I’ve been using the Shure SM7B as my main mic for the better part of a decade now, and I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon.
However, when I bought that mic, there wasn’t the wealth of affordable, purpose-built podcasting mics there are now. And while I love the SM7B, I’m not ready to recommend it as the de-facto podcast mic anymore because it’s a $400 mic that requires perhaps another $300 worth of equipment, if not more.
Meanwhile, the Shure MV7+ has gotten quite popular, is about 30% cheaper, and doesn’t require an interface or phantom power. In-fact, the MV7+ is the mic I’ve recommended to podcasters for those reasons—plus you have the option of XLR connectivity.
However, I’d never used it myself, so I decided to give it a whirl, and compare it to the SM7B. In this video, I set out to answer: can you get away with the MV7+, or should you spend the extra money?
Podcast Advent is presented by The Unstuck Sessions. Want to start 2025 off on the right foot? What if you had an expert ready to give you the exact steps you need to take to get unstuck — in your podcast, your business, and your process? You can with the Unstuck Sessions. Get the most valuable part of my coaching at an incredibly affordable price. Get Unstuck Today.
Here’s how I ran the test:
I used the MV7+ via both USB-C and XLR
I read phonetic panograms (that is, sentences that cover all the sounds in the English language) with the MV7+ in both modes, plus the SM7B.
I tried to keep the test with the XLR settings as even as possible, and noted any changes in my interface for them.
So what did I conclude? Well, I’d strongly recommend you watch the video and listen for yourself, but ultimately, while the SM7B did sound better in my tests, the MV7+ did a fine job. You can definitely get that mic and sound great.
However, if you have the money and want any even better sound (and a more forgiving shock mount), you can’t beat the SM7B.
Joe Casabona is a podcast and automation coach who helps coaches, course creators, and authors grow their podcasts into authority-building lead generators. He does that through expert-tested systems that come with 10 years experience podcasting, 15 years teaching, and over 20 years working the web.
I have a draft in Ulysses that’s at least 18 months old.
Want to know how I know? Here’s the intro:
I have changed that at least 3 times:
“With the 2024 baseball at the halfway point (and my Yankees looking great overall)…”
“With the 2024 baseball season underway (and me having high hopes for my Yankees)…”
“With the 2023 baseball season over (and my Yankees sadly missing the playoffs)…”
Usually, I’m great at writing — I wouldn’t have committed to writing at least 14 articles, and publishing 24, in the month of December if I wasn’t. But I’m totally stuck on this draft…and I know exactly why.
I want it to be an epic guide, so the outline is massive. I basically want to cover the entire process, from why you should do solo episodes to planning, to recording and editing, to publishing and promoting.
Here’s the thing, though: I don’t really need to do that. Not all at once anyway.
I could make the case for solo episodes in one article (something I intend on doing during Podcast Advent), then in separate articles, go on to how to plan solo episodes without them sounding boring, recording and editing tools, etc.
This is actually a classic approach from my time in school for Computer Science. And it comes from something called the Agile Method for software development.
Podcast Advent is presented by The Unstuck Sessions. Want to start 2025 off on the right foot? What if you had an expert ready to give you the exact steps you need to take to get unstuck — in your podcast, your business, and your process? You can with the Unstuck Sessions. Get the most valuable part of my coaching at an incredibly affordable price. Get Unstuck Today.
Most Software Projects Failed
I won’t bore you with the details of this history, but in 1994, it was discovered that only 16% of software projects were considered successful (completed on-time, and on-budget)FN.
That’s dreadful, and part of it is because of something called the “Waterfall” Method of software development. You’d sign a contract, get a big list of requirements, and then develop them in a vacuum. The client may not see something until very late in the process.
That changed with the Agile Method, which broke software development into “sprints,” where you’d complete a smaller feature, get feedback, and iterate.
More recent Chaos Reports indicate that Agile projects succeed 3x more than Waterfall projects (42% vs. 13%).
Break Big Tasks into Smaller Tasks
My biggest takeaway from Agile, both when I learned it, and today, is to break bigger tasks into smaller tasks.
In the case of my solo article, I’m going to do exactly what I outlined above: instead of one giant article, make several shorter articles.
