How do you make a show for an audience that doesn’t exist yet?
When you’re starting out and you don’t have any listeners, it’s hard to make decisions about things like structure and content when you don’t know who you’re speaking to.
That’s why you need to make decisions with your ideal listener in mind.
So how do you work out who that is?
Easy! You make them up!
That might sound ridiculous but having an idea of who your show is for (even if those people haven’t turned up yet) will help you make all sorts of important decisions about your show and its content.
If you get this right, when your ideal listeners eventually turn up they’ll think “OMG! This show was made just for me!”
So how do you design your ideal listener?
Sit down with a pen and paper and write down as many things about them as you can including…
- Name
- Age
- Occupation
- Family situation or relationship status
- Interests and hobbies
- What their lifestyle is like e.g. Are they time poor? Are they fitness-obsessed?
The more you can flesh out, the more real they’ll feel and the more helpful this exercise will be when you’re building your show.
Why do you need to design your ideal listener?
You need to have a clear picture of who you’re doing your podcast for.
If you don’t you’ll make decisions based on what YOU want and you’re NOT your audience.
In fact, if you’re doing a podcast where you’re sharing knowledge and expertise you’re the exact opposite of your audience.
If your ideal listener is a mom of three who works two jobs she’s probably going to prefer short ten-minute episodes rather than long meandering 45-minute chats.
If your ideal listener is a traveller who’s spending a lot of time getting from point A to point B maybe s/he’ll appreciate longer episodes to get through those tedious hours staring out a bus window.
This isn’t about being woo woo and asking the universe to deliver this person to you. It’s about doing whatever you can to make smart, strategic decisions when you don’t have a real audience.
So get your pen and paper out and start writing because as Kevin Costner said…build it and they will come.
Got a burning podcasting question you’d like answered? Send me an email.
Want to start your own podcast but need a little help? Download my “How To Start A Podcast” guide or sign up for my online podcasting course, PodSchool.
