Tag Archives: avatar

Why You Should Clearly Define Your Target – PTC 313

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There are many reasons why you need to clearly define your target listener. Today, I want to show you six really important reasons you should be able to visualize that ideal target listener before you ever begin recording an episode.

Last week we discussed your 2021 podcast roadmap. That is the foundation for these next few episodes. If you haven’t listened to that show, I would suggest you start there.

This series of episodes will help you create big things in the coming year if you take action and do the things I’m putting in front of you.

To help you clearly define your ideal target listener, download my Listener Development worksheet. www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/listener.

This tool will help you be able to visualize that single individual you are talking with on every episode. You content will be much more powerful and connect in a deeper way.

FIND THEM

By clearly defining your ideal target listener, you know where to find them. This is the first benefit.

When you are trying to grow your audience, you need to get in front of people who are not aware of you and your show. You need to let them get to know you. Then, you need to invite them to listen.

It is difficult to get in front of the right people if you don’t know who they are.

Imagine if I wanted you to market a new vehicle that has been developed by a new auto company. How would you begin to market it?

I believe you would begin by trying to figure out the typical driver of a vehicle like this. That driver would be different if it was a pickup truck or high end sports car or an entry level sedan.

Marketing for a Porche Carrera would be much different than advertising for a Ford Fusion. You would look for those ideal customers in different places.

The same is true for your podcast. Know your audience, so you can find them.

HELP THEM

By knowing your ideal target listener, you know how to help them. When you clearly define your listener, you know exactly where they struggle and how you can help them solve those problems.

If you are in the finance niche, the financial problems of a 23-year-old just out of college are probably much different than the problems of a 58-year-old empty nester.

When you can speak directly to those problems, your content becomes much stronger and more powerful. It is like you are reading my mind.

Now you can attract those people to your podcast and offer them additional help with your products and services.

You can’t help everyone. You want to help the right people.

RESULTS

That brings us to the third benefit of defining your ideal target listener. When you know exactly who you are speaking to, you know you can get them results.

If you help people with an online business for instance, you need to decide where they are in the life cycle of that business. Are you helping people who are just starting and trying to make their first dollar? Or, are you helping people who are making $100,000 per year and are trying to scale to $1 million?

Those are much different conversations. When coaches and information experts already have a podcast and have produced at least 25 episodes, I know I can help them grow their audience and drive their business. I’ve done it and know it works.

Does that mean my content isn’t helpful for brand new podcasters or those who do it as a hobby? Not at all. The info is still helpful. But, it is most helpful for those information experts like coaches and speakers who are ready to take it up a notch.

Define your ideal target listener based on who you know you can help.

CONTENT

The fourth benefit of defining your ideal target listener is your content filter. When you know your listener, you know what content they want.

Creating content every week for your show becomes easy when you have defined your listener. You have determined their wants, needs, fears and goals. You know their struggles and problems.

Speaking directly to those areas each week becomes so much easier when you have them defined. Again, your content is much more powerful.

As we discussed earlier, if you are in the finance niche, the financial problems of a 23-year-old just out of college are probably much different than the problems of a 58-year-old empty nester. The same is true for their goals, fears and wants.

You can create a content calendar all around these areas when you have clearly defined your listener.

When you don’t have a clear picture, you start saying things like, “If you’re new, you should do A. But if you’ve been doing it for awhile, you should do B.” Now you are trying to be all things to all people. In reality, you’re serving no one well.

Pick a target so you can hit it with solid content.

CONTEXT

Once you have the content, you need the context. This is the fifth benefit of defining your ideal target listener.

With a clear definition of your ideal target listener, you understand the context in which your content needs to be presented.

I often hear the big internet marketing gurus talk about going to a conference in the Philippines or when they were at their $100,000 mastermind that only meets twice a year at Expert X’s beach house in the Bahama’s.

Those are people who either don’t understand their target audience or their target audience is other big time gurus and not renegades like us. The context is all wrong for people trying to find their way and make their first dollar online.

The first dollar people want to hear from the husband and wife who did it around their passion and have the message of “you can, too.” That is context.

If I know you are trying to create a side hustle around your podcast, I can’t talk about flying to New York and spending ten thousand dollars to do a 30-minute interview with some famous person. It is the wrong context.

Know your ideal listener, so you can create the right context.

