The Power of QR Codes for Podcast Marketing: A Guide

If you have a podcasting niche, chances are there’s an audience for it. From gripping true crime serials to finance industry insights, there’s a world of audio catering to every possible interest and angle. And there’s a burgeoning, ever-eager audience looking for fresh content.

So, how do you reach those listeners? You’ll need to delve into the world of podcast marketing and understand the strategies underpinning a successful podcast promotion. But there are other ways to make your podcast stand out and engage listeners creatively and efficiently—using QR Codes.

From QR Code marketing examples to incorporating audio into your advertising with an MP3 QR Code, this guide will help you leverage the power of QR Codes for an audio-building campaign of your own.

How to engage in podcast marketing with different QR Codes

Providing listeners with an intuitive platform that allows them to leap from print to digital, QR Codes can enrich how your audience discovers your podcast. They’re the perfect partner for podcast marketing—the means you use to engage with your podcast’s audience.

The number of podcast listeners could reach 500 million by 2025. If properly marketed, gaining more podcast listeners can be easy. QR Codes are an excellent option for reaching a larger audience. They allow you to incorporate media into your print marketing materials—for example, audio, an image gallery, or video. When promoting something as captivating and involving as a podcast, they can give potential listeners more insight into your shows.

But why is a good marketing strategy so important for podcasters? First, the podcast market is huge. A 2021 report from Edison shows that 80 million U.S. citizens listen to podcasts every week. Second, podcasting is diverse, with a plethora of podcasts targeting smaller, more specific audiences.

Whether you’re turning your knack for storytelling into a passion project or you’re at the helm of a community-building digital marketing podcast, reaching the vast pool of listeners requires a thoughtful podcast marketing strategy. No matter how big or small your niche is, using QR Codes can help with everything from building your social media channels to promoting the best platform where listeners can find your podcast and much more.

When developing your podcast marketing strategy, you’ll want to know how and when listeners discovered your show. To find that out, you can use QR Code tracking to gain valuable insights into your campaign and audience. Unlike Static QR Codes, Dynamic QR Codes are trackable. You can track the number of scans, time and location, and the device used to scan the code.

Each type of QR Code invites your listeners to experience your podcast marketing strategy differently—these are our top types of Dynamic QR Codes:

App QR Code

If you want to promote your podcast on a particular platform, there’s an App QR Code for that. This type of Dynamic QR Code directs listeners to a specific App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) app via a mobile-friendly display page. It features your podcast’s description, logo, or imagery, and a call-to-action (CTA) button to link to your preferred content.

With an App QR Code, you can include buttons in every app store to streamline the app installation process. That is, consumers with any mobile device can download the app through a quick QR Code scan. With QR Code Generator PRO, you can:

• Customize QR Codes to fit digital worlds and print media. 
  
  
• Use a single QR Code to link to multiple app stores.
  
  
• Enhance multi-channel app marketing efforts with tracking data.

A fitness studio promoting its podcast on the App Store.

Social Media QR Code

Podcast promotion and social media go hand-in-hand. You can boost each by featuring a branded Social Media QR Code on your posters, stickers, or flyers. A Dynamic Social Media QR Code links users to social media accounts so they can easily connect with you. 

A real estate agency using a Social Media QR Code to promote the social media pages of its podcast for home-buyers.

MP3 QR Code

If you want to launch your podcast series, you’ll want to give your listeners a sneak preview. An MP3 QR Code allows you to convert a sound file into a QR Code and display it on a mobile-friendly page. This improves user experience as listeners won’t require any additional apps to play your files. 

These Dynamic QR Codes display the following:

• Information about your sound file—for instance, title, description, and the website
  
  
• Featured image and customizable brand color
  
  
• CTA that directs users to a streaming channel or a landing page

If you have a trailer introducing your show, an MP3 QR Code is the simplest way to incorporate it into your advertising. 

An MP3 QR Code is perfect for converting podcast trailers into easily accessible soundbites.

Dynamic URL QR Code

If everything you want your listeners to know about your show is easily available on your website, then you can create Dynamic QR Codes featuring your URL—the most straightforward solution.

Dynamic URL QR Codes send people to specific web pages or information. They are dynamic because the URL encoded in them redirects to another landing page that is easy to modify even after it’s printed. 

A Dynamic URL QR Code directing listeners to a business podcast’s website.

Video QR Code

If you feature videos on your podcast, you can use a Dynamic Video QR Code to add them to print marketing. Your podcast link will pop up every time a person scans the QR Code, and you can even track their location and number of scans.  

Event QR Code

Are you planning to have a live podcast event? Use an Event QR Code to notify listeners and add event details to their digital calendars. You can also link to a ticketing service so people can easily purchase tickets to your event.

With a Dynamic Event QR Code, followers can share your event page through their networks, increasing your audience reach.

Podcast marketing with QR Codes: Industry examples

Podcasting is not just for storytelling—many industries can use podcasts as a marketing tool, and series focusing on books, finance, or digital marketing can form part of a brand’s wider content marketing campaign.

