Episode 40: #1 Exercise to help you speak more directly to your ideal listener: How to discover who your ideal listener REALLY is

Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Healthy Profits Podcast. I'm your host, Ray Ireland, and today we just had a Mastermind call with our incredible clients, Inside Evolve Podcasting. And it was our kickoff call for our three month launch, your monetizing podcast, Mastermind. And we just had such a moving call that I had to immediately come on here and record an episode for you guys, our listeners, because I was thinking of you, I was feeling you, and I was like, I just go, I got to talk to our people, our Healthy Profits podcast people. So if you're here, know that this is such a heartfelt message, because I want to share an exercise that we use within the Mastermind today that just opened all of these podcast host parts and simultaneously gave them the opportunity to get so clear on who exactly they are talking to on their podcast. So if you are talking to a general audience, if your ideal listener is kind of him or her or this person or that person, and it's not super clear, you're definitely missing out on not only the monetization that comes when you have a crystal clear ideal listener on the other side, but you're also missing out on the joy, the excitement, and the heartfelt connection that you get to have with that person on the other side. One of my favorite business coaches told me this from the start about really niching down, and there's so many people that talk about it, and I felt like I always had resistance. And so this exercise that I'm going to share with you guys today is something that can jumpstart you and get you out of any resistance around niching. And it just becomes clear, this is what I got to do. So stay tuned, listen in, listen to the full episode, and I can guarantee that you're going to have an incredible exercise to do and an experience on the other side that can last you possibly years, if not your whole lifetime. Boom. Wow, what a sentence that was. But it's true. It really is true. If you have the right momentum to work on a project, such as a legacy project, such as a podcast, this is something that can last beyond your lifetime. And so how important is that? It. It means a lot. It's a big deal. Your podcast can be something that your friends and family listen to when you're gone. And I don't just mean gone like dead, but also gone. And you're not there to give them the support that they need. That's the type of ideal listener we want you to have, is someone that is thinking, I need to get an answer to this. Right now. So I'm going to break down the exercise for you guys, and this is going to be a short and sweet little episode because I want you guys to just implement it right away, if possible. Take 10 minutes after this episode, after you listen to it, put on your favorite music and. And take the time to do this and see what changes and what happens in your podcasting experience. So it's called the pen pal exercise. So first, what I want you to do is connect with your ideal listener. Now, again, maybe you have a more general or broad audience. That might be the case. That's okay. Whoever you're thinking of, see if you can narrow it down to one person, one ideal listener. And I want you to think, of course, their demographics, who are they? The normal stuff, age, blah, blah, blah, all those things. You guys know. What I want you to go deeper into is actually the psychographics. What is that person thinking about on a day to day? What are they struggling with on a day to day? Or maybe even what part of their life are they in where they could use some support? And what is the support that they're truly looking for that aligns and matches with the support that you can offer? I want you to get so deep into the experience of this one person.

And I want you to start thinking of one day that they're living in as you do, that you're just connecting more and more. Now, again, your audience might be a little broad. I. I'm hoping that this will help you dial it in a little bit more. Now, as you think of that ideal person, I want you to. Part one of the exercise is to write down, and I enjoy doing this on paper. I'm a little old school, but I think there's something to the handwritten element of this. But of course, you can do it on your computer as well. But I like to have a paper because then I can do something with it after too. So you're going to write dear so and so. Now if you can, ideally you narrow down that ideal listener, who you want to be directly speaking to with your podcast episodes, and think, do you know anyone that is that person? And it might be someone that you know personally, it might be someone that you know of. Can you put a name to that ideal client? So it's not ideal client, but it's Joe Shamrock or whatever that is. Such a random name, but maybe Josie Smith. So you're going to write at the top of your paper, dear that name, and you're going to take the first.

Say, minute or two Put on some music you love and write a letter to your ideal person. Now, this letter to them is going to be something along the lines where you're sharing what, what your podcast is for, what it's about, why you feel connected to that listener. Let it be heartfelt, let it be connecting, like you are sending a letter, sending a pen pal to a friend that you've been pen pals with for a long time. See if you can get that kind of rapport and trust built into this letter. That's part one. Part two, then is going to be switching the script. Now you're going to write dear your name. So for me, it would be Dear Ray. And then you write a letter from your person, your ideal listener, from their name, that one person with a name. You write a letter to yourself. And this is going to be a fan letter, right? This is someone that went through some day. There was some day, some point where they got to the point where they said, okay, I need to pick up my phone, I need to look up this person, I need to look up this theme, I need to look up this answer. I have this question and I just can't take not knowing it anymore. So I'm willing to take 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes on this podcast. I'm going to look for a podcast specifically to serve me in this day. So I want you guys to really think, really get connected to what this ideal listener is going through. What did they experience the day before, or maybe right before they made that decision to get onto your podcast? And this letter is coming from them to you in a way where they either have listened to one episode or they binged a bunch of episodes of yours. Whoever your ideal client or ideal listener is, and it. It also might be your ideal client, right? I want you to really tune into their emotional experience. And on the other side now, they've listened to that one episode or they've listened to your full podcast and now they've made a change in their life. You have transformed their life in some way. You've impacted it so deeply that they're now moved even more to not only just listen to the next episode, but also to take a piece of paper and write you a hand felt note. So get into that feeling. I know when I think about it, when I think about you on the other end, my heart starts to tremble because I just feel the connection. I feel what you need. I feel like maybe the areas that you might be stuck in still. I just feel so connected. I want you to take that time. So what? That's 30 seconds or a minute. Again, put on that music. Get connected. Get in that energy. Don't start writing until you feel that. Until you feel moved. Imagine yourself as the ideal listener. Until you yourself feel moved to write that handwritten note. Okay? Write out those notes. This is such an incredible exercise. You'll see, usually when I do this, I have tears streaming down my face. Let yourself go there. Let yourself feel that this is the type of momentum that is necessary to propel you through the tough times in podcasting. Right? If this is a long legacy goal, this is something that you want to be built for a marathon. This is not a sprint. And the other part of it is, I truly believe that when you do this exercise, it opens you up to the possibility that there is one specific person that you're talking to. Then you can see, like what other episodes, what other themes is that person needing from me? So this is just an incredible episode on Healthy Profits Podcast to share this exercise that is just so moving. And also open a jar of worms for you in terms of content, audience and just momentum. If you feel way more connected to that ideal listener on the other side, I guarantee you'll be way more motivated to share the episodes when they come out. So take action on this episode. That's what I'm. That's what I'm encouraging you guys to do. I'm inspired to hear from you guys. Let me know how this feels for you if this lands. And of course, if you, if this is inspiring you and you still haven't yet started your podcast and you're like, I don't know where to go, Book a podcast audit. Call with us. Or if you have a podcast and you're like, I want to take this to the next level. I really want it to mean something and mean something to me, my family and my listeners. Meaning it's a monetizing, like, revenue generating, impact creating podcast. If you want to take your podcast to the next episode, book a podcast audit. Call with us. The link is in the show notes and I cannot wait to connect with you now.

That was a great episode. Thanks for joining us and tuning in to the Healthy Profits podcast.

Sami and I are here to help you turn your health podcast into a treasure trove of opportunity for your listeners and your business. So join us twice a week as we unleash our favorite tips and strategies that have helped our clients at evolve podcasting turn their show into a thriving part of their business.

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