Our job as creators is to help our listeners fall in love with us. Here are three guiding principles to help explain what this means, and how we can do it.
1. Hold the listener exclusively in your attention
Speak to your listener as an individual, and remember your podcast is the only thing they’re listening to right now. They’re not watching you on YouTube or TikTok. They’re not with you in a Crowdcast or a LinkedIn live. They’re in their own space and time – it’s their space, and you’re being welcomed into it.
2. Honour the listener’s time over yours
That doesn’t mean you don’t respect your time. It just means you make choices that demonstrate you value their time, even if at the expense of your own.
Remember that podcasting is a one-to-many relationship, so by spending, say, an extra half-hour on editing, you’re saving all your listeners time.
3. Anticipate the listener’s needs
Any action you want the listener to take should be within reach. Put links in show notes so that listeners can connect with guests or watch a TED talk that was discussed. The website should make finding the latest episode and playing it easy, along with following the show in their app of choice.
Resources
Mark Steadman
Helping seasoned, soulful entrepreneurs use their podcast to build trust and create long-lasting, rewarding relationships with their listeners.