebler:
And it's just been a matter of finding a cohost. You know, I don't really know anyone personally that would wanna do the podcast with me. And, you know, finding the right stranger is pretty hard. And it's just something I've always been kinda thinking of is, like, do I need someone else in this, or am I just enough?

Julia Levine:
I think the better question to ask is, what is the listener getting out of this? Like, why is it worth their time? And so is it information? Is it entertainment? Is it like camaraderie feeling like, hey. You know, Jackson didn't like this game either. I didn't like it. We have that thing in common. I'm not alone in the world, that type of thing.

Jackson Kuebler:
Right.

Julia Levine:
So I don't think the question is, are you enough? I think it's, what is my listener getting out of this? Why is it worth their time to tune in? And so maybe think about, you know, what aspects aside from the dynamic duo between 2 hosts. Like, what do you tune in for to those podcasts? What do you get out of it? Why is it worth your time to tune into it and then slip that back to your show?

Jackson Kuebler:
Yeah. That makes sense because it's like I mean, when I do the podcast, I do, like, an outline, but I I try to make it entertaining, but sometimes I it just doesn't come across, and it just sort of comes out flat.

Julia Levine:
And we can't knock them all out of the park. You know? My episode that I did last week, like, I finished recording it, and I was like, man, I am not happy with this episode, but you know what? It is what it is this week, and so there we go.

Jackson Kuebler:
Okay.

Julia Levine:
So give yourself a little grace. They're they're not all gonna be winners.

Jackson Kuebler:
Exactly. Yeah. Alright. I think you've pretty much answered all my questions. Thanks, and good luck to you.

Julia Levine:
Alright, that’s all for today! If you’re into retro video games, be sure to check out Jackson’s podcast, Two Consoles Too Late

If you’d like to chat with me about how we can make YOUR podcast POP, you can schedule your own free call with me at ThePodcastTeacher.com/POP. 

Until next week, happy podcasting!