Podcasts ultimately end when you fail to connect to your audience and provide the value they expect. The host may have not been relatable, the content poor, or any number of things but the core reason is the same: you didn’t define an audience or purpose.
Why aren’t people subscribing to our podcast?
Without defining a podcast purpose, you can’t establish an audience and obviously can’t reach them. Perhaps you’re surprised by this, but in working with some of the largest content / marketing teams in the world—purpose and goals are often the last thing discussed. (if ever) They’re a product of FOMO and not strategically implemented. Because of this, your show won’t survive past 3 months.
A CEO of a mid-size company shared shutting down a podcast he saw no value in continuing. After asking what value he expected, he immediately saw the problem: there was no goal or expectation in the first place. The reason people aren’t subscribing to your podcast is a you problem. You didn’t define your audience or a purpose for the show to begin with.
Let’s fix that.
Why your podcast didn’t provide value for your brand
Podcasts are incredibly effective and disarming when you speak the language of your audience and know what topics they have an inner desire to learn more about—this is unique to each audience. Once you nail this down though, the podcast also has to be valuable for your brand as well.
The purpose must be clear and attainable. Customer acquisition can be the purpose, but “get more customers” isn’t clear enough. “Get 100 more customers in 2025” is more in line. Truthfully this is small thinking though, your podcast purpose can be to increase customer acquisition, bring awareness to an issue, create shows to change perceptions, promote your executive message, create more earned media opportunities or more.
Can you start now and build this later? No. A podcast is a coffee chat with a friend at scale. If you don’t know the friend and talk at them about random topics you’ll not only fail to build a relationship, you may just piss them off and enforce the idea you are a time waster. Will they talk to you again and take your next coffee chat request? Probably not.
Only when you create a strong purpose for your show, can you measure your own effectiveness or make necessary adjustments to achieve big goals.
Questions to ask:
- Who is our audience?
- What action do we want them to take?
- Our show will be successful when ________.
