Podcircle Podcast

Feedback is a gift. Sometimes it can be, like, oh, that stinks. Like, oh, they said my show's too long. They don't like me or what no. They're just telling what they want, and that's okay.

And, honestly, most people's shows are too long. If your audience is asking for more, that's a great thing. You can give exclusive content, but most people, they want a shorter show, especially kind of in the space we're in where we're educating and giving people tips and advice and resources. We're building value in the episode in order to hopefully give that call to action at the end of the episode. So let's make sure they get there.

If the call to action happens an hour into the episode, there's a really small chance that they're actually gonna make it through that 20 minute barrier, that 30 minute barrier. So give people more by giving them less. Welcome to the Podcircle Podcast where we bring practical tips and insights for every podcaster.

Whether you're just getting started or you are already a seasoned podcast pro, these conversations dive into all the topics that matter most to you. Today, we are talking about why your podcast isn't for everyone. And maybe that's a hard truth that hits for you. You're not for everyone. So before we dive in, if you're listening on YouTube, make sure you're subscribed to the Podcircle channel so you can follow along.

As my mama used to say, if you try to please everyone, you'll end up pleasing no one. And the same is true of your podcast. So the more you try to appeal to everyone, you'll actually appeal to no one. You're not everyone's cup of tea. I know that might hit you a little bit hard here, but I think one of the biggest downfalls that we have in podcasting is when we try to give a little bit to everyone.

It just doesn't work. And so it's a really good thing that you're not everybody's cup of tea when it comes to your podcast. So I wanna give you 5 questions to identify if you're talking to everyone or if you are talking to someone, a very specific person. So here are your 5 questions. Kyle, can you kick us off?

Absolutely. Number 1, do I know who I'm talking to? Pretty basic question. It may seem pretty obvious, but until you know who you're talking to, you'll just keep talking to everyone and that might seem like, oh, I well, I want everyone to be my customer or my client, but you don't. If you haven't already identified your target audience, you can start with your current customer or even your competitors' customers.

So do a little bit of research and development and kinda see what the landscape is like and see if you can find an an opening in that market or a little bit of, a niche in that market that is underserved or not even being served at all. Next thing is to identify your potential customer or client's habits, goals, problems, and fears. And the more you specific you can get on these things, the better because you'll know how to speak directly to their pain points and position yourself as the solution. We recently released an entire episode all about identifying your target podcast audience. So check out episode 34, which is called identifying and engaging your ideal podcast audience for a step by step process there.

Absolutely. The second question I want you to ask after you have identified this is who I'm talking to, ask have I tapped into my unique voice? Do you know who you are? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it makes the world a really boring place, if we're all the same. So once you've gotten clear about who that listener is, get clear about who you are.

Sometimes you might be saying the same information as someone else. And honestly, we talk about this a lot. There aren't any new ideas, just new ways to provide the information. Just even minutes ago, Kyle gave me a really good quote. He said, yes, they may have heard it, but have they heard you say it?

You're going to be able to reach people in a different way because they connect with your unique style, your voice, and the way that you're packaging information. We talked last episode all about honoring and positioning yourself as a subject matter expert. People want to hear what you have to say. They're coming to your podcast because of how you say it. So if you're someone who uses a lot of exclamation marks or a lot of enthusiasm and uses your hands, cough Mickenzie, don't diminish your light.

If you're someone who is more analytical and talks from a different perspective and you are very clear and concise and are very intentional with the words you use, lean into your unique voice. Your customer is coming to you for your unique voice.

I'll let you all decide

Which is which?

Who that person is. Yeah. Number 3. Do I know what my competition is doing? After you've established what you have to bring to the table, it's important to gain a fuller understanding of what others in your space and your industry are doing.

So we I talked about this just a few minutes ago, but this is gonna help you better hone your messaging and your unique voice because you're gonna have a much better idea of exactly who you're talking to. Again, we're not talking to everyone, maybe in the beginning, but really try to narrow down and niche down who it is you're talking to and how you're talking to them in a way that's unique to you and your brand.

I think a good example of this, Kyle, is how we kinda started our podcast. We were more generic. And as we've gotten into it, we've gotten more strategic in how we're talking about it, the topics that we're presenting to people, and just really honing our message. This has been a space to test it out, and now we are getting, more dialed in in our voice and who we're talking to.

Yeah. And that's that should always be a continual process. I think we're gonna we continue to narrow down, narrow that focus. And even now I feel like we're still like a little too wide, but you you have to go through the process, give yourself some grace, and just follow the process. So we actually just recently did an episode all about the importance of using others' podcasts as inspiration and motivation.

That episode is called How to Steal Like a Podcaster. It kind of this a similar premise of the popular book, Stealing Like an Artist. It's about identifying key influences and just remixing those ideas to create something something new all while maintaining your authenticity. So it's gotta be it's gotta be you, but you're communicating old ideas in a new way that's gonna connect with a particular group of people. And the last thing on this point here is that this is also a really good exercise in combating kind of a scarcity mindset.

So there are people that only you can reach. Think about that. That you can reach the others, your competition, however you wanna think about that that maybe they're not as set up to do or and maybe it's a personality thing or vice versa. Yeah. All because you have a unique voice, you have a unique background, skills, personality, All those things go into the makeup of your voice and what it is that you have to offer.

So lean into that. That's not a flaw. That's a feature.

Yeah.

