Do you want to grow your audience? Of course you do. Almost every podcaster I encounter wants a larger audience.

On this episode, I want to give you ways to grow your audience in 30 days.

Here are the resources mentioned in this episode:

Libsyn: www.Libsyn.com

The Feed podcast: thefeed.libsyn.com

Strategy Transformation Call: www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/call

Listener Development Worksheet: www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/listener

STRATEGY CALL

There are times when we are too close to the situation to see the solution. As the saying goes, "You can't see the forest for the trees." You are too close to the details to see the whole.

This is the purpose of my new Strategy Transformation Call. I want to help you get clear on your goals and how to achieve them.

If your strategy isn't working, or worse yet you have no strategy, this one hour of coaching is for you.

You and I will get on a one-hour call to discuss where you are now. Then, we will clearly define your goals. Finally, we will develop a plan to reach those goals and see if I have any resources that will help you get there.

An hour of my coaching is typically $250. These Strategy Transformation Calls are only $97. However, there are limited spots. I can't fill up my calendar. I need to leave room for my full clients.

This also isn't a high pressure sales call. We will take the time to get to know each other and build your plan to win. I'll show you how to get there.

If at the end of the call we both feel I can help you in some way, we can discuss it. But it needs to be right for both of us.

Best of all, you'll be clear on how to reach your goals. Isn't that worth investing an hour of your time?

You can keep wandering toward success. Or, you can build a map and follow it.

Stop wasting your time throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. Let me show you what has worked for many of my clients over the years.

Get your Strategy Transformation Call at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/call.

The sooner you grab your call, the more options you'll have with regard to call times. See which calendar options are open for you. Grab your Strategy Transformation Call at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/call. Let me help you reach your goals.

WHY GROW

So, why do you want to grow your audience.

I know it sounds like a crazy question. Who doesn't want to grow their audience? But, have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you want to grow?

Do you want a big audience simply to feed your ego? Sure, it feels good to have a large audience. We can boast to our podcasting buddies. But what does it do for you and your business?

We can't grow simply for the sake of growing.

Maybe you want to leave your mark on the world. The impact you have on your audience is powerful. The bigger the audience, the bigger the impact.

Maybe you want to build an audience of your ideal clients to help you grow your business.

Your podcast could be all about motivation. It could be that you want to build an audience that you can inspire and motivate.

When you know why you want to grow, you have a bigger purpose. This helps you stay motivated when the going gets tough. When you don't feel like doing the work, your why helps kick you in the butt and get you moving.

Take a minute and get clear on your real why. Go three or four levels deeper to get to the real why.

MY WHY

When I first started Podcast Talent Coach, my goal was to be an entrepreneur. I wanted to own my own business just like my family.

My mom created and sold wedding cakes from our kitchen. My dad owned a gas station at one point.

Entrepreneurism runs through my family. My sister created a marketing company. In Florida, my aunt and uncle owned a restaurant. Another aunt owned a craft store and my uncle was a handyman.

Even my nephews are entrepreneurs. It is in my blood.

But history can't be my why. That isn't inspiring. And, I grew very slowly.

Once my daughter and son hit high school, I realized my time with them at home was coming to an end. They would soon be traveling the world.

I was stuck in a nine-to-five and couldn't freely follow them. It became clear that I needed to control my own time to allow myself to travel when I wanted and work wherever I needed.

Time with my kids became my true why. When I don't feel like doing the work, I remember time with my family and get to work.

It is easy for you to push this step aside and think you know your why. But, trust me. Take the time to get very clear on your why. Write it down and revise it until you get those butterflies in your stomach, because you know what is possible on the other side when you do the work.

QUALITY

So, how big is big enough?

I really encourage you to focus on quality over quantity. An audience of a few hundred who are incredibly passionate about what you do is so much more powerful than an audience of a few thousand who have a superficial interest.

Build your audience of your ideal clients who want to work with you and want everything you create.

When you look at download numbers, it varies from podcast to podcast and industry to industry.

Podcasts in the big three niches will have many more downloads than podcasts in smaller niches. You can't compare podcasts in different niches. It isn't apples to apples.

Shows in the same niche often differ greatly when it comes to downloads. Avoid comparing yourself to the Joneses. You'll only be disappointed.

THE DATA

With that said, here are some stats straight from Libsyn, the podcast hosting service.

