To the untrained eye, well known content creators explode in popularity on one channel—which leads to their popularity on other channels. But while some creators gain internet fame overnight, others rely on a multichannel approach to create their audience.
Realistically, bringing your audience to your content means investing your resources and energies in marketing and communicating across channels.
Though audience members come from all different platforms, content creators are responsible for uniting their readers, viewers and/or listeners through their marketing efforts and content. The challenge can feel overwhelming, but there are effective ways to reach and unify a scattered audience—even within the world of academia.
Matt Abrahams, lecturer of strategic communication at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and author of Speaking Up without Freaking Out, has been host of the Think Fast Talk Smart podcast since its launch in January 2020. While the Stanford School of Business’s marketing communication team helps promote the podcast, Matt also plays a role in fostering audience interest.
Matt says that it’s important for creators in the academic sphere to be conscious of their audience when cross-promoting. “Academics tend to talk to other academics and students,” he says. “The people you may be trying to reach with your podcast might not be academics. Translate academic ideas in a way that is meaningful.”
Matt identifies the saturated media market as one of the challenges of cross-channel promotion. “A visual post makes a huge difference,” he says. “If you include an infographic or image it catches the eye. People forward and reshare visuals.”
Isabella Koh, a senior at Andrews University studying English literature and chemistry, says that the visual elements of Instagram and TikTok are easy to be attracted to.
“I’ve noticed that my university has started leaning into video reels/TikToks a lot more, and that has been an interesting change,” she says. “It’s fun to be engaged with content in that way, and it’s fun to see people I recognize on screen.”
Apart from marketing strategies like using visuals, the overall channel that one chooses to promote content on also matters. Isabella typically hears about podcasts through Spotify and word of mouth. However, she views Instagram and TikTok as the most effective channels for communication.
“They’re incredibly flexible and open to new ideas but are also grounded in trends that help foster growth,” she says. “Often, video-based content is easier to consume than a chunk of text.”
Brian Kim, a first-year sound design student at Vancouver Film School in Vancouver, Canada, similarly says that one of the ways he hears about podcasts is through friends with similar taste. He also checks Instagram and TikTok on a daily basis and feels that they are the most effective channels for reaching a younger demographic of students.
“By using the platform that is trending and keeping up with what is popular, you can reach young people,” he says. “I don’t know many people who use Facebook on a daily basis.”
While much of the art of cross-channel promotion revolves around choosing the right channels and key marketing strategies, the creation of good content is an effective marketing technique in itself.
“What’s most important is to focus on creating good content,” says Matt. “A lot of people focus on the marketing. I think it’s okay that they do marketing, but if you can provide value, you’re off to a good start.”
Implement strategic marketing to form your community—but make them stay with good content. Because whether you’re on the audience or creator side, the community aspect that results from successful cross-channel promotion and content can be very rewarding.
