A Big Audience is Not a Strategy

Get the FREE Speke Roadmap: https://www.spekepodcasting.com/givethemroadmap Work with us: https://www.spekepodcasting.com/ Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-mic/id1777171203 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1PQNHuqxIVhkLfjGYuWcxl Times Square has a shit ton of people. That does not mean your nonprofit needs an office between a souvenir shop and a guy dressed like Elmo. In this episode of Your Mic, Freddy Cruz takes apart the idea that a big audience automatically makes a good marketing investment. Drawing on his years in radio and his work producing podcasts, he explains why headcount cannot answer the questions that matter: who you need to reach, what surrounds your message, and what gives someone a reason to act. This is not a declaration that radio is useless or that podcasts magically deliver customers. It is a demand for a better comparison. Before your organization buys airtime or launches a show, make the person selling it explain the plan. “Look at all those people” is not enough. Key Takeaways 1. Audience size does not establish audience fit. A crowd can be enormous and still contain very few people who need your service, support your mission, or influence a buying decision. Start with specific people, not an impressive headcount. 2. Ask what surrounds your message. Commercial placement, neighboring ads, programming, and frequency belong in the conversation. You would inspect the neighborhood before signing a lease. Give your media budget the same consideration. 3. Nearby does not mean interested. A donor can live 20 minutes away and need more explanation. A purchasing director can live down the street and never hear the schedule you bought. Geography does not finish the strategy for you. 4. Hold podcast producers to the same standard as radio sellers. A microphone is not a targeting strategy. Your show needs a defined listener, an editorial purpose, a distribution plan, and a next step. That includes shows produced by Speke Podcasting. 5. Define the outcome before approving the proposal. Name the people you want to reach, the specific thing you want them to understand, and the action you want them to take. Then ask how the proposed plan gets you there and what evidence would justify continuing. Your mission does not need a population chart. Your business does not need somebody waving at a crowd and calling it marketing.