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Hey Reader! - Twice in the last week, I've tried to sit out in the sun, and twice I've gone inside because it's still too cold. Summer comes slow in Scotland... Buttoday's issue is coming to you from my local cafe with a cappuccino in hand so all is well, enjoy!

Don't Fizzle Out - How to End Your Podcast Strong

Game of Thrones became one of the most popular television series of all time. It ran for eight strong years, and fans highly anticipated the finale.

And yet…

It’s now 2024, five years after the final episode aired, and people are still upset about the terrible ending—myself included.

If people talk about Game of Thrones, they talk about how disappointed they were.

The ending matters.

Today, I’m going to share how to end your podcast in a way that your listeners will love.

Finish Strong

Throughout your podcast, you are talking away and in a flow state. The conversation is moving very naturally, you’re speaking confidently, and at no point do you falter as to what you’re going to do next.

Until it comes time to end.

I was listening to a conversation with a couple of speaking coaches. They talked about this human tendency to suddenly be filled with doubt as you try to wrap up. Your hive mind starts, and you begin to wonder what you were even saying or why you were saying it.

As you try to wrap up your podcast, you fizzle out instead of staying confident and making a final remark.

Keep your composure and see it through to the end. As the speaking coaches at Ultra Speaking suggest, you can use a trigger phrase.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is…” and then you will fill in the gap, closing your show so you can reach your conclusion.

Recap and Reinforce:

The end of your episode is where you bring it all together. You’ve taken your listener on a journey, and now you get to leave them with a thought.

What was your overall message, and what do you want the listener to leave with?

What is the final summary that brings everything together?

The power of this is that it opens the loop in the listener's brain. They stick with that thought and begin to mull it over, which means you keep them thinking about your podcast long after they’ve finished listening.

And what do you do when a thought rattles around your head? You tell a friend about it.

Conclusions matter. Then, you can add your call to action.

1 Episode - 1 Action

Imagine you went to a friend's house for the night. You sat at their kitchen table, laughed at old times, threw back a couple of beers, and felt positively merry as you stood up and headed to the door to leave.

Then your friend says, “Oh! When you get home, can you message me with a link to that beer you mentioned?”

“Sure thing!” You reply, happy to do your friend a favor.

Now imagine the same scenario, and your friend says, “Oh! When you get home, can you message me with a link to that beer you mentioned? And can you add me to that email chain about the local breweries? And can you introduce me to your single friend? And can you drop this in the mailbox on your way out? And…”

Annoying right?

Keep calls to action brief and clear. One episode = one action. Choose one specific ask of your audience for each episode. You can rotate through them to keep it interesting, but be specific. Tell them one thing you’d like them to do, where, and how to do it.

For suggestions on calls to action, check out this previous edition of the Indie Podcaster.​

Lastly…

Ask your closing question, make your final statement, address your call to action, and thank the listener for stopping by. Then stop. Your listener is satisfied, no need to keep them around.

Thanks for reading, see you next week.

Oh, and don’t forget you can tease the next episode.

Oh, and consider sharing this newsletter with a friend.

But once again, thank you for reading.

Oh, and before you go…

Don’t ramble. End strong.

Community Wins

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How I Can Help You

1) I can add you to my best podcast lists. Just email your podcast, description, and category

2) I have a page of ​Recommended Tools​. These are the tools I use to grow my podcast. I focus on tools that improve quality and save time.