Podcast listeners give a s*%t!

These aren't just delicious homemade blueberry muffins. I mean they are, but behind them is a deeper insight into podcast audiences.

 
 

A listener of my moderately successful political comedy podcast delivered them by hand to the Podstarter studio. They don’t know me personally, but after listening to us for 2 years, they felt compelled to show gratitude with a tasty home baked snack. They were in town on vacation and used their Airbnb’s kitchen to create this thoughtful gift.

Now I've worked in TV, radio, stage, cinema and digital, but have never seen this kind of intense audience reaction. It was a real moment of realization that podcasting is an opportunity to build a deeply meaningful community.

Podcasts have a unique relationship with audiences. It’s a parasocial relationship where listeners spend hours and hours with your content. Podcasts typically fill in those quieter moments where we seek company, escape or education. It’s a genuine privilege to become part of someone's weekly routine and a responsibility to respect their choice to listen.

The way we tell our stories and the emotional bonds we can form, make podcasting a secret weapon for those who know how to weld it. You may never meet them, but your listener knows you and chooses to give you some of the most important time they have.

Once you understand this, it means you can grasp how important the listener experience is for launching and growing a show. We can’t afford to just hit record, tidy up the dialogue and post, that won’t cut it. To engage a listener means crafting their experience and letting them know that you will repay their time with the best content you can deliver.

That's how you get muffins.

So here are my tips for making your podcast muffin worthy:

  • Respect your audiences time and attention

  • Have purpose, they need a reason to listen and a goal to stay for

  • Remind them you value their attention, show gratitude

  • Connect them, find a place where the community can grow

  • Ask for their opinion, let them become part of the process

So if you want to have an impact on your audience, and sometimes have delicious baked goods delivered to your door. Ask us about how we podcast with purpose for companies, brands and organizations.


Rhys Waters