Your podcast avatar is the fictional persona that helps you speak directly to the people who need to hear your show most.
Many podcasters start out saying their show is for “everyone.” But vague-casting doesn’t make your show universally attractive. A lack of specificity about who your audience is makes it hard for anyone to tell if this show is for people like them.
When you don’t define your target demographic, your efforts are scattered. When you know who your show is meant for, it’s easier to reach that audience and build a relationship. Let me show you how to define your podcast avatar or ideal listener, what to do with that profile, and how that avatar can help your podcast thrive.
What’s a Podcast Avatar?
You might imagine skinny blue elfin creatures: let it go. The word “avatar” comes from Hindi and means the incarnation of a deity in human form. It’s come to mean a personification of an abstract idea. What we mean when we say “audience avatar” is your podcast’s ideal listener.
It’s hugely beneficial for any podcast to nail down an ideal listener persona, but it can be particularly helpful to early-stage solo podcasters who feel put off by “talking to themselves” behind the mic. Now, you can think of yourself talking directly to “Bob”, “Helen”, or “Count Chuckles of Chortleton”.
If I asked you to imagine the ideal audience for a “kids and family podcast,” you’d probably think of two kids in the back seat of a car while an adult driver picks out a podcast for the kids. Or, if I say “true crime podcast,” you might visualize a woman in loungewear having some time to herself. On the most basic level, that’s an audience avatar.
When you know your podcast avatar, you can figure out how to reach them and what they can do for you.
Case Study: The True Crime Audience Podcast Avatar
Let’s use true crime podcasts as an example since many studies have consistently found that they attract a specific audience.
Who Listens to True Crime?
Sounds Profitable’s Safe & Sound 2022 study shows that 38% of women respondents ranked True Crime as their favorite podcast category. The Pew Research Center found that true crime podcasts were most popular among women. It’s safe to say that the audience avatar for true crime is likelier to be women (though not universally: my husband can’t get enough true crime).
How Does This Audience Find and Consume Podcasts?
Once you know that, visit The Women’s Podcast Report 2022 | Edison Research to learn more about how women listen.
A surface-level skim tells you:
Respondents ranked True Crime second out of fourteen categories
Women tend to find out about new podcasts from word of mouth and social media
This demographic listens to stay entertained while doing mundane tasks (the top 3 mentioned were chores, cooking/baking, or laundry).
Again, this is the most superficial layer of information: I don’t want to keep you here all day. Now that we know this, what do we do with these data points about our True Crime podcast avatar?
What Methods Are Appealing?
“Word of mouth and social media” tell me that true crime promotions find more success through relationship-building than general advertising. Cross-marketing tactics like trailer swaps, feed swaps, and guest appearances on other podcasts will all work better than buying a radio ad. Social media posts with reminders about new episodes and conversations in the comments build on that relationship idea.
The podcast avatar we’re imagining is doing chores while listening. So, respect the audience’s experience as they listen to your show. The YouTuber’s tactics of “smash that subscribe button and ring the bell for notifications” won’t go well because the audience is likelier to have their hands full. And, with their hands full and eyes occupied, you don’t necessarily need to make a massive investment in video. Let your story be patient and suspenseful to reel them in before providing a call to action.
This podcast avatar prefers word-of-mouth recommendations, so empower your audience to be your word-of-mouth PR team. Incentivize participation by thanking people on the air when they reach out or review.
A Real-World Example
Crime Junkie’s website is chock-full of relationship-building opportunities. In the “Extras” category, information about avoiding scams, a portal to suggest a case, and a free cross-stitch pattern are just the beginning of their relationship-building paths.
How Can You Match Your Podcast to an Ideal Audience?
Getting stats about your audience can mean researching outside the podcasting realm and then returning to how podcast listeners engage with your show’s content.
For example, Home and Garden is an undervalued podcast category. You may picture elderly ladies wearing big gloves and hats and trimming rose bushes. Instead of looking up, “Who listens to garden podcasts?” look up gardeners.
Companies that make and sell garden products do a lot of research, as do universities and publications with an interest in the environment. Gardening Statistics in 2024 (incl. COVID & Millennials) includes many specific findings about gardeners that defy the Miss Marple stereotype. The number of millennial and Gen Z gardeners has increased significantly in the past five years. The number one reason for the increase was mental health.
Now that you know this, look up information about reaching that demographic by age. A lot of research exists about millennial and Gen Z podcast listeners, and don’t underestimate Gen Alpha.
Once You Know Who to Invite, How Do You Make Your Podcast Inviting?
Here’s where you need to give your show a handle for your ideal audience to grab. Make sure they can find your show easily, provide a show that caters to their desires, and use empathy.
This may seem obvious, but it’s new information for some podcasters. You may want to include who your show is for in the title and/or description. For example, a golf podcast for Christians could have a name like “What Would Jesus Putt?” or ask in the podcast description, “Do you love golf, but have to make sure you can get a tee time after 1 pm on Sundays so you don’t miss church?” You don’t have to follow SEO tactics dogmatically, but clarity helps.
Your audience avatar’s education and income level help you plan monetization schemes. The podcast merchandise you sell can validate how your audience avatar views itself. A show for beer drinkers may be more interested in drinkware than t-shirts, but knowing your podcast avatar can tell you whether to sell stout snifters or can cozies.
Put yourself in their shoes while planning your podcast format and structure. Busy real estate agents may be likely to listen to shorter episodes or segmented shows that they can pick up and put down between showing homes to clients. Long-haul truckers might enjoy an hour-long episode about former president Dwight D. Eisenhower and the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.
Accessibility matters. All podcasts benefit from transcripts, but your ideal audience may have particular needs. For example, a podcast about autism resources may have an audience that includes folks with auditory processing disorder. Your editing may need considerations such as removing background noise, avoiding field recording in busy places, and being more mindful of reverb.
Empathy goes a long way. Picture your ideal audience while writing and recording. Put a picture of a person representing your audience where you can see it during your recording sessions. You’ll sound more approachable, and the audience will return for more.
Podcast Avatar Sounds Alien, But Shouldn’t Be.
Ultimately, your audience avatar or ideal listener loves your podcast’s topic as much as you do. It may seem as though you don’t have to define your ideal audience because they’re someone who’s just like you. But no two people are alike. The more information you have about who your audience avatar is, the easier it is to reach them, reward them, and get them to share your show.
A Task For You
The Alitu Showplanner is a free (no login required!) tool that generates ideas, suggestions, and other resources for your podcast. Tell it a little bit about your show, as well as some info about your intended avatar, and it’ll spit out a detailed ‘ideal audience profile’ for you, as if by magic!
Originally posted on September 5, 2024 @ 1:24 am