A recent article at Sounds Profitable asks a provocative question for podcasters: “What would you do if you actually loved podcasting?” This piece reframes common industry goals like growth and monetization by placing audience connection and purpose at the center of podcasting success.
Start With the Right Questions
Author Tom Webster, a longtime podcast researcher, begins with an observation from a conference audience: nearly everyone had hobbies they loved, yet when asked how they monetized those hobbies, the room fell silent. This contrast highlights a key dilemma in podcasting: creators frequently treat their shows like business projects before understanding the craft itself.
Webster suggests that many podcasters prioritize what they create (WHAT) and how they produce (HOW) before they truly consider who they are serving (WHO) and why those listeners would care (WHY). In his view, this order is backwards — and it’s often the root of burnout, creative stagnation, or premature podcast endings.
Redefining WHY for Your Podcast
A central argument of the piece is that a creator’s own reason for making podcasts — whether passion, influence, or revenue — is less relevant to audiences than the value listeners derive. Webster writes that audiences don’t care about a creator’s purpose in the abstract; they care about what the show gives them. When creators focus first on answering: “Why would someone press PLAY?” they build stronger, more sustainable shows.
This flips a common industry narrative on its head. Instead of defining a podcast by internal goals (like growth charts or monetization), Webster argues that creators should define success in terms of listener experience and relevance.
A Framework for Lasting Creativity
Webster offers a four‑stage framework that flips the typical order of podcast planning:
- WHO — Identify a specific, real listener and understand their life, needs, and interests.
- WHY — Clarify why those listeners would care about your show.
- HOW — Choose formats, length, and style based on that understanding.
- WHAT — Develop episodes that naturally flow from these insights.
When creators genuinely know who they serve and why, the episode ideas — the WHAT — tend to emerge organically, reducing creative friction and enhancing longevity. This listener‑first perspective aligns with broader industry insights showing that audiences respond most strongly when content meets deep, specific needs rather than broad, generic goals.
The Advantage of Direct Relationships
Webster also notes that smaller creators hold a structural advantage over big media producers: the ability to build direct, real relationships with listeners.
Unlike large media operations that rely on surveys or analytics dashboards, independent podcasters can engage listeners through comments, community channels, and conversations, gaining qualitative insights that inform their content strategy.
Rethinking Podcasting Success
The piece concludes with a challenge: instead of structuring your podcast around market trends or monetization pathways, start with curiosity about your audience. Ask yourself: what would I do differently if I truly loved this craft? According to Webster, answering this question — rooted in serving listeners rather than serving business metrics — is a path to more enduring creativity and audience loyalty.
More about creating podcasts:
Staff Report
Staff Report
Staff Report