Once they are all done, I can integrate any feedback and release a bigger guide by combining them.
This approach can work for any big project, and it’s a great way to get unstuck.
Feel like you waste your time on your podcast, but you’re not sure where to start saving? Write down everything you do for it and review those smaller tasks to see where you can optimize.
When you make videos, do you feel like you spend too much time editing? Look at individual edits you make and see if you can batch them or move them to the recoding part with an app like Ecamm Live.
Struggling to write that next blog post, script, or outline? Think about everything you need to do for it, from idea logging, to the main points, and see how much you can do ahead of time — think of it as table setting for writing projects!
A Quick Story About Tetris
I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Stuff You Should Know, about the history of Tetris. And it’s a wild story.
Towards the end of the episode, they talk about what makes Tetris so addictive, and mention something called The Zeigarnik Effect.
Now at this point, I’m going to defer to my research buddy for this article, ChatGPT, because it does a bang-up job of defining the Zeigarnik Effect, and how it relates to Tetris:
The Zeigarnik Effect is a cognitive phenomenon where people tend to remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. This creates a mental tension or need for closure, driving individuals to want to complete the task or resolve the open loop.
Tetris capitalizes on this effect [through]:
Continuous Incompletion: As you play, the game constantly presents new tasks (fitting pieces into the right spaces) and never truly ends. Even when you complete a line, there’s always a new piece to place.
Psychological Closure: The act of clearing lines provides a small sense of accomplishment, but the game immediately introduces new challenges, preventing full resolution.
Cognitive Load: The combination of rapid decision-making and visual-motor engagement keeps your brain hooked, driven by the desire to “just finish this next piece.”
This sounds a little frustrating when you think about it — especially the “continuous incompletion.” But we can take advantage of this with our smaller tasks.
Leveraging The Zeigarnik Effect to get Unstuck
When you take something more complicated and break it down, it becomes more manageable, but it also lends itself to the Zeigarnik Effect.
Instead of looking at one, giant, daunting task, you break it down into smaller tasks that you can finish one-by-one. You build momentum by continuously completing small tasks — and unlike Tetris, you’ll eventually complete the whole project.
So, armed with this info, what’s something you’re going to apply this to?
One of my favorite pages on the site is my Buyer’s Guide for Podcasters. It started off as a gift guide around the holidays, but I quickly realized that it was mostly podcasters shopping for themselves.
And while I don’t think it’s the most important aspect of a podcast, gear can impact your workflow. Luckily, there are some great Prime Day deals for podcasters if you’re in the market for new stuff.
Today’s contributor is Frank Racioppi, writer and editor of his publication, Ear Worthy.
For indie podcasters, capturing and maintaining the most listeners is a key indicator of success. First, listeners have to find that indie podcast. That step alone transforms the degree of difficulty into a math problem of improbability.
Second, indie podcasters have to hang onto to the listeners who sample their show. The abandon rate here is exceedingly high.
This second reason — listener retention — is the focus of this article.
Listeners can drop into a podcast at any time in the podcast’s lifecycle. TV shows know this, which is why they often have show recaps to help those new listeners. Podcasts often don’t do this, largely because they don’t have to unless, of course, it’s a true-crime podcast or serialized podcast such as Stolen: The Search For Jermain.
Let’s examine several reasons why podcasts do not retain the listeners that sample the show.
Podcast Advent is presented by The Unstuck Sessions. Want to start 2025 off on the right foot? What if you had an expert ready to give you the exact steps you need to take to get unstuck — in your podcast, your business, and your process? You can with the Unstuck Sessions. Get the most valuable part of my coaching at an incredibly affordable price. Get Unstuck Today.
# 1: Too much happy banter that only loyal listeners will care about.
I recently listened to a sports podcast for the first time, which had two men and one woman as co-hosts. It has been around for several years, so I thought I’d give it a chance. After listening to two episodes, I’m convinced this podcast doesn’t want or need new listeners.
Why? First, it took eight minutes to address their first sports topic, which was about Step Curry. In those eight minutes, the co-hosts talked about their weekend activities with sentences such as:
“And you know what I’ve said before about brewery tours.” The new listener doesn’t.
