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How to Set Up a Podcast Google Alert and Why You Should

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If you’ve never used a podcast Google alert, you’re unaware of maybe half of your podcast’s reach and impact. I’ll show you how to set up a Google Alert for your podcast. Then, I’ll show you how Google Alerts can help you promote your podcast and avoid pitfalls.

How to Set Up a Podcast Google Alert

Once you have a Google account, go to Google Alerts.

In the search box at the top, type in the title of your podcast.

How to Set Up a Podcast Google Alert
When you type in the search term, Google Alerts shows you the kind of result it obtains.

Google Alerts shows you the current results for that search term and the email address to receive the information.

Click “Show Options” to set parameters about how you want to receive your search results. You can pick results in a specific language, from a particular region, and more. Choose what you need.

podcast google alert settings
There are a lot of options available for the search field.

Click “Create Alert.” Google will search that term for you, and email you the results, daily, weekly, or as they happen.

Then, set up a podcast Google alert for your podcast’s topic. Make as many as you want for what’s most relevant for your show. They’re free, so the sky’s the limit. Live large! I’ll explain how this will help you in a bit. But first:

Why Do You Need a Podcast Google Alert?

Setting up an alert can seem like one more picayune task with little impact. You may find that your Google alert returns irrelevant or uninteresting results to your inbox. It might not return results often, either. But, every so often, you strike gold that otherwise you’d miss.

I have nine Google Alerts running. Five of them help me edit our newsletter, The Fiction Podcast Weekly. Four help me promote my fiction podcast, Jarnsaxa Rising.

podcast google alerts

Not all of the alerts send me search results every day. Sometimes the search results are skewed because they’re poorly worded content. But, some of the results will be helpful. For example, your podcast Google alert can:

Protect Your Podcast From Plagiarism

This could be anything from bona fide podcast piracy to someone mimicking your intellectual property and repeating it in their episodes and brand. I once got a podcast Google alert for Jarnsaxa Rising to find that a print-on-demand merchandise company copied my podcast cover art and pasted it onto images of T-shirts for sale. This wasn’t unique; unoriginal people do all kinds of crazy things. At least you’ll be informed and can tell them to stop.

Is Your Podcast Title Really Yours?

What if someone else started a business, a band, or (heaven forbid) another podcast before you did, with the same title? It’s always good to search online for your podcast’s name before launch. You don’t want to muddy the waters of discoverability. If someone uses your name or information afterwards, your podcast Google alert can let you know.

Topic Generation

When your episode ideas run thin, your podcast Google alerts can help. For a podcast like Hostile Worlds, news about the Webb Space Telescope would be useful for future episodes. A podcast like Organic Life can benefit from agriculture news. You get the idea. It’s food for thought.

You can use your podcast Google alerts to generate promotion ideas, too. You probably noticed in the screenshot above that I have alerts for topics related to my podcast, like “Norse mythology.” Search terms for related topics give me relevant news to share on Jarnsaxa’s social media.

cat asking dogs for podcast reviews

Finding Your Audience

Your podcast Google alerts can show you groups and associations that fit in your podcast niche. Publications that share content about your topic would come up. You might want to pitch your podcast to them (make sure you have your media kit ready). Businesses posting about your podcast’s topic on the Internet may also be worth a sponsorship pitch.

Reviews, praise and promotion

You never know who is listening to your podcast and what they may say about it. YouTube personalities who want to talk about your topic, podcast reviewers, pop culture bloggers, and so on are always looking for new ideas for their content. Share their content that reflects well on your show. You could cross-promote each other’s work, and both benefit.

Your Podcast Google Alert: a Minute to Set Up, a Lifetime of Results

Again, not every batch of search results that lands in your inbox is going to be gold. Most of them may be boring or unrelated to what you need. I can’t tell you how many email messages I’ve deleted with news tidbits about a “fact or fiction podcast” or video games named after Norse myths. But, not all of your podcasting tasks have this favorable of a ratio of effort to reward. It takes you less than a minute to set up a podcast Google alert, runs indefinitely, and can provide news and information you don’t want to miss.

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