5 Ways to Legitimately Increase iTunes Podcast Reviews

Where to Find an iTunes Podcast Review Link

First of all, if you are an iTunes podcast listener and want to find out HOW TO LEAVE an iTunes podcast review:

1. On an iOS device, open iTunes.
   
   NOTE: You can’t leave an iTunes review via the iTunes website (itunes.apple.com); iTunes app only.
2. Make sure ‘Podcasts’ is selected from the dropdown menu in the top left corner.
   
   
   
   
3. Search for the name of the podcaster or podcast you wish to leave an iTunes review for.
   
   
4. Once you found the podcast you’d like to review, click on Ratings and Reviews.
   
   
5. Find the Write a Review link and review away! 🤩
   
   
   
   

Speaking of one of the best business podcasts on iTunes, Entrepreneurs on Fire by John Lee Dumas, here are my favorite episodes 😉👍 for your listening pleasure:

• 76: Ana Hoffman of Traffic Generation Cafe
• 652: Ana Hoffman: The English language myth

Now, for the podcasters looking to build a wider audience on iTunes…

How to Grow Your iTunes Podcast Audience

The quickest way to grow your iTunes podcast audience is to get listed on the Podcasts homepage in any number of featured sections – anything from New and Noteworthy, to Get Motivated, to Feed Your Brain, to… whatever.

Yeah, right… 😜

Ranking for one of the various iTunes podcast categories, on the other hand, is a much more realistic and achievable goal.

How?

And… that’s where it gets a bit tricky. 

If you thought the way Google works is a puzzle, try getting to the top of an iTunes list with zero “from the horse’ mouth” knowledge on the ranking factors… 🤔😅

You can, however, with nearly complete confidence, assume that successful ranking of your iTunes podcast greatly depends on: 

• The number of your podcast subscribers, as well as the rate at which they subscribe.
• The number AND quality of reviews, as well as the rate at which listeners review your iTunes podcast.

How to Get More iTunes Podcast Reviews

Since iTunes Podcast Reviews have the most direct correlation with increasing your exposure on iTunes, that’s what we are going to focus on in the rest of the post.

First of all,

Never, ever, EVER buy iTunes Podcast (or any other, for that matter) Reviews!!!

Better to fail with honor than win by cheating.

Don't ever buy iTunes Podcast Reviews; do this to earn legitimate reviews instead...Click To Tweet

 

Onto the top 5 ways to increase your iTunes podcast reviews.

1. Ask loyal listeners to review your podcast

The biggest challenge of getting more iTunes podcast reviews is getting the first few.

No one wants to leave that first review… yet a podcast with a slew of reviews is like a club everyone wants to get into.

So, send a personal email to each of your most loyal listeners asking them to get the ball rolling.

This might seem like a lot of work, but it is, by far, your best bet.

A quick tip on getting it done faster AND making your request more compelling: humanize your emails with a quick video message using a free Chrome extension like Vidyard GoVideo or Loom Video Recorder.

This is what a video email might look like:

Personally, I’ve been using these video emails to respond to my Traffic Hacks newsletter subscribers, and let me tell you something: my list has never been more alive and engaged than it is now!

JOIN THEM:

2.  Link to Your Podcast Listing on iTunes

Wait a minute…

How would increasing website traffic to your podcast listing on the iTunes website help with reviews?… Haven’t I just said you can’t leave a review on the iTunes website?… 

Tru dat. However…

Since Apple makes it so dang difficult to figure out how to leave a podcast review on iTunes 😖🤪, thousands of people search Google for ‘iTunes podcast reviews LINK‘ daily.

So, you see, your listeners might be very willing and eager to tell you what a stellar job you are doing with your podcast, but they simply don’t know how!

Make it easier on them.

Give them a link to your podcast listing on the iTunes website. Then tell them to click any View in iTunes button they see on the page.

Here are some Apple tools to help you create those links faster (make sure to select Podcasts as your Media Type):

• Link Maker
• Banner Builder
• Widget Builder

Creating a short link or vanity URL also makes it easy for people to find your iTunes listing and follow it to iTunes to leave a review there.

A vanity URL (or any other short link) is easy to remember and might greatly increase the chance that when your audience is in front a computer, they’ll leave you a review.

Here’s a tutorial on how to create a vanity URL.

3. Run ‘Small Batch’ Contests

iTunes, similar to Yelp, filters all reviews you get.

