When it comes to getting more listeners and growing your podcast, one of the most effective ways I've found is via trailer swaps. Sure, social media can help, but I tend to find that's more for awareness as opposed to listens. Trailer swaps, on the other hand, are much more effective, at least in my experience. At their simplest, a trailer swap is when you and another podcaster use each other's trailer and play it on your podcast.
It might be as part of your mid roll ads if you use them, or you might introduce it as a bonus part of your episode. Essentially, you're telling your audience about the other podcast and that podcaster will be telling their audience about your podcast. The reason this is effective is twofold. Listeners trust the podcaster they're listening to, so will be more likely to check out the show being highlighted.
Additionally, since they're probably already listening on their preferred podcast app, it's easy to add your show to their library in just a couple of clicks. The best trailer swaps are where the audience aligns with both podcasts. So for example, a podcast about sports cars would be a great fit for an audience of a show that talks about car modifications.
So next time you're thinking of how to attract more listeners to your podcast, I highly recommend working with other podcasters in your niche on trailer swaps with each other. I think you'll enjoy the results. Until the next time, happy podcasting.