Confronting Your Podcast's Avatar From The Inside

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One of the pleasures of being an independent podcast creator is that you are in control. Assuming you're an independent creator, that is. If you're a part of a larger podcast making machine, maybe less so. But podcasting is still new enough that people who work inside or behind the scenes still have influence in the direction of a show.

Today I want you to think about the audiences your podcast serves. One is the avatar. For the unfamiliar, an avatar is the embodiment of your most perfect audience member who acts as a stand-in for your entire audience. That one made-up person has the attributes that many of your real and actual audience share. So you focus on that one person’s needs and most of your other listeners benefit.

The second audience is you. The podcaster. The creator. The host. Or I suppose some other role in the show. If you have any creative control, the show has to work (at least on some level) for you. And if not… well, I talk about that at the very end of this piece.

No Podcaster Is An Island

Troubles arise when we see those two audiences as distinctly different from each other. We know (or we should know) what we want as the creator. And we know (or we should know or we think we know) what our listening audience wants from our show.

However, when we overlap those two like converging circles of a Venn diagram, we find power in the overlap. The more those two circles overlap, the more power we have, if only because of the shared goals. But more importantly, because of the shared insights.

Your Podcast Is More Than Your Content

The things you say (or allow to be said) on your program are clearly important elements. And you probably won’t have a viable show if the content resonates with you but not with your audience. Conversely, if the audience is digging your content but you’re just not into it, then the risk of quitting or podfading is very real.

But there’s more to audience/host alignment than just agreeing on content. Things like...

Show Format

The format of your podcast, from cold-open to fading outro music and all the parts between, has a lot to do with its success, failure, or stagnation. Chances are, the current format of your show is something you wanted. Something you then imposed on your audience.

Not that I’m suggesting you should poll your audience for their opinion on your format, you understand. But to think that your audience cares not about your format would be a mistake. Remember, the number of hours a month your audience spends listening to you is a but a fraction of the number of hours they spend listening to other podcasts. They may not be able to articulate their opinion on what format works best for them, but they certainly have preferences.

Instead of asking, just be in the audience. Yes, that means listening to your own episodes every time they come out just like a listener does. But it also means listening to other shows to see if there are new or better formats your audience is aware of... but you are not. That means launching Apple Podcasts, searching for your show, clicking through to your show page on Apple Podcasts, and subscribing to every single one of “You Might Also Like” shows presented because that list of other podcasts is built out based on people who listen to your show.

And just like that, you’re an active member of your audience!

Cadence

Are you publishing new episodes on a cadence that works for you, for your audience, or for both? Yes, weekly is a common standard. But how true to that are you really? If you’re like me, you may get a little busy from time to time, and you may fudge your release by a day. Or maybe push it by a couple of hours. Look, reality happens, and you have to do what you have to do. Your audience will probably forgive you.

So long as you constantly violating the cadence isn’t the only predictable thing about your release schedule, that is.

That’s you putting your needs first, and you’d probably not like that if you were part of the audience. Thoughts like “What if I released an episode every five days?” or “Maybe I should drop a just-for-fun episode the same day I’m releasing my last episode of the month?” violate your established cadence, and require careful consideration before implementation. Yes, it’s important to scratch your creative itch. But humans are creatures of habit. Exercise caution before you introduce too much randomness or chaos into their mix.

If you’re finding it difficult to see a chaotic release cadence might negatively impact your audience, then your perspective is still from the outside looking in.

Your Podcast, But Not In Audio

I know you spend a lot of time, energy, and probably money making great-sounding episodes of your podcast. Encouraging, or at least enabling, your audience to consume your podcast without listening to the audio files seems anathema.

But it’s not.

Some people would love to listen, but maybe they don’t have the time. Yes, podcasting is the best way to consume content in “found time” moments, but it still takes time. Time your audience may not be willing to give, though they still want the content you make. Thinking from inside your audience with that perspective, you absolutely should accommodate.

With few exceptions, the waveform is not the most interesting part of your show. Soundwaves moving through the air to cause eardrums to vibrate is key to the podcast listening experience. But it doesn’t have to be the only way to experience a podcast. Strange as that sounds.

I’ll use this show as an example. As I record it, there as a live video stream. That live video is then lightly edited and re-posted on appropriate channels where video consumption happens. The audio signal is then used to create a completely re-written article posted on the show’s website and other appropriate channels, with no listening or watching required. And to wrap it all up with a bow, the article -- complete with a link to the fully produced audio episode -- is distributed via a newsletter. Oh, and it’s also distributed as a podcast episode to every podcast app and directory.

