Who is Your Podcast For: Targeting and Identifying Your Listeners

7 min read
Mar 4, 2024

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HOW to START A PODCAST Targeting and Identifying Your Listeners

While you might be overly interested in how to start a podcast, there’s an essential element that can determine your success or otherwise. Right from the onset, you need to be able to hit the right target with your audience.  Think of it this way; about $37 billion is wasted on failed targeting annually. You don’t have the resources, efforts, and time to waste if you are starting your podcast from scratch.  For every podcast, a person is willing to go to any length to listen to you. It’s just a matter of identifying this category of listeners. For this piece, we’ll use the word “ideal podcast listeners.” 

Who is Your Ideal Podcast Listener? 

Your ideal listener is your superfan, that one you record every episode for. Whenever you find yourself talking into the mic, you are talking to that person. That’s why you need to speak to that one person, not a multitude.  Being able to define your ideal listener will make podcasting easier for you. You will have a clear vision of what your content should be. While you may appeal to other categories of listeners, your ideal listener is the most important.  We are interested in how you can start small and slowly build a loyal fanbase. One that sticks with you looking forward to every episode. 

Defining Your Ideal Podcast Listener

There’s more to your ideal listeners than just age, race, gender, or other demographics. Let’s quickly paint a picture of who an ideal listener could be. Imagine running a podcast series titled Digital Nomads in The Wild; my ideal listener will be Mike. Who is Mike? 

Mike is 28, a graphics designer with excellent UI/UX skills. He’s working for a local startup in Greensboro, North Carolina. He has not traveled much; the idea of seeing beyond his horizon thrills him. As much as he loves being creative, the idea of being stuck in a single location is making him resent his job and skills. His life-long passion is to be free, work from anywhere, and be the best designer somewhere in the wild. While he knows a lot about freelancing and remote work, he does not know where to start or take action. That’s why he spends a good portion of his time off work reading on Quora about remote work and freelancing. He’s not big on the internet, but he just started following my podcast and asking the right questions. 

Without mincing words, Mike is my ideal podcast listener, but you have to know yours. Mike is a representation of real people who want to lend you their eardrums. 

How to Learn About and Locate Your Ideal Podcast Listener

Now that you’ve painted a mental image of your ideal listener, the real job is finding real people who share semblance with your image. Why are we so interested in locating your ideal listener? Without one, your chances of growing a podcast is next to nothing.  While we’ve seen podcasters who started by “talking into the void,” don’t do it. Instead, follow these leads in search of your audience; 

1. Social Media

For every demography, there’s a preferred social media. If your podcast addresses the needs of intellectual lawyers, you are likely to find them on Twitter, fashionistas will be on Instagram, and it’s Facebook for the student population.  Locating your ideal listener can be through either demographics or psychographics.  If your ideal listeners tilt towards Facebook, you should start combing and joining as many groups as possible. Learn about their questions, curiosity, concerns, and struggles. Don’t stop there. Provide answers to their questions. Stay active within the circle.  Over time, let your audience know you are starting a podcast. Ask them what they would like you to address. Show genuine interest in their plights. 

2. Forums

Aside from social media, the next best place will be forums. Just type in questions related to your audience on the forums. You’ll be surprised as to the number of people in search of the right information. That’s how much traffic you can have listening to your podcast.  Now that you know what they are thinking, next is figuring out how to get them to know and listen to you. You have to start being active in the niche, be the one that answers their questions, and proffer solutions to their problems.  We are not talking about Quora or Reddit, but even local forums. 

3. YouTube

You are not building an audience for YouTube, but you can locate and learn about your ideal podcast listeners through YouTube channels.  There are already existing channels on YouTube that share a similar audience with your podcast. Go to these channels and see the comments they leave and what they are watching the most.  This will be the perfect place to start your search for podcast listeners. 

Wrap Up

The knowledge of your podcast ideal listener keeps you focused on the goal. Most importantly, knowing your ideal listener hand you the freedom to explore and experiment.  It’s about focusing your energy, creativity, and efforts on just one person and convince a larger audience. Next: Choosing a Niche and a Name for Your Podcast

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