Most people won’t care about your podcast.
It’s nothing against you and your brilliant content Reader.
Far from it. You simply can’t please everyone.
Just imagine trying to do this in real life. There’s so many things to consider!
Like what pushes someone’s buttons over another person? How does each person prefer to receive their information? What motivates each person? How do they like to be talked to?
Bloody hell, it’d be exhausting wouldn’t it?
Then, think about trying to please the people who won’t ever be pleased. That would get tiresome, pretty fast.
It’s the same for your podcast.
Pat Flynn is an entrepreneur guru-type. In his book ‘Superfans’ he says,
“You don’t need to change the entire world to build a successful business; you just need to change someone’s world.”
I think this can be applied to podcasts too.
When I launched my very first podcast in 2018 I believed that everyone would want to listen to it.
But most people weren’t actually arsed (actual podcasting technical term).
Now I know that this is fine and ok, and I want you to believe this too.
Pat's ‘Superfans’ also says,
“quality (of fandom) is way more important than quantity (of fans).”
Because the ones who your content will be for, the ones who do care - your fans - are worth their weight in gold. Especially for social impact businesses and organisations.
Here’s how:
- You can focus your marketing efforts: By targeting those that care, you can save time and resources by directing your marketing approach strategically
- Valuable content: Understanding your audience helps you to create content that delivers real value, value designed especially for them
- Loyal listenership: Creating content that sings to your audience can help you to build a loyal following. Who will return for more, share your episodes, and are more likely engage with you
- Community creation: What does more strategic listener engagement mean? Building a community around your podcast
- Ripple effects: These unexpected benefits are my favourite part of podcasting. Your podcast could spark new partners, supporters, funders, further income streams... so many ripples!
The one question to ask yourself
When we're working with podcasters at MIC, especially those who are looking to start a podcast, this is the question I ask them:
“Who would value your content the most?”
And therefore the question I want you to ask yourself is..
“Who would value my content the most?”
Then, focus on reaching these people, not all and sundry.
In summary, don't be discouraged by the silent majority. Focus on crafting content that your niche audience will love.
Because for your superfans, your podcast isn't just entertainment – it's a vital link to the change they believe in.
In the hallowed words of Hanson, “hold on to the ones who really care.”
Cool things I've seen this week
What’s in a name?
Choosing a name for your podcast can be one of those things that you spend far too long doing (super guilty of this myself). But have you checked to see if anyone else had the same name?
The Podcast Haven has built a nifty tool where you can check Apple, Spotify, YouTube or even domains for podcasts that have the same name as you - all at the same time.
Access the name checker here
Cool things we've been up to
Amplifying young activists voices
Over the summer we had the absolute joy to work with Amnesty International UK’s Youth Collective to equip them with the skills to launch their own podcast.
As part of our podcast training offer we worked with the team of young activists to teach them everything they needed to know to start their very own podcast.
We know through our work that podcasting is a powerful tool to help people and organisations reach new and far-reaching audiences, share important messages, and inspire action.
The Amnesty International UK Youth Collective is now fully equipped with the knowledge and skills to launch their own podcast series. They aim to share stories of human rights, and inspire action among their listeners.
Read more about our work with Amnesty here
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See you next time
Vic x