“We both know how you feel about talking during the football game.” The new listener doesn’t know this, either.
“I have to tell you what my cat did this weekend.” I love cats. I have one named Moogie. But I don’t know you and I want to hear about Curry and your other topics — NFL rankings, Ovechkin, and the Australian Open predictions.
As a podcaster, trying to satisfy your current audience and attract a new audience means being measured is paramount. Sure, you want the audience to get to know you with these personal anecdotes, but you don’t include anything that requires prior knowledge. Yes, you want a level of happy banter, especially on a sports podcast where I think it’s mandated, but when the pitter-patter of happy talk makes up 20 percent of your podcast, you may want to trim it down.
An indie podcast like Double Take handles this well. The co-hosts, Jess and Jenni, do a little happy banter at the beginning that lasts no more than a minute and often they offer context to their remarks. These women know that listeners came for the review of streaming shows and they deliver.
Matt Gilhooly of The Life Shift podcast is similarly concise at the show’s beginning. This superb indie podcast presents candid conversations with people about the pivotal moments that changed their lives forever. Matt knows that listeners are downloading or streaming to hear the stories of his guests — their trauma and their heroic journey of overcoming that trauma.
# 2: Not explaining what your podcast is about in the show’s beginning
Let me use Don’t Drink The Milk as an example of what to do. In its October 23 episode, the show’s host Rachel Stewart begins with how “the missionary position” is pronounced in several languages. Then, she explains the topic, gives a trigger warning and then says, “This is Don’t Drink The Milk about the curious history of things.”
Ta-Da. Right there, Stewart has teased the episode’s topic and told us what the podcast is about. Now, if you are a loyal listener, you’ve heard this intro multiple times and probably no longer pay attention. However, to that first-time listener, that brief explanation of what the podcast is about is monetization gold.
It’s baked into podcasting’s structure that every show and episode begins with intro music, unless it’s horror podcast, in which a werewolf is howling. In every show and every episode, a brief description of the podcast should be a “must-have.”
An interview show like CooperTalkusesthis phrase as its intro: Steve’s opening line of every episode: “I’m Steve Cooper and I’m only as hip as my guests” is the kind of signature line many podcasters would die for.
Salad With A Side Of Fries does this perfectly. In a recent episode with guest Sarah Thomas, host Jenn Trepeck orchestrates the perfect beginning. First, she starts with a teaser from her guest about muscle mass loss as we age, then appropriately bouncy intro music plays as Trepeck says, “Welcome to Salad With A Side Of Fries, I’m your host, Jenn Trepeck, talking wellness and weight loss for real life.”
Podcasts likeTrashy Divorcesand What A Creep also do a nice job of explaining their entire premise up front. Both shows have a simple, self-explanatory premise, yet they take the time to explain it in every episode. Why? To attract and retain new listeners.
For every podcast that explains its objective or raison d’être in its opening so that new listeners can latch on to the show, there are hundreds of indie podcasts (and good ones at that) that simply begin the show as if you, a new listener, knows about the show’s premise, the people (co-hosts) speaking, and why you should care about their latest misadventures with potty training their new Goldendoodle.
Comedy, movie, and sports podcasts are excellent at throwing numerous voices at listeners with no name attribution, and then spending precious minutes on inside jokes that only established listeners will understand and possibly laugh at.
Do I care if Skip lost all his money on his DraftKings NFL bets last weekend? No, because, as a new listener, I don’t even know who Skip is.
# 3: Use Teasers to generate interest and Segments to organize the episode
Consider Multispective, which is a podcast that shares deeply personal stories of triumph through tribulations.On the show, host Jennica Sadhwani plays a clip to hook the audience on this current episode, then she explains the show’s premise, and then the emotive intro music plays.
The teaser acts as a podcaster’s honey for its busy bee listeners. A strong teaser will induce listeners to react with: “I have to listen to this episode.”
In my previous example, Salad With A Side Of Fries begins with a teaser, and it’s a good one about losing muscle mass. I do not want to be a “flabby Frank” so I listened to the entire episode, and I’m sure plenty of others will and did.
