Episode 238 | Insider Secrets to a Top 100 Podcast | Courtney Elmer

Featured Guest: Brandon Lucero
Brandon is the founder of the New Generation Mastery program and The New Generation Entrepreneur podcast. His proven methodology shifts how online content is created and distributed by changing beliefs, shifting perspectives, and the psychology of selling products online so you can move your audience into a buying state of mind while growing your brand.

1:58 - Use this Simple Title Tweak to Grab Your Listener’s Attention
4:56 - Why Too Much Teaching Can Drive Listeners Away
8:13 - The "One and More" Method to Keep Listeners Hooked (and Excited for More)
10:16 - Four Powerful Ways to Add Value Without Overteaching
13:33 - The Three Types of Trust People Need In Order to Buy From You
15:35 - From 75% Drop-Off to Over 93% Completion Rates

4 Proven Techniques for Keeping Listeners Engaged

If you want a podcast that thousands of people listen to, you first have to know how to get people to care about what you have to say. The problem? Most podcast hosts think “valuable content” is the key to growing an engaged podcast audience. So they teach as much as they can in every episode because they believe more information means more value. But it doesn’t work like that.

If it did, then your listeners wouldn’t lose interest and stop listening before finishing the episode. So, if you want to become a top podcast host you first need to learn how to speak your listener’s language.

This is why I invited top podcaster and communications expert Brandon Lucero to join me in this episode to show you four powerful ways you can hook your listeners in, keep them engaged, and drive more conversions from your podcast.

Ready to learn four of the most powerful techniques top podcasters use to create binge-worthy episodes that convert listeners into leads? Read on.

Why Too Much Teaching Can Drive Listeners Away

Picture this: You’re listening to a podcast episode about email marketing, and suddenly the host starts rattling off a slew of numbers—conversion rates, engagement stats, and subscriber retention figures. Meanwhile, you’re left wondering how any of this helps you with the specific issue of getting people to actually subscribe to your list in the first place.

That’s because when you teach too much, you risk losing your audience's attention. Many hosts think they’re adding value by sharing in-depth how-to content or showcasing their expertise, but this often has the opposite effect. If your audience feels overwhelmed, confused, or bored, they’re not going to convert.

“To make people pay attention, your content has to be hyper-relevant.” — Brandon Lucero

Overteaching makes listeners less likely to convert into clients for two reasons:

1. They feel falsely confident that they have everything they need to solve the problem without your help.
2. They feel overwhelmed, wanting to tackle what you’ve taught them before diving deeper into your course, program, or service.

So how do you add value without falling into the overteaching trap? Here are four powerful ways to keep your listeners coming back to binge your episodes and raising their hands asking how to work with you:

Four Powerful Ways to Add Value Without Overteaching

1. Speak to Your Audience’s Pain Points: The more specific your content, the more relevant it becomes. By addressing the immediate problems your audience is facing, you position yourself as a problem-solver. “When you talk about the problems, they're going to feel you’re explaining things to them that have never been explained to them that way before. Shifting someone’s perspective and getting someone to see something differently is an incredibly powerful way to connect with people.” — Brandon Lucero
2. Create a Sense of Urgency and Curiosity: For example, if your episode focuses on effective podcast titles, you might share your top method while hinting at more strategies available in a workshop or download. By making it clear that there’s more to come, you maintain interest and drive your listeners to seek out additional resources.
3. Stay Within Your Audience’s Awareness Level: If your listeners are dealing with specific, pressing problems, they won’t benefit from content that’s too advanced or focused on long-term solutions. Instead, address their current challenges directly. This approach ensures that your content is relevant to what they’re facing right now and keeps them engaged.
4. Add Value Beyond Information: Adding value isn't just about delivering information — it’s about making your audience feel heard and understood. Shift perspectives and validate your listeners' experiences. Using metaphors or real-life examples that connect with their daily struggles will keep them engaged and make your content more relatable.

By applying these techniques, you can create episodes that are not only informative but also deeply engaging and motivating for your listeners.

The Three Types of Trust People Need In Order to Buy From You

Trust is essential for converting listeners into loyal followers or customers. But it’s not just any trust that matters — listeners need three specific types of trust to feel confident enough to take the leap and make a purchase. They need:

• Expert Trust: Confidence in your expertise and knowledge.
• Relational Trust: A personal connection with you, beyond just being a podcaster.
• Functional Trust: Assurance that you fulfill your promises and deliver real value.

Let’s explore each one in more detail:

Expert Trust: Confidence in Your Expertise

This type of trust hinges on your credibility and the depth of your knowledge. Listeners need to believe that you know your stuff. Your audience should feel like they’re learning from a top-notch expert, and by communicating that you intimately understand the specific problems they’re experiencing, they’ll see you as a knowledgeable authority.

Relational Trust: A Personal Connection

This trust is about feeling like you’re relatable, approachable, and genuinely invested in your listeners. Building relational trust involves sharing personal stories, being transparent about your journey, and showing that you care about your audience’s needs and challenges. When listeners feel like they know you on a personal level, they’re more likely to engage with your content and trust your recommendations.

Functional Trust: Reliability and Value

Functional trust is all about delivering on your promises. It’s the assurance that you’ll provide real value with every episode, and that your content will meet or exceed expectations. If you say you’re going to offer actionable tips on improving productivity, your listeners need to see those tips delivered clearly and effectively. It’s also about consistency — when your audience knows they can rely on you for valuable content, they’re more likely to take action based on your advice.

From 75% Drop-Off to Over 93% Completion Rates

In this episode, I shared how speaking directly to my listeners’ needs—not just on the podcast, but across our entire company—transformed our engagement rates. By focusing on what really matters to our audience, we doubled the revenue from our signature offer and saw over 90% of our listeners staying engaged until the very end of every episode and workshop.

By applying these strategies, you can achieve similar results. Speaking directly to your audience’s needs will keep them tuned in, encourage action, and build trust, leading to higher completion rates, more conversions, and stronger connections.

Want to dive deeper on how to increase engagement and conversions using listener psychology? Follow Insider Secrets to a Top Podcast on your favorite podcast app for actionable tips on how to turn your show into a top podcast listeners can’t get enough of.

And if you’re a coach, consultant, or online business owner ready to turn more listeners into leads with your podcast, let’s chat. Book a free strategy call with our team and see how PodLaunch can help.