Ep 66: What Taylor Swift Can Teach Us About Podcasting
In this episode, I'll discuss what we can learn about podcasting from Taylor Swift (although to my knowledge, Taylor Swift has not started her own podcast!). We talk about how you can't please everyone with your podcasting content and you need to focus on creating content for you and your core audience.
I say creating content for you; what I mean is content that you enjoy creating. Because if you're creating content that you don't enjoy, it shows. However, you also need to remember that your content can't be all about you and needs to provide some value to your audience and give them that reason to download your episodes.
I explore the idea of recording podcast episodes live and reaching more listeners, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and experimenting with different formats.
I share strategies and podcasting tips for successful podcasting, such as:
- Defining your target audience
- Creating engaging content
- Promoting your podcast
We also talk about the importance of consistency and authenticity.
Disclaimer: Just in case it wasn't obvious, T-Swift has had nothing to do with the creation of this episode and everything I've talked about in this episode in relation to Taylor is simply my opinion. We're Swifites in our household and, in case you're wondering, I think that 'Speak Now' was her best, probably followed by 1989. I thought I'd include the disclaimer so as to try and prevent Taylor Swift and her legal team from suing me!
Highlights:
- Recording podcast episodes live and reaching more listeners
- Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone
- Experimenting with different formats
- Defining your target audience
- Creating engaging content
- Promoting your podcast
- The importance of consistency and authenticity
Timestamps:
- [00:00:00] Intro
- [00:02:37] You will never be able to appeal to all listeners with your podcast
- [00:05:06] Don't be afraid to experiment with your podcast format and content, but also don't change just because a few listeners complain
- [00:06:35] If you switch up your podcast format and your audience doesn't like it, you can always switch back
- [00:05:50] Focus on creating content you love and that resonates with your target audience
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Transcript
[00:00:06] Verity: This is a little bit surreal, this episode, because I'm actually recording it on Instagram Live and on Twitter spaces as well as recording the episode.
[:[00:00:25] Verity: But then it's a little bit strange as well because I'm looking at my computer and I can just see my face everywhere.
[:[00:00:36] Verity: But this is something that I wanted to do more of.
[:[00:00:52] Verity: And you never know, this might get more people listening to the show, but what we are talking about today is, and bear with me on this one because you might think it's a little bit of a care of bull, but what Taylor Swift can teach us about podcasting now, before anyone gets too, too excited.
[:[00:01:15] Verity: That would be super cool.
[:[00:01:20] Verity: The point is, Taylor Swift has not started her own podcast, to her knowledge, and that is not what this podcast episode is about.
[:[00:01:34] Verity: And I live with a pretty big swifty in my daughter.
[: [:[00:01:45] Verity: In a speech not too, too long ago, Taylor said, and I quote, they're saying that I'm dating too much in my twenty s.
[:[00:01:55] Verity: I'll just be single for years.
[:[00:02:01] Verity: Okay, I'll make one about moving to New York and deciding that really my life is much more fun with just my friends.
[:[00:02:12] Verity: All right.
[:[00:02:15] Verity: Here's an entire genre shift and a pop album called 1989.
[:[00:02:23] Verity: Well, to be honest with you, the biggest thing that I want you to take away from this episode is that you will never, ever be able to please everybody or appeal to everybody with your podcast.
[:[00:02:40] Verity: You do not need to appeal to everybody.
[:[00:02:44] Verity: You need to appeal to your audience and to your target audience.
[:[00:02:53] Verity: And I think sometimes we can get so bogged down with listening to feedback and people saying, oh, I don't like this episode.
[:[00:03:01] Verity: And you're trying to change so much for the people who are really, really vocal that actually you end up not creating content necessarily for yourself or for the people who come and talk and talk about your content, listen to your content, they just don't shout about it.
[:[00:03:32] Verity: She is an absolute icon at this stage in the world in 2024.
[:[00:03:44] Verity: You could create a certain suite of episodes or a series of episodes, whatever, and then you get some feedback, maybe from just a small community of people saying, I really didn't like this.
[:[00:03:57] Verity: And then you still get people saying, oh, but I don't like this either.
[:[00:04:03] Verity: Maybe I'll change the intro, or I'll do this, or I'll do that.
[:[00:04:08] Verity: So, for example, when I got rid of that kind of quote unquote classic intro from the podcast and decided to literally just go straight into the podcast episode, I had people turn around and be like, but why are you doing that?
[:[00:04:21] Verity: That's just a completely stupid idea.
[:[00:04:23] Verity: But I wasn't changing the intro for them, and I was changing it for me.
[:[00:04:39] Verity: And a lot of that was because my episodes are only 1015 minutes long.
[:[00:04:45] Verity: So I don't want you to have to be stuck listening to the same intro all the time because I could see how that would get slightly annoying.
[:[00:04:59] Verity: So my point is that you are never going to be able to create content that is going to please everybody.
[:[00:05:11] Verity: I think I've got that episode scheduled for.
[:[00:05:14] Verity: We've got Adam from podcasting business school back on the podcast, and we're talking all about the importance of experimenting with your podcast, which is really cool.
[:[00:05:28] Verity: What I'm saying is don't be afraid to experiment, but also don't be afraid to stick to something that you know and you love just because a few people have been negative and responded with, oh, but we don't like this, or why have you changed that or whatever?
[:[00:05:50] Verity: You've got to be happy with what you are creating.
[:[00:06:01] Verity: And if you do switch it up, if you're enjoying that switch up, then do you know what?
[:[00:06:09] Verity: They will come with you, and they will go on that journey with you.
[:[00:06:16] Verity: You'll probably gain an awful lot more listeners with your switch up.
[:[00:06:24] Verity: And if you change something and it really doesn't work, the worst thing that you do is you run that change for a few episodes, and then you can actually do a reflection on it and turn around to your audience and say, do you know what?
[:[00:06:40] Verity: And then they're going on that journey with you, which, to be honest with you, people will probably enjoy going on that journey with you as well.
[:[00:06:52] Verity: Yes, it might have gone down by a few listeners, but your audience also has the potential to possibly be even bigger than before.
[:[00:07:14] Verity: I'm going to sign off there because otherwise I feel like I could keep going on.
[: [:[00:07:28] Verity: Thank you.
[:[00:07:29] Verity: I love reading all of your comments, all of your dms, so please do keep them coming in because I might shout you out on a future episode.
[:[00:07:45] Verity: It's at veritysongon.com newsletter.
[:[00:07:52] Verity: It would be great to see you.
[:[00:07:56] Verity: It is my thing for 2024 and so far I have not missed a single week since I want to say like November of 23.
[:[00:08:08] Verity: So I would love you to be signed up to it so that you can keep up with all of the goings on of the Lazy Girls Guide to podcasting and also all the podcasting tips that I send out each week as well.
[:[00:08:22] Verity: Otherwise, thank you so much for joining me for another episode.
[:[00:08:26] Verity: This has been the Lazy Girls guided podcasting and I will see you next episode.