Segments act as an organizing device. On the September 23rd episode of Podcast Workflows, host Joe Casabona discussed the utility of segments in podcast episodes. You can listen to that episode here.
In the episode, Joe observes: “To create a more engaging show, think about incorporating segments. Just like how late-night shows have defined parts, segmenting your podcast can make it more consumable and structured. You can dedicate parts of your episode to different topics or formats, such as opening monologues, interviews, and specific segments tailored to your audience’s interests.”
Have you listened to an interview podcast that ran for more than one hour? Interview podcasters can offer listeners a map to the interview by including segments. Before a midroll ad or just as a segue, a host can forecast to listeners what topic they’ll be discussing in the next part of the interview.
Joe adds: “If you’re worried that solo episodes might become stale, develop a clear structure. For instance, discuss a main topic, then showcase an interesting tool related to that topic, and finish with an automation tip. This keeps the solo content engaging and valuable.”
In short, teasers draw in listeners while segments keep listeners grounded in the structure of the show.
# 4 Comprehensive and well-written show notes can spark interest
Everyone knows what a Joe Rogan podcast will offer. The episodes of Call Her Daddy typically include details about host Cooper’s personal life, numerous sentences that includes the word F**k somewhere in the episode, or a celebrity oversharing about their privileged life.
The point is that these podcasts are so well-known that you know what to expect. There’s no need to expend resources to attract new listeners. Social media, word of mouth, and the culture at large does that job for them.
Most indie podcasts have to balance the needs of their loyal audience with the demand to attract new listeners. There are some indie podcasts that manage those two often competing goals with guile and skill, while others seem to pray that new listeners will somehow find them among the tens of thousands of podcasts available.
The written show notes can act as a powerful attractant for new listeners. Consider the show notes on Apple podcasts for The Murder Sheet:
“The Murder Sheet is a weekly true crime podcast hosted by journalist Áine Cain and attorney Kevin Greenlee. Its first season on restaurant related homicides, and features miniseries on the Burger Chef murders. If you’re looking for thoughtful, in-depth coverage of lesser-known crimes, this is the true crime podcast for you.”
It’s specific, and detailed enough so that new listeners browsing for a new true-crime podcast would stop and consider. By contrast, here’s the show notes from an unnamed true-crime podcast.
“A true-crime podcast for you.” That’s it. No detail, other than it’s about true crime. And, the podcaster thinks it’s for you. Hmmm.
A podcast trailer acts like coming attractions for a movie or like a TV commercial highlighting a TV show. However, a trailer is either a once in a podcast lifetime device, or, better yet, a once a season or introducing a miniseries device.
Show notes are like a podcaster’s roadside billboard. They’re always there. When they’re written to entice, engage, or even enrage, they can be a powerful tool for listener retention and organic audience growth.
Here are the show notes to an outstanding new indie podcast, Why Wars Happened — Season one, episode 21.
“This episode dives deep into the events leading up to Bacon’s Rebellion, a pivotal moment in Virginia’s history. We explore the escalating tensions between Virginia colonists and the Susquehannock tribe, detailing the attacks, Governor Berkeley’s strange decisions on how to respond to the attacks, and the colonies’ desperate cries for protection. This episode also shows how Nathaniel Bacon, rose to become a rebel leader against the governor’s inaction, setting the stage for a much larger conflict. Tune in to understand the complexities and motivations behind one of America’s early rebellions.”
Let’s assess what host Emily Ross has accomplished here. First, she has not forgotten to announce the basic premise of the podcast, which she does in the last sentence. Second, the show notes are not a Wikipedia entry. They’re concise and she uses strong words to attract listeners. Words like: pivotal, tensions, desperate cries, rebel leader, larger conflict, rebellions.“
For Ross, it doesn’t matter that her podcast is 21 episodes deep into the first season. She’s not given up the fight to attract new listeners, even this far into the show’s freshman season.
In the Podcasting Tech podcast, host Mathew Passy writes a flawless first sentence to his show notes. “Have you ever wondered if your podcast could be more than a passion project—could it actually become a profitable business?
Passy asks a question that is first order of importance for all podcasters. It’s a first-class technique for generating interest and attracting ears to the show.
