Deciding to launch a podcast is an exciting time. Ideas pour out of you, and you’re ready to record everything that comes to mind.
If you’re like other podcasters, you want to generate a ton of downloads, grow a raving fan base, and make a steady income. Most people think that they need to appeal to a large, diverse audience to do so. It kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? Talk a bit of everything, and you’ll have a big audience.
But what if I told you that being too broad trying to appeal to everyone could harm your podcast rather than help it?
Why a podcast niche is important:
Niche is one of those buzzy words that everyone in business talks about daily.
Want to start a blog? Choose your niche.
Want to grow your social media following? Choose a niche.
Some people are fed up with hearing (and fighting over the pronunciation of) the word, but no matter what way you say it or what industry you’re in, a niche is one of the most important things to consider in content marketing and creation.
Here’s why:
A Niched Podcast Earns Trust
Podcasts give us the rare opportunity to establish ourselves as experts in our industry. We can also reach a broader and more global audience than if we stuck to our hometowns and occasionally accepted speaking engagements.
When you have a niche podcast, you can easily share your knowledge, insight, and expertise on a particular topic. Your audience will tune in every week to hear you speak, and they’ll begin to see you as the expert in your field.
With a broad niche, you’ll undoubtedly have an abundance of topics to speak on, but are you an expert in every subject? Likely not.
Consider this example: You want to start a podcast on marketing. Marketing has various topics, but you might have a day job in content marketing for a SaaS company. Will you be able to share expert knowledge on digital advertising? How about product marketing management for a physical product?
While you likely know how these each work, you might not have extensive knowledge to share, experience, or solutions for your audience. And they’ll be able to tell.
When you can speak expertly on a subject, you’ll earn your listeners’ trust. You become their go-to source for ideas, solutions, and how-tos. They’ll share with their friends and colleagues, and your audience will grow.
Create Consistent Content
Quality and consistent content is the driver of a successful podcast. Audiences will forgive less than stellar audio but are quick to remember inconsistent content.
A podcast niche will allow you to create content around a central idea or topic, with three to five subcategories for your episode content. With this method, you can easily plan out content and stick closely to your niche.
When your content is consistent, your audience is more likely to follow you and return for more. Consistency build trust as listeners know they can count on you to provide content they enjoy and are interested in.
Now, that’s not to say that you can’t bring other topics into the mix. Make sure the subject is either in one of your subcategories or that you can relate it to your central idea.
For example, say your podcast is on building a blogging business. Your categories might include creating a website, blog writing, marketing your blog, and monetizing your blog. You can bring in topics on YouTube and podcasting under the marketing category or creating digital products under monetization.
You wouldn’t talk about the best workout for weight loss or the science behind the Mars rover. You’d lose listeners immediately if you jumped from subject to subject.
Build an Authentic Audience
Choosing a podcast niche will help you build an authentic audience. When deciding on your niche, consider who you’re talking to. Develop your ideal listener avatar and speak directly to them. Relate to your ideal listener with stories, experiences, and your passion for the topic.
Listeners feel an attachment to you and your podcast and will come back each week to learn more and hear your opinions. They will also want to share your podcast and content on social media or with family, friends, or colleagues.
A podcast is the reason why I dove into entrepreneurship, made friends across the country, and started podcasting myself. The first podcast I ever listened to was about female entrepreneurship, and the niche was helping women leave their 9–5 to start their own business. Whether guest or solo episodes, the content was consistent. The host was passionate about the subject. She shared her experience leaving a 9–5 to create her business.
I felt an attachment to the podcast and the host. So much so that I bought a ticket to her conference halfway across the country within a month of listening to the first episode. Her niche was specific. She shared her expertise and built an authentic audience that wants to support her in any way they can.
Create Monetization Opportunities
People buy from companies they know, like, and trust. When you establish yourself as an expert, build trust with your listeners, show consistency, and build an authentic audience, you’ll notice an abundance of monetization opportunities.
The 1,000 true fans theory applies here. Having 1,000 true listeners willing to share your podcast or buy your products and services is better than having 1,000,000 listeners who don’t take action. And choosing a niche for your podcast, rather than speaking broadly on a wide range of topics, will grow your true fan base.
True fans will want to snag your merch, support you on Patreon, or join your program. They’ll search you out as a service provider or buy your product because they know, like, and trust you as the expert in your field.
Take, for example, the experience I mentioned earlier. After just one month of listening to the podcast, I bought a ticket to a conference halfway across the country. Since then, I’ve enrolled in many of her coaching programs and her programs with friends and colleagues.
How specific does a podcast niche have to be?
When choosing a niche, you want to narrow down enough to draw in your ideal listener but stay broad enough that you have enough to talk about each week. Don’t focus so narrowly that you’re wracking your brain each week to figure out what you’re going to say.
The best way to figure out your niche is to define your ideal listener avatar and develop your main topic and subcategories. If, in creating content, you realize that your main topic is a subcategory and you can’t go further with it, then back up a bit. Look at the bigger picture and define a slightly broader main topic.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need a large audience or a board niche to have a successful, monetized podcast. A smaller engaged and trusting audience will be more profitable than a large audience that passively listens.
Creating an engaged audience that trusts you begins with niching down.
- Your audience will be as passionate or interested in the topic as you are
- You’ll build trust and a reputation with them by being the expert in your field
- You’ll create monetization and growth opportunities
As you consider your podcast topic and content, don’t go too broad to entice a larger audience. Decide who your ideal listener avatar is, and speak directly to them. Then, when you’re ready to start selling your products or services, you’ll have an audience that will be interested and willing to support you.
Originally posted on Medium.com April 1, 2021