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Keeping your audience happy is important to maintaining your podcast.
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But there may be other things you can give your audience to keep them better fed and
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even happier with your show in the future.
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Hello, and welcome to another Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra.
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Smart podcasters serve the needs of their audience.
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You've heard me say before how important it is for podcasters to know who
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you are for and why they are there.
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That's a phrase I borrowed from Tom Webster and it remains the best centering,
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if you will, or focusing mantra that I can think of when it comes to the relationship
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that a podcaster has with their audience.
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But there's only so much you can know, and only from so many.
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And what you do know about what they need from you might not be the same thing that
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they want or need from you in the future.
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Also, remember that your show is not listened to in a vacuum.
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Your audience probably listens to other shows and if not other podcasts,
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then they certainly have other types of media and information in their
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lives, all from providers who also want more attention from the same
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person that you all share together.
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So, to keep you and your show relevant as your listeners needs and media diet
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changes, I'm expanding on five very good ideas that The Atlantic came up with
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recently, as they were grappling with the ongoing needs of their own audience.
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These are ideas that can make sure that your audience is likely to keep a seat
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for you at their media consumption table.
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Number one, provide depth, clarity, and context.
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As we hurdle ever faster towards abundancy, providing more content
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is rapidly losing its value.
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For every person who says they can't get enough of you, there may be a dozen who
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were already drowning in your content.
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Yes, I recognize the irony of a person with a daily
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podcast making this statement.
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Noted.
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Look, your audience may want you to go deeper.
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Not longer.
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Not more frequently.
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They may want you to get to the point faster, and they may want
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you to provide context on ideas and topics they hear from others.
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Be their trusted source because you certainly aren't their only source.
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Number two, discovering new ideas because - Surprise!
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- people like to be surprised.
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Well, to an extent.
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Clearly, you can take that too far.
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Part of being a trusted source means that your audience relies on you to
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know more about something than they do.
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They expect you to be a step or two ahead of them, looking
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out for your shared future.
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But they don't have time to learn all of your new discoveries, but they
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will appreciate knowing you'll give them the scoop when there's something
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truly worthy of their attention.
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Number three, challenge assumptions.
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Yes, yes, people do like familiarity and they also like
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having their own biases reinforced.
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Very few people like to be told that they're wrong.
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However, they may be more willing to listen to a trusted source who shares
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their exact same worldview, if you will, but who's now offering a different,
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perhaps challenged, perspective.
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I don't recommend going after core beliefs right away, but exploring those
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fuzzy edges and chipping away at some long-held notions can actually capture
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and keep your audience's attention.
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Number four, provide a welcome, meaningful break.
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Podcasting, by its very nature, is slower than other forms of media.
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And that's what many of your listeners may see as great, as a welcome
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respite from the hours they spend doomscrolling their social media feeds.
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And yes, podcasting is a found time activity that can be
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layered on top of other tasks.
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But don't forget your show's ability to give your audience a
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chance to breathe as they listen and do nothing else for a while.
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And number five, introduce better media options.
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Now, this final point may seem in stark opposition to my first point,
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but your audience may appreciate you helping surface new and
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better media for them to consume.
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Yes, other podcasts, but also other forms of media, as long as
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they're related, either tightly or tangentially, to the topic where
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they see you as a trusted source.
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And if you find a clever way to make your recommendations seem personal to them,
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and also non-interruptive, well, then your audience will appreciate you even more.
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So there you have it, five ways to think about what you can do for your
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audience to keep you and your podcast as a healthy part of their media diet.
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Now, personally, I will be implementing some of these in
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future episodes, so stay tuned.
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With that, I shall be back tomorrow with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
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Cheers!
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Podcast Pontifications is written and narrated by Evo Terra.
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He's on a mission to make podcasting better.
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Links to everything mentioned in today's episode are in the notes
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section of your podcast listening app.
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A written-to-be-read article based on today's episode is available at
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podcastpontifications.com where you'll also find a video version and a corrected
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transcript, both created by Allie Press.
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Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media.