There are now several methods for enabling AI to write show notes for a podcast. While a computer program can certainly develop serviceable show notes for any podcast, I don’t think it is able to top Passy’s existential question.
One of the best podcasts at hooking new listeners while entertaining established listeners is Nerdpreneur. Here are Frank Bailey and Chris Saunders’s goals: “At Nerdpreneur we have fun conversations with people turning their weird passion into a successful business! We interview entrepreneurs from around the world to discover the hacks, tools, and mindsets that turn nerd passion into full-time income.”
The Nerdpeneur podcast begins with a clip from the nerdy entrepreneur being featured and interviewed on the episode. Then, in a stroke of brilliance and musical and lyrical creativity, the intro music is a cool, hip-hop song that explains the objective of the podcast.
Developing a successful indie podcasts often seems to be a Sisyphean task. After the sweat of creating the podcast, then bringing it to life and distributing it, the indie podcaster now must enter the life-or-death arena of people discovering your podcast. If that happens, then an indie podcaster must attract new listeners while keeping his initial audience. That’s like juggling bowling balls while riding a motor scooter around the Arc De Triomphe in Paris.
The tools mentioned in this article may be beneficial in aiding and abetting those podcasting goals. If they do not, please feel free to message me: “You’re full of shit.” The staff will take that under advisement.
Today’s contributor isAndreea Coscai, Podcast Marketer at Tink Media and Newsletter & Community Coordinator at Earbuds Podcast Collective
So, you want to grow your podcast. As you might already know from your non-podcast-listening friends, it’s a real challenge “to convert” someone to adding shows to their daily routine. It’s possible! But it doesn’t have to be your go-to. Why not focus on the spaces where podcast listeners already spend their time looking for new content to add to their queues?
Let me (re)introduce you to podcast newsletters! If you are already subscribed to some, you know how valuable they are for keeping up with the industry, new shows coming out, or recommendations from top podcast fans. Pitching these newsletters isn’t just about growing your show—it’s about building community and supporting each other in the industry. Let me give you some pointers on why adding pitches to newsletters in your growth strategy is one of the wisest and most accessible decisions you can make. And don’t worry, we’ll also talk about how to make your pitch stand out in the sea of pitches.
Podcast Advent is presented by The Unstuck Sessions. Want to start 2025 off on the right foot? What if you had an expert ready to give you the exact steps you need to take to get unstuck — in your podcast, your business, and your process? You can with the Unstuck Sessions. Get the most valuable part of my coaching at an incredibly affordable price. Get Unstuck Today.
Why Pitch Podcast Newsletters?
Think of podcasting newsletters as a “welcome” sign laid out by the biggest podcast fans and professionals. The newsletters reach thousands of regular listeners—people who genuinely love discovering new shows and supporting podcasters.
At EarBuds Podcast Collective, we’re all about community and the love of audio. Each week, a new curator shares a list of 5 favorite podcasts on a given topic.
At Tink Media, where we self-identify as huge podcast fans, we also put a strong emphasis on community. This industry is all about supporting each other, not competing—and that’s what newsletters underline best.
The podcasting community thrives on lifting each other up. When you pitch your show, you’re not just saying “look at what I’m doing”—you’re joining a larger space.
Tips for Pitching Podcast Newsletters
Be Genuine
Subscribe to newsletters like Podcast The Newsletter, Podstack, or Podcast Marketing Magic to get a sense of their tone and interests.
Follow editors on social media, reply to their emails, and show genuine interest in their work. Engage with them before pitching your show.
Tailor Your Pitch
Personalize your email. Mention their past work and explain why your show is a good fit for their audience.
Highlight timely or relevant aspects of your podcast, such as current events or trending topics.
Show Value
Focus on how your podcast adds to the conversation. For example, if your show addresses social issues or trends, emphasize that in your email. Sounds Like Impact is a great example of a show that resonates with such audiences.
Build Relationships
Networking isn’t just for conferences. Consistently engage with editors and fellow podcasters through newsletters, social media, and thoughtful emails. Genuine connections can lead to long-term collaborations.
