How to Tell a Story That Hooks Your Podcast Listener Without Drop Off
Lynda Dell, “CopyMagic”
Digital Content Marketing Strategist| B2B Copywriter & Ghostwriter| Turn complex and boring into clear, compelling content assets that connect, care, and covert decision-makers and educators |K-12 education, EdTech
Storytelling is more than sharing experiences with your listeners.?
It fires up your brain and triggers an emotional response says Sendpulse.com. This pulls your readers into the story, so they “experience it as their own.” Your tribe remembers your brand because of your stories.
That’s why they say?81 percent of B2B business owners believe telling stories is key to their marketing. The stories help them create meaningful ties with their audience.?
Podcasts are the perfect medium to harness the power of your story. Creators pour their heart and soul into each episode.?
But most beginners do it wrong, so listeners drop off.
And podcasters give up before their show can take flight.
Often podcasts hatch from your own personal growth. Your audience, a reflection of who you were or are. And your desire, like Andy Grant, to pave the way for others.
“Men don’t talk about their fear of failure and fear of success. Our society has taught men to stuff our feelings.”
It has taken many years of battling depression, anxiety, and multiple suicide attemts to allow himself to feel the intensity of his emotions. He kept everything bottled up, so the anger was turned inward--until it exploded in his face.?
It has always been easier to play a role on stage, “than to act like myself and express my true feelings.”
Andy Grant has been helping people for over a decade as a best-selling author, award-winning speaker, Transformational Energy Coach, Healer, suicide prevention activist, and host of the Real Men Feel podcast. He holds certificates in Positive Psychology, the Enwaken Coaching System, Akashic Records, Life Activation, and other leadership programs and energy work modalities.
His journey that began 11 years ago helped him to tap into his emotions, open up, and be a conduit to serve others. He became an author, coach, and energy healer.
“I've been working as an energy coach since 2010. The vast majority of my clients have always been women. Five years ago, I kept getting nudges in meditation and inspired thoughts to do something to reach out to men.”
He was talking about this calling at a networking event. A woman overheard him and asked if I would present on masculinity.
This led to his podcast. Real Men Feel is for men AND the women who love them.
His podcast struck an emotional chord for an underserved community: men driven by fear of failure, success, and not pleasing others. Something men don’t want to think about, let alone admit. But when they don’t it keeps them stuck.?
How did he go from being a new podcaster to episodes with 54,000 views?
“My initial goal was three episodes before I quit. I just recorded episode 245 this week.”?
Today in my third article in my roundup series, I show how?podcast rock stars use storytelling to build deep, meaningful relationships, establish expert status, and grow a thriving community to extend the impact and reach of your podcast.
?Early on Grant discovered how personal growth podcasts take off.?
Finding an audience was a slow process. “There isn't a massive audience of men searching for how to feel more. But once I started hearing from listeners, guys who thought they were the only ones feeling a certain way, I knew I was hooked.”
Here are 3 Keys to Use Telling?Stories to Grow a Thriving Community
Showing vulnerability is like standing on a stage naked. Although painful to do, you show that you are human, too. When you can shine the spotlight on your own insecurities, your listeners come along.
They think: Wow, if you figured it out then I can do it, too.?
That’s the turning point, that’s the linchpin. That’s how they become loyal listeners and devoted fans eager to share your podcast.
Grant shares his story to serve his audience and let them know they are not alone.?
Because each episode he takes listeners full circle from the depths of pain or shame to recovery.?
They come along because they become aware of their problem.?
They come along because he gets them.?
They come along because you can help them work through the process.
2. Be super curious about your topic before the interview.?
For example, in his podcast “Abuse by Women on Men,” he asked his guest when she first realized she was abusing her husband. Walk us through. She dropped us into?the Washington Post story, when neighbors called the police.?
The officers mistakenly thought that she was being abused by him. As they prepared to take him away, she looked over and saw the pain in his eyes and realized that she caused it. That was her wake up call. Listening to her use vivid details to tell the story felt like I?was reliving the experience with her.
