QR Codes: The Best Way to Promote & Share Your Podcast?

Your podcast isn’t going to promote itself. Telling folks about your podcast is one thing. It’s another thing to get your podcast on their phone or tablet.

What if something could bridge the gap between your podcast and their device for you?

Some people may be the ideal audience for your show but say they’re “not tech-savvy.”  If there were only some way a gateway to your podcast could be a physical thing in the world that people could vacuum up with their phones, like the computer sucked in Jeff Daniels in TRON.

Oh, wait, there is! You could promote your podcast with QR codes.

What Is a QR Code?

You’ve probably seen QR (quick response) codes before. They look like little black-and-white checkerboards gone awry.

Marketers use them on food labels, signs, and business cards. It’s a unique symbol that your smartphone’s camera can read and translate into a web address.

Most smartphone operating systems have this function in their camera’s software. But, QR code reader apps are often free. Open the device’s camera and aim at the QR code. The corresponding web address will appear in the viewfinder. Tap on that, and the link opens in the device’s default browser. 

How Can I Use QR Codes to Promote My Podcast?

You can include a QR code in your image or text when you make promotional materials, such as stickers or business cards. This way, people have a tangible gateway to your podcast and can act on it easily.

That is, as long as you make that gateway clear and straightforward to use. 

What Should I Link My Podcasts’ QR Code To?

(Or, for the sake of grammar, to what destination should you link your QR code? Please, humor me. If I end a sentence with a preposition, it makes my brain itch.)

When you share a podcast using a link, keep the destination as simple as possible. Your QR code can link to: 

• Your podcast’s website, particularly the “listen now” page. Here’s ours, for Podcraft. 
• A podcast’s page on a site like Pod.link helps users choose their favorite podcasting app. Here’s our pod.link page for Podcraft. Each symbol is a directory, and they all have fans. 
• A directory that you and the user both trust. These days, linking to Apple or Spotify is common, but try not to assume where your listeners will want to consume the content.

How Do I Get a QR Code and Share It? 

Many business card and sticker designers include QR codes as an option in the design process.

Take Moo.com, for example. Their website walks you through the design of business cards, branded merchandise, or marketing materials. Generating the QR code is part of the process.

You enter the web address (or URL) you want the QR code to reach (for example, mypodcast.com/listen-now). When the website generates the QR code, you add it to the overall design, like any image.

You’ll also find loads of free QR Code generators out there, like QR Code Monkey, QRStuff, and the aptly named QR Code Generator.

Some like to print a QR code on stickers and slap them up anywhere and everywhere, like digital graffiti. Personally, I think there are more effective ways to communicate with QR codes for your podcast. Let’s look at a few. 

Include QR Codes in a Conversation

Here’s an example of a person who benefits from using QR codes:  my mom. She isn’t confident with technology. Most of her friends are women who don’t use computers frequently. They do, however, like a good story, and they all have smartphones. 

My mom carries one of my podcast business cards in her wallet. When her friends ask, “What’s your daughter doing these days?” she asks if they have a smartphone and gets them to pull it out and turn on the camera.

Mom shows her friend the card and explains that I’ve made a story they can listen to on their phone. She holds the card still, and they scan the QR code with their camera. The link pops up on their phone’s screen. They tap on it, and voilá! Adventure Awaits!

This landing page on my podcast website is a sampler platter of any of the podcasts I’ve ever worked on. Plus, it includes The Podcast Host’s links to our articles on How To Listen to a Podcast, because I like to cover all my bases. 

Next time someone asks what you’ve been up to, slip them a card while you’re catching up. 

Use your creativity to incorporate QR codes into other visual media. At a recent gallery exhibition in Malaysia, traditional ink and rice paper paintings were paired with QR codes. The codes lead to immersive listening experiences that bring the paintings to life. 

Artist Vincent DuBois sculpts QR codes in marble. Next time you’re daydreaming about possibilities for your podcast, dream of an innovative way to share a link to your show.

Podcast Promotion Beyond QR Codes

There are many ways to promote your podcast, and they all overlap. If you want more help navigating the waters of podcast promotion, why not join us in the Indiepod Community? It’s a great place to chat with other podcasters about promotion techniques; no secret code required.