Thus, a large number of reviews posting at the same time could mean a contest and, subsequently, be never shown.

You don’t want to run a large scale contest that sends 25 reviews to iTunes all at once.

Instead, have a contest where the first couple of people to leave you a podcast review get a prize of sorts.

This way, you’ll get more iTunes reviews (slowly, but truly!), while avoiding the filter.

A great resource on running successful contests:

• How to Run a Contest: Step-by-Step Guide – wishpond.com

4. Use Social Media to Generate New iTunes Podcast Reviews

An obvious, yet extremely underused way to get more reviews – leveraging your connections in social media.

And no, NOT talking about drowning your followers in links to your podcast…

Here are a few fresh and effective ways to generate more iTunes Podcast Reviews on social media:

• Ask your followers a question, then link to the podcast episode with the answer… where you’ll ask for a review!
• LISTEN. When people mention your podcast on social media, respond. Talk to them. Then tell them how much it would mean to your future success if they left a review.
• Build an entire community, like a LinkedIn or Facebook group, around your podcast.
• Create and share eye-catching images calling your followers to review your podcast.
• DON’T just post a link to your review page.  Explain why it’s important that listeners take the time to leave a review.

Or how about this?…

If you had a podcast guest, why not ask them to review your iTunes podcast? After all, your podcast success might translate to more recognition/branding/website traffic for them, right?

They could also ask their social media followers to review your podcast.

Ahhh… The possibilities are endless! 😉👍👍

5. Include a Call to Action in Podcast Show Notes

Your podcast should NEVER be the only type of content you create.

Sure, people listen to podcasts when working out, or commuting, or doing chores around the house. Eventually though, they end up in front of their computers.

THIS is your golden opportunity to engage and interact with them.

How?

Publish a blog post with show notes for each podcast episode, including relevant information and links mentioned in or in addition to the show.

This is also your best chance to ask your listeners for a review. Include a call to action to encourage them to do just that – and not just at the end of the post, but a couple of times throughout. 

Want to see how it’s done? Check out John Lee Dumas’ blog.

By the way, publishing your podcast as a blog post is a form of content repurposing, which happens to be one of the BEST ways to increase traffic to your podcast (or any other form of content you create.) 

BONUS: How to Increase Website Traffic to Podcasts and Other Content

Content repurposing is a very simple concept: why stick with just content format (like a podcast), when you can easily turn that content into other formats (like images, SlideShare decks, videos – you name it!) and share it on multiple platforms, where your potential listeners are hanging out, RIGHT NOW.

In other words, don’t just sit and wait for future listeners to somehow stumble upon your podcast. Go where they are, show them what you and your podcast are about, then bring them back to your website or iTunes podcast listing.

Here’s how Wes Schaeffer, the publisher of The Sales Podcast and my other favorite podcaster, repurposes his podcasts to SlideShare:

Looks like too much work? What if I told you the deck above was Wes’ first one and he, too, was pleasantly surprised how little time it took to create it?…

Plus, his SlideShare decks are the only way people like me, non-podcast listeners 😱🤪🤫(I prefer to read vs listen), can ‘listen’ to his podcasts.

And that’s the very essence of content repurposing – reach your potential audience wherever they are (YouTube, SlideShare, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) and hook them with content THEY prefer to CONSUME, NOT YOU prefer to CREATE.

That’s exactly how you increase your traffic, then convert that traffic into loyal fans and customers. 

(By the way, content repurposing is also one of the best ways to build LINKS to your website, thus ultimately increasing its Google rankings!)

Want to learn a few simple ways to repurpose your content into other formats?

Enter your name and email address, then click “Yes, I WANT my free Traffic Hacks” below:

Marketing Takeaway

Want more legitimate iTunes podcast reviews? Do this:

1. Create epic useful content.
2. Ask listeners for reviews, tell them why it’s important.
3. Ask your social media followers for reviews.
4. Ask your podcast guests to review and share their episodes.
5. Publish blog posts with podcast show notes and a call to action to leave a review.
6. Make it easy for listeners to find links to review your podcast.
7. Repurpose your podcast into other content formats!

Bottom line is this: you can use every trick, tactic, and strategy out there to generate more iTunes podcast reviews, BUT your audience, ultimately, has to find enough value in your content to take the time to leave one.

 

Have fun growing your podcast,