Latest #VirtualPaul Posts

This is Virtual Paul with something I’ve been thinking about lately…

You Are Not Your Audience — So Stop Podcasting Like You Are

I had a conversation recently with a podcaster who told me, “I just record what I’d want to hear.” On the surface, that sounds noble — “authentic,” even. But in practice, it’s often the fastest route to irrelevance.

You have to remember: you are not your audience. Your life, interests, listening habits, and priorities are not a mirror for the hundreds or thousands of people finding your show in the wild. If your podcast is built purely for your own entertainment, guess what? No one else has a reason to care.

The First Rule of Podcasting: Serve Your Audience

Let’s go back to Law #2 from The Laws of Podcasting: “Serve Your Audience.” It’s not a suggestion — it’s the first rule.

Every episode, every idea, every guest should be filtered through this one question:

How does this serve my audience — not just entertain me?

The shows that last, that grow, that build brands and change businesses — they’re audience-obsessed. Not ego-fed performances with a mic.

What Today’s Best Podcasters Are Doing Differently

According to 2025 insights from the industry’s leaders, the highest-performing podcasts don’t chase downloads or go with their gut. They build communities and design shows with feedback loops:

  • Co-Create With Your Audience: Let your listeners choose topics, submit stories, or appear as co-hosts. It boosts listener loyalty and gives your audience a stake in your show.
  • Deliver Habitual Value: “Monday Mindset” or “Weekend Wrap-Up” formats bring predictability to your episodes — and make you part of someone’s weekly routine.
  • Go Where They Are: New tools like PodViz turn your episodes into visuals with chapters and motion, optimized for YouTube and other platforms — because you serve your audience where they listen, not just where you upload.

The podcasting world is moving fast. If you’re not focusing every episode around who you’re serving, you’ll either lose them — or never reach them in the first place.

Audience Over Ego Builds Podcast Impact

Remember Law #4: Podcast Impact > Downloads. If your audience doesn’t feel seen, heard, and valued with every episode, they won’t stay. They won’t subscribe. They won’t buy. They’ll move on to one of the thousands of other options out there.

You can talk into a microphone. Or you can change someone’s day. Only one is podcasting with purpose.

Start With Them, Not You

Before your next episode, pause. Ask yourself:

  • What is the single most valuable thing I can give my audience today?
  • Have I invited them into the journey?
  • Am I designing episodes for them — or just for me?

If you’re not sure, simplify until the answer is obvious. Then hit record.

Want to build a podcast that grows your brand and serves your audience in ways that matter? Visit podcastpartnership.com and let’s help you get there faster.

What’s your take? Are you podcasting for your audience — or podcasting for yourself?