How To Lose A Podcast Listener In 2 Minutes
Has this ever happened to you?
The title of a podcast catches your eye. You click on an episode, expecting to be enlightened, entertained, or both. But then, after a minute or two, you click away, looking for something else.
As of January 2023, statistics show more than 4 million registered podcasts and more than 160 million episodes available online. And everyone is busy, which means that no one wastes their precious time listening to drivel.
If you want listeners to leave your podcast within the first couple of minutes, do one or all of the following:
Make It All About You
People want to learn something from a podcast or be entertained. Ideally both. They did not tune in to hear you talk exclusively about yourself (unless you are one of the most interesting and famous people in the world).
Instead of talking about yourself, do this: During the first few seconds of the episode, preview the tips and guidelines you’re about to give them to help with a specific issue or problem. Or let them know, immediately, that you’re about to tell them a fascinating success (or failure) story. Insert a provocative clip at the top of the show to pique listener interest.
Fail To Identify Your Typical Listener
If you’re a bow hunter out for a target practice session, you take aim at the bullseye before you let the arrow fly. The same is true of aiming for an audience. It’s critical to know who you’re talking to before you turn on a microphone. As much as you’d like to believe that your audience is everyone, it is not. Spend some time defining your typical listener. How old is that person? What are their interests, income range, and hobbies? What do they read or listen to or watch?
Once you have a description of your typical listener, ask yourself what this person will get out of listening to your podcast. Aiming your podcast arrow at a well-defined target audience ensures that your listeners will stick around — because they need or want exactly what you’re offering.
Jump Subjects
Just as it’s important to aim your content arrows at a specific audience, you must also aim at a specific topic, or interrelated topics, and stick with it for the duration of each episode. Certain celebrities can get away with rambling during their conversations, but not you. Celebrities are (sometimes) interesting because they are famous, and their fans want to know more about them — or hear about their latest movie, TV show, business venture, or book. You, however, will need to entice listeners to tune in and stay with you. Do that by offering helpful, interesting information and/or fascinating entertainment.
Upload Awful Audio
These days, it’s easy to download an app to your computer or phone for recording audio. And since it’s so easy, lots of people are doing it. Remember those 160 million episodes? But, unless, you know what you’re doing, you’ll end up with a harsh-sounding recording that makes people’s ears hurt when they try to listen.
To get the best recording possible, you’ll need to record as a .wav file, not an .mp3. That’s because your original file will get compressed and re-compressed as you edit and save it, and then get compressed again when you upload it to your website or podcast feed. The result of all that compression is an audio file that sounds tinny and shrill. Not a pleasant listening experience. Learn more about .wav and .mp3 files here.
Write Vague Content Descriptions
The first thing a potential listener will see is the description of your podcast. And then they’ll read the descriptions of each of your episodes. If any of those descriptions are vague or uninspired, your potential listener will move on. You need to invite them in with intriguing words. Show them what’s in it for them. Describe how they will benefit from listening to your podcast. If you’re not a person who can write clear, concise, exciting content, hire someone who can.
In podcasting, there are no second chances. With more than 160 million choices, a disappointed listener will never return to your podcast. Never.
