If you’re considering launching your own podcast, then finding your podcast niche is one of the very first KEY steps to take. By figuring out what it is you want to say, and who you want to say it to, then you define your show and you’re much more likely to capture the right audience.
Finding a niche is the best way to stand out from the crowd and get your podcast out there to as many interested listeners as possible.
Why do you need a podcast niche?
With over 2.4 million podcasts on the market, you need to target your podcast with purpose, to a specific audience. The days of being able to get a large audience by simply sitting in front of a microphone and recording some banter are long gone! We’re not all Joe Rogan, so going for a podcast with a topic or format that’s wide ranging and general usually ends up being a mistake for many first-time podcasters. In comparison, by encompassing a specific niche, you’re putting yourself in the position of appealing to a specific audience and fulfilling their needs. Determining what your podcast will be about, and who it’s there for, is crucial to its success.
Here are three tips on how to do just that:
1. What story do you want to tell?
What fresh perspective can you bring to podcast listeners?
Let’s give you an example.
One of the most recent podcasts produced by Purposeful Podcasts is called Lobster Brain. It’s hosted by our co-founder Lisa Morton and Danny Donachie, a Transformational Coach and the Founder of Embodyism. Lobster Brain delves into the mindset of successful people, covering performance, leadership and vulnerability, as well as how to deal with hard knocks to achieve success again. There are plenty of podcasts out there covering similar subjects, but Lobster Brain has taken inspiration from the work of a renowned neuroscientist called Eve Marder, to come up with a unique storytelling format.
Eve Marder studied lobsters’ brains. She discovered that when lobsters fight, the brain of both the winner and the loser rewires itself, in order to cope with its new change in status. It’s called neuroplasticity. Humans experience neuroplasticity too. The niche when it comes to Lobster Brain the podcast, is to use that knowledge as an analogy to speak to successful people about their own mindset and their experiences of success and failure.
Lobster Brain is a great example of how to come up with a unique podcasting niche when it comes to how you want to tell a particular story to your audience. It’s created a completely new take on a story that’s been told before. That makes it much more likely to “cut through”.
2. Who is your audience?
Making sure that you’re targeting a specific audience – one that will genuinely be interested in what you have to say – is a crucial step towards finding your niche. An audience with a particular interest in your story are far more likely to enjoy your podcast! For example, we also produce a podcast called We Built This City, which interviews Greater Mancunians about their business mindsets, legacy and values that have helped ‘build our city’. Of course, this podcast attracts the specific audience of Greater Mancunians, as it appeals directly to their interests.
3. What will your podcast format be?
Finally, we suggest finding a niche when it comes to your format. Your target audience can help you come up with that. Think about what your audience wants and needs and tailor your format to them.
Another example to illustrate this is another Purposeful Podcast, My First Five Years. My First Five Years is a parenting podcast. It does what it says on the tin in that it’s specifically geared towards parents of babies and small children up to 5. Their content is formatted to short, bite-sized chunks of information that are easy to digest on the go, because let’s face it, parents of babies and small children are busy, right? So the format of My First Five Years makes it easy for those parents to go away with some easy to understand information, and quickly.
Finding your podcast niche may take some consideration, but it truly is a fantastic way to make sure your podcast really captures the right audience and stands out from the crowd. At Purposeful Podcasts, we can certainly help you find this niche, and hold your hand every step of the way!