I know you hear me, but are you really listening to me?

One of the things I like to do with my podcasts is make reference to having “three listeners”. It’s kind of fun to say, even though I know that there are of course more than 3 people who download each episode just by looking at the stats.

I got this idea from a conservative radio host I listened to years and years ago. Now this individual had millions of listeners as a nationally-syndicated talk show host, so to hear him say he has 3 listeners was ludicrous. But that is what made him relatable to average Joes who listened in, and really made him likable.

Fast forward a few years, and now I’m producing and publishing audio content of my own.  And I began to realize there was a much deeper meaning to what that radio host was saying than just being funny and likable.

Literally millions of people tuned in to this person’s show back in the day, but how many people actually listened to what he was saying?

It’s possible people only tuned in because they like conservative talk radio, so they’ll listen to whatever is on the conservative talk radio station. But how many of those millions wanted to listen to this person? How many were invested in him as an individual, to know what he stands for personally, what hill he’s willing to die on.

I’ll bet genuine fiat money that number was far less than in the millions. Maybe the tens of thousands? Nothing to sneeze at there, but not as impressive as saying you have an audience of millions.

Now let me bring this more to our level. 

What I’ve just described is what makes podcasting so attractive, and I daresay is why any creative type should be more optimistic than pessimistic looking forward. The technology exists to connect with people on an individual level that wasn’t around when this person was in his prime (btw I just checked and this particular individual has embraced podcasting full throttle as his primary broadcast medium.)

I hear podcasters all the time wringing their hands that they have only 50 downloads per episode. I think they’re missing the bigger picture.

People think that unless they have a million downloads per month, they’re not successful. After all, superstar Influencer X has those numbers, so if I’m only getting 50 per episode, I’m doing something wrong. 

So the thinking goes.

Well, what if of those 50 people who download a show, 40 of them are invested in you and your message? They actually listen to what you and/or your guests say and it makes a positive impact on their lives.

That kind of changes things. After all, we’re wired to hang out in small groups. It could very well be that 50 downloads per episode is ideal if you want real intimacy with your audience. 

It’s all relative, and not having massive numbers is certainly not a valid reason to give it up in my humble opinion. It could very well be the sweet spot for that particular thing you’re doing.

You might not want it to be the only thing you do, but you know what I’m saying.

The thing is if people aren’t actually listening to you, you’re just talking into the wind. But if you know for a fact that even three people are listening to you, I think that’s a sign of a job well done.