“No one’s listening!”
Do you feel like that some days?
It can happen. Maybe an episode didn’t hit it off with your audience, or perhaps something else happened in the world that took their attention away.
Here are three tips to engage your podcast audience when you notice a dip in downloads or when you’re looking to grow:
What is the Focus of Your Content?
Is your content consistent?
Consistent content is not just about publishing the same day and time each week (though that does have a significant impact!) but creating content that is consistent with your brand, message, and content pillars.
Consistent content will have your podcast audience coming back for more. Your audience is listening to your podcast to gain knowledge on a particular topic or be entertained.
Creating content that doesn’t have a central focus will confuse or turn an audience off.
How to do it: Develop a consistent content strategy focused around 3–5 content pillars that feed up your business’s primary focus. Create content with those pillars in mind.
Are You Relating to Your Podcast Audience?
Are you spitting out facts and data or telling a story?
One of the first steps to engaging with your podcast audience is to understand them, what they want to hear, and connecting with them on a personal level.
Take the time to learn who they are. Understand what matters to your audience in their work and personal lives. Learn how they behave, what motivates them, and how they spend their time.
Once you understand them and what matters to them, you’ll be able to craft a story around your topic that will resonate with them.
Think about your favorite podcasts, articles, or TV shows. Do they contain only facts, or do they integrate facts and data into a story that captures your attention?
How to do it: Take your audience on a journey with your content. Paint a picture that allows your audience to feel something so they connect with you and your business.
How are You Providing Value?
Does your content provide value to your podcast audience?
Value can be anything from entertainment to updates on world news or education. It all depends on your podcast goals and your audience.
Once you understand your audience you’ll know what it is they want and need from your content.
The more content you give that your audience wants, needs, and values, the more time they’ll spend listening to your episodes, engaging with your content, and sharing it with others.
Provide value that will empower them to take action and deliver that value with 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 interaction.
How to do it: Each time you outline and record an episode, ask yourself what your podcast audience will take away from your content and if it’s something that matters to them.
Final Thoughts
People have limited time and attention spans these days.
With a well-planned podcast content strategy, you can capture 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 their attention for episodes to come. When their eyes (and ears!) are on you, they’ll begin to know you, like you, and trust you. Podcast audiences will begin to engage with your content on and off the platform.
It all comes down to:
- Creating consistent content
- Relating to your audience
- Providing value
Originally posted to Medium.com on May 19, 2021