STORIES

Finally, when you know your ideal target listener, you know how to frame your stories.

Stories allow your listener to get to know, like and trust you. Through your stories, you listener will know what you believe and value. You trust them with details of your life. They trust you in return.

When your stories elicit that “me, too” response from your listener, they stir emotion. That’s powerful.

In his book Storyworthy, Matthew Dicks teaches the art of storytelling. Matthew is a professional storyteller who has competes in and wins the Moth StorySLAM. These are open-mic storytelling competitions. He is fantastic at telling stories.

Matthew has died twice in his life and had to be brought back to life. He has stories he tells about these two instances. However, neither story is about dying.

One story in particular talks about how his parents don’t come to the hospital immediately after the crash. Instead, they check on the car first. He feels all alone. He then realizes all of his friends have come to the hospital to ensure he is ok and provide their support, and that is the best gift anyone could receive.

Matthew says the story isn’t about dying, because the audience would never say, “Oh yeah, I remember the time I died too.” That doesn’t happen.

Instead, the story is about feeling all alone in the world and then his friends supporting him when he least expects it. Listeners are much more likely to say, “Yeah, I’ve been there. I’ve felt all alone before.”

That is the power of knowing your audience and framing your stories. The fact that his heart stops catches your attention. But loneliness and friendship stir the real emotion in his listeners.

GET STARTED

There they are. Six reasons you really, really need to define your ideal target listener before you record your next episode. Know as much about that person as you possibly can.

If you haven’t listened to episode 312 from last week, go check it out. We talk about your 2021 podcast roadmap.

This series of episodes will help you create big things in the coming year if you take action and do the things I’m putting in front of you.

To help you clearly define your ideal target listener, download my Listener Development worksheet. www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/listener.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

How To Use Your Podcast Avatar – Episode 238

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So many gurus tell you to create your podcast avatar. They might even tell you how to define your target listener. However, very few teach you how to use that podcast avatar once you have it created.

THE IDEAL LISTENER

Why do we create an avatar or ideal listener?

Dave Jackson and I do a podcast together called “The Podcast Review Show“. Podcasters join us on the show to have their podcast reviewed. It is basically a coaching session with the two of us for 60 to 90 minutes. If you would like to be on the show with us, visit PodcastReviewShow.com.

We were talking to two engineers the other day reviewing their show. We asked them about their target listener. They are like most podcasters. They said, “Our show is really for everyone.”

I realize you want a large audience. I know you want to get as many listeners you want without alienating anyone. However, your show cannot be for everyone.

These two create a show that highlights engineers, mostly civil, and the great work they do. The content and discussion is great.

Is their engineering show for 12-year-old girls who love ballet? Is it right for 60-year-old guy who sells newspaper advertising? Would 33-year-old professional athletes be interested in it? Maybe, but probably not.

As we talked, we determined the show is probably for a 20-year-old university student who is trying to define her path through the industry. This doesn’t mean 45-year-old executives wouldn’t be interested in the fascinating conversation. This simply means we are creating content custom designed for the college student.

When we focus the content, the guy that is 45 still enjoys the conversation. However, the college student gets so much more out of it, because we are answering the questions he is asking. We are giving him exactly what he needs. The show means something to him.

DEVELOP YOUR TARGET LISTENER

One of the Podcast Talent Coach worksheets available to your for free is the Listener Development Worksheet. This tool will help you develop your avatar to make your show more powerful and create more engagement.

With a podcast avatar that is clearly defined, we are discussing his wants & needs. The stories we tell and details we share are relevant to him. The desires of your podcast avatar create a filter that will help you decide what examples to include.

To help you define your podcast avatar, get my free Listener Development Worksheet. By completing it, you will have a clear picture of your ideal listener. Download it for free online at PodcastTalentCoach.com/listener.

THE STUDY

I really started understanding target listener when I read a study by Arbitron (the radio ratings service) and Joint Communications (a radio consulting firm). The study was called “What Women Want: Five Secrets To Better Ratings”.

This study really got into the differences between men and women. The interviews revealed the reasons women spend time with radio. The reasons were very radio-centric and don’t really apply to you.

What is relevant is the differences between the genders. When I realized there were variances between listeners, I understood the importance of really defining the ideal listener. Who is that one, ideal person we hope to attract to our content?

