It’s no secret that building an audience through podcasting requires showing up with consistency.
Showing up on schedule is a way of keeping a promise you made to your audience, and keeping your promises is essential to building trust with your audience over time.
But it’s not enough to simply show up.
So many podcasters do show up consistently and still struggle to build an audience or gain any traction whatsoever.
If that’s the case for you, the problem could be the way that you’re showing up.
The Curse of Knowledge
One of the most common mistakes podcasters, content creators and business owners make is trying to read their audience’s minds.
They’re the expert in their field and think they know what’s best for their audience. They might even be right.
But their audience may not know that.
This mindset can lead you to show up consistently, but in the way you want to show up.
This typically leads to a lack of enthusiasm on the part of your audience, and an inability to grow your audience, even as you consistently put out new content week after week.
With little in the way of results, it’s easy to grow bitter at your audience for not taking the knowledge that you’re generously offering them, and a downward spiral begins.
Showing up the way you want to is fine if you’re producing the show simply for yourself and aren’t focused on building an audience. But if you are, you’re going to need to take a different approach.
Know Who You’re Showing Up For
This approach is rooted in a deep sense of understanding and empathy. You need to be able to see the individuals that make up your audience, seek to understand the challenges they’re facing, and recognize how they need you to show up to help move them forward on their personal journey.
Only once you’re able to show up consistently in a way that is helpful and meaningful to your audience will you be able to build momentum with your show.
This requires you to do your research and actually get to know your audience. Each group of people is different and there’s no prescriptive method of showing up for each and every one of them and get results.
Do your research, get to know, understand, and empathize with your people.
And then show up consistently in the way that they need you to.
Every Sunday I send out an exclusive article on how to use podcasting to build an audience and grow your business.
No opt-in, no freebie no bribe. But hopefully a new perspective, encouragement, and maybe even some occasional wisdom. It’s something I’m proud to create and I’d be honoured to share it with you.
Jeremy travels full-time, loves long-distance cycle touring, and will always look back on the day he finally saved up enough money to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego set as one of his proudest achievements. He believes that the way to grow sustainable businesses is by leading with heart, vulnerability, and helping your people be and become their best selves.
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