Pro Tip: Use Classified Ads
If you have a budget, consider investing in classified ads in podcast newsletters. They’re cost-effective and show respect and support for editors who work hard to curate content.
Final Thoughts
Pitching podcast newsletters isn’t just a marketing strategy—it’s a way to connect with a community of listeners eager to find a show like yours. Be genuine, keep pitches relevant, and take each email as an opportunity to connect with fellow audio lovers.
Have questions about pitching or want to brainstorm ways to grow your show? Let’s chat—I’m always here to talk about community-building and share ideas!
I generally avoid talking about gear on this newsletter because, while it’s a popular topic, there’s not a lot of ways gear affects your workflow in a way that wastes your time.
Until it does.
Recently while recording an episode of Streamlined Solopreneur, my guest and I had some trouble with their setup because the adapter they were using for most of their recording gear was dying, and couldn’t push the proper amount of power to get a clean recording.
We ended up having to do the recording “old school” — we did the interview over Zoom, but we recorded our own audio locally so I’d have the pristine, uncompressed recording.
It still sounds like we’re in the same room, but the process took nearly 50 minutes to sort out.
And she pointed out that if it had been nearly anyone else besides me, we likely wouldn’t have been able to pin it on the adapter.
So what can we do to prevent issues like this?
There are two sides to this coin — one is the gear, and one is the tech tools/pre-recording prep.
Today we’ll talk about the gear. Here are 3 tips to make your gear a helper, not a hinderance, in your podcast-recording workflow.
And in-case you’re wondering why you should trust me here: I was a developer for 20 years before going full-time into podcasting. I’m a tech nerd and have tried A LOT of set-ups over the years.
#1: Don’t cheap out on the computer.
I know it seems like you’re “only” doing audio, but coupled with some of the tech tools for recording and editing, and you need a machine that can handle proper media production.
I’m not going to recommend a Mac, though that’s what I use.
But if you have the opportunity to upgrade the storage and the RAM on your next machine, do it. It’s worth the investment, and you won’t regret it.
#2 Keep your actual recording gear simple.
I started podcasting 10 years ago, before good, affordable, purpose-built gear was available for podcasters. As a result, I have a very cool, but complicated, setup.
Today, I’d recommend a simple USB mic. The Shure MV7+ is a USB mic that’s not cheap, but sounds amazing.
Or, there’s always the Samson Q2U.
Aside from that, you want headphones, and if you’re doing video, a decent camera.
The nearly imperceptible killer for that interview was a $25 adapter that was dying, meaning it couldn’t push enough power to the actual gear (the mic, ring light, and camera).
It was causing the actual recording gear to fail in both Riverside and Squadcast.
The main takeaway here is very similar to Tip #1: get the good stuff.
Crucially, don’t get a cheap dongle that just adds extra ports. Get a hub or dock that can actually push power. I highly recommend these:
The CalDigit is basically like adding a bunch more on-computer ports to your machine. And the Anker can push 100W power when plugged in.
That’s super important for devices (like a light, camera, or some mics) that need to draw power.
If you can, you should plugin your camera and mic (or interface, if you have that) into your computer. But I know modern laptops have a limited set of ports, so a high-powered hub or dock is crucial when you do any kind of production.
Perhaps the real takeaway is that there’s a difference between the $5 cable and the $30 cable, even if they both look the same. Buy cheap, get cheap, as my dad says.
So if you want to save time troubleshooting your setup, and risk losing recordings, these are the 3 steps you can take:
Don’t cheap out on the computer
Keep your actual recording gear simple
Understand What You Attachments You Need (or: invest in a good dock)
Do you have gear tips? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!
I was at a WordPress conference in 2014, about a year after my first “real, live, on the bookshelves” book, Responsive Design with WordPress, came out, when an attendee came up to me and told me this.
I had never spoken to them — in-fact, they weren’t even from the United States. This person from halfway across the world not only knew who I was, but told me that because of a book I wrote, they landed a life-changing job.
It’s a little overwhelming to think about, even now, 10 years later. I hope they’re still happy in that line of work.
Still, as I reflect on this story, and on being a podcaster for over 12 years, I can’t help but think about the parasocial relationship podcasting creates, and if there’s anything we can do to help it.