3. Your story adds value and depth to the discussion.
He broadened the topic to let abused men know they are not alone. He told the story of one of his most destructive relationships.
“The woman was 25 years older than me. She was my manager. I moved in. It was a secret, no one could know. It turned really bad. I called the police before something turned physical. Police showed up and escorted me out. I hear this from guys all the time. They say,’ the whole system is rigged against me.’”
He gets responses like, “Great question! I like how you weave that together.”
Grant's best advice for honing your talent:
“In my first three years, I took unplanned breaks of up to three months. That ceased all progress for a weekly show. It was when I got messages from strangers asking if I was okay because there hadn't seen a new episode for a while that I realized I'd unwittingly made a community.”
?“I lost count long ago about how many other podcasts I've been a guest on. The more you speak, share, and open up as a guest, the better you are as a host, and the more people can learn about your show too.”
“There are so many scams and "promoters" promising thousands of subscribers, downloads, reviews. Please don't fall for it. Fake accounts might boost your ego momentarily but add no real value.”
Priyanka Komala is a women business leader, technologist, STEM Advocate and Keynote speaker based out of Washington DC.
Visionary podcaster Priyanka Komala began Curryup Leadership to fill a void.
What she began just 20 months ago has ignited a flame. By sharing purpose-driven Asian leader’s stories and messages, she carries the torch and provides role models for the next generation of Asians.
As an Asian, I felt underrepresented by the media. There was a vacuum that I needed to fill.?
Komala’s love affair with storytelling began at the age of five with an impromptu speech about airplanes. She knew even then how to grab and hold her audience’s attention.
She says, “It’s in my genes. My father and his dad are lawyers, and?my mom’s dad is a movie playwright.”
It comes naturally. But she honed it to become a distinguished toastmaster when she left India and moved to America.?
Video podcasting is the perfect medium to tap into her passion for telling stories and endless curiosity.?
Each episode of Curryup Leadership she says peels back the layers of the onion to amplify the Asian’s voice and share their work. It takes you on their journey to become purpose-driven leaders making an impact.
Here are three secrets to enhance your guest’s storytelling:
1. Grab and hold your listener’s attention.?
She believes “we all have stories to tell but don’t believe in the power of them. About 90 percent of my guests have never been on a podcast, let alone a live video podcast.”
2. Amplify your guest’s voice and work with their story.
In Episode 109, this is how she introduces Shivalee Dudushar:
“What’s the cool topic of today’s episode??I have a special guest waiting for you."
Shivalee has an amazing background. She has an amazing story. Shivalee dreamed of flying an airplane. But her dreams took flight as a biotechnologist. After embracing her failures, she is helping others pursue their PhD’s.”?
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3. Point out your guest’s noteworthy ideas.
Komala pointed out, “That’s a great example. Because you’re sharing that PhD’s are approachable. So your identity goes beyond your degree."
"...?I think this is a wonderful piece of wisdom that I would encourage you to write down.”
Priyanka Komala https://www.priyankakomala.com/?
?Valerie Ashford Brown partners with ambitious women who are unfulfilled in their career to confidently shift into purposeful work that feeds their soul and aligns with their goals.
Valerie Ashford Brown's podcast serves the midlife woman. She put family, friends, and the community first--neglecting herself.
“Time flies by. And this ambitious woman wakes up and wonders: What do I wanna be when I grow up?
She sounds the alarm because she was that woman. “I raised my family and wondered what other things I was called to do.”
Her podcast inspires women: “Never give up on your life, love, and dreams. It’s never too late, and you’re never too old to be all?you want to be.”
Here are Brown’s five steps to master the art of interviewing to draw out the guest’s story.
1. Put your guest at ease
2. Help your guest feel heard, seen, and understood.
When she interviewed Joy Ogeh Hutfield, she wanted to know how she got started as a transformation coach??
Joy painted a picture of life before. She expressed how she was feeling stuck and stressed despite her success. This led up to the pivotal event.?
