Ever wonder what a podcast coach actually does during a seasonal break? Spoiler: it's not resting! In this solo episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on all the podcast marketing strategies and Pinterest experiments I tested during my off-season… the wins, the messy moments, and the ones I'm still not sure about.

Hey, I'm Andi Smiley, podcast coach for women who want to grow their shows without letting podcasting take over their lives. I share sustainable podcasting strategies, Pinterest marketing tips, and what actually works. I've been podcasting for four years, and last summer I used Pinterest to double my monthly downloads and land my most successful revenue month ever.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

Launching Pinterest VIP setups and what I learned from filling all five spots
Cleaning up and refreshing my own Pinterest profile and boards
Pinning past episodes during a content break (and why it actually works)
Creating a custom link page on my website instead of using Linktree
Completing Pinterest Academy and earning my skills badges
Joining Simple Pin Media's Pinterest strategy group
Skipping bonus episodes this season and why I'm nervous about it
Being a podcast guest and doing workshops to grow downloads and email subscribers

Key Takeaways

Pinterest is a powerful, evergreen platform for podcast growth. Pins from months ago are still bringing in new listeners
You don't need new episodes to keep pinning! Fresh pin images for older episodes keep your content working for you
Sending traffic to your own website (instead of Linktree) is a simple win for SEO and visibility
Investing in your own education (like Pinterest Academy) pays off in a big way
Podcast guesting and workshops are reliable ways to boost downloads and grow your email list
Every experiment, whether it works or flops, teaches you something valuable about how to grow your podcast without social media burnout

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro & welcome back

(00:26) Why Pinterest changed everything for my podcast growth

(01:57) Experiment #1: Launching Pinterest VIP setups

(02:52) Experiment #2: Cleaning up my Pinterest profile and boards

(04:32) Experiment #3: Pinning past episodes during the break

(05:41) Experiment #4: Building a custom link page on my website

(06:27) Experiment #5: Completing Pinterest Academy

(07:40) Experiment #6: Joining Simple Pin Media's Pinterest strategy group

(08:36) Experiment #7: Skipping bonus episodes…the scariest experiment

(10:26) Experiment #8: Podcast guesting and workshops

(11:26) Your challenge: What experiment will YOU try?