Today, we’re talking about growing your audience by adding value to your tribe. How do you add value to your tribe? As we talked about on the last episode, you connect with them over a shared passion. You show genuine care for them. It’s also not a bad idea to help them solve a problem or two. As Seth Godin says, “as consumers,… we’re desperate to find good stuff that solves our problems.” (Purple Cow)

That’s what I’m trying to do here. If your problem is a podcasting problem, I’m trying to offer simple tips, in short, bite-sized chunks, that will help solve your problem. I don’t want to waste your time like one of those Great White Shark documentaries, rambling on and on, repeating the same information twenty times so I can take up a 60-minute block of time. Have you noticed that? I was watching Shark Week shows recently and I was stunned by how they can stretch 5 minutes worth of information (and 3 minutes of shark video) into an hour of television. I wanted to throw my remote control at the TV. Instead, I turned it off, which is what your listeners will do if you waste their time and you don’t add value to their lives.

In addition to solving problems and connecting with your tribe, as the tribe grows, create ways for your tribe to connect. Remember the Deadheads? Part of their strength was in their connection to each other. It’s so strong still that, even after band leader Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995, several spinoff bands, one being Dead & Company, continue the “long strange trip” of the band and its tribe, the Deadheads. I have a friend who takes his teenage daughter along with him to multiple Dead & Company shows all over the country whenever they go on tour. He often shares stories of the people he meets at the shows, even sharing rides and meals with them at times.

Now, as a podcaster, you probably won’t be playing sold-out concert venues often, but you can create a Facebook group for your tribe. You can hold special VIP Zoom calls for your Podheads that want to meet up with you online. You can also host in-person meet-ups at podcast conferences or other events. For one of the shows I co-host, the Familyman Show, we held a rally at a campground. Todd Wilson, the main host, is into RV’ing. He and his family have travelled around the country in the Familyman Mobile, his RV, speaking at homeschool conferences, churches, etc., for years. So, twice now, he has organized a weekend conference at a campground for any of his tribe that wanted to come. Both were tremendously successful and provided great opportunities for us to get to know our tribe in person! Some of the people even travelled over 10 hours to come to the rally! And, I just want to tell you, I was a little stunned and humbled by how they treated me. I mean, I’m just the sidekick on the show, but these guys were excited to meet me! It was really fun to connect with them in person.

So, once you have built this community, this tribe, if you will, and these folks are your evangelists, your ambassadors, your street team, your podheads, whatever you want to call them (or, better still, whatever name they give themselves!), you’ll want to make it easy for them to share your message. A simple catch phrase or slogan is useful. For the Familyman Show, for example, our tagline is, “Reminding dads of what’s most important.” It’s clear and concise and it’s easy to remember. It’s also easy to share through social media and word of mouth.

Alright, let’s review. If you want to grow your tribe, you need to have remarkable content with a quality presentation. You have to connect with your listeners over a shared passion, and provide ways for them to connect. You show genuine care for them and help solve their problems. While doing that, make it easy for them to share your message with others.
Please share with me and the tribe here your thoughts on how to build a tribe. I would love to hear from you.