When we began developing the ideal listener, when then learned the more we focused on the ideal listener, the more our overall audience grew. This even included the listeners that didn’t necessarily fit the ideal mold.

Our content became better focused and relevant. It was a turning point for me.

The target listener of our radio station helped us decide what music to play. It shaped the contests we did. Our ideal listener helped determine who to hire to be on the air and what content should be included. It was a filter for everything we did on the radio.

INCLUSION

People want to feel part of the discussion and not like they are sitting in a lecture.

How do you create that atmosphere on your podcast?

First, download the Listener Development Worksheet at PodcastTalentCoach.com/listener. Then, let’s have a discussion about your show.

Take advantage of my free podcast strategy call. I can help you define your podcast avatar, your target listener. We can then develop a strategy to reach your goals.

Your strategy call is free. No strings attached. Visit PodcastTalentCoach.com/coaching.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

How To Develop Your Ideal Target Podcast Listener

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As we develop our business around our podcast, we strive to build trust. In order to build trust, we must develop relationships with our listeners. Friendships are created when you truly know everything about a person. This is the reason it is crucial that you define your single target listener.

Many podcasters refer to their target listener as their avatar. This person is the single individual around which you create all of your content.

To develop your business, you need to define your niche. Your focus on your niche helps grow your community. The ideal customers within that niche gives the focus the power.

Download my free Ideal Target Listener Worksheet at PodcastTalentCoach.com/listener.

TRUST

We have heard it said many times before. People do business with those they know, like and trust. This trust is what our friendship with our ideal listener is developing.

To build trust with our podcast, we need to have a conversation with one person. In order to do that, we need to define that ideal listener. Our target listener.

I have created a Listener Development Worksheet. This template will walk you through the development of your target listener step-by-step.

Use this worksheet to create your ideal listener. The more you know about your listener, the better you will be able to communicate. Keep this person in mind while recording each show.

YOUR AVATAR

In this episode, we walk through the worksheet. By the end of the show, you should have your ideal listener well defined along with a visual image in your mind.

A few characteristics of your ideal listener we will define today include age, gender, income, interests and fears. These are only a few of the 17 characteristics we will examine.

Be sure you have downloaded the worksheet. It will be a tremendous help with this episode.

Your ideal listener will evolve over time. The more you learn about your target listener, the more you will fine tune your definition.

RESEARCH

You can learn more about your audience by using a survey like Survey Monkey. Be careful that you ask questions that your audience will be comfortable answering. Specific income might be too personal. A range might be better.

Let me know how it turns out. I would love to help you any way I can.

Let’s have a conversation. People want to feel part of the discussion and not like they are sitting in a lecture. How do you create that atmosphere on your podcast?

  1. Talk to me, not at me
  2. Treat your audience as an audience of one
  3. Let your listener live vicariously through you
  4. Use your regular voice
  5. Do everything in your own style

 

TALK TO ME, NOT AT ME

When you are podcasting, talk “to” your listener. Don’t talk “at” her. You are not announcing. You are having a personal conversation and building a relationship.

Podcasting is an intimate conversation with one person. The conversation is typically one person speaking into a microphone addressing another single individual.

There may sometimes be hundreds of thousands of people listening. However, they are all listening by themselves. Even in an automobile with others listening via communal speakers, the members of the audience are listening by themselves in their own head. Each listener is developing their own unique, mental images.

Have a conversation directly with that individual. Put your listener in the moment. Avoid addressing the group. Instead of using “hello everyone”, use “hi, how are you?” Make her feel like you are talking directly to her. It will make your podcast relationship much stronger.

AUDIENCE OF ONE

As you are creating your podcast, treat your audience like you are talking to each person individually. This is critical when creating a trusting relationship with your audience.

I hear many shows address their audience as a group with comments like “hello everyone” or “hey guys”. Each person in your audience is listening to you as an individual. Audio is a very personal medium. Many times, they are listening with headphones. It is just you and her. Talk to her just like that.

Addressing a crowd on the radio began when radio began. As radio was just being created, station owners needed content to broadcast. Radio programming began with rebroadcasting live, theater events. The person on the stage would address the crowd as “ladies and gentleman”.

As radio progressed, live audiences were eliminated. However, people on the radio continued to address the audience as a group. It was fitting. The family still gathered around the radio before television was introduced to the family room. An on-air personality could address the audience as a group and be justified in doing so.