Why do I do all of that every day? Because I put myself in the position of my audience, and I know that I can’t always listen. Sometimes I like to watch live recordings. Sometimes I want to scan through text on a webpage. And somethings I want to take my time and dig deep with an article that’s sent to me.

I want to give my audience every chance to digest the things I have to say, however they want. To me, that’s part of being a creator.

What If You’re Not The Target Audience For The Podcasts You Produce?

It’s hard to make content that you don’t personally enjoy. If you’ve tried to be an advocate for your audience by being a member of your audience and you just don’t like it… you’re in a tough spot. The best way to get through it: insist on getting paid for your efforts. Paid from your audience? Paid by someone else? Doesn’t matter. Just make sure the payment you receive is enough to keep you making content you don’t personally love. Because we don’t all always get to do only things that bring us joy. Not in the real world, at least.

Three things before I sign off: One, BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra is the best (and only) way to financially support this program. I remind you signing up for a recurring membership (it's like five bucks) entitles you to some special perks I’m just starting to roll out.

And if you know of a podcaster in your life who need to hear this episode or perhaps isn’t even been aware that Podcast Pontifications exists, please pick up the phone, send the text, slide into their DMs and ask them to check out Podcast Pontifications with a link to the show or this episode.

I take Fridays off, so I will be back on Monday with yet another Podcast Pontifications.

Cheers!

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PPS3E15 Confronting Your Podcast's Avatar From The Inside - Transcript

Evo Terra: [00:00:00] If you make a podcast for everyone, you've made it for no one. So you might focus and carefully define your avatar, but in your refinements, you might've left out an important voice by mistake.

[00:00:19] hello, and welcome to another podcast. Pontifications with me, Evo, Tara. Now, one of the pleasures of being an independent podcast creator is that you are in control. Of course, that assumes you're an independent creator. If you're a part of some larger podcast to making machine maybe less so, but I think podcasting's new enough that with enough interesting people playing in the field, that those members who were inside still have a lot of say in the direction of the shows they work on.

[00:00:48] I honestly believe that's the case. Not always, but that is certainly, it certainly can be. Now I want you to think about your avatar and the audience for your show. I want you to think about it in two different ways, because your podcast, your podcast, the shows you work on, they really serve two different audiences.

[00:01:08] One is, is the avatar. The avatar is a representation of one single person who is a stand in for the entire audience. Right. We don't talk to everybody in a podcast. As I mentioned, we talked to one person and that actual one person, the attributes of that one person shared across lots of other people really helps you refine and focus down.

[00:01:31] But it's your honor. Yes. The end of the nature on, do you know who you're making the show for? Preference is define an avatar if not get together, you know, a high level, like my high level is I want working podcasters, listening to my show. That's simple enough. I've got a more defined avatar, but that's the idea.

[00:01:48] So one is your audience itself. That's audience number one, audience. Number two, is you right? You're the podcaster. You're the creator, or I suppose the cog in the machine that this has got to work for. You. Everything you produce has to work for you. We all get this inherently, you know, this, if you've not really thought about it, you know, I've got my audience and I got me and I have to serve both of these masters.

[00:02:17] The problem is, or the troubles arise when we see those two different audiences as well. Just that two distinctly different audiences. There is what you want as the create tour. And there's what your audience wants as the listener. But the real power comes when those two like Venn diagrams overlap because there has to be some overlap.

[00:02:49] There's really a lot of overlap. In fact, the true power in what I'm talking about now comes when there's a large amount of overlap between what you want. And what your audience wants less overlap. The chances are the less successful. The show is going to be at least speaking from the point of view of an independent creator.

[00:03:12] There's another option at that to get to her towards the end, perhaps. So when I talk about the overlap between these two, the more overlap, the better on these Venn diagrams. I'm not just talking about. Content the things that you say or allow to be said on your program. Yeah. That's a part of it. Clearly the content has to be interesting to you and to your, your own audience, but I'm thinking about things beyond content, beyond content.

[00:03:45] And the reason I'm thinking about these things that are beyond content is you want to make sure that you're serving your audiences, you and the avatar itself. Well, You want to give them every reason to start listening, stay listening, and share it with other people. And the more of that overlap, the more you're serving their needs and your needs together, the better.

