Influential Voices of Authority How To Draw Your Listeners Past The First 60 Seconds – Episode 185
When a listener hits play on your podcast, how can you get them to listen to the end? Or, at least past that critical first few minutes of engagement?
HOW LONG DO THEY STAY?When a listener hits play on your podcast, how long do they stay?
Studies show about 47% of those that consume podcasts listen to the end of the episode.
Roughly 23% of listeners say they listen until they are bored.
Studies also show the biggest drop off of those who do not listen to the end comes in the first five minutes of the show.
This means a quarter of your listeners to any episode get out before you are five minutes into the show.
Think about how you consume podcasts. Where are you and what are you doing when you listen?
Put yourself in the shoes of your listeners. What are they doing? Have you asked them?
When I listen to my favorite podcasts, I am typically driving. During the summer, I listen to a lot of podcasts while I am mowing the lawn. This allows me a lot of time to try new shows.
New podcasts don't get a lot of my time. I fall into that five-minute group. If the content and host hasn't really pulled me in, I am off looking for something else.
How can we keep listeners around for the entire episode?
When I attended Podcast Movement 2017 in Anaheim, there were a few session that discussed this very subject. Podcast Movement is a fantastic opportunity to not only learn more about our podcast industry, but networking and masterminding with so many other podcasters is priceless.
There were many great sessions at PM17. I actually teamed up with two other podcasters in my Mastermind to divide and conquer. We each took notes in separate sessions and then swapped when it was all over.
One of the sessions was "Why Public Radio Excels At Podcasting". Public radio has created some amazingly successful podcasts such as "Serial", "How I Built This", "TED Radio Hour" and more.
How are they so successful?
START STRONGFirst, you need to start strong. The biggest drop off your podcast experiences is in the first 5 minutes. You simply cannot catch up to a bad opening.
Create that intriguing introduction like we talk about when storytelling. You learned it in speech class. Find that hook, and lead with the headline.
You cannot spend the first five minutes of your show with mindless chit-chat. The content must be powerful. Talking about the weather or the thing you have to sell will not deliver engaging content that will make your listener want more.
CREATE FOMOWhat makes a great introduction? An intriguing introduction creates some anticipation. Tease your audience with what is coming up on the show.
A powerful tease is more than simply promoting the content coming up. "Today, we are going to discuss the pros and cons of e-mail marketing" does nothing to create anticipation.
Sell the sizzle, not simply the ingredients.
"Today, I'm going to give you the five headlines that received by far my best open rates over the past year" creates some intrigue. Listeners begin to experience the fear of missing out if they don't listen to get all five.
DELIVER GREAT CONTENTAfter you start strong, you then need to continue to be great.
Just because a large group drops off in the first five minutes doesn't mean you will not lose listeners throughout the show. Therefore, you need to re-engage your listeners every two to five minutes to slow the drop off. Find ways to catch their attention again.
During the entire episode, you need to always be great. You cannot fill for time's sake. The fact that you always do a 30-minute show doesn't give you permission to tread water and fill with less-than-stellar content. Be great the entire show.
A great aspect of podcasting is the freedom of time. You have no clock determining how long you need to talk or when you need to wrap up. As radio coach Valerie Gellar says, "There is no such thing as too long, only too boring."
If you want people to listen to the end of your episode, you need to be more entertaining than anything else they could be doing right now. Your competition for their attention isn't simply other podcasts. Your competition is all other entertainment they could be consuming right now.
Are you more entertaining than the radio, or audiobook or conversation they could be having? It must be if you want them to stay.
Learn how to create an intriguing introduction. A powerful opening is your only hope to get your listeners past that 5-minute drop off. Start strong. Stay strong.
Do you need help with your podcast? E-mail me any time at Coach@PodcastTalentCoach.com. Let's see what we can do.
You can find my podcast and other tools to help you create great content at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com.
Let's turn your information into engaging entertainment.