A helpful podcast offers some sort of transformation. It takes listeners from one set of feelings, such as stress or overwhelm, to another, like calm and clarity. That process is probably not going to happen overnight, and it’ll probably take more than one episode. But it’s essential to keep in mind where we want our listener to end up.
How does your listener feel once they’ve made it over the bridge?
Getting clear on this makes it way easier to describe your show because to market anything, we need to talk about the outcome it provides, not the process. That’s language you can use in your podcast description, your website, and when you introduce yourself to new people.
Think about who you’d most like to work with to help you write a thank-you note from your dream client. Ideally, you should draw this from your customer persona if you have one. Don’t think about who you could work with if only you got lucky and several different pieces fell into place. Instead, go for a real moonshot.
With your ideal person in mind, next, head to ChatGPT. Tell it just a little about your show, list all your episodes, and then ask it to write a thank-you note from a listener a year in the future, in the voice of your chosen ideal client. What you’ll get back is going to be a bit clunky in places, but there should be some gold in there.
If you want to take the robot out of the equation, just take a moment to put yourself in the mindset of your ideal listener. Really visualise where they are, what they’re thinking, and how they’re feeling. What have they just heard that’s motivated them to buy a postcard and pick up a pen? How were they feeling before they found your show? What were they struggling with? What possibilities have opened up for them, now they’ve spent a year listening to you? What new way of thinking have you given them? What old ways of thinking have they got rid of?
The bridge keeps going
Once you’ve covered the basics in your podcast, you can dive deeper into topics, provide alternative takes, get perspective from guests, all sorts. You can keep deepening and enriching that core transformation you’re offering, honing the advice as you learn more and your industry evolves.
But your next listener isn’t there yet, so we need to show them the way.