As a podcaster, you know very well that if your audience does not like your words then your show is like just words spoken out in the open abyss. So it’s an open secret that because of your audience or listeners, still your podcast exists. Today you’ll learn what is a community podcast and how to make a community podcast using simple ways and strategies.
What is a Community Podcast?
A community podcast is a series of conversations in and around the future of community. A community podcast is the place where same category or community people can meet and interact with each other.
When we talk about audience engagement, your primary goal would be to make your listeners feel well-connected to the show and each other.
A community (Podcast) is a great place where people can find fellowship and share their feelings with each other.
Remember, you need to ensure that you’re caring for your listeners. In order to fulfill this, you need to create a strong podcast community which helps to keep your audience / listeners engaged to make a huge impact in your industry.
Why To Build a Podcast Community?
It’s true that there is too much noise on the internet, so building a podcast community or you can say build a community around your podcast content is one of the easy ways to cut through the noise. Moreover, you can easily grow a loyal listener base as well.
Along with the loyalty, it increases retention. However, your podcast audiences will feel like that is a great and valuable part of the shows which they love the most. If they do so, they will surely come back to your show again and again and will not turn to any other new show.
Building community is the key to build unity.
Good Podcast Topics for Host and Community Members.
Choosing a perfect podcast topic is one of the most important tasks you will make when you start a show for your audience. As a podcaster, you need to figure out the good podcast ideas and ensure that it lands in the corresponding places.
However, we’ll even help the community members to contribute the best topics to the podcast using several ways.
Most Popular Podcast Topics for A Host or Community Members
We know that there are few common topic threads like true crime, investigative journalism and talk shows. These topics are already popular with the audiences.
As a community member, you need to do some different approaches to get some interesting podcast topics.
What is the key to making a podcast topic good is, your podcast story should touch people emotionally. So the listeners will feel hope, happiness, sadness and suspense as the story unfolds.
You can start your research by listening to your favorite shows. This way you can easily figure out how the ‘host’ unravels the story and then get the emotions from the audience.
Doesn’t matter which idea you’re going to choose, it’s this enthusiasm and passion which make a perfect podcast.
Several Ways to Contribute Podcast Community
You can get podcast ideas from many sources. Here is the list of podcast topic ideas.
1. Start with your favorite topic
2. Trial and Errors you experienced
3. Local News
4. Hypothetically Speaking
5. As seen on TV
6. Advice
7. Narrating something interestingly.
8. Quote of the day
9. Look Back Event Topic
10. Regular Interview
11. Teach Skills to others
12. Live Events
13. Tell a Story
14. Reviews
15. A Day in the Life of…
How do you make a community podcast
There are many strategies to build a community around your podcast.
1. Encourage Listener Engagement
One of the best ways to start your podcast community is, you need to get your listeners engaged in your show without fail. To accomplish this, you may ask your listeners for a review on iTunes or you can ask them to leave their valuable comments on the blog.
One of the strategies to get the listeners engaged is, just giving them shootouts on the shows. Also you can encourage them to become an active audience. Remember, along with your active and engaged audience, you should be an active participant in your podcast community.
You should be more active and give priority to respond in the comments section. Treat all listeners and questions very important to you and reply to them individually. Do not skip any comment or query, try to review and reply appropriately.
However, this may become very hard in the future as your community grows. But it is one of the best strategies to build and grow your podcast community in the right way.
2. Ask Your Listener What They Want
As your listener is the key for your show, so you must consider them in all situations. Ensure that you’re providing valuable content and advice to them in each and every episode you publish. To make sure this, you may ask them what they want to listen more about. You need to make it for them and not for you.
Another best way to make audience focused content is, you may ask the audience to send in their special questions to the show.
Now create a special episode for the specific questions they asked. This will surely create an instant relationship with your audience and help listeners to get the answer which they are really looking for.
3. Offer a Platform to Connect ( Facebook or Forum)
One of the easy ways to build a strong community podcast is, by offering your audience with a platform with an opportunity to find their fellow mates, voice and share their feelings and thoughts with others.
Creating a Facebook group or forum dedicated to your community helps and gives your listeners a free space to build strong relationships with you and others.
A community platform or discussion forum allows your listeners to easily find and communicate with others and find the persons like them who have similar thoughts, goals and values. Discussion forum or community forum makes your audience to come together and they will feel that they are not alone on their journey.
4. Create Shareworthy Content
Remember, building a strong community lies on the most valuable and shareable content. If your content is really interesting, valuable, fresh, consistent and informative then your audience will really love and excite the content that you are sharing.
In return, they will share your content to others. If your content changes lives then they will surely share your content to many people who need the changes and support in their lives.
If your content gets shared then you will get a change to make many new listeners in the community and it makes your community a fun place.
5. Organize a Live Event
We know that an online platform breaks the barriers of making a conventional community. However, creating life and one and one connection makes a whole new world of relations.
You may have less or more people show up, making the people together for a single and valuable purpose will help you to create authentic relationships.
As your community grows then you can look for organizing live events. You can invite special guests or celebrities to speak at your events with fresh valuable content to grow your community. This will give your listeners to get together not only with you and it will allow them to build strong relationships with each other in the group and find fellows to support in their own lives.
6. Uplift Your Community
Generally community means supporting others; it’s eligible for the podcast community as well. You should show your audience your appreciation about their participation ship and listenership by sharing their work in the community.
You have to be very open-up and show your listeners that you’re there behind the podcast and who cares and helps them to reach their goals and values. Always keep in touch with your audience and consistent basis.
Don’t fail to respond to your listeners’ questions, you need to actively participate in all community discussions and show your appreciation to your members.
Conclusion
In order to build a strong community podcast, you need to create a good place for your audience where they can really connect with you and each other. People start a blog to meet the people and create a platform to get-together in a space. However, podcasting is one of the best strategies to organize the people who have the same thoughts and feelings.
This space really helps you and your followers to get together and make a deeper relationship with each other.
It will surely take time, math weeks or months to build a successful podcast community. It’s based on how you consistently engage with your audience with fresh and informative content.