Radio then became a personal medium. The television replaced the radio as family entertainment. In-car and headphones became the preferred method of radio listening. Each listener was now creating images and visions in his or her own head that were unique to their imagination. Their thoughts were different from those of any other listener. The conversation was now between the person on the air and the individual listening.

Unfortunately, radio personalities continued to address the listener as a group. “It has always been done this way.” The disconnect began.

Podcasts are even more individualistic than radio. Most people select a podcast because of their own tastes. Groupthink does not play a factor as it would to select a movie or television show for the family. It is one person listening on their own to a show that interests them.

If you are talking to your listener as if they are in a group, using plural terms like everyone and you guys and you all, your listener will wonder who you are addressing. They will think, “You guys? I’m listening by myself. Who are you talking to?” In the end, they will not follow your call-to-action, because they will think someone else in your “group” will handle it. Talk to an audience of one and build that relationship with each listener individually.

Nobody like to be lectured to. Data and facts get dull & boring. Engage by being conversational. Tell stories. This is a conversation, not a lecture.

CAN I BE YOU?

Vicarious. Voyeurism. Eavesdropping.

Those are three main reasons people listen to your podcast. Tell stories to help fulfill those desires.

People dream about having a different (and usually better) life. They want to experience those things others are experiencing. The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. People crave living the lives of others.

Your listeners want to live vicariously through you. They want to experience your success. They wish they had the courage to do the things you have done. Your fans want to be you in some way or another.

Voyeurism is a reason many people watch the shows they watch, listen to the stories they hear, or read the books they read. They want to experience the lives of others.

People eavesdrop on the conversations of others for the very same reasons. They can experience the life of others without the risk of failure. Eavesdropping doesn’t take the courage that it takes to actually live the life.

By telling great stories about your experiences, you help your audience fulfill the desire to live vicariously through you. If your show contains audio of your feats and experiences, you allow your audience to become the voyeurs they desire. When you interview people on your show, you allow your listener to eavesdrop on your conversation.

When you simply lecture as the content of your show, you fail to help your listener experience any of those three desires. Find new ways to deliver your material to your audience. You will make those important connections that turn into friendships. Those relationships will foster loyalty to your show. Your tribe will follow you wherever you go. That’s a powerful thing.

Tell stories of self-revelation. See where it takes you. You’ll be surprised how many people wish they could be you.

USE YOUR REGULAR VOICE

The scoop is that fake announcer voice that you hear quite often. It’s like a slow start with a gradual build.

“Wwwwweeeelllllcom to the big show.”

It sounds like your voice is going up and down as if it is on a yo-yo.

Real people don’t talk like that. You are trying to build trusting relationships with your audience. You want to sound real and authentic.

When you sound like a supermarket announcer, you sound fake. Your listeners will find it hard to trust you, because they know that isn’t really you. The audio they are hearing sounds like a character you are portraying.

Don’t let your voice bounce like a ball. You can be excited and enthusiastic. You can also be real and natural at the same time. Just be yourself.

When the inflection of your voice bounces up and down, you will find it difficult to truly engage your listener. Be real. Avoid the scoop.

YOUR STYLE

Create everything you do in your own style. You can only stand out among all other shows when you create your own unique style. You must then make sure everything you do is consistent with that style.

Many new broadcasters try to emulate the style of their hero or mentor. They attempt to imitate the styles they hear from other broadcasters. Unfortunately, copying doesn’t create a unique style. Copying typically creates a watered-down version of some other style. When creating your content, be yourself and find your own style.

Some of the greatest broadcasters didn’t start the ascension to the top until they abandoned the attempts to broadcast in the style they thought others desired and began being true to themselves.

Oprah Winfrey quit trying to be a traditional news anchor. She also quit doing the typical tabloid, daytime talk show. When she began to create the show she always desired, she went to the top of the game.

Howard Stern began as a radio DJ sounding like every other radio DJ. He was playing the records and spouting the lines written by management while going nowhere. When Stern decided he was going to do radio his way, he began to make a name for himself. He also went to the top.

Rush Limbaugh followed a very similar path. He had a cheesy radio name. He followed the format designed by somebody else. Limbaugh made every attempt to fulfill the typical radio DJ stereotype. He also got fired again and again. When he decided to broadcast in his style and true to his beliefs, he began his rise to the top.

