In a keynote presentation at Podcast Movement in Nashville on Wednesday, Edison Research Senior Vice President Tom Webster gave podcasters some advice on how to grow their audience.
Webster says one of the most-often asked question from podcasters is how they can grow their audience. And his answer is to do everything you can to make your show recommendable because what makes a hit is recommendations.
How do you do that?
The first way, according to Webster, I know who your audience is and why they are listening to your show. “Know the audience. Know what surprises and delights them. Understand and connect with them.” Wesbter says hosts should conduct a listener survey and share the results on their podcast
The second way to grow your audience, according to the Edison Research VP is to make your podcast easy to recommend, and that includes Spotify and YouTube, because he says both Spotify and YouTube are growing the podcasting space.
And the third and most important way to grow your audeince is to master your craft. Webster says you can always master your craft and that includes a lot pf preparation. “You don’t have time to waste words. Be prepared without seeming like you’ve prepared.” Webster says one way to master your craft would be to get a transcript of your show and read it which will help you edit and shorten your next show. Because he says, “all podcasts can be shorter.”
