# Every Podcast Episode Should Move Your Listener Somewhere

An episode of [Your Podcast Launch Plan - The Strategy-First Guide to Starting a Podcast That Supports Your Business](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/6825000457), 28 Oct 2026, 18 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2658616/episodes/20017573-every-podcast-episode-should-move-your-listener-somewhere.mp3

EPISODE 06 You've planned your podcast episodes, recorded your content, and shared something valuable with your listeners. But what happens after someone finishes listening? Every episode should have a purpose beyond filling another spot in your podcast feed. In this episode of Your Podcast Launch Plan, we're talking about how to give your episodes a clear direction, create meaningful next steps for your listeners, and connect your podcast content to what you're building in your business. A podcast episode can help someone think differently, make a decision, take action, or move closer to something they want. The key is knowing what you want your listener to walk away with. In this episode, we'll talk about: • Why every podcast episode needs a clear purpose • What it means to move your listener forward, even when you're not teaching a step-by-step process • How to connect the value of your episode to your larger podcast strategy • Why “follow, rate, and review” isn't always the most meaningful next step • How to choose a call to action that makes sense for the episode and your business Your Next Move Choose one episode you're planning to create. Ask yourself: • What do I want my listener to think, feel, understand, or do differently after listening? • What's one logical next step I could invite them to take? Write down the purpose of that episode and a call to action that supports it. Your next step doesn't always have to be a sale. It just needs to make sense for the listener and where you want to take them. Build Your Podcast Launch Plan Every episode in Your Podcast Launch Plan ends with a practical next step. Download the free companion workbook to work through each exercise and start turning your podcast idea into a launch plan built around your business. https://lizchapmanco.com/workbook-sign-up Connect with Liz Website: https://lizchapmanco.com/ Workbook: https://lizchapmanco.com/workbook-sign-up Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liz_chapman_podcastmanager YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LizChapmanco

## Transcript

[0:00] SPEAKER_00: You finished scripting your first podcast episode, twenty-eight minutes of genuinely useful information.
[0:06] SPEAKER_00: You taught exactly what you promised, you gave examples, you shared your expertise, you even remember to include a personal story, because you know, that's apparently something that we're doing now, and then you get to the bottom of your script and type, thank you so much for listening, make sure to follow the podcast in labor review, and I'll see you next week.
[0:24] SPEAKER_00: Close your laptop and done.
[0:27] SPEAKER_00: Except, what exactly is your listener supposed to do with everything you just gave her?
[0:32] SPEAKER_00: Welcome to your podcast launch plan, the strategy first guide to starting a podcast that supports your business.
[0:38] SPEAKER_00: I'm Liz Chapman, podcast strategist, and I'm here to help you turn your podcast idea into a launch plan for show the right people can find, choose, and trust.
[0:47] SPEAKER_00: Let's get into it.
[0:48] SPEAKER_00: So you spent almost half an hour teaching or something, maybe you've helped her understand a problem, maybe you gave some really useful advice, but when the episode ends, what happens next?
[0:58] SPEAKER_00: Does she do something differently?
[1:00] SPEAKER_00: Does she make a decision?
[1:01] SPEAKER_00: Does she see something she hadn't noticed before?
[1:04] SPEAKER_00: Or does she just move on to the next thing in her day?
[1:06] SPEAKER_00: And I'm not saying every podcast episode needs to end with homework.
[1:10] SPEAKER_00: I'm not, but I do want you thinking about something that I don't think gets enough attention when people are planning their podcast content.
[1:18] SPEAKER_00: Every podcast episode should move your listener somewhere.
[1:21] SPEAKER_00: And that doesn't mean every episode needs to move her towards buying something from you.
[1:26] SPEAKER_00: And we're going to talk about that.
[1:27] SPEAKER_00: But first, I want to take you back to the very beginning of this series.
[1:31] SPEAKER_00: In our first episode, I asked you to think about what you actually want your podcast to accomplish for your business.
[1:38] SPEAKER_00: And we talked about how one of the most common answers I hear is, I want my podcast to help me get more clients.
