Speaker 1: 0:24

We're going to go into the weeds on this episode in terms of podcasting growth. If you have been frustrated with your podcast growth, if you have been confused, if you have been misled no, maybe not misled, I don't know, maybe you're just like the whole podcast growth game seems confusing to you, this is for you. Now we're going to go into the weeds on podcast growth and I'm going to explain to you as simply as I know how, uh, or clearly I should say, it's not exactly simple, but again, we're going deep into the weeds. If you're brand new to podcast growth, this will probably be a little bit too much for you. I would go back and listen to a different episode on podcast growth or podcasting in general, that I've published. This is for those who are more on the intermediate side of things. Let's dive into this whole system to win with podcasting.

Speaker 1: 1:23

Now, the purpose of this episode is to help you align your strategy with your primary objective. Here's some examples of a primary objective for your podcast. It could be something like build a loyal listener base, or networking and relationship building, or content creation for social media, or monetization. Those are just a few examples. It could be something I didn't list, but notice. I say primary objective. This is the one thing that you're going after with your podcast, because if you have multiple objectives, how will you know what's the most important one? And if you hit it? Only if you write it down and you list it and you know what it is, if you can say Dylan, this is the primary objective with my podcast. Most people never take the time to do this on their own and they wonder why their podcast doesn't work out. You can either have me ask you what your primary objective is like in the creator club or on like a one-on-one coaching call, or you can do this on your own. I know for myself I struggle doing this type of stuff on my own. I need somebody to like ask me the question, or else I will never do it. Somebody to like ask me the question, or else I will never do it. So, when it comes to the primary objective of your podcast, what is that Now? We want to align your strategy with your primary objective. Your strategy would be something like for building a loyal listener base. It would be. The strategy would be like focusing on high quality content, incorporating strong storytelling, having in-depth discussions that provide consistent value to the listener Note. All of these things probably sound like objectives. This is the strategy that's supporting the objective of building a loyal listener base. Watch how this changes. Watch how the strategy changes. For another example, if your primary objective was for networking and relationship building with your podcast, the strategy would be prioritize booking high-profile guests and structure interviews in a way that builds rapport and showcases their expertise, leading to deeper connections.

Speaker 1: 3:46

Subtle shift in strategy. Right, if you've been podcasting for a while, you might already start to see like huh, I could see how that strategy also maybe would work for something else. Or maybe you've been running too many primary objectives for your podcast. Another example would be if your primary objective was content creation for social media, because a lot of people use podcasts as the main engine that then makes all of their other content for organic social media and paid social media work. The strategy for content creation for social media would be structuring your episodes for clip worthy moments, focusing on high energy peaks, possibly controversial or contrarian topics, and then you're going to design the content visually that works well so that it formats for clips. So you got to think about how the camera is set up, the lighting, all of these things.

Speaker 1: 4:49

Another example of a primary objective is monetization. So the strategy for monetization could be optimizing your show format for advertiser-friendly content. It would be building a large and engaged audience. It could be creating a membership model with exclusive episodes. And I don't know about you, but as I'm sharing these strategies that would align with a primary objective, I start going like, but I want to do all of those things right. I know I'm like, yeah, but I want to make clips and I want to do the networking and relationship building.

Speaker 1: 5:26

This is why podcasting is so difficult, because if you don't have a primary objective, that you're working towards, trying to run all the strategies dilutes your podcast impact and your goal is never really reached. I mean, you could say it is because you're the one really calling the wins and losses. So you could say it is reached right If you've networked and you've been doing relationship building. But again, this, everything I'm sharing here, is not for, like, your absolute beginner podcaster. This is for someone that's been going for a while. So, yes, I will give you on one hand, like, if you are creating content using your podcast for social media, that is a win right. Like it's not like a win or loss. It's not so extreme. Thankfully, this is a podcast that can explain the nuances here. But if you really want to excel with your podcast, just like anything else, you need a primary objective.

Speaker 1: 6:32

Using the gym analogy because I've been in the gym really only three days a week. But a similar thing goes like, let's say, with the gym right, if I was thinking about weight loss as my primary objective. But I'm like if a trainer was like okay, and I'm going to go superficial here, I'm not concerned about my arm muscles or my biceps and triceps, but I'm going to use that as an analogy If a trainer was like Dylan, what is your goal in the gym? I want to lose weight and I want to have bigger arms, and trainer goes OK, great. Like, a good trainer will know that We'll focus on one at a time. We'll lose the weight and then we'll build up the arms. You know you can do both at the same time. Like you could grow your arms and lose weight. But the primary objective, like what would make this a win at the end of the year? In the training case It'd be like lose weight OK, great. So we'll know it was a success if we lost a weight weight, and then how much weight? Right, you could get super specific with it. I'm not going to go that there with this analogy, but you would define it right. You would do, and you can look up smart goals For more on that you probably have already heard about about. For more on that you probably have already heard about about smart goals. That's how you would set a smart goal is by first clarifying what your primary objective with your podcast is. Tony robbins said it best where your focus goes, energy flows. So when you follow what I'm going to lay out here, this is how you'll achieve measurable success with your podcast and this is how your podcast will start to grow beyond where you may have plateaued.

