Growing a dedicated audience isn’t just about having listeners—it’s about engaging them, connecting with them, and offering value beyond just the episodes.

I sit down with Yasmine Robles and Izzy Dadosky from Rebel Marketing to talk all about building loyal fans and communities around your podcast.

We share why having a website is so important as your podcast’s central home online. Not only does it make you look more legit, but it also gives your audience a place to interact with you and with each other, rather than just passively listening.

Izzy highlights the power of SEO and ensuring your site is easy to find, while Yasmine offers insight into deciding what type of community you want to create, depending on your podcast’s goals and target audience.

We touch on different online platforms you can use—Substack, Circle communities, Kajabi, Facebook groups, Discord, and even Slack—and discuss how to pick the best option based on your needs and budget.

We also talk about the importance of being clear on the purpose of your community, staying consistent with your engagement, and focusing more on genuine connections than fancy tech.

From offering bonus content and Q&A sessions to giving your listeners access to exclusive behind-the-scenes discussions or even fun extras like dad jokes, creating a sense of belonging is key.

We share practical tips on incentivizing participation, getting your social media audience to make the leap to a closer-knit group, and how to avoid overwhelming your members with too much information all at once.

Whether you’re just starting or thinking about launching a paid community for your podcast, this episode is packed with real-world advice and encouragement to help you turn listeners into true fans and supporters.

5 Keys You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why a Website Matters Discover how having a dedicated .com gives your podcast legitimacy and helps your SEO—so fans find YOU first (not random merch resellers!).
2. Define Your Community’s Purpose Before you invite listeners in, nail down your group’s “why.” Is it for fan discussion, bonus content, networking, or crowd-sourcing ideas? Yasmine shares how clear goals dictate everything else.
3. Easy Bonus Content Wins Get creative: From members-only Q&As to evidence drops for true crime podcasts, learn ideas for exclusive perks that keep your audience coming back.
4. Best Community Platforms (Without Getting Overwhelmed!) Slack, Circle, Substack, Discord, Facebook groups… the gang breaks down platforms for every budget, plus simple ways to link them to your site.
5. Motivating Fans to Join (And Actually Participate!) From fun badges to engaging channels (hello dad joke tab!), find out what gets folks excited to join your inner circle—and tips to keep the momentum up.

00:00 Building Podcast Community Online

04:08 Creating Purposeful Podcast Communities

06:44 Paid Content Strategy Options

11:37 Focus on Community Engagement

14:42 Communities' Purpose and Benefits

15:58 Prioritize Focused Call to Action

21:19 Launching Community Growth Strategy

23:23 "Podcasting Community Benefits and Growth"

Yasmine works alongside clients to design a website that's driven by strategy, looks amazing, and that you can actually use to grow your podcast, and your business.

Her website.

Her Instagram.

Click here for the checklist!

Each week, one of The Circle of Experts talks about critical aspects of growing your podcast. We focus on marketing, social media, monetization, website design, and implementation of all of these to help you make the best podcast possible.

Have a question or an idea for one of our episodes? Send us an email at [email protected].

The Circle of Experts are:

Yasmine Robles from Rebel Marketing

Tonnisha English-Amamoo of TJE Communications

Don The Idea Guy

Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy®, from Circle 270 Media® Podcast Consultants

Copyright 2025 Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy™

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/vince-mcgill/lemon-slice

License code: 2NRNUIV5VG7FU3K5

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/