[1:44] SPEAKER_00: And my response was, okay, how?
[1:47] SPEAKER_00: Because that's a pretty big gap between starting a podcast and having someone hire you because of it.
[1:54] SPEAKER_00: It's not like you publish a few helpful episodes, somebody listens and suddenly they're pulling out the credit card.
[2:00] SPEAKER_00: I mean, wouldn't that be amazing?
[2:02] SPEAKER_00: But there's a whole lot that can happen between somebody discovering your podcast and deciding to work with you.
[2:07] SPEAKER_00: And that's what I want to talk about today.
[2:10] SPEAKER_00: Because in the first five episodes of this series, we've been building the foundation.
[2:14] SPEAKER_00: We figured out what job your podcast needs to do.
[2:17] SPEAKER_00: We talked about giving the right listener a reason to choose your show.
[2:21] SPEAKER_00: We worked through discoverability and making a strong first impression.
[2:25] SPEAKER_00: And in episode five, we talked about why your first episodes should begin building a relationship with your audience.
[2:33] SPEAKER_00: But now I want you to think about what that relationship is actually moving toward.
[2:38] SPEAKER_00: Because creating valuable content and building a connection are important.
[2:43] SPEAKER_00: But if your podcast has a job to do for your business, we also need to think about how your episodes are going to help accomplish that job.
[2:51] SPEAKER_00: And that's where things can get interesting.
[2:53] SPEAKER_00: So let's say somebody discovers your podcast, she listens to an episode, and something you say makes them think about a problem differently.
[3:01] SPEAKER_00: Maybe she's been approaching something in her business one way for years, and you've just given her another perspective.
[3:06] SPEAKER_00: So she starts thinking about it.
[3:08] SPEAKER_00: A few days later, she listens to another episode.
[3:11] SPEAKER_00: This time, you help her recognize something that isn't working as well as she thought.
[3:16] SPEAKER_00: Then she listens to another episode and you give her something small she can try.
[3:20] SPEAKER_00: She tries it, it helps.
[3:22] SPEAKER_00: And now she's starting to pay a little more attention when she sees your name.
[3:26] SPEAKER_00: Maybe she comes back the next week.
[3:28] SPEAKER_00: Maybe she listens to an older episode.
[3:30] SPEAKER_00: Maybe she starts noticing that you have a particular way of approaching things that makes sense to her.
[3:36] SPEAKER_00: So over time, she's not just learning about the topic, she's learning how you think, she's building trust, and eventually, when she needs help with the kind of work you do, you're somebody she's already familiar with.
[3:47] SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm not saying that's the exact path every listener will take.
[3:51] SPEAKER_00: Some people will listen for years and never buy anything.
[3:54] SPEAKER_00: Some people will become clients much sooner.
[3:57] SPEAKER_00: And some people will simply enjoy your podcast because they find it valuable.
[4:01] SPEAKER_00: That's all part of having an audience, but here's the point.
[4:05] SPEAKER_00: A podcast doesn't usually create clients in one giant leap.
[4:09] SPEAKER_00: It creates opportunities for smaller movements that can eventually lead to trust and action.
[4:15] SPEAKER_00: And I want you to start thinking about your episodes through that lens because every episode doesn't have to accomplish everything, but it should have a reason to exist.
[4:23] SPEAKER_00: So think back to the North Star we created in episode one.
[4:26] SPEAKER_00: That was about the larger job your podcast needs to do for your business.
[4:31] SPEAKER_00: Maybe your goal is to build trust with potential clients.
[4:33] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you want to help people understand a particular approach or methodology.
[4:38] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you want to introduce people to the work you do.
[4:40] SPEAKER_00: That's the bigger direction.
[4:42] SPEAKER_00: But individual episodes can play different roles in helping you get there.
[4:46] SPEAKER_00: One episode might help somebody recognize a problem.
[4:49] SPEAKER_00: Another might challenge a belief they've had for a long time.
[4:53] SPEAKER_00: Another might teach her how to do something.
[4:55] SPEAKER_00: Maybe an episode helps them make a decision.
[4:58] SPEAKER_00: Maybe it introduces a perspective they haven't considered before.
