Why Podcasts Lose Listeners (How to Stop Breaking the 'Quiet Agreement')

I want to talk about something that you are doing.

Every single time you publish an episode, you do it, I do it.

Even the biggest podcasts in the world are doing it.

I'm talking about the quiet agreement we all make with our podcast listener.

Podcasting inside.

Every time someone presses play on a podcast, something small but important happens.

They're not just killing time.

They're not just popping something on in the background.

They're making a choice.

They're choosing you over everything else they could be offering their attention to in that moment.

You know, music, silence, someone else's show.

Welcome to the Clarks cast.

Maybe even their own thoughts.

And.

And I think that creates a quiet agreement that most podcasters never really stop and think about.

They're giving you their attention.

I mean, you're doing it with me right now, and I'm so grateful for it.

I truly am.

And that's why I do everything in my power to not waste it.

And I'd love to encourage you to take the same approach.

See, attention is expensive nowadays.

Not just because people are busy.

I mean, they've always been busy.

No, it's because attention is fragmented and tired.

People tend to listen while they're walking, cooking, driving, decompressing in the gym.

That's where most of my podcast listening is done, to be honest, and often at the end of a long day.

So when someone presses play, they're not saying, entertain me.

They're actually saying, I trust you enough to let you into this little bit of my life.

And that's not nothing, as the kids might say.

And I think podcasting culture massively underestimates that most of the time.

This unspoken agreement isn't broken through incompetence.

It's broken through carelessness.

I mean, you hear it when someone rambles through a long intro because they haven't decided what the episode is actually about yet.

Or when they pad an episode to hit a time target rather than stopping once the thought is considered finished.

Or when they record just because they think, you know what?

I should probably put something out, rather than because they have something important and impactful to say.

You can feel it as a listener.

There's this moment where you think, you didn't earn this minute with me right now.

And that's not about audio quality or confidence or even experience.

It's about intention.

There are things I just won't do on a podcast because they feel disrespectful to you, the listener.

So long, self indulgent biogs of myself or any of my guests when I have a show with guests.

Too many irrelevant ads that exist to inflate my bank balance rather than your quality of life or general productivity as my ideal audience member or filling space just because the silence feels awkward within the RSS feed.

If I don't know why an episode should exist, I won't bother recording it.

And that even applies when I've got a creative block and I've not put something out for weeks.

That doesn't mean every episode needs to be profound, it just needs to be considered.

I'd rather publish nothing than publish something that feels like it's there just to tick a box.

You know what?

This becomes really obvious for me every time I listen to shows that are, well, fine.

You know, not bad, not offensive, not embarrassing, just fine.

Competent conversations, semi decent production, sensible points being made.

Those are the kind of shows I find myself being unable to remember anything about them once they've ended.

There's no feeling of having spent my time well.

There's no sense of connection, and there's definitely no reason to come back.

I've actually realized, and it's taken me a while to come to this conclusion, the biggest problem with smaller podcasts isn't a lack of quality, although that can sometimes be bad.

It's actually a lack of presence.

We're talking content versus Presence.

Content is information.

Presence is when someone feels like you're actually there with them in their struggle.

And presence shows up in knowing when to stop talking and let the thought cook for them, or not trying too hard to sound clever, or being willing to leave something unresolved.

There's a lot of value in that, because I think I've said this before on this podcast, but it's worth reiterating again.

People don't come back to your show for the topics.

They come back for you and your approach to those topics.

And presence is a thing most shows quietly avoid because it requires a little bit of vulnerability and restraint.

It also demands character.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think having a podcast makes you in some way super important.

As much as some would like to think having a podcast doesn't make you a celebrity.

I'm super famous and you should worship me.

Not even if it's a really successful podcast.

But I do think having a successful podcast gives you a small responsibility.

If someone listens to you on a bad day, or while they're tired, or when they're trying to make sense of something, the least you can do for them is be deliberate.

You don't owe them brilliance.

You don't owe them consistency at all costs.

You owe them consideration, care, and intention.

Here's a simple test I come back to time and time again in my own podcasts and try it for yourself.

If someone listened to your latest episode, what would they feel about the relationship that they have with you?

What's their view of you?

Do they know from listening what you stand for?

What motivates you?

What you offer to help motivate them?

We're not talking about relationships with listeners in a weird way here.

We're talking about it in a wholesome and truthful way.

Would they want to introduce themselves to you as a listener if you bumped into them in the real world?

Because that's what you call vulnerability, and that's key.

If you don't know the answer to those questions, then maybe you need to think more about the kind of content you're publishing.

It'll also tell you where to focus next, because when you figure this out, it could put things in perspective for you.

It may turn out you don't need a bigger audience yet, as much as you'd like one, you just need to become more worthy of the audience you already have.

Attention isn't neutral, and once someone gives it to you, that quiet agreement has already been made.

If you want help making your show feel more intentional, not louder, not cleverer, you know where to find me.

Email neilodnows.co.uk.

that's n e a l at p o-kn o w-s.co.uk.

the links are there in the episode description if you want them.

And if you found this episode really useful, please do share it with another podcaster who might also find it useful.

Oh, and also give the show a follow in your podcast app if you haven't yet done so.

Until the next episode, the best of luck with your continuing journey towards Pod mastery.

Podcasting Insight Podcasting Insights.