What if No One Listens to My Podcast?
Shouting Into the Void? Not Prohibitive.
Like last time, let’s get the bad news out of the way up front. The flip side of “you won’t get famous from podcasting” is your audience numbers will grow more slowly than you like. Whether this is a concern, and how you respond, depends a lot on where you are in your podcast journey.
First, let’s take comfort in some statistics. According to a recent newsletter from the podcast-hosting service Buzzsprout, if your episodes average 30 downloads in the first week of release, you rank with the top half of the podcasts they host.
When you’re publishing your first few episodes, 30 downloads a week will seem a little daunting, but that’s okay. You’ll have at least one subscriber1, and it’s not out of bounds to ask friends and family to check it out.2 Hopefully, you’re still energized by hosting your show, and you’ve established a production process that works for your time and energy. This will help you get behind the mic consistently, which in turn will help you grow your audience over time.
If you’ve been publishing for 6 - 12 months and you’re not getting the audience you’d hoped for, it might be time to think about your promotional strategy. Are you seeking opportunities to appear on other podcasts, or to interview folks who have their own audiences? Is there a topically-relevant newsletter you can advertise in? Are you sharing your show on social media? If you have the resources, is it time to invest in some marketing help?
If you’ve been at it for more than a year (or long enough that your energy is wearing out), it might be time to take a hard look at the returns you’re getting on your time investment. Podcasting is a medium that’s amenable to experimentation. A refresh of your format, new music, or an adjustment to your publishing schedule could help renew your excitement and hook new listeners.
If you decide it’s time to hang up your headphones, your time and energy have not been wasted. Podcasting has what’s called a “long tail.” Unless your show is fully devoted to breaking news reporting, listeners searching on a topic can find and enjoy your podcast long after each episode’s publication. With a modest investment in ongoing hosting, your episodes can stay online for sharing with potential clients and collaborators.3
No matter where you are in the life cycle of your show, here are some questions to ask yourself when you’re thinking about audience numbers.
What is the return you’re looking for from a podcast?
Do you want a lot of listeners, or do you want to have an impact on the listeners you have?
Are you solving a problem or providing a service to the folks who listen?
Is having a podcast to demonstrate your expertise and skill worth the time you’re putting into it?
If you have an idea for a podcast, or a show that’s fun but time-consuming to make, I’d love to talk about how I can make the process easier. Visit my website to check out my services and book a connection call.
You are subscribing to your own show and setting it to auto-download, aren’t you?
If you’re writing decent show notes, you’ll probably pick up random downloads from bots in Latvia.
And hey, you actually created a thing. Even if it never catches on, the act of making it is something to be proud of.