Grow The Show - Episode 195: Use This Strategy to Get Listener Feedback & Grow Your Show
Release Date: October 22, 2024
Host: Kevin Chemidlin
Introduction
In Episode 195 of Grow The Show, host Kevin Chemidlin delves into the critical strategy of leveraging listener feedback to accelerate podcast growth and enhance monetization. Recognizing the inherent challenges in understanding podcast audiences, especially due to the limited interaction compared to platforms like YouTube, Kevin underscores the necessity of comprehensive audience insights to drive a podcast's success.
The Challenge of Podcast Audience Engagement
Kevin begins by highlighting a fundamental issue many podcasters face: the difficulty in truly knowing who their listeners are. Unlike video platforms that offer comments and direct interactions, podcasts primarily provide download numbers without revealing the identities, preferences, or behaviors of the audience.
"There is no way for a podcast listener who's listening to your show to contact you and let you know who they are, what they like, what they dislike, and what they think."
– Kevin Chemidlin [00:03]
This lack of engagement poses significant hurdles in audience growth and monetization. Without understanding the audience, podcasters struggle to tailor content, attract similar listeners, or offer products and services that resonate with their listeners.
The Solution: Audience Surveys
To address this gap, Kevin introduces the concept of conducting audience surveys. He emphasizes that even a once-a-year survey can provide invaluable insights, enabling podcasters to better understand their current listeners and strategize effectively for growth and monetization.
"If you do a listener survey, you're going to learn stuff about your show that is invaluable, and that is going to make it way easier for you to grow and monetize."
– Kevin Chemidlin [05:30]
Real-World Examples and Insights
Kevin shares personal anecdotes to illustrate the transformative power of audience surveys:
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Philadelphia Show Survey: Kevin recounts his experience with a show focused on his hometown, Philadelphia. Initially, he invested significant time crafting elaborate intros with multiple clips, believing it enhanced the listening experience. However, survey feedback revealed:
"The intros were rated a 4, and someone said, 'I just kind of skip that and get to the interview.'"
– Kevin Chemidlin [02:15]Acting on this feedback, Kevin streamlined his episodes by removing the lengthy intros, leading to increased listener retention and download numbers.
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Grow The Show Audience Survey: A year prior, Kevin conducted a survey for his own podcast and discovered that a large portion of his listeners were newly minted podcasters within the last 6-12 months. This insight shifted his content approach to better serve beginners rather than assuming a more experienced audience.
"The vast majority of people who were listening to Grow the Show then had become podcasters within the last six to 12 months."
– Kevin Chemidlin [04:50]
How to Conduct an Effective Listener Survey
Kevin outlines actionable steps for podcasters to design and implement effective audience surveys:
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Incorporate Key Question Types:
- Demographics & Psychographics: Understand who your listeners are and what drives them.
- Behavioral Insights: Gauge how often they listen, discover your podcast, and engage with your content.
- Content Feedback: Identify which episodes resonate most and what topics listeners desire.
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Survey Incentives:
- Offering incentives significantly boosts participation rates.
- Kevin suggests aligning incentives with your show's theme for maximum relevance, such as a local coffee shop gift card for his Philadelphia-focused show.
"Far more people will take out the survey if they know that they could win something than if you just like, ask them to do it out of the kindness of their heart."
– Kevin Chemidlin [17:45] -
Survey Duration and Accessibility:
- Keep surveys short (7-10 questions) to encourage completion.
- Limit the survey availability to a week to create urgency.
Maximizing Survey Responses: Incentives and Promotion
Kevin emphasizes the importance of effectively promoting the survey to ensure high response rates:
- Podcast Mentions: Announce the survey during episodes, preferably at the beginning for maximum listener awareness.
- Social Media and Email Lists: Extend the survey reach beyond podcast listeners to gather diverse feedback, though with caution to maintain survey relevance.
- Clear Incentives: Clearly communicate the rewards for participating to motivate listeners.
"Feel free to be creative. It could be a product or service that you sell. It could be a gift card somewhere."
– Kevin Chemidlin [12:00]
Analyzing and Acting on Survey Results
Once survey responses are collected, Kevin advises podcasters to:
- Identify Common Themes: Focus on feedback that appears multiple times to prioritize actionable changes.
- Balance Listener Input with Creator Vision: While feedback is valuable, changes should align with the podcaster's goals and brand.
- Implement Changes Thoughtfully: For example, adjusting in-episode music to accommodate listeners with hearing issues can enhance accessibility without compromising content quality.
"Be sure to only take action on things that, number one, you want to. Right? Because sometimes people have ideas and it's like, that's cool. But no, I don't want to do that."
– Kevin Chemidlin [21:30]
Conclusion and Call to Action
Kevin wraps up the episode by reiterating the critical role of audience surveys in podcast growth and monetization. He invites listeners to participate in the Grow The Show audience survey, offering an incentive of an hour-long one-on-one strategy session for those who complete it within seven days.
"My 1 ask for you today is to complete the Grow the Show audience survey."
– Kevin Chemidlin [24:15]
Additionally, Kevin encourages podcasters to adapt his survey questions for their own shows and stresses the importance of offering desirable incentives to maximize participation.
Final Thoughts
By meticulously understanding and engaging with their audience through surveys, podcasters can make informed decisions that drive growth, enhance content quality, and unlock effective monetization strategies. Kevin Chemidlin's insights in this episode provide a clear roadmap for podcasters seeking to elevate their shows to new heights.
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
-
"There is no way for a podcast listener who's listening to your show to contact you and let you know who they are..."
– Kevin Chemidlin [00:00] -
"If you do a listener survey, you're going to learn stuff about your show that is invaluable..."
– Kevin Chemidlin [07:45] -
"The intros were rated a 4, and someone said, 'I just kind of skip that and get to the interview.'"
– Kevin Chemidlin [02:15] -
"Far more people will take out the survey if they know that they could win something..."
– Kevin Chemidlin [17:45] -
"Be sure to only take action on things that, number one, you want to..."
– Kevin Chemidlin [21:30] -
"My 1 ask for you today is to complete the Grow the Show audience survey."
– Kevin Chemidlin [24:15]
Additional Resources:
- Grow The Show Audience Survey: growtheshow.com/survey
- 12 Days of Podcast Growth Email Course: 12daysofpodcastgrowth.com
- Podcast Boutique: podcastboutique.com
This summary encapsulates the key discussions and actionable insights from Episode 195 of Grow The Show, offering a comprehensive guide for podcasters aiming to harness listener feedback for growth and monetization.