Podcast Advent is presented by The Unstuck Sessions. Want to start 2025 off on the right foot? What if you had an expert ready to give you the exact steps you need to take to get unstuck — in your podcast, your business, and your process? You can with the Unstuck Sessions. Get the most valuable part of my coaching at an incredibly affordable price. Get Unstuck Today.
How Parasocial Relationships Work
Parasocial relationships are inevitable when you create one-way content. Books, videos, movies, music, etc. all give you the ability to reach way more people than you’d otherwise be able to meet face-to-face.
But it also gives those people the ability to know you way better than you know them, and it happens in podcasting too…maybe more than any other medium.
Have you ever met a podcaster that you’ve listened to, and referenced something from their personal life they definitely didn’t tell you, but you knew from their show?
That’s the parasocial relationship in action. And I should note that it’s not bad — it’s as I said, an inevitability.
Just you know…don’t be weird about it.
But it has me wondering…are there ways we can make it less one-sided? Let’s explore.
Making Podcasting Less One-Sided
Earlier this month on my personal blog, I wrote about how to phantom deactivate your Twitter account, and mentioned that most social networks straddle a weird line between parasocial and reciprocal relationships.
You’re interacting with people who you’d otherwise never reach, but you don’t really know many of them, unless you put in the effort. And the bigger your following, the less likely you’ll have a strong connection with most — not even many — of your followers.
In that sense, there will always be a parasocial aspect to podcasting. You can’t force people to interact with you, and as your podcast grows, you can’t possibly interact with everyone…or even a significant percentage of listeners.
But you can still try to connect with your listeners more.
Ideas for Connecting with Your Audience
Back in September, I wrote about how to get feedback from your audience. I feel this is an absolutely crucial part of building a podcast worth listening to, and building a loyal audience — and community.
But you also need to modify the format of your show to accommodate this; getting feedback and doing nothing with it on the show is a completely missed opportunity.
Outside just begging for feedback, though, you can connect with your audience. Set up a Discord or other community where there’s a live chat.
Hold a virtual event or live streams for listeners to show up to. Live Streams work particularly well for me; but I know there are podcasts with vibrant Discord communities. It really depends on what your audience is into.
You can also do live events, meetups, or meet and greets. If you go to a conference in your niche, let your audience know, and organize a simple get-together — or just encourage them to say hi.
I believe some winning combination of online and offline (over time — online would certainly be easier for most of us) contact will help.
The Time I Met Amy Porterfield
Now I’ll tell the reverse of the story I opened with.
At Craft+Commerce 2023, Amy Porterfield did a meet and greet and I had the opportunity to say hello. This mid-conversation moment was captured by my friend Cat Mulvihill.
I was very aware that I knew much more about her as a longtime listener of her show. We had a polite conversation where she introduced me to a fellow podcast coach (which is super cool) and I went on my way. That photo isn’t posed because I wasn’t going to ask for a photo — I was, perhaps, overly concerned with being weird.
Now, Amy was there as a keynote speaker, and was under no obligation to do this. At many events I go to, the keynote speakers come in the day they speak, hang out in the speaker greenroom the whole time, speak, and bounce.
But she wanted to give listeners and fans a chance to meet her — and that helps shrink the parasocial gap.
I’m under no misconception that she remembers meeting me. But while millions listen to her show, and possibly hundreds at the event (and throughout the week), she definitely helped bridge the gap between her and her audience.
In-fact, that podcast coach she introduced me to was a longtime listener she had met at other events, whom she now knows well.
As a podcaster with massive reach, she does an incredible job of making the parasocial relationship more reciprocal. She:
Has an online community where she and her team interact with listeners and students
Hosts webinars and trainings where she can directly connect
Does events like this — live, in person, where she meets listeners with the context that people listener to her show (and therefore make dropping personal facts a little less weird).
As you think about how to connect with your audience, consider how you can take what’s an inherently parasocial relationship, and make it less one-sided.
By finding ways to interact with your audience — whether online or in-person — you turn passive listeners into active participants. And as podcasting continues to grow, it’s these connections that will set your show apart.