Adam Corolla made his climb when he took full control over his style and show. He was climbing the DJ ladder in Los Angeles. Corolla had some decent television work. He then decided to create his own show in his own style via podcast. That began his rise as one of the biggest podcasters in the world.

All of these broadcasters made the decision to stop copying others. They all created shows that were true to their style.

They each also stay true to their style in everything they do. You will never hear Rush sound like Howard. You’ll never mistake something Oprah says as something Adam might say. Being true to their style isn’t something that takes conscious effort. It comes easy to each of them, because it is true to who they are as people.

Be true to yourself. It will make it easy to create everything you do in your style.

 

Download my free Ideal Target Listener Worksheet at PodcastTalentCoach.com/listener.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

How To Define Your Ideal Target Listener For Your Podcast – Episode 207

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How To Define Your Ideal Target Listener For Your Podcast – Episode 207

Creating an avatar
How To Create Your Ideal Target Listener

So many people talk about creating your avatar or ideal target listener. They talk about why to do it. Rarely do they explain how to do it. That is what I want to talk about today.

When I ask people to tell me about their target listener, they usually tell me they are targeting business owners, salespeople, dog lovers or some other generic group. They say things like, “My show is for everyone who likes hockey.”

ONE PERSON

Your podcast is for people, not groups. You are talking to a single person, not an industry. If you want to make your show exciting, relevant and meaningful for your audience, talk to one individual. You will be surprised how your connection with your audience improves.

I have a tool that will walk you through the process of defining your avatar. Download the Podcast Talent Coach Listener Development Worksheet.

There is a reason we create one, well-defined, target individual. We want to be specific in your stories. Specifics are more believable than generalities. Stories make connections. Connections make relationships.

STORIES

All the great philosophers teach through stories. They have for generations.

Zig Ziglar was a master at using specifics. When he would bring a red pump out on stage and talk about not giving up too early, you would just anticipate water streaming from the pump. You knew the pump wasn’t connected to anything. It was a prop. Yet, you were fixated on that pump waiting for the water.

After you define your ideal client, you will be able to shape and mold your content to be specific for that listener.

When I coach clients, we typically start with the Listener Development Worksheet. We can then use that ideal listener as a filter for our content.

As you create your content each week for your show, you can ask, “What would this one listener like to know about this particular subject?”

Think of the person who is most likely to buy from you. Think of the one person who exemplifies your best customer who buys everything you sell. We want to create our content specifically for that person. When your listener feels like you are speaking directly to them, the listener is more likely to act upon on your call-to-action.

Many times people complete the Listener Development Worksheet only to find their avatar looks exactly like a current client. When that happens for you, get a photo of that person. Hang it where you record your podcast. Then, talk to her every time your record. What does she need to know to take the next logical step in her process? How can you help her?

GET SPECIFIC

Dig deep into the profile of your ideal listener. Age, gender, income, profession and location are only the surface. Dig deeper.

Determine what content your ideal listener already consumes. This will help you understand his interests. Figure out what websites she visits, where he spends his free time, with whom she associates and how she spends her discretionary income.

Many people fear they will leave people out if they are not broad in the scope of their content. When you define these things and shape your content through this filter, you make a much deeper connection with your ideal listener.

THE BIG FOUR

If you want more confidence in your content, the final four questions on the worksheet are the most important. These questions help you get into the head of your ideal target listener to determine what they really, really desire.

What is his greatest want? What does he want more than anything?

Making more money is NOT his want. What the money allows him to do is the want. Maybe it is spending more time with his kids. Maybe is it more time to knit. Maybe it is the resources to travel.

What is her greatest need? Need is much different than want. She may want to be admired by her children. She needs the tools to help her do that.

What is your ideal target listener’s greatest fear? People want help to overcome their fears.

What problem does he need solved? People buy aspirin more than vitamins. People will pay money to have their problems solved. Some studies show that people will pay up to six times more to have their problem solved than they would to gain a benefit. This is where your business can thrive.

The only way to determine this is to talk to your audience. Ask them.

WANT HELP?

Download the worksheet. If you would like help, check out my FREE podcast strategy session. Watch the video. It explains everything for you.

The FREE podcast strategy sessionis no sales pitch in disguise. We just talk about your show, create a strategy and see how we work together. I will give you info about my coaching only if you really want it.

