✊ The best (& most dangerous) podcast advice you'll ever hear

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.

You can add the episode to your listening queue in your favourite podcast app or watch on YouTube.

📲 Add To Your Queue

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,

PS. The Podcast Growth Engine Model is the exact marketing and sales system I help my clients install in their businesses.

If you're interested in working with me directly and want to get a head start, I've got two slots still available in Q2, where I'll work directly with you to design, build, and optimize your own Podcast Growth Engine.

Reply with "Growth Engine" and I'll send over the details.

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