Repetition and Consistency are Essential and Powerful
Just because you’ve said it 100 times doesn’t mean someone has heard it 100 times. And it certainly doesn’t mean you can toss it away like a 2 month-old iPhone. (Apple slam!)
I hear this all the time. It happens in podcasts and in YouTube videos and, full disclosure, I recently got called out on it too!
Throwing away the most critical lines. You know, the ones that you say every episode? Calls to action like “subscribe”, and “download” and “visit my website”. Or, it might be your show promise, your show name, your tagline, your offer, services, or even your own name!
You’ve probably said them at least once in almost every episode and because of that, you’re throwing these lines away like they’re not important.
You’re tired of saying them and now you’re practically yada, yada, yada-ing them. There’s no magic. No excitement. No energy.
And, no reason for me to pay any attention let alone do what you’re asking me to do.
In other words, you’re taking all of the juice out of your most important pieces of information AND your calls to action.
Booooo! Just because you’re on episode 220 doesn’t mean your listener has listened to 220 episodes. In fact, this may be their very first listen. And here you are fobbing off your most important information.
Don’t expect that everyone listening has heard it before. Give it as much energy as you did in episode 1! Keep the energy up on your calls to action and your most important (most repeated) info. Don’t phone it in.
And don’t go changing up the way you say things just because you’re bored with it. Think about the listener’s experience and relationship with you.
This is what I got called out on recently.
If you’ve heard my show before then you know I end with “And I hope THAT’S just the tip you need” every show. It’s kind of my catch phrase or sign off. I say it with the same cadence and put the emphasis on ‘that’s’ every time.
Until recently.
A few shows ago I changed the emphasis. I didn’t change the script, just the emphasis. I hit HOPE instead of ‘that’s’. No big deal, right?
Well, a fan reached out and said how disappointed she was. It had really thrown her off. It’s one of the things she loves about my show. She waits to hear it. Even says it in her head along with me. Kind of like singing along to one of your favorite songs or jingles.
My wife noted a similar experience with a podcast she loves called 99% Invisible. Roman Mars, the show host, always signed off with the studios’ location as ‘beautiful downtown Oakland, California’. He delivers it with this specific rhythm that makes it almost a brand earcon. Well, when the show moved its studios to uptown, he and his producers knew that they had to keep the sing-song delivery the same. And so he did.
He knew that people would wait for this sign off. That the consistency of how he says it is part of its charm.
If he started throwing it away because he’s said it thousands of times, or changed it just because one word was different, it would lose that charm.
Here’s what I really want you to take away from this episode. You are throwing away more than the power of your words when you throw away your lines.
Repetition and consistency breed familiarity. That familiarity is the foundation for a relationship you are building with your audience. This is what helps them feel like they know you. And, that makes them comfortable with you, which leads to them trusting you.
This is the holy grail of podcasting – or any form of content marketing: Know – Like – Trust.
Not only that, but your audience’s recall will be significantly higher. And, isn’t that what you want as a podcaster looking to grow your authority? Oh, you betcha.
So, the next time you think about throwing away the important information (or changing up that thing you say every episode) consider what it might be doing to your listener. Don’t yada, yada yada. Don’t rush. Don’t take your listener for granted. Give them your best read, every time.
And, I hope THAT’s just the tip you need. (bomp bom-bom bomp).
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