Rob Walch, VP of Podcaster Relations at Libsyn, has presented the state of the union a few times at Podcast Movement. He also provides data monthly on the podcast The Feed.

The data varies greatly every month. Rob looks at all podcasts on Libsyn that were released between 30 and 60 days ago. On average, these episodes are 45 days old.

This data is based on active shows in the month of April, 2022. These are shows that are releasing new content, unlike the charts that show all shows.

For the month of April, the median number of downloads for all active shows is 150. That means if you are getting 150 downloads for your episode after it has been available for 30 days, you are better than half of all shows currently releasing new episodes on Libsyn.

To put it all in perspective, if you get more than 1,300 downloads, you are better than 80% of all active shows on Libsyn.

More than 3,600 downloads puts you in the top 10%.

If you have more than 8,200 downloads on your episode after it has been available for 30 days, you are better than 95% of all active shows on Libsyn.

21,000 downloads puts you in the top 2%. And 35,000 on an episode means you have more downloads than 99% of all podcasts available on Libsyn.

Rob also gives the adjusted mean. This is the average where he throws out the top 0.5% along with those with 3 or fewer downloads. This helps avoid skewing the numbers by outliers. The adjusted mean is 1,561.

NO SPONSORS

Only 7.7% of all active podcasts on Libsyn get more than 5,000 downloads per episode after being available for 30 to 60 days. This 5,000 download number is the benchmark for advertising and sponsors.

That means more than 92% of all podcasts have fewer than 5,000 and really aren't candidates for sponsors. Chances are, you fall into this 92% category.

You can hear the episode at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/thefeed. And if you aren't using Libsyn as your hosting, you can get your first month for free by using my affiliate coupon code of PTC at Libsyn.com.

Keep these numbers in mind and avoid comparing your show to others. Focus on your why and your listeners. Serve and you will reach your goals.

WHERE ARE THEY

Your listeners are key. You hear everyone encourage you to define your avatar.

Most of the time we create this vague image of a group of people we want to reach. That is not your target listener. That group is your market, not your target.

One person is your target. You want that person defined so clearly that you can picture that person in your mind. It is so clear that it reminds you of someone you know.

When you get this clear on your ideal client, you know exactly where to find them. You will know what influencers have their attention, where they hang out online and how you can get in front of them.

If you want to get really clear on your ideal listener and client, download my target listener worksheet at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/listener.

This sheet will help you get focused on that one person.

We will talk about this quite a bit on your Strategy Transformation Call. We can't hit a target we can't see. You and I will define this person and build a strategy to reach them. Get your call at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/call.

THE EQUATION

Once you have determined your ideal target listener and client, you can now build your audience. There are two sides of the equation.

First, you need to get in front of your ideal listener and invite them to your show.

Next, you need to keep your current listeners coming back episode after episode.

If you don't focus on both sides of the equation, you will not see growth.

If you only focus on getting new listeners, it is like pouring water in a bucket with holes. The more you add, the more that leaks out. Your podcast doesn't grow.

When you only focus on your current listeners, attrition will cause your audience to shrink.

Many podcasters promote new episodes by emailing their list and posting on social media. Those people already know you. That doesn't grow the audience. However, it does help keep your current listeners coming back.

To grow your show, spend time on both sides of the equation.

HOW TO GROW

You can grow your show over the next 30 days by following a process.

Step one is defining your target listener. Again, grab that worksheet and get clear. Download it at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/listener.

Step two is to get in front of those listeners. Tell them what you do and how you help. Make them aware of you and your show.

The next step is to get them on your email list. Many people invite those people to listen to the podcast. But if those people don't come back, you lose them forever.

Step four is to invite them to listen. When you get them on your email list, you can continue the conversation and invite them to listen again and again.

Finally step five is getting them to come back. Create a strategy that reminds listeners to come back every episode so you can build that relationship and monetize your show.

It is a simple, step-by-step process. But, it is not easy to follow without accountability. You need focus, be diligent and be consistent.

Let me show you how to do that. Grab your Strategy Transformation Call with me at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/call.

You can keep wandering toward success. Or, you can build a map and follow it.

Stop wasting your time throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. Let me show you what has worked for many of my clients over the years.

Get your Strategy Transformation Call at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/call.

The sooner you grab your call, the more options you'll have with regard to call times. See which calendar options are open for you. Grab your Strategy Transformation Call at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/call. Let me help you reach your goals.

Thanks for being here again this week. I can't wait to see you on the call. Until next week ...