We get it, when you have a fantastic idea for a podcast, you want it to reach and resonate with as many people as possible.
But if you try to speak to everyone, you’ll actually end up speaking to no one.
And in fact, identifying a unique podcast niche is one of the best ways to create impact with your podcast, whether you’re looking to establish yourself as a trusted subject matter expert or entice new customers to buy your product or service.
Today, we’ll walk through five questions you can ask yourself to help narrow down your audience and make sure you’re talking to someone instead of everyone.
If you’d like to watch this content in video form, check out our podcast on the topic here:
Do I Know Who I’m Talking To?
This first question may seem obvious, but stick with us here. Because podcasting without a clear understanding of the audience is a more common pitfall than you might think.
If you haven’t taken the time to understand your target podcast audience, here are a few exercises to help you get started:
1. Think about your current customers. If you’re a business owner, coach, or leader who started a podcast to help support your business goals, then chances are, your podcast audience will largely overlap with your customer base.
2. Research your competitors’ customers. Take things one step further and look at who your competitors are speaking to, whether it’s on a podcast or through other marketing channels like blogs and social media.
3. Identify Habits, Goals, Problems, and Fears. If you want to present your business or podcast as a solution for your audience, then you need to understand what their pain points are. The more specific you can get here, the better!
Am I Leveraging My Unique Voice?
Once you’ve learned more about who your listener is, it’s now time to get clear about who YOU are.
There truly is a podcast for everything these days, and while we think that’s an amazing thing, it does mean that you probably aren’t the only person speaking about your specific topic. The one unique piece you can bring to the table is your voice and your perspective.
The right people will come to your podcast because they want to hear what you have to say, in the way only you can say it. So don’t be afraid to show up with your full personality and creative flair.
Do I Know What My Competition is Doing?
Competitor research can feel tedious sometimes, but it’s absolutely vital to understand what others in your industry are doing.
On the one hand, this allows you to draw inspiration from your competition. We call this “Stealing Like a Podcaster,” and we have a whole episode about it if you’d like to learn more:
On the other hand, researching your competition can help you identify the gaps you and your podcast can fill. Is there a certain topic that few people are talking about? Do you have a different perspective than others in your space? Those are your opportunities to create something new and valuable.
Am I Trying to Do Too Much?
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to do it all. Not only does it create too much work for you, but it’s also confusing for your audience.
Take all the information from the last 3 questions and use it to help you narrow in on that special thing you can do well, that addresses a problem your audience is looking to solve. That’s your podcast niche.
In the wise words of Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec, “Never half ass two things, whole ass one thing.”
Is This Resonating, or Do I Need to Pivot?
It’s never fun to receive negative feedback or to admit that something you’ve worked so hard on isn’t working as well as you’d like.
But podcasting is a responsive and iterative process, and it’s normal for your show to constantly be evolving. Take time to track and measure your success across a variety of quantitative and qualitative metrics, from download numbers to new leads for your business to feedback from your listeners.
And remember, feedback is always a gift, even if it’s not exactly what you wanted to hear. Take your listeners’ insights into account when determining your episode length, deciding on future topics, and even searching for the best day and time to release new episodes. These insights can only help you better serve your audience!
Reach Your Right Audience with Support from Podcircle
Here at Podcircle, we believe you have something important to say, and people need to hear it from you.
If you have an idea for a podcast but aren’t sure how to turn it into a reality, or you’ve already started a podcast but want help optimizing it to reach the right people, our team is here to help.
Reach out today to learn more about our strategy sessions where we can help you get clear about the things that matter most, so you can win with your show.
