Excerpt from: Podcasting at Work: 25 Questions to Ask Before Starting

Author and marketer Andrew Davis said “You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can be something to someone.” In the context of podcasting, this means knowing your target audience and speaking directly to them, rather than trying to appeal to everyone.

One of the great things about podcasts is how specific they can be - so it’s worth considering who exactly will listen to your podcast and think “this was made for me”.

To make your target audience feel more concrete, it can be useful to walk through the exercise of creating an “avatar” or two. These avatars are fictional individuals that represent your audience. For example “Sheila is an ambitious entry-level employee at our organization” or “Richard is a prospective donor in his thirties”. 

Podcasts are usually consumed alone, in the car or via headphones. Using avatars to think of your audience as one or two specific individuals will help keep your content intimate and personal - two hallmarks of great podcasts.