“... I was making all of this money. I was travelling around the world. But there was something missing. Then out of the blue, I was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer. That just turned my world upside down. I was taken to surgery 48 hours later. I was afraid, thinking I’m going to die..”
She listened and allowed Joy to take listeners full circle. She knows the?stories that resonate most with her audience. Her listeners may have had similar situations that led to a pivotal, decisive moment in their lives.
It’s really powerful to hear?the whole story. People remember and share your story or your guest’s. The big mistake people make is they tell about the story.?
3. Listen with a heavy dose of empathy, support, and passion.
She began with genuine compliments: “I’m loving your story and your work!
She patiently listened as Joy poured out her heart to her audience. She?said: “I love that Joy. What a story!”
4. Listen to add value and depth to your guest’s story
She never puts words in the guest’s mouth or assumes she knows how the person will answer. Her superpower is paying close attention and sharing the bigger picture.?
“Tell me did the transformation start with making a decision?”
5. Ask questions and explore the topic with passionate curiosity before and during the interview.
You’ll know you’re on target when your guests says: You ask the most amazing questions!
Valerie Ashford Brown?Valerie Ashford Brown - Leadership and Lifestyle Development Coach | Speaker | Trainer
Wrap up
Podcast rock stars know how important it is to weave storytelling into their personal development show.?
Storytelling is more than sharing experiences. When?telling a story takes your listener full circle, you fire up an area of their brain that touches them emotionally. It pulls them into your story or your guest’s, so they experience it as their own.?
Savvy podcasters use strategic storytelling to build and deepen relationships, become an expert, and plant the seeds to grow a thriving community. They shared secrets to enhance your storytelling and your guest’s and how to master the art of interviewing.
Do you want to know a simple way to become an expert fast and stand out in your market? I could put together an roundup article series like this. If you want a professional copywriter to take this off your plate, then I’d be happy to help. Let’s connect with Lynda R Dell?on LinkedIn.or email me at [email protected] .
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Lynda Dell writes crisp content to build your authority, attract dream clients, and grow your leadership coaching business. Check out her Resilient Families Thrive blog.?
Here's the link to my first article in my podcast smarter series: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/turn-listeners-raving-fans-fast-drive-growth-lynda-dell/
Here's my second article in my podcast smarter series:
Want to learn from the best? Here's where you can find and listen to my rock star podcasters:
Andy Grant
The King of Authenticity
Real Men Feel on Apple Podcasts
Real Men Feel on YouTube
Priyanka Komala
Host,?Curry Up Startup Podcast
#CurryUpStartup?|?@PriyankaKomala?|?LinkedIn?|??Website?|?YouTube?|?Instagram
?Valerie Brown
Digital Content Marketing Strategist| B2B Copywriter & Ghostwriter| Turn complex and boring into clear, compelling content assets that connect, care, and covert decision-makers and educators |K-12 education, EdTech
3 年Check out these tips from my Podcast Smarter series from Rock Stars ★ Andy Grant ★, @Priyanka Komala, Valerie Brown! Read on to harness the power of your story in podcasts: Click here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/what-podcast-rock-stars-know-storytelling-beginners-dont-lynda-dell/ #podcasting #podcast #leadershipdevelopment ?#entrepreneur #marketingstrategy #copywritingtips #womenbusinessleaders #womenexecutives #personaldevelopment
Process Improvement Manager
3 年Great insight into why stories work so well.
Process Improvement Manager
3 年Gr
Digital Content Marketing Strategist| B2B Copywriter & Ghostwriter| Turn complex and boring into clear, compelling content assets that connect, care, and covert decision-makers and educators |K-12 education, EdTech
3 年Clockwork, I'm glad you found the third article in my podcast smarter series useful! I thought you might also like my first and my second. Click here for my first: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/what-super-successful-podcast-creators-know-beginners-lynda-dell/? My second: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/turn-listeners-raving-fans-fast-drive-growth-lynda-dell/