[5:02] SPEAKER_00: Or maybe it gives her a chance to hear how you approach a situation with a client.
[5:06] SPEAKER_00: Or maybe it helps her feel less alone in something they're experiencing.
[5:09] SPEAKER_00: Those are all valuable outcomes.
[5:11] SPEAKER_00: And none of them necessarily requires a listener to click a link, download something, or buy anything.
[5:17] SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the movement happens entirely in the way somebody thinks.
[5:21] SPEAKER_00: And I think that's a pretty important distinction because when I say your episode should move your listener somewhere, I don't mean every episode needs to end with a giant call to action.
[5:32] SPEAKER_00: I mean that before you create the episode, you should have some idea of what you want to be different for the person listening when it's over.
[5:40] SPEAKER_00: Every episode doesn't need the same destination, but every episode should move your listener somewhere.
[5:45] SPEAKER_00: And then collectively, those episodes should be helping your podcast accomplish the bigger job you've given it.
[5:51] SPEAKER_00: Okay, now I can almost hear somebody thinking.
[5:54] SPEAKER_00: Okay, so I need to tell people to download my freebie at the end of every episode.
[5:58] SPEAKER_00: No, that's not quite what I'm saying.
[6:00] SPEAKER_00: And please don't hear this episode and decide that every single piece of content needs to end with download my free guide, follow me on Instagram, book a discovery call, join my email list, check out my services, all in the same episode.
[6:11] SPEAKER_00: Because when people hear all of that, they get exhausted and they don't do anything.
[6:16] SPEAKER_00: There's absolutely a place for calls for action.
[6:18] SPEAKER_00: I definitely say you need to have them.
[6:21] SPEAKER_00: But if you have a resource that genuinely helps somebody take the next step after listening, then tell them about it.
[6:27] SPEAKER_00: If an episode naturally connects to a service you offer, it's perfectly reasonable to mention that.
[6:33] SPEAKER_00: And sometimes asking somebody to follow the podcast or listen to another episode is exactly the right next step.
[6:39] SPEAKER_00: But I want you to understand that movement doesn't always require somebody to lead the podcast and go do something else.
[6:46] SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the movement is, I never thought about that way.
[6:50] SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's, I think I've been making this harder than it needs to be.
[6:54] SPEAKER_00: Or, okay, I finally understand why this hasn't been working.
[6:57] SPEAKER_00: Maybe your listener needs to have a conversation with somebody.
[7:00] SPEAKER_00: Maybe she needs to make a decision she's been putting off.
[7:03] SPEAKER_00: Maybe she needs to recognize that she's ready for a different approach.
[7:06] SPEAKER_00: And sometimes she just needs a few minutes to sit with what she's heard, which can be valuable also.
[7:11] SPEAKER_00: Movement doesn't always mean clicking something.
[7:14] SPEAKER_00: And when you start thinking about episodes this way, you have a lot more options than simply ending with another sales pitch.
[7:21] SPEAKER_00: So I want to share something that influenced how I've been thinking about this.
[7:24] SPEAKER_00: One of my clients has a podcast called Technically Joyful, and she does something at the end of her episodes that I love.
[7:31] SPEAKER_00: She calls it your next rep.
[7:33] SPEAKER_00: This was entirely her idea, can't take credit for any of it.
[7:37] SPEAKER_00: But the end of her episodes, she gives listeners something to think about or put into practice based on what they've heard.
[7:44] SPEAKER_00: And as I was working on her podcast, I started thinking about how many episodes I've worked on over the years that end with some version of, thanks so much for listening, make sure you follow the show, and I'll see you next week.
[7:55] SPEAKER_00: And there's nothing wrong with that, but Gabrielle was doing something much more intentional.
[8:01] SPEAKER_00: She was giving her listeners somewhere to go with what they've just heard.
[8:05] SPEAKER_00: And it made me think about how much more we could be doing with the end of an episode.
[8:09] SPEAKER_00: Because if somebody just spent 30 minutes listening to you, what do you want them to walk away with?
[8:15] SPEAKER_00: What do you want them to think about?
