The Audience Is Listening: A Little Guide to Building a Big Podcast

Rogan’s audience, I see a group of disenfranchised, young (mostly) men who do not feel completely in control of the narrative of their own lives and cannot shake the feeling that the system is rigged against them, because older guys like me continue to hang on to our jobs and aren’t sharing the American dream with them. They distrust authority beca

if you want to earn an audience, you can no longer make the podcast you want to make. You have to make the podcast they want to hear.

A topic of interest is not an organizational principle—it isn’t specific enough.

As long as Rogan is speaking to that one listener, and producing content that polarizes people into camps of “love” and “hate,” he’s going to print money.

sometimes you have to lose an existing audience to make these kinds of creative choices. That’s tough to take, especially when downloads go down and unhappy emails roll in. It requires some bravery, a strong stomach, and, most importantly, the knowledge that there is a “there” there with the audience segment you are ultimately trying to attract.

Part of doing the work of audience research, though, is to frame every audience positively. When I see Rogan’s audience, I see a group of disenfranchised, young (mostly) men who do not feel completely in control of the narrative of their own lives and cannot shake the feeling that the system is rigged against them, because older guys like me contin

most of the marketing advice podcasters are offered revolves around social promotion—because it’s easy. Easy doesn’t mean effective.

create an audience—a body of humans who look forward to your show, week after week, and make it a regular part of their lives.

We need to give our listeners specific language—who the show is for and why it’s perfect for them—so that they can use that language and carry forth our message to the outside world.