Why don’t subscribers listen to your podcast? Why don’t quality shows attract new listeners? It’s simple: you only have 30 seconds to communicate the value of your show. If they’re unsure of the value for them, they will quickly move onto the next thing. By summarizing your entire idea up front like I just did, you’ll increase engagement.
So… here we are. 30 seconds in. Did I earn your read?
Why don’t subscribers listen to your podcast?
Your show could be world-class but fail to attract subs, views, or listens if you don’t recognize the volume of competition for attention and hook them immediately. Just because someone has subscribed doesn’t mean they will listen to every show.
People don’t listen to your podcast because they prioritize their time around value for them—if you can’t explain value quickly, they assume there’s no value at all. They might be wrong of course, but they’re not going to risk the time loss.
Consider a time last week when someone was rambling and you wanted to ask, “hey, what’s the point of this story?” Your audience is asking that the second your show starts. They can’t know how valuable your show is, and they’re not going to stick around.
How to increase subs or listens
The secret is to getting subscribers or listeners to download more shows is about communicating value as early as humanly possible using the rest of your show or video to expand fully. In my interview with YouTuber Mike Russel, he explained how he takes this concept to the extreme. Perhaps that’s why as of writing this has more than 300,000 subscribers.
“I have the luxury that YouTube kind of analyzes the first 30 seconds of a video. And that’s very important. “When you go into the YouTube studio, it’ll say, you know, uh, a larger percentage of your audience kept, uh, staying watching for that first 30 seconds, or a lower proportion of your audience.” That first 30 seconds are vital, and boy he takes this to the extreme.
“I go straight in, and I say ‘in this video I am going to do x y and z and you’re gonna gonna come away with this.” Russel told me. But he goes further by thinking of what the thumbnail will look like before he even hits record! “I will also think of what the title of the video and the thumbnail is going to look like before I even hit record. So I know where i’m going. I know what I’m trying to solve.”
🎧 Hear the full interview with Mike Russel on getting to 300,000 subscribers.
How to increase your downloads and subscribers
To increase your downloads and subs, you need to increase opportunities to hook them. That means more content that puts more value up front. And to do that, you need to listen to them intimately. “It’s about listening to your audience. Asking for feedback on a regular basis and really engaging with your audience where they happen to be.” Russel explains.
“I’m very particular on reading every comment on my YouTube videos now.” he says, explaining the importance of careful listening to uncover opportunities to connect with your audience. “If you suddenly find you’re publishing a YouTube video and you’re getting a hundred comments there, if you’re ignoring those 100 comments, then you’re, you’re missing a trick.”
To increase subscribers, listeners, and engagement, focus on what your audience wants, then tell them you have it in 30 seconds or less.