[8:17] SPEAKER_00: What do you want them to try?
[8:18] SPEAKER_00: What do you want them to understand differently?
[8:20] SPEAKER_00: And that idea has stuck with me.
[8:22] SPEAKER_00: In fact, it influenced something you're experiencing right now.
[8:25] SPEAKER_00: Every episode in the series ends with your next move because I don't want you to listen to eight episodes about starting a podcast and think, well, that was interesting, and then do absolutely nothing with what you've learned.
[8:37] SPEAKER_00: I want you to finish the series having actually made progress towards launching your podcast.
[8:42] SPEAKER_00: And that means giving you somewhere to go with what we talk about.
[8:46] SPEAKER_00: So let's look at what we've done together so far.
[8:48] SPEAKER_00: In episode one, I didn't just tell you that your podcast needs a business purpose.
[8:52] SPEAKER_00: I asked you to finish a sentence about what you want your podcast to help your business accomplish one year from now.
[8:59] SPEAKER_00: Because I wanted you to move from a vague goal like I want more visibility towards something you could actually use to guide your decisions.
[9:07] SPEAKER_00: In episode two, we talked about listener pull.
[9:10] SPEAKER_00: And I asked you to think about what somebody would get from your first episodes that they couldn't get by simply swapping you out for another host.
[9:17] SPEAKER_00: In episode three, we talked about podcast SEO.
[9:21] SPEAKER_00: And your next move was to look at your proposed podcast name from the perspective of somebody who doesn't know you.
[9:28] SPEAKER_00: Because I wanted you to start recognizing the difference between a name that makes sense to you and a name that helps a stranger understand what you've created.
[9:37] SPEAKER_00: And then in episode five, we talked about cover art and first impressions.
[9:41] SPEAKER_00: And I gave you a thumbnail test.
[9:43] SPEAKER_00: And that test was not because I think you need more homework, but because knowing that your artwork needs to be readable and actually seeing whether yours is readable are two different things.
[9:54] SPEAKER_00: And in episode five, we talked about creating a connection with your audience.
[9:59] SPEAKER_00: I asked you to think about what somebody would know, understand, and feel about you after listening to your first three episodes.
[10:06] SPEAKER_00: So do you see what's happening?
[10:07] SPEAKER_00: We're not just collecting information about podcasting, we're making decisions, we're evaluating ideas, we're beginning to build something, and that's very intentional because I could spend eight episodes telling you everything I know about podcast launches, but if you finish the series without making any progress towards your own launch, I haven't really accomplished what I set out to do.
[10:27] SPEAKER_00: And then that brings us right back to episode one.
[10:30] SPEAKER_00: Because as I've told you, this podcast has a job, and part of that job is helping you move from thinking about starting a podcast to having a clearer plan for one.
[10:39] SPEAKER_00: So all the episodes need to support that.
[10:42] SPEAKER_00: Okay, I understand how to help my listeners make progress, but I started this podcast because I want it to support my business.
[10:49] SPEAKER_00: How does it eventually lead to clients?
[10:51] SPEAKER_00: Fair.
[10:52] SPEAKER_00: And I want to be careful here because I don't think the answer is to turn your podcast into one giant sales funnel where every episode is pushing somebody toward the next offer.
[11:02] SPEAKER_00: I don't want you creating a 30-minute commercial disguised as a podcast episode.
[11:07] SPEAKER_00: Your listeners deserve better than that.
[11:09] SPEAKER_00: But I also don't want you creating episode after episode with absolutely no thought about how the podcast connects back to your business.
[11:17] SPEAKER_00: Because then you can end up with a show that people enjoy, but you've never really considered how it supports the reason you started it.
[11:23] SPEAKER_00: And that's where the North Star becomes useful again.
[11:26] SPEAKER_00: So let's use this series as an example.
[11:29] SPEAKER_00: One of the things I want this podcast to do is help entrepreneurs make better decisions about launching a podcast for their business.
[11:36] SPEAKER_00: So some of you might listen to the series and decide you're ready to launch your own.
[11:40] SPEAKER_00: Great, perfect.
