Podcasting can feel like a minefield. Podcasting, previously known as audio blogging came to be after journalist Ben Hammersley coined the phrase in 2004. Podcasting has many different variables that calculate one podcast’s success. And one of those podcasting tricks that producers fight for – is you guessed it – audience growth.
But how do you as a podcaster, or someone wanting to get into podcasting, build an audience?
It’s time to share how to build a successful podcast audience.
There are many factors that make up an engaging podcast that the audience sticks, grows and recommends to others. In this article, we are happy to share how to build a successful podcast audience.
If you want to build a successful podcast audience, you need to figure out your podcast’s purpose and target audience: When you know what your podcast is about and who it is for, you can better create content that engages them.
If you want to make it big, you need to start small. If you want to make a name for yourself, you need to start small. And if you want to be something special and stand out from the crowd, then you have to aim for the stars and build something that no one else has ever done before.
Think about, (1) What is my purpose? (2) What do I wish somebody would read?
While both examples are different and come from different angles, they both show that by taking these two steps you are on the path to create content that will draw interest from a potential audience.
Create interesting and valuable content: This is key to attracting and retaining listeners.
Podcasting is a medium that offers the opportunity to present your ideas, your thoughts, and your contributions to the world in a new way. Podcasts are a great way to introduce people to your ideas and help them understand them. They make potential listeners feel like they already know what you’re talking about.
Podcasting is a great medium to share content with others. In addition, if you want to build a successful podcast audience consider how much time your listeners spend thinking about things, they want to learn more about before they buy into it — like if they want more content on their favourite topic or want more information on some specific subject matter. Give them value by sharing valuable information that will be useful not just once but multiple times over while potentially triggering these behaviours in their minds.
Promote your podcast: Get the word out there through social media, your website, and other channels.
When people are looking to consume a particular type of content, they will do so because it has a specific quality that translates to them and their lives. It also aligns with topics that they are interested in, so it should resonate within.
Also, if you want to create a successful podcast audience, when you’re creating your podcast, you should showcase your personal brand and style.
With the internet, it’s easy for you to reach out and share your podcast with a wider audience. The internet is just as much about reaching as it is about listening.
Analyse and adjust: Keep track of your analytics and use that
Setting goals and working towards them is an important part of the process of growing your podcast audience. It’s not enough to just have a plan. You must have a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish with each episode you produce. This can be as simple as wanting to share your knowledge with others or create a more engaging experience for your listeners.
This is a high-level approach/strategy to building a successful podcast audience. There are, of course, other more detailed things in the editing, iteration, distribution and promotion that are important to creating a successful podcast audience – things such as:
- Having music
- Using an introduction
- Paying for promotion
- Having a website
- Podcast SEO and the guests you can attract to your show
- Distributing on all key directories
To us, these are transactional items that must be done. But the high-level, “why?” is what keeps your podcast focused on and sustains you through the episodes.
Sonnant is a common tool among podcasters, hear more about how we help Southern Cross Austereo drive production on a large podcasting scale. Click here.
