Juleyka Lantigua-Williams is the founder of Lantigua Williams & Co, an audio production company. She describes her role as building teams that make podcasts and films.So a little more about Juleyka:Juleyka is the Founder/CEO of Lantigua Williams & Co., an award-winning and Peabody-nominated digital media studio that builds teams that create beautiful experiences in digital audio and film. She is a journalism veteran with 20 years of experience as a writer, reporter, editor, syndicated columnist, book editor/scout, lecturer, and audio producer. Lantigua Williams & Co. produces original shows like Latina to Latina, 70 Million, and Feeling My Flo, and provides tailored consulting and white-label production services for clients that include Macmillan Podcasts, the Phi Beta Kappa Society, WHYY, KQED, and Civil Beat. Juleyka says she first fell in love with podcasts after hearing Serial. After devouring that show, she became fascinated with the way story-telling techniques were being used in audio. She got the chance to work on Code Switch at NPR, and fell in love with the process of making podcasts.I met Juleyka last year when Lantigua Williams & Co started using Simplecast for hosting. After several interesting and insightful conversations about podcasting, I asked her if she would be willing to be a guest on my show to talk more about her approach to audience acquisition.Couple quick things to mention before we get into the interview:First, Juleyka is hosting a series of webinars about working in podcasting she's calling Podcasting Seriously. If you're interested in getting into working in the podcast industry, or if you'd like to take your podcasting skills to the next level, I'd encourage you to check it out and sign up. The next one is called I’m Ready to Work for Myself in Podcasting and is happening Saturday, July 25th at 1pm Eastern Time. Visit https://www.podcastingseriously.com/ to learn more.Second, we recorded this interview using Squadcast, which dropped the call multiple times. Kind of a bummer, but that's how it goes sometimes. Next time I'll be sure to record locally as well. Luckily I was able to edit the show in a way that the drops aren't noticeable.Alright, let's get into my conversation about audience acquisition (and more) with Juleyka Lantigua-Williams.Tip #1 for Audience Growth: Know as much about your ideal listener as possible without violating their privacy.If you're like me, you might answer that question with something vague, like, ”My ideal listener is someone who is interested in making a great podcast.”While that's true, it's also kind of a lazy response. It shows that I'm not thinking too hard about who I'm creating for, what they need and want, and why I'm creating for them. Let's dig deeper. Let's get specific.So where do you start? What are the fundamentals?So many people start podcasting before they've identified their show's number one biggest fan. You've probably heard about creating for an ideal listener before, but Juleyka takes the idea to the next level.Juleyka looks for factual evidence for what she believes is true about her ideal listener, who even has a name and a face (check out the website).Things you should know about your ideal listener:AgeEducation levelCareer levelRelationship statusFamily infoWhere she livesDigital experience habitsHobbiesPurchasing habitsHow many other people like her are there?Juleyka's ideal listener even has a name: Kenya.Why it matters: Knowing your ideal listener gives you a target. It will help guide your decisions as you're planning out your content and pitching the show to advertisers.If you're thinking about starting a show, answer this question:"Will my ideal listener listen to this show?"If you know that she will listen, then pursue the idea.Tip #2 for Audience Growth: Meet the needs of your ideal listener.Once you've figured out who your ideal listener is, start thinking about what their needs are. What podcasts do they listen to and why? What are t