Chapter 12. You re Nothing Without Your Audience

Chapter 12. You're Nothing Without Your Audience

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Using Forums to Interact with Listeners

• Soliciting Listener Feedback

• Incorporating Your Audience

• Your Show Notes Are Your Podcast's Map

"One of the things I really enjoy about podcasting as a listener is that sense of community.... And most of the better podcasts give you that sense of community.... You get a sense that you know the podcaster, you know a little bit about their lives. You [Rob] have shared some personal things on your show from time to time. And most of the podcasters seem to do that, and I think that is really attractive to a listener."

Jeff, a podcast listener

Although it is important to make sure you create a show that you would want to listen to, it cannot be all about you. Obviously you (and every other podcaster) are very interested in having others listen to what you create. If you truly did not care about anyone else listening to your show then 1) you would not have an RSS feed to distribute your show, 2) you would not have a website where listeners can download the show, and 3) you would not be reading this book.

A key reason we have heard from listeners about why they enjoy podcasting so much is the interactive nature of podcasting. Many podcasters go out of their way to communicate with their listeners, to include the listeners in the show and to build a community around their show. Some podcasts are actually mostly about using listener contributions on the show, such as the Working Podcast and 5 Questions.