Why I have only 3 listeners

Something I like to do when I’m doing a podcast interview is to tell the person on the other end something along the lines of, “Don’t worry if you mess up, there’s only 3 people listening.”

It’s meant to put people at ease, to just relax and be themselves and not be thinking about all those people “out there” who are going to scrutinize every jot and tittle that proceeds out of their mouth.

But there’s a deeper psychology behind saying that I have “only 3 listeners.” And it comes down to being able to laser focus on a specific niche, demographic, some might call it an “avatar”.

You kind of imagine one perfect listener who’s on the edge of their seat, clinging to every word coming into their earballs, as though the quality of their life will be forever changed for the worse if they don’t internalize every element of the show.

Is that based in reality? Of course not. Most people who tune in to a show are doing so rather casually, listening while they’re out for a walk, or folding the laundry, or any number of things where their attention is not 100% focused on what is coming into their ears.

But when I the host and producer of the show am speaking to that one person (or in my case 3 people) there’s a much better chance that it will make an impact in someone’s life.

In my Trumpet Dynamics podcast for example, I have 3 distinctly different “listeners” I have in mind:

1. The non-professional player who plays purely for the love of it
2. The professional-level player who is of an entrepreneurial mindset and wants to find a niche of their own they can master and make an honest living with their musical skills
3. Players and non-players alike who are inspired by those who put in the work to achieve something truly special with their craft

And that’s it.

I don’t speak to people who are pedagogy-junkies. I don’t give a hoot about who just won which seat in what orchestra. And I’m not all that concerned with technique or finding hacks to play just a little bit higher, faster or louder.

Those are all great topics, and I’m sure if someone were to start a podcast around them, and actually put in the work required to become good at it, there’s no doubt it would be successful.

But if I were to try to focus on all of that, I would end up spinning my wheels in frustration, wondering why no one wants to listen to my show.

It’s simple: You try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.

Better to focus on those 3 listeners. Give them what they want, and then let the actual human listeners (ha ha) tune in and get what they’re expecting.

At any rate, this is one of the many things I teach people who choose my Podcast Artistry™ program. When they ask for my advice of course, unsolicited advice is the worst kind of advice no matter how sound.

If you want to check out what we’re about, then click this here link: https://flowjn.com/pa