✊ The best (& most dangerous) podcast advice you'll ever hear
Published 4 months ago • 4 min read
Hi friends,
At some point, you’ve probably heard some version of the following advice:
✨ “Just listen to your audience and they’ll tell you exactly what to create.” ✨
On the surface, the advice seems sound.
And like most widely shared advice, there’s some truth to it.
But... like most widely shared advice, there’s a layer of nuance and discernment that's been lost in transmission.
And it's precisely that nuance and discernment that makes the advice work.
See, because while your audience almost certainly does have the answers you need to improve everything from your show to your marketing to your product offers, messaging, and positioning...
When it comes to getting that information out of them, there are a few common problems:
They’ll (unintentionally) lie to you — Usually because they want to be supportive and don’t want to hurt your feelings or bruise your ego
They don’t actually know what they want — Usually due to a disconnect between their rational and emotional minds. The result is they’ll tell you they want one thing, only to reject or ignore it when you create it.
What they’re asking for takes you away from what you want to create — Also known as “Audience Capture”, a phenomenon that (especially when amplified by algorithms) can have devastating consequences.
Banal, generic content that doesn’t stand out (and thus have a chance to grow) — Because you end up creating content answering the same common questions and desires that dozens of other creators are also hearing and addressing.
So how do you extract and decipher the useful information while avoiding the traps?
The answer is not to ask them at all.
Instead, your job is to act like an anthropologist and observe and uncover their existing behaviour.
Behaviour like:
What shows are they already listening to?
How did they find them?
What do they do when seeking out new content on your topic?
How they’re currently attempting to solve the problem your show addresses?
Etc
Then, reading between the lines and connecting the dots.
As it turns out, there’s a lot you can learn about your listeners when you stop asking them to solve your problem and start understanding how they’re already trying to solve theirs.
In this episode of Podcast Marketing Trends Explained, we dig into a trove of data from various surveys to try and understand how listeners think about and approach finding and choosing new shows… by examining both their words, and their actions.
Because when we understand how our potential listeners are already seeking out, judging (and abandoning) the shows they listen to, we can align our marketing with their psychology and behaviour.
One of the first projects I assign to almost every one of my 1:1 clients is to install a "Listener Clarity Call" system into their show.
The system makes it easy to connect with listeners regularly (ideally 1-2/week) to improve both your audience and customer research.
After 10-15 of these calls, the result is increased clarity on how to:
Improve the show
Create better, more aligned content
Be more efficient and effective with your marketing
Prioritize project creation and promotion
Map your offer messaging and sales copy to the desires and pain points that are already top of mind for your listeners (in their exact language)
Oh, and if you're doing them right, it's not uncommon to walk away from these calls with a handful of new customers or clients as well.
Double win.
If you'd like my help to design and build a bespoke growth and conversion strategy for your show and business—based on in-depth audience & competitor research and a deep dive business & show audit from me...
Hit reply with the words, "Podcast Growth Engine" and I'll send you all the info.
Stay Scrappy,
If you're a founder that feels like you've got all the pieces in place (offer, podcast, email marketing)... but they aren't working together in a cohesive system, I've got 6 slots left for 2025 in my 1:1 Podcast Growth Engine Program.
In the program, we'll do a full assessment of your show, marketing, sales system, and offer, and then design a strategy and system to bring them into alignment, to help you sell more and grow faster with less effort.
It's not an overnight process, but if you've already got the pieces in place, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect to add $100k in revenue over the next year.
Here's who nails the bull's eye:
You're a coach, consultant, service provider, or online educator with a high-ticket offer ($5k+) that already sells consistently.
You have a stable business that pays you a solid, predictable salary (ie. you're not in "need cash now mode") and are in mid-to-long-term planning mode, looking to build out the systems and strategy to take your business to the next level over the next 2-5 years.
You've got all of core business assets already established—offer, sales process, email marketing, podcast, operations—but while all of them are performing OK, none of them are really optimized... and you know you're leaving money on the table and working harder than you need to to generate revenue.
You can see all the pieces and know you've built something of real value... but don't know how to connect them all in a cohesive way.
You understand business and marketing, but could really use some outside perspective from someone who deeply understands their work (creatively, strategically, and tactically) and what they're trying to do to bounce ideas off of, challenge their assumptions, and guide them.
If that's you, reply with the words "Growth Engine" and I'll send over all the info on how the process works.
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