7 Steps to Build an Audience Persona
Before you record a single episode, there's one person you need to meet: the listener you're making it for. Here's how to create an audience persona that keeps your podcast focused and human.
1. Understand Why It Matters
Brands and companies work hard to figure out their ideal clients, and your podcast needs the same. Everyone is choosing where to spend their time, money, energy and effort. When you understand your listener, and what brings them back, you connect your content on a deeper level.
2. Remember That Podcasting Is Marketing
Every type of marketing has two sides: the side that is marketing and the side that is being marketed to. A persona, or ideal listener, is an imaginary person you create to guide your efforts. It's much easier to speak to one person than to imagine your words going out to the whole world.
3. Get Specific
Specific audiences are easier to understand and connect with. Here are two examples:
The Arts and Youth Mental Health Podcast: artists who teach in schools and want to hear about the mental health and well-being of teachers and students.
The Connectors Podcast: people who want to connect their relationships to their purpose and find meaning in those connections.
The second topic was so broad that it ended up with two personas:
One was a man very connected with his work and less connected with family, loved ones and community.
The other was a woman who connects well with her body and spiritual side and wants to strengthen this through meditation and yoga.
4. Start With Four Questions
Grab a comfy chair, a pen and paper, and answer:
Who do you want to tune in and press play?
Where would they come across your podcast?
What other podcasts do they listen to, if any?
What are they doing while they listen?
5. Give Them a Name and Get to Know Them
A name makes your listener easier to picture. Then see how many of these you can answer:
What do they do for a living?
What age range are they in?
Are they married? Do they have children?
Are they retired?
What hobbies do they have outside of work?
What books, movies or podcasts do they enjoy?
Are they team iPhone or team Android?
Don't worry if some questions don't fit. If you can build a strong enough picture of who you're speaking to, you're on the right track.
6. Fill In Your Persona Template
Use this list to build your full persona:
Name
Age
Gender
Marital status
Location
Income
Work and activities
Family
Favorite books, TV shows and podcasts
Hobbies and free time
Biggest frustration
Guiding principles
Dreams
Something they don't like to talk about
It seems like a lot of work, and it is, but it's worth it.
7. Remember the Human, Even for Fact-Based Shows
Even a finance or health podcast has people listening. Imagining a real person helps your episodes feel more authentic, more nuanced and more expressive. It also gives you, your content and your personality the chance to shine. Listeners won't keep coming back to a show that only speaks in facts and figures.
Key Takeaways
Your ideal listener is an imaginary person who guides your decisions.
Podcasting is marketing, so there's always a person on the receiving end.
Specific audiences are easier to reach than general ones.
You can write more than one persona if your content goes in different directions.
Even fact-based shows are listened to by real people.