508 - Five Questions Every Podcaster Must Answer Before Expecting Their Show to Generate Clients
For more than twenty years, people have asked me two questions about podcasting more than almost any others:
“How do I launch a podcast?”
“How do I grow my audience?”
Those can be useful questions, but neither one appears on my list of the five questions you must be able to answer if your goal is to generate clients through your show.
Do not ask, “How do I grow my podcast?” until you can clearly answer what the growth is intended to produce, for whom, and why they would eventually pay you.
A larger audience will not solve an unvalidated offer, unclear positioning, vague messaging, or a lack of confidence in the value you provide.
Before investing more time, energy, and money into growing your show, I encourage you to reflect on these five questions.
1. Do you have a validated product or service?
Has someone actually paid you for this solution, or are you hoping the podcast will validate it for you?
Conversations, compliments, expressed interest, and awareness of a problem do not necessarily prove that people are willing to pay for your solution.
My definition of early validation is that two or three people have paid for the product or service and would rate their satisfaction with that investment as an eight, nine, or ten.
A podcast can help people discover and trust you, but it should not become a way to postpone the vulnerable work of asking someone to pay for what you offer.
2. Do you know exactly who your ideal client is?
Can you identify the specific person, problem, desire, threshold, or transformation your offer is designed to address?
You should be able to clearly describe:
- Who this person is
- What they are currently experiencing
- What they desire
- Where they tend to get stuck
- What obstacles they face
- What transformation your offer helps them experience
You should also be able to answer this question clearly:
“If I were looking for someone who might be a great fit for what you do, who should I be on the lookout for?”
When you know exactly who you serve, your content becomes more focused, your language becomes more specific, and your invitations become more relevant.
3. Is your positioning and language clear enough for that person to recognize themselves?
When they hear you describe the problem and the desired outcome, do they immediately think, “He understands exactly where I am”?
Clear positioning does more than explain what you do. It allows the right listener to recognize their own experience in your words.
They should hear you describe their challenges, patterns, frustrations, and desires with enough specificity that they feel understood.
Vague language may sound professional, but specific language creates recognition.
4. Is each episode intentionally created for that person?
Are you speaking to a clearly defined listener and helping them move toward a better decision, a new belief, or a meaningful next step?
Your podcast does not need to sell your service in every episode. But every episode should make it increasingly logical for the right person to want your help.
Your content can build trust, demonstrate how you think, reveal your values, clarify the listener’s problem, and help them see possibilities they could not previously see.
The purpose is not to turn every episode into an infomercial.
The purpose is to create content that consistently serves the kind of person your business is designed to help.
5. Do you believe deeply enough in the value of your offer to confidently invite people into it?
Are you willing to clearly tell the right listener what you offer, why it matters, and what they should do next?
You may have a validated offer, a clearly defined ideal client, powerful positioning, and relevant content. But none of those things will generate clients if you remain unwilling to make an invitation.
On a scale of one to ten, how confident are you in the value of what you offer?
If your answer is not an eight, nine, or ten, there may be important work to do around your offer, your evidence, your language, or your own belief in the transformation you provide.
Confidence does not require arrogance or pressure.
It means believing that inviting the right person into your offer is an act of service.
You May Need Fewer Listeners Than You Think
Depending on your business model, you may only need twenty, thirty, or fifty clients each year.
With a genuinely high-value offer, you may only need five or ten.
You do not necessarily need a massive audience.
You need the right people hearing a clear message about a valuable solution that was intentionally created for them.
I Would Love to Hear From You
Take some time to journal through these five questions.
Which one is the most difficult for you to answer?
What answer have you developed so far?
Email me personally at cliff@cliffravenscraft.com and tell me which question you are struggling with most.
I may respond with a few clarifying questions and begin an asynchronous conversation with you. If we have worked together before, I may suggest that we jump on a call.
You are also welcome to send me the name of your podcast, a link to your show, and your answers to all five questions. I would love to celebrate the clarity you have developed, and I may feature some responses in a future episode.
If your desired outcome is to generate clients through your podcast, answering these five questions may be far more valuable than finding another strategy for growing your downloads.