Either way, the FREE podcast strategy sessionis designed to help you create a strategy for your podcast and get you headed in the right direction.

 

Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let’s see what we can do.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

How To Effectively Use Your Podcast Avatar Information – Episode 154

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How To Effectively Use Your Podcast Avatar Information – Episode 154

How To Effectively Use Your Podcast Avatar Information Copyright: nicoletaionescu / 123RF Stock Photo

Why do we create a podcast avatar or ideal listener?

One of the Podcast Talent Coach worksheets available to your for free is the Listener Development Worksheet. This tool will help you develop your podcast avatar to make your show more powerful and create more engagement.

[DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE ONLINE AT PODCASTTALENTCOACH.COM.]

When you get that worksheet, this episode takes that tool to the next step. Why should we create our podcast avatar and how do we actually answer the questions on the worksheet?

I really started understanding target listener when I read a study by Arbitron (the radio ratings service) and Joint Communications (a radio consulting firm). The study was called “What Women Want: Five Secrets To Better Ratings”.

This study really got into the differences between men and women. The interviews revealed the reasons women spend time with radio. The reasons were very radio-centric and don’t really apply to you.

What is relevant is the differences between the genders. When I realized there were variances between listeners, I understood the importance of really defining the ideal listener. Who is that one, ideal person we hope to attract to our content?

When we began developing the ideal listener, we learned the more we focused on the ideal listener, the more our overall audience grew. This even included the listeners that didn’t necessarily fit the ideal mold.

Our content became better focused and relevant. It was a turning point for me.

It clicked. Let’s have a conversation.

People want to feel part of the discussion and not like they are sitting in a lecture.

How do you create the conversation atmosphere on your podcast?

First, download the Listener Development Worksheet at PodcastTalentCoach.com to create your podcast avatar. Then, follow these three steps.
1. Treat your audience as an audience of one
2. Talk to me, not at me
3. Let your listener live vicariously through you

AUDIENCE OF ONE

As you are creating your podcast, treat your audience like you are talking to each person individually. Talk specifically to your podcast avatar. This is critical when creating a trusting relationship with your audience.

I hear many shows address their audience as a group with comments like “hello everyone” or “hey guys”. Each person in your audience is listening to you as an individual. Audio is a very personal medium. Many times, they are listening with headphones. It is just you and her. Talk to her just like that.

Addressing a crowd on the radio began when radio began. As radio was just being created, station owners needed content to broadcast. Radio programming began with rebroadcasting live, theater events. The person on the stage would address the crowd as “ladies and gentleman”.

As radio progressed, live audiences were eliminated. However, people on the radio continued to address the audience as a group. It was fitting. The family still gathered around the radio before television was introduced to the family room. An on-air personality could address the audience as a group and be justified in doing so.

Radio then became a personal medium. The television replaced the radio as family entertainment. In-car and headphones became the preferred method of radio listening. Each listener was now creating images and visions in his or her own head that were unique to their imagination. Their thoughts were different from those of any other listener. The conversation was now between the person on the air and the individual listening.

Unfortunately, radio personalities continued to address the listener as a group. “It has always been done this way.” The disconnect began.

THE PODCAST MISTAKE

Podcasts are even more individualistic than radio. Most people select a podcast because of their own tastes. Groupthink does not play a factor as it would to select a movie or television show for the family. It is one person listening on their own to a show that interests them.

If you are talking to your listener as if they are in a group, using plural terms like everyone and you guys and you all, your listener will wonder who you are addressing. They will think, “You guys? I’m listening by myself. Who are you talking to?” In the end, they will not follow your call-to-action, because they will think someone else in your “group” will handle it. Talk to an audience of one and build that relationship with each listener individually.

Nobody like to be lectured to. Data and facts get dull & boring. Engage by being conversational. Tell stories. This is a converstaion, not a lecture

TALK TO ME, NOT AT ME

When you are podcasting, talk “to” your listener. Don’t talk “at” her. You are not announcing. You are having a personal conversation and building a relationship.

Podcasting is an intimate conversation with one person (your podcast avatar). The conversation is typically one person speaking into a microphone addressing another single individual. There may sometimes be hundreds of thousands of people listening.

However, they are all listening by themselves. Even in an automobile with others listening via communal speakers, the members of the audience are listening by themselves in their own head. Each listener is developing their own unique, mental images.