Here are examples of how different industries use QR Codes to market podcasts:

Travel and tourism

QR Codes work seamlessly across various travel and tourism platforms, offering an interactive experience to listeners. For instance, travel agencies and airlines use QR Codes in brochures and in-flight magazines to link to travel podcasts. By scanning the code, travelers can instantly access destination guides, travel tips, or cultural insights.

Finance and insurance

Finance and insurance companies use QR Codes to reach and maintain a steady string of clients. They can create podcasts aimed at educating and connecting with potential clients.

People can scan and listen to educational discussions by scanning QR Codes published in financial magazines. They can also share the podcast URL across their networks, creating a broader audience reach.

An example of an MP3 QR Code to promote a podcast channel for a financial advisory company. 

Museums

Museums use podcasts to promote their art pieces, exhibitions, and shows. They can generate QR Codes to engage with visitors. Doing so allows visitors to better understand what they offer.

An example of an MP3 QR Code used to promote a podcast on tickets.

Retail

Retailers can create podcasts about their products and available special offers. They can then incorporate QR Codes on digital ads to direct clients to podcasts and online order platforms, where they can buy items or explore available offers.

An example of an App QR Code on a shopping bag to promote a style podcast.

Healthcare

Health and wellness professionals can incorporate podcast QR Codes in health magazines, fitness centers, and clinics. Listeners can then scan them to access episodes about health tips, wellness advice, or discussions with healthcare professionals.

Best practices for using podcast QR Codes as a marketing tool

Whether your podcast speaks to a particular industry or you’re leveraging it to create more content for your brand, using QR Codes on promotional materials allows your listeners to glean more from your marketing than a traditional printed ad.

Alongside media-rich functionality and customization, QR Codes can give you data-driven insights into your campaigns. So, how do you ensure you’ve reaped all these benefits? Here’s how to best use podcast QR Codes as a marketing tool:

Use Dynamic QR Codes

Unlike Static QR Codes, Dynamic QR Codes allow destination edits and updates even after creating and publishing them. Updating and modifying podcast marketing content improves the effectiveness of your promotional strategies.

Customize and brand your QR Code

QR Code branding can promote consistency throughout your podcast marketing efforts. Customize your QR Code by using colors that align with your brand or podcast’s theme, creating a visually appealing QR Code frame, or adding a unique CTA. Use contrasting colors and test your QR Code before releasing it to prevent scannability issues. 

QR Code Generator software has many options for QR Code color and style customization

Track your QR Code campaign

With Dynamic QR Codes, you can edit the codes even after you’ve printed them. It’s also possible to view real-time QR Code scan data, including unique versus total scans, time scanned, location scanned by city and country, and even the operating device used. As a podcast marketing tool, these metrics give QR Codes an edge over traditional print advertising.

Demo version of QR Code tracking metrics viewable with QR Code Generator PRO

Include QR Codes in all marketing materials

A podcast promotion strategy is not limited to digital channels, such as social media—they’re also perfect for out-of-house (OOH) campaigns. A QR Code poster design allows you to promote your series within a specific locality and gain insights into where and when your audience engaged with your campaign.

You may add your podcast QR Code on promotional materials such as:

• Podcast artwork: Include your podcast QR Code to your cover art or episode thumbnail. This allows listeners to take specific actions or access crucial information using their podcast app.
  
  
• Printed materials: Add your podcast QR Code on print materials like flyers, business cards, or related merchandise. This way, you can expand your reach beyond the digital world and catch the attention of potential podcast listeners in physical spaces.
  
  
• Social media: About 5 billion people use social media platforms today. As such, social networks offer a golden opportunity for podcasters to gain more listeners. Share your QR Code on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook and include a caption describing its purpose to convince listeners to scan it. You can also use them in posts, profile pictures, or cover photos for more exposure. 
  
  
• Websites and email campaigns: Add the podcast QR Code to key website sections—for instance, homepages or contact pages—for easy accessibility. Also, include the QR Code in promotional emails and newsletters for an effortless podcast transition. However, ensure you have used the right size on your QR Codes to balance design integration and visibility. Ideally, 1 in × 1 in is the best QR Code print size.

Focus on strategic placement

Listeners are likely to dismiss your code if it’s inaccessible. So, make sure your QR Code is visible and easily scannable. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes when determining placement on all your marketing materials, and only move forward with printing if it’s easy to scan the code in your chosen position. 

Also, ensure you strategically position your chosen QR Code medium. If you intend to put your podcast QR Code on a billboard, make sure it’s in a location frequented by your target audience and that it’s big enough for them to scan it seamlessly. If you’re hosting an event, place the QR Code somewhere attendees must pass to access your venue, like the entrance. 

Boost your podcast’s success with QR Codes

For every podcasting niche, there are millions of audiences looking for fresh content. As such, podcasters need to establish creative and effective ways to reach those listeners—using QR Codes in their podcast promotion. With a podcast QR Code, you can boost your marketing campaign and allow listeners to seamlessly discover the fresh, new content they have been waiting for.

QR Code Generator is the right option for any podcaster who wants to take their podcasting promotion to the next level. With this tool, you can generate QR Codes to share across all mediums in a matter of minutes. 
Sign up for QR Code Generator PRO today to create custom QR Codes that broaden your podcast’s reach and allow listeners to access your content easily.