Speaker 1: 8:20

Thriving podcasts haven't engaged audience in the right arenas. Right, and it's 2024. Certain people think that podcasts are just clips on social media. That's fine. Certain people think that podcasts are just clips on social media that's fine. Certain people could actually care less about people listening to whole episodes of their podcast, like their podcast downloads as a whole, and they're more concerned with getting views on clips on social media. That's totally fine If that's your primary objective. I know for a few podcasts in particular maybe you listening to this, you would rather have 200,000 views or more on an Instagram reel or a TikTok video than get 2,000 extra downloads a month for your podcast, totally fine. I know other people who'd be like I way rather have 2 000 downloads for my podcast episodes than a 200 000 view real, and that's fine. It's up to you. You're in the driver's seat there.

Speaker 1: 9:27

If you don't clarify this, that's when the overwhelm starts to come in of conflicting advice, strictly from having multiple podcast goals, too many primary objectives, and I've always found that hard as someone who creates content and tips like I'm sharing here around podcasting and content creation. Content creation in general is because it's not a one size fits all Like. There's certain things that I'll explain where it's like one plus one equals two, but sometimes it's just way more nuanced than that. Right, and there's nuance to everything. But really, when it comes to podcasting, there's a bunch of different strategies you could incorporate. Are they the best strategies for you? It depends on what your primary objective is. What your goal with your podcast is Doesn't mean that you don't get secondary benefits from that. You can get secondary benefits from and just getting super clear on your podcast primary objective. Running the strategy doesn't mean that you won't network doesn't mean that you won't get social media followers, all those things but those are secondary benefits. So here's the simplified three-step approach to really nailing your podcast primary objective and aligning your strategy to support that primary objective.

Speaker 1: 10:54

Step one clarify that primary objective. Step one clarify your primary goal. That's when you want to ask yourself what do I really want out of this podcast. Ask yourself do I want more listeners? Do I want to build a loyal listener base? Do I want to meet and connect with other experts or peers in my field? Do I want to just create content for social media and just blow up my social media? Step two develop a strategy that aligns with your primary goal. Once you have a clear goal, decide how you're going to get there. Put your destination in the GPS. Next, the strategy is going to be the routes. That's going to decide how you get there. If your goal is more listeners, your strategy might involve crafting compelling stories and then having consistent release schedules, giving your listeners more and more and more. If your goal is networking, your strategy might focus on inviting super influential guests and then having really in-depth interviews and having a really slick follow-up process. I know I've been on podcasts where they've sent me stuff afterwards. Now, these podcasts didn't have some crazy budget. Their goals were just simply the networking and meeting other people in the space.

Speaker 1: 12:12

Step three recognize secondary benefits, but don't get distracted. This is just as important as the other two, but I see it's where people fall off the hardest. So you have to have some way of like reminding yourself, because we get distracted, especially with social media, with people saying you know shiny things that are like yeah, I'm going to go in that direction. You got to understand that there may be like yeah, I'm going to go in that direction. You got to understand that there may be other positive outcomes. But you have to keep your eye on the prize. If your goal is to build a listener base, a secondary benefit might be that you generate good clips for social media. But don't let the pursuit of those clips take away from the quality of your episodes, because your primary goal is to build a listener base and it's a subtle shift. But when you really optimize for content creation for social media, your whole show format should shift then as a strategy to align with that purpose-filled goal, right?

Speaker 1: 13:14

Another analogy think of your podcast like a road trip. Your goal is where you want to end up. Your strategy is the route that you're going to take to get there and the benefits are the fun little surprises you find along the way. But you wouldn't plan your whole trip around those surprises. You plan it to reach your destination. Where is the destination that you're going Now?

Speaker 1: 13:40

I want to end this episode with some questions for you. If you're still not totally sure, or if you really want to just get concrete in this and like, really just blow up the next six months and have a laser-like focus by getting super clear on your podcast primary objective and starting to align your strategy. Here's some questions you can answer. Number one what's your ultimate podcasting objective? Number two how does your current content align with this goal? Number three what metrics would indicate success for your primary podcasting goal? Number four how can you refine your strategy to better serve your main objective? Number five are there any secondary goals distracting you from your primary focus? I think I'm on number six or seven six what's one immediate change you can make to align with your primary goal? And number seven how will you measure progress towards your podcast main objective? Answer those and watch the next six months on your podcast, completely transformed from the previous six months. I'm telling you I'll catch you in the next one.