Have a conversation directly with that individual. Put your listener in the moment. Avoid addressing the group. Instead of using “hello everyone”, use “hi, how are you?” Make her feel like you are talking directly to her. It will make your podcast relationship much stronger.

CAN I BE YOU?

Vicarious. Voyerism. Eavesdropping.

Those are three main reasons people listen to your podcast. Tell stories to help fulfill those desires.

People dream about having a different (and usually better) life. They want to experience those things others are experiencing. The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. People crave living the lives of others.

Your listeners want to live vicariously through you. They want to experience your success. They wish they had the courage to do the things you have done. Your fans want to be you in some way or another.

Voyerism is a reason many people watch the shows they watch, listen to the stories they hear, or read the books they read. They want to experience the lives of others.

People eavesdrop on the conversations of others for the very same reasons. They can experience the life of others without the risk of faliure. Eavesdropping doesn’t take the courage that it takes to actually live the life.

INCORPORATE STORIES

By telling great stories about your experiences, you help your audience fulfill the desire to live vicariously through you. If your show contains audio of your feats and experiences, you allow your audience to become the voyers they desire. When you interview people on your show, you allow your listener to eavesdrop on your conversation.

When you simply lecture as the content of your show, you fail to help your listener experience any of those three desires. Find new ways to deliver your material to your audience. You will make those important connections that turn into friendships. Those relationships will foster loyalty to your show. Your tribe will follow you wherever you go. That’s a powerful thing.

Tell stories of self-revelation. See where it takes you. You’ll be surprised how many people wish they could be you.

HOW DO I GET THE INFO?

So, where do we get the podcast avatar info?

I received that very question from Alessandro.

Hi Erik, thanks for your awesome podcast. I have one question for you You define your avatar with a bunch of well-crafted questions, but where do you get the data to answer them? Is it hard data you have got from your following (if any)? Is it just a fruit of your imagination? Is it a mix of both? How much of the avatar is based on hard data, and how much is a projection of yourself defining it? Thanks and keep up the awesome work!
-Alessandro

Great question! It is actually a little bit of both. It will evolve over time.

Step 1

If you are just starting out, you need to create your ideal customer (podcast avatar) out of your imagination. Who would you like your ideal customer to be? Start there.
Who do you want?
Who will listen and get involved
Who will be best served by your content
Who will buy your stuff

Step 2

Once you begin to get some feedback from your audience, refine your target with that information.
Who is posting in your comments
Who is sending your e-mail
Who is asking for more information

Step 3

Finally, when you have an audience of decent size, survey them.
It does not need to be a formal survey.

One of strongest is an e-mail often used that simply says “where can I help you?”

To get specific demographic info, you will need a formal survey. Ask questions that will help you know and serve them better. Do not ask questions that will not give you info you can use and will only waste the time of your listener.

Overall, you want your podcast avatar to represent that individual that in most engaged with your show and likely to take action when you make that request.

I’d love to help you with your podcast. E-mail any questions or comments you might have to Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com.

You can also find other tools including worksheets, a workbook and videos to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

WHY PODCAST AVATAR GENDER MATTERS – PTC EPISODE 122

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WHY PODCAST AVATAR GENDER MATTERS – PTC EPISODE 122

Are you talking to men or women?

There is a big difference between marketing to men and marketing to women. The book “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” by John Gray, Ph. D. discussed in great detail the communication and relationship differences between men and women. These differences are critical in marketing. They are also important elements to your podcast strategy.

When I have discussed this in the past, I have been labeled a chauvinist. I’ve been called narrow minded. People have said I am simply promoting the stereotypes.

Let me first say these are generalities. Stereotypes are called stereotypes for a reason.

Please understand that I am speaking in generalities. I understand these statements won’t hold true for every person. These points are are simply how most men and women react in common situations as demonstrated through various research studies and many published books.

The definition of stereotype is “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group”. There are times when the stereotypical case will not hold true for a specific situation. There is always an exception to the rule. Most of the time, these generalities will be the case.

Today, we are going to cover five major differences between men and women that you need to consider when marketing to the different genders. Keep these differences in mind when you are shaping your podcast content.

These differences also reinforce the importance of defining your target listener. You can find my Listener Development Worksheet to help you define your avatar or target listener online at PodcastTalentCoach.com.

