Your Why vs. Your Listener’s Why

Your why versus your listeners why. I'm Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy, your trusted friend in podcasting. This show is here to help you reconnect with the real why behind your podcast so you can keep showing up with clarity and confidence. In the last couple of episodes, we've been looking at your why, what really powers you and what doesn't. Today I want to add another layer that a lot of podcasters miss. Your why is not the only why in the room. Your listener has their own why too. They have a reason they hit play, and it might not be the same as the reason you hit record.

When those two whys line up yours and theirs, podcasting starts to feel a lot smoother. The ideas come easier, you feel more connected to the people on the other side of the mic, and you're less likely to spiral around downloads and doubt. But when those two whys are out of sync, that's when things start to feel off. You can be working hard publishing episodes and still feel your show isn't really landing, even if the numbers aren't terrible. Think of it like this. Your why is your engine. It keeps you going. Your listener's why is your destination.

It's where they want to end up after spending time with you. If your engine is pointed one way and your listener is trying to drive somewhere completely different, you're going to feel a constant low grade friction. Today, I want to help you see that difference clearly and start bringing those two whys closer together. Let me share a composite story that I've seen play out in different ways with a lot of podcasters. Imagine a host. We're going to call her Maria. Maria runs a podcast in a professional niche. When she first started, her internal why was pretty clear.

She wanted to think out loud, process her own ideas, and document what she was learning in real time. In her head, the show was almost like an audio journal that happened to be public. It was for people like her, who loved going deep on concepts and hearing the messy middle, not just the polished end result. The listeners, on the other hand, had a different why. Most of them were busy, a little overwhelmed, and looking for practical answers. Their why sounded more like I want to know what to do next or I want clear steps so I don't feel lost. They weren't opposed to deeper thinking, but they hit play, expecting some kind of usable outcome by the end of each episode. For a while, this mismatch didn't show up.

Clearly they Maria was excited. She was learning and people were listening. But over time, she started to feel this nagging sense that the show wasn't quite doing what she hoped. She got feedback like, I love your perspective, but I'm not always sure what to do with it, or I wish you'd share some specific examples. The numbers weren't awful, but they weren't growing much either. And more importantly, she didn't feel the connection she wanted with her audience. When we talked, I asked her two separate questions. First, why do you make this show? She answered quickly, I want a place to explore ideas and be honest about what I'm figuring out.

Then I asked, okay, why do you think your listener hits play? What are they hoping that will be different in their life or work? After spending 20 minutes with you, that answer took longer. Eventually, she said, well, they probably want clarity. They probably want someone to cut through the noise and say, here's what actually matters. Here's what you can try this week. In other words, her listeners why was about relief and direction. They wanted a compass. They wanted to feel less confused and more confident by the time the outro music played. Once she could see those two whys side by side, the tension made sense.

Her internal why was explore and process. Her listener's why was understand and act. Those aren't enemies, but they're not automatically aligned either. We didn't throw out her why that's important. We didn't try to turn her into someone else. Instead, we asked, how can your engine, your love of exploring ideas serve their destination? Clarity and next steps. The change that followed wasn't dramatic on the outside, but. But it was huge on the inside.

She started structuring episodes so that the first half was more exploratory and the second half was deliberately focused on, here's what this means for you, and here's one thing you can do with this. She added more concrete examples that look like her listener situations, not just her own. And in her intro, she started speaking directly to the listener's why, naming the confusion and promising a bit more clarity by the end. Within a few months, she told me, I feel like I'm finally making the show. I thought I was making. The numbers started to move, yes, but more importantly, she got more specific messages from listeners, saying things like, I tried what you suggested, and it actually helped. That was the sign. Her engine and their compass were finally pointed in the same direction.

So let's bring this back to you. You have your own why for making this show. Your listener has their own why for pressing play. Both matter. The work now is to put them on paper and see whether they're aligned whether they're quietly pulling against each other. Here's how you can do that. First, I want you to write down two separate sentences. One.

I make this podcast because and number two my ideal listener presses play because don't worry about getting them perfect, just be honest. For the first one, think about what you get from making the show. What lights you up? What'd you miss if you stopped for the second one, think about the moment before someone taps on your episode. What are they feeling? What do they want more of or maybe less of? What are they hoping will be a little different in their world after they listen? Now step back and look at those two sentences next to each other. Are they talking to each other or do they sound like they're from two different conversations? Here's today's why question. If your why is the engine of your show and your listener's why is the destination, how well are those two currently aligned? What's one small adjustment you could make to bring them closer together? That adjustment might be as simple as one. Tweaking your intro to name your listener's why more clearly. 2.

Adding a short here's what this means for you section near the end of each episode or three. Choosing one segment in each show that's specifically dedicated to your listener's next step. You don't have to change everything overnight. This is about small strategic shifts so your energy and your listeners hopes are moving in the same direction. If you'd like help untangling this separating your why from your listener's why and then aligning them, that's the kind of work I love doing doing with podcasters. You can book a clarity call with me. Just head over to my podcast guy online and look for the schedule a call link. We'll map out your engine, your listener's destination, and how to get your show pointed toward both.

I'm Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy and I'll talk to you in the next episode.