[00:04:05] And yes, content, as I said is a part of that, but there's so much more format. What is the format of your show? And is it a format that your audience wants or. Is it a format that you want? We make a lot of decisions as podcast is based on things we can and cannot do and things we have been exposed to and things we have not been exposed to.

[00:04:38] So I would suggest taking a look at the format of the show you are making, which clearly you're probably making, because it works for you and ask yourself if it works for the audience. Now that's hard to do, which is why I say we've got an overlap. You need to look at this from the inside. If you are an audience member, if you were downloading and listening to this episode of the podcast you're making right now, is it the format you're looking for?

[00:05:07] Is it a format that works? Are there better formats out there? Have there been new developments, new innovation, people being creative, doing something new that would work really well on your show. Or are you using the same format that you used four years ago when you got started and said, that's it. I know how to do this thing and I'm done.

[00:05:30] Your audience might want more. And the only way you're going to know that is if you can sit yourself in the side from the audience perspective. So listen, are you listening to your show? Are you listening to other shows similar to yours? Have you gone to Apple podcasts, search for your show, found your show and went down to the people who listened to your show.

[00:05:50] Also listened to these other shows and listened to figure out what their format is. Hmm. You should, you should do that. Also. There's cadence. When does new, when do new episodes of your show come out on what cadence? Now the standard is weekly, but look. I know that you just like me sometimes get a little busy and have ideas that maybe, well, maybe I should do something more.

[00:06:16] I mean, if they're liking an episode a week, what if I did like maybe occasionally only two episodes a week, but I just kind of have a wild hair to do this one episode and throw it out there that might work for you really well, because you've got things going, going on, but does it work for your audience?

[00:06:35] Does the cadence of your show that you've set. That you might want to be changing work for your audience. Is it haphazard? Is it really scheduled? What works for them? When should this thing release for them? It's very difficult to ask yourself that question if you're on the outside, but if you get in and you think about it from the point of view of your being a part of the audience, serving your needs as well, what cadence should you be on?

[00:07:01] Are you on the right one right now? Would you change it up? Did you try different things? Maybe. But think about the audience. You have become a member of the audience. So just think about them, become a member of the audience and see what works for you. And then there's all the non audio stuff. What else could you be doing with your podcast, other than recording an episode and pushing it out on your podcast feed?

[00:07:25] There's a lot more to it. There's a lot more to it. Maybe your audience doesn't have the time to listen. Maybe they don't. Can you do something for the people who can't listen, but still want to get your content. Sounds weird to be a podcaster and encourage people to not listen or enable people to not listen.

[00:07:47] But so what being a podcaster doesn't necessarily mean talking into a microphone. I mean, yeah, kind of means that today, but there's so much more people can do. Why are you limiting yourself? Just something to that. What other forms of content could you produce that your audience wants to get? Sure it can be video.

[00:08:06] This shows recorded on video, but it also, it could be, you know, a lot of texts well-written, well-defined crafted articles. So people might actually like that's then pushed out in a newsletter format. I'm talking about myself here because I also, the audience, I like to consume it things in a variety of formats, not just audio.

[00:08:26] So the big takeaway of this is be an advocate for your audience by being a member of your audience. Don't forget to put yourself in their shoes quite literally, or put their headphones in your ears if that's not a little weird, but do it. And if you're not doing that, If you're not willing to do that,

[00:08:50] then

[00:08:51] Evo Terra: [00:08:51] you really, we should stop doing this show you're doing, or, or, or he should insist on getting paid for your efforts.

[00:08:58] There's a lot of things you might be able to produce. You don't want to listen to. It's fine. As long as you are paid. Now three things before I go away, one, buy me a coffee.com/evo. Terra is still there for you to buy me a virtual coffee. And I remind you once again, that if you sign up for a recurring membership, it's like five bucks, you'll get access to some special perks, special perks.

[00:09:23] If, you know, podcasters in your life who need to hear this episode, or maybe haven't even been aware of podcast, pontifications it is really helpful when you pick up the phone or send the text or direct message. Someone who, you know, is a podcaster and say, check out podcast pontifications and give them a link to the show.

[00:09:40] I would really appreciate it and it helps make the show grow. I take Fridays off, so I will be back on Monday with yet another podcast. Pontifications cheers.

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