[11:41] SPEAKER_00: I want you to have a much clearer understanding of what you're building.
[11:45] SPEAKER_00: Some of you might work through the exercises, start putting your ideas together, and realize you'd like help developing the strategy.
[11:51] SPEAKER_00: And that's something I do with my podcast launch clients.
[11:54] SPEAKER_00: Some of you might launch your podcast independently and eventually need help with management or growth.
[12:00] SPEAKER_00: And some of you might simply stay connected through my email list and other resources.
[12:04] SPEAKER_00: Those are all different paths, and I don't need every episode to push every listener down the exact same one.
[12:11] SPEAKER_00: But I do need to be intentional about what I'm helping you understand, decide, and accomplish.
[12:16] SPEAKER_00: Because if you're eventually considering working with me, I want you to have a sense of how I approach podcast strategy.
[12:22] SPEAKER_00: I want you to understand why I ask the questions I ask.
[12:26] SPEAKER_00: And I want you to have experience some of that thinking through this series.
[12:30] SPEAKER_00: So if you decide you want help, you're not starting from zero.
[12:34] SPEAKER_00: You already have some familiarity with my approach.
[12:37] SPEAKER_00: And that's one of the ways a podcast can support a business without every episode ending in a sales pitch.
[12:43] SPEAKER_00: So create something worth coming back to and give that relationship somewhere meaningful to go.
[12:48] SPEAKER_00: That's the balance we're looking for.
[12:51] SPEAKER_00: Now here's another part of this I want you to think about as you're planning your content.
[12:54] SPEAKER_00: Because once you start brainstorming podcast episodes, it's very easy to come up with a whole list of things you could talk about, especially if you're somebody who has a lot of experience in your field.
[13:04] SPEAKER_00: You probably have opinions about things, you've worked with clients, you've seen mistakes people make, you've learned lessons, you've got stories, and before you know it, you've got 75 episode titles sitting in a Google Doc, which is great.
[13:16] SPEAKER_00: I love a good content brainstorm, but just because you could create an episode about something doesn't automatically mean you should.
[13:24] SPEAKER_00: And I think this is where having a podcast strategy makes all the difference.
[13:29] SPEAKER_00: Because there's a question I want you asking when you're deciding which episodes belong in your show.
[13:34] SPEAKER_00: Why does this episode need to exist?
[13:36] SPEAKER_00: Not just is this interesting, or could I talk about this for 30 minutes, or even would my audience find this useful?
[13:43] SPEAKER_00: Which are great questions, but I want you to go one layer deeper.
[13:47] SPEAKER_00: What is this episode supposed to change, create, or move?
[13:51] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're helping the listener recognize a problem she hasn't been able to put into words.
[13:55] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're giving her the confidence to make a decision.
[13:58] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're teaching her something she can implement.
[14:01] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're helping her understand why a particular approach matters.
[14:04] SPEAKER_00: And then I want you to connect that back to the larger purpose of your podcast.
[14:09] SPEAKER_00: Does that movement support the job you've given your show?
[14:13] SPEAKER_00: Because your episodes don't all need to accomplish the same thing, but collectively, they should be moving in a direction that makes sense.
[14:20] SPEAKER_00: And this is why I think there's a difference between saying this would make a great podcast episode and saying this episode has a reason to exist.
[14:28] SPEAKER_00: Those aren't the same thing.
[14:30] SPEAKER_00: Now, I want to make sure we're not taking this too far in the other direction because I can imagine somebody listening to this and thinking, great, now every single episode has to strategically lead to one of my offers.
[14:40] SPEAKER_00: No, that's not what I want for you either.
[14:42] SPEAKER_00: Because remember what we talked about in episode five, your listeners are building a relationship with you.
[14:48] SPEAKER_00: They're spending time with you because they're getting something valuable from that experience.
[14:52] SPEAKER_00: And if every episode starts feeling like you're just trying to move them closer to a transaction, that's probably not going to create the kind of relationship you want.
[15:01] SPEAKER_00: But there's another side to that as well.
[15:03] SPEAKER_00: If somebody loves your podcast, listens every week, and eventually wants to go deeper, have you given her any idea what that might look like?