Think about it that way. Try to adopt an abundance mentality as as hard as that can be. Sometimes when you're looking at, like, a really fully produced finished product by someone who's like, well, that's kinda what I wanna be doing, but theirs looks so much better. Theirs so much sounds so much better. They're more polished.

They have this background. They know these people. I get it. But that person was also looking at somebody else and saying Yeah. The same thing, but they kept going.

So sometimes it's just a matter of taking that first step, next step, believing in yourself, leaning into your idiosyncrasies, your your quirks

Yeah.

And just the confidence that you know what you're talking about.

Yeah. I often think about how many late night shows are there. There's several late night shows

So many.

Several late night hosts, and they all bring a different flare and a different And

many of them are talking about the same things or how they're talking about the same, you know, they're responding to the same political news that day.

Yes.

But they're different because their personalities and their takes are a little bit different from each other.

Exactly. So there is room for you. Our 4th question that I want you to ask is, am I trying to do too much? So as a serial multitasker, I have a personal belief that if a little bit is good, a whole lot's better. But I am drawn back to those memes that maybe you've seen of, like, service vans or trucks that advertise that they can groom your dog and wash your windows and do your landscaping, and while they're at it, also do your taxes.

That's confusing.

Also terrifying.

It's also terrifying. Yeah. But this is where I see podcasters, businesses, creators, and, honestly, just people in the world get into trouble. It makes me think of another funny quote from one of my favorite shows Parks and Rec where the, stoic and wise Ron Swanson says, never half ass 2 things, whole ass one thing.

So

stop trying to do it all. And if you confuse, you're going to lose your listeners. So it just is an encouragement for me to say trim the fat, get intentional, be really, really strategic about your thing, who you are, and who you're talking to. Don't try to do it all because you're going to get tired, and you're going to fail, and you'll lose your listeners.

Yeah. You'll just burn out.

Yeah. You'll just burn out. Like, you you can't appeal to everyone. Yeah. This seems like, as as a people pleaser, that makes me feel tired.

So this brings us to their final question. What is it, Kyle?

The question is, is this resonating, and do I need to pivot? This is gonna be some hard questions to answer, but they're really, really important. So podcasting is a responsive and iterative process. Get feedback and not from your mom, not from your partner, get feedback from your actional listeners who can be more be the most objective. And it's not always gonna be right, but sometimes Mhmm.

It's gonna matter and it's something to think on and incorporate. It's also important to periodically check-in on your show and see how it's resonating with your audience generally. So is how you're presenting the information clear? Is it helping you reach your goals, I e converting your podcast listeners into clients, selling products or services, reaching more people, things like that? Yeah.

We'll vote with their fee. So even if you can't talk to them, if you're noticing big declines and listeners, if you are noticing people are tuning out from your episodes, that may be an indicator that you're going too long. Or it might be an indicator that this section of your show is always getting people to drop off. Just there are other things without actually talking to them, but it's also important to ask them directly as you're gonna share.

Yeah. Feedback is a gift. Sometimes it can be like, oh, that stinks. Like, oh, they said my show is too long. They don't they don't like me or whatever.

No. They're just telling you what, they're telling what they want, and that's okay. And honestly, most people's shows are too long. And if your, if your audience is asking for more, that's a great thing. You can give them a, exclusive content.

You can maybe give them a longer show, but most people, they want a shorter, more a a tighter show, especially kind of in the space we're in where we're educating, and giving people tips and advice and resources. If it's entertainment, that's one thing. You know what I mean? But most of us were putting our calls to actions. We're building valuable we're building value in the episode in order to hopefully give the call to action at the end of the episode.

So let's make sure they get there. If the call to action happens, you know, an hour into the episode, there's a really small chance that they're actually gonna make it through that 20 minute barrier, that 30 minute barrier, and actually get to, your pitch or whatever you're trying to promote or sell on the back end. So give people more by giving them less.

Absolutely. That was a really great tip because I think we cannot say it enough. You're probably going too long. And as people who like to talk, that's a hard thing to say.

It is. And some of this will get cut.

Yes. Exactly. Like, I'm like, oh, I could go on this tangent, and I could talk about this, but gotta keep it to the main thing as the main thing. Yep. But a couple weeks from now, we're gonna talk about trimming the fat and how to practically do that.

So just stay tuned. So to kinda round out this episode on not appealing to everyone, that it's okay that your show is not for everyone. Here at Podcircle, we believe that your message is important. What you have to say matters and that there are people that need what you have to offer the world, and they need it from you specifically. So I just want this to be like a pep talk if you need that in your ear.

If you're feeling like I can't compare to this person or I'm not measuring up here, just hear it from us to say you bring a unique voice to the world and it's important. Find the people that need to hear it from you. If you need help with any part of this process that we've outlined today, whether it's identifying your target audience or identifying and building out your unique voice, honing your offerings, just reach out to us. We schedule 1 to 2 hour strategy sessions all the time with podcasters just to help you get clear about the things that matter so you can win with your show. You can email kyle@kyle@podcircle.com.

And if you already have a show and you've been editing it and you're just you're just done with it, I think that's the reason that a lot of people just give up on it because the post production just overwhelms them. That is what we do, especially my team on Podcircle . So reach out to us there. We'd love to provide you a custom quote to take that off your hands so that you can do the thing that you're best at, which is probably not editing your podcast. So thanks so much for listening today.

Be sure to subscribe, so you never miss an episode, and we'll be back with you next week.