THINKING

In a broad sense, men tend to think very linearly. Women usually think very spatially. To be effective communicating with each gender, you must understand these differences. You must also select one to target. The same message will have difficulty reaching both genders effectively.

When handling tasks, men tend to be single-minded and focused on one goal, while women usually multitask well.

The tendency to focus on one task or many creates another interesting difference between men and women. Because they tend to multitask and focus on multiple items simultaneously, women do not seem to tire of activities as quickly as men. When men focus on one thing only, they will become bored with that particular item before a woman. Men will want to move on to the next thing. Therefore, men tend to like new and different.

Men tend to appreciate change more than women. Women will tolerate repetition much more than men, because they are not as focused on one item at a time. It may also take more messages in different ways to effectively reach and influence a woman.

Men and women also differ in the way they remember things and events. Again, men are linear. Women are spatial.

PROBLEM SOLVING

Men and women also take different approaches in the way they solve problems. Because men think linearly, men focus on the solution. Men try to determine what steps are needed to reach a successful outcome.

COMMUNICATING

Men typically view communication and problems solving as a way to show their strength and power. Men typically see things as a competition. It is a linear approach. They seek validation by solving problems.

Women use communication and problem solving for much different purposes. Women use both as a way to strengthen the relationship. Women seek understanding when tackling a problem.

RELATIONSHIPS

Men and women also handle relationship problems differently. Just like problems in any other area of life, men typically seek the solution (linear) while women tend to use problems to strengthen the relationship (spatial). Understand these differences as you build your relationship with your audience.

MEMORIES

When men remember events, they tend to remember in a linear fashion. They will remember events in sequence as one thing happened, then the next and finally the last. It is a sequential time line.

Women typically remember events in a very spatial way. The memories will be more centered around relationships, people involved and the experience.
These differences between men and women will play an important role as you define your target audience. Will your communication be spatial or linear? This is something you’ll need to decide before you can move forward to create the structure and content of your show.

Gender is only one characteristic of your target audience. There are many others to consider. Just as if you were describing one individual person, gender would only be one characteristic of that person.

Remember, these are generalities. True is most situations. There is always an exception to the rule. You can send all the hate mail you would like. Or, you can get to work assessing your approach to ensure you are reaching your audience in the best way possible.

Find my Listener Development Worksheet online at PodcastTalentCoach.com.

I’d love to help you with your podcast. E-mail any questions or comments you might have to Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com.

You can also find tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.

How To Define Your Avatar Or Target Listener – Episode 102

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How To Define Your Avatar Or Target Listener – Episode 102

AVATAR

As we develop our business around our podcast, we strive to build trust. In order to build trust, we must develop relationships with our listeners. Friendships are created when you truly know everything about a person. This is the reason it is crucial that you define your single target listener.

Many podcasters refer to their target listener as their avatar. This person is the single individual around which you create all of your content.

To develop your business, you need to define your niche. Your focus on your niche helps grow your community. The ideal customers within that niche gives the focus the power.

TRUST

We have heard it said many times before. People do business with those they know, like and trust. This trust is what our friendship with our ideal listener is developing.

To build trust with our podcast, we need to have a conversation with one person. In order to do that, we need to define that ideal listener. Our target listener.

I have created a Listener Development Worksheet. This template will walk you through the development of your target listener step-by-step.

Use this worksheet to create your ideal listener. The more you know about your listener, the better you will be able to communicate. Keep this person in mind while recording each show.

YOUR AVATAR

In this episode, we walk through the worksheet. By the end of the show, you should have your ideal listener well defined along with a visual image in your mind.

Download the Listener Development Worksheet along with six others at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

A few characteristics of your ideal listener we will define today include age, gender, income, interests and fears. These are only a few of the 17 characteristics we will examine.

Be sure you have downloaded the worksheet. It will be a tremendous help with this episode.

Your ideal listener will evolve over time. The more you learn about your target listener, the more you will fine tune your definition.

RESEARCH

You can learn more about your audience by using a survey like Survey Monkey. Be careful that you ask questions that your audience will be comfortable answering. Specific income might be too personal. A range might be better.

Let me know how it turns out. I would love to help you any way I can.

You can find these worksheets in the free Worksheet series online at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

I would love to help you with your podcast. E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com.

You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.

Let’s turn your information into engaging entertainment.