How To Satisfy Both New & Loyal Podcast Listeners

 How does a podcast satisfy the divergent needs of its existing audience while still attracting new listeners?

That's what we will discuss in this article.

First, let's look at how television handles that dilemma.  First, you have shows like Law & Order where every episode is a "one-off." All a viewer needs to know is the basic premise -- which the show announces in the beginning with one compound sentence. Most TV shows have two narrative pathways.

First is the episodic route where the show deals with either a fire, a medical crisis, supernatural monsters, zombies, and aliens. Second is the overarching narrative arc, where seasons or entire series are structured with the unique universe it created. Think Game Of Thrones, Star Trek Discovery, and even comedies like Abbott Elementary and the recently canceled Home Economics, which had ongoing storylines.

TV solves the "how does a viewer jump into a show mid-season or mid-series" dilemma by playing a recap clip at the beginning of each episode. Often, it's a different clip every episode, depending on the characters or storyline highlighted in this episode.TV, of course, spends the money and the time cut from the episode's running time to show the recap because it does hope to attract new viewers, or, at least, re-familiarize viewers who may have missed a few episodes or an entire season.

That's television. How do podcasts keep the existing listeners coming back and attract new listeners? For a medium in which monetization is about as difficult as steering an 18-wheeler while clipping your toenails, podcasts first need a listener base and then an audience that grows each episode. 

Accomplishing those twin goals may be like Indiana Jones finding the Holy Grail. You can do it, but you're going to have to deal with rats, Nazis, tanks, and religious zealots to capture the cup.

Of course, if you're a podcaster supported by a giant network like Amazon (Wondery), iHeart, Spotify, SXM, or other titans of tinnitus, you don't have to worry about resources. 

By contrast, indie podcasters are watching every penny, getting rid of the expensive K cup espresso machine in the break room for a Walmart coffee maker that has 21st century display backed by 19th century technology in its guts. 

Naturally, if you're one of the few immensely popular podcasts that transcend name recognition beyond podcasting and into the pop culture, you don't need much marketing mojo. You've hit that tipping point.

Everyone knows that The Daily will produce an episode that analyzes a current news event or trend with the veneer of objectivity and the sense of "I know something you don't." 

Everyone knows that the Joe Rogan podcast will have guests that could be a comedian with an axe to grind because people don't find him funny anymore, an MMA fighter who's angry about everything or some Rogan fever dream about sunken treasure in the Hudson River or a distortion of the Plasmoid Unification Theory.

The episodes of Call Her Daddy include details about host Cooper's personal life, a sex story that manages to work in the word blowjob 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. 

I cannot tell you how many podcasts I've listened to where the co-hosts begin the episode with banter like this:

"Hey, Justin. How was your weekend?" Did you do that thing we discussed last episode (Laughter)?"

"Not good, Amy. I visited my in-laws. I've told you about them."

This conversational pitter-patter goes on for five or more minutes. Of course, new listeners have no idea what's going on and ask, "Why should I care about this?" They downloaded or streamed the episode to hear the latest review of the recently released Marvel film or the latest bestseller from Colleen Hoover.

Despite my whining, there are plenty of podcasters who balance new versus existing listeners. 

Consider Multispective, which is a podcast that shares deeply personal stories of triumph through tribulations. They invite guests from all over the world to share their life experiences, providing their perspective on society and culture today.

On Multispective, 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. 

It's a trifecta of competence. Sadhwani hooks you -- new or loyal listener -- and then summarizes the podcast's mission for new listeners.

Podcasts like Trashy Divorces and 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. 

Some podcasts design their name to enable potential listeners to understand the scope of the podcast right away. For example, The Life Shift podcast with Matt Gilhooly. This is inspired. Gilhooly has managed to use the show's title as the show's mission and premise. 

Other podcasts accomplish Gilhooly's titular genius with brilliant compactness of meaning and explanation. Vox's Today, Explained is a self-enclosed, transparent container. You know what you're getting before a word is uttered.

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, as 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 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.

One of the best podcasts at hooking new listeners while entertaining established listeners is Nerdpreneur. Here are Frank and Chris'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.   

It's fitting that the co-hosts of Nerdpreneur, Frank Bailey and Chris Saunders, have crafted an inventive way to grow their podcast audience while still offering their subscribers and listeners the substantive "meat on the bone." After all, Nerdpreneur is about passionate entrepreneurs, and that describes most, if not all, of the indie podcasters out there.

Since indie podcasters cannot afford expensive marketing companies, smaller, yet often more effective, podcast consulting companies can offer valuable assistance and personalized service at an affordable cost, such as Tink Media and Golden Goose Creative, which specializes in women-based podcasts.

If you're an indie podcaster, let me know how you attract new listeners and maintain enthusiasm among your loyal audience base. 

Photo by Kampus Production.