[15:10] SPEAKER_00: Does she know you have resources?
[15:12] SPEAKER_00: Does she know you have offer services?
[15:14] SPEAKER_00: Does she know there's a way to keep learning from you beyond the podcast?
[15:18] SPEAKER_00: Because if you've never made those connections, you're leaving the listener to figure it out for themselves.
[15:23] SPEAKER_00: And that's not necessarily helpful either.
[15:26] SPEAKER_00: So I want you to find the middle.
[15:27] SPEAKER_00: Create episodes people genuinely want to hear, give them useful information, new perspectives, interesting conversations, and opportunity to connect with you.
[15:38] SPEAKER_00: And then there's a natural next step.
[15:40] SPEAKER_00: Don't be afraid to offer it.
[15:41] SPEAKER_00: Sometimes that next step will be another episode.
[15:44] SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it'll be a question to think about.
[15:45] SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it'll be a resource.
[15:47] SPEAKER_00: And yes, sometimes it might be working with you.
[15:50] SPEAKER_00: The important thing is that the next step makes sense for the listener and the episode.
[15:54] SPEAKER_00: Not that you're trying to squeeze a sales pitch into every 30 minutes of content.
[15:59] SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's put this into practice.
[16:01] SPEAKER_00: For your next move today, I want you to pull up one of the first three episodes you're planning to launch with.
[16:07] SPEAKER_00: Just one.
[16:07] SPEAKER_00: We're not going to build out an entire content strategy today.
[16:11] SPEAKER_00: I want you to look at the episode and ask yourself, when somebody finishes listening, what do I want to be different for her?
[16:18] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you want her to understand something she didn't before.
[16:21] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you want her to question a belief.
[16:23] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you want her to recognize a problem.
[16:25] SPEAKER_00: Maybe you want her to make a decision.
[16:27] SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you want her to try something.
[16:29] SPEAKER_00: Whatever it is, I want you to be able to put it into words and then you ask yourself one more question.
[16:35] SPEAKER_00: Does that movement support the North Star I gave my podcast?
[16:39] SPEAKER_00: I know I've mentioned this before, but we created our North Star back in episode one.
[16:44] SPEAKER_00: And this is one of the reasons I wanted you to do that work first, because now you have something to come back to when you're making decisions about your content.
[16:53] SPEAKER_00: You don't have to guess whether an episode belongs in your podcast just because you think the topic sounds interesting.
[16:59] SPEAKER_00: You can start thinking about what the episode is supposed to accomplish and how it supports the bigger picture.
[17:04] SPEAKER_00: So you'll find today's exercise in episode six of your workbook.
[17:08] SPEAKER_00: And I want to leave you with this your podcast does not need to turn every listener into a client.
[17:14] SPEAKER_00: And every episode does not need to end with somebody downloading something, booking a call, or buying an offer.
[17:20] SPEAKER_00: But I do want you creating episodes with intention.
[17:23] SPEAKER_00: Because when somebody gives you 20 or 30 minutes of their time, that's an opportunity.
[17:28] SPEAKER_00: An opportunity to help them understand something, to see something differently, to make a decision, to take a step.
[17:35] SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that step becomes part of a much bigger relationship with you and your business.
[17:40] SPEAKER_00: So every episode doesn't need the same destination, but every episode should move your listener somewhere.
[17:47] SPEAKER_00: Now, we've spent six episodes making decisions about the podcast you're building.
[17:51] SPEAKER_00: We know the job it needs to do, we know why the right listener would want to hear it.
[17:56] SPEAKER_00: We talked about making it discoverable, creating a strong first impression, building a relationship, and making sure your content has a purpose.
[18:04] SPEAKER_00: But here's the thing you can do all of that work and still launch your podcast to a whole lot of silence if nobody knows it's coming.
[18:11] SPEAKER_00: And that's where we're going next.
[18:13] SPEAKER_00: Because in episode seven, we're going to talk about why your podcast launch strategy needs to start well before launch day.
[18:20] SPEAKER_00: I'll see you there.

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