100 AI personas said you'd listen to this podcast

Hello from the other side of ex-Cyclone Alfred. The sun is shining again on the Gold Coast (in some places anyway!), and all things considered, we’ve been pretty lucky.

In some other news you might not be caught up with, there are a few things you might want to check out in the Spark Community: 1) A conversation about whether to AI headshot or not, and 2) the race to perfect AI voice bots. 3) My deep dive into using Deep Research for finding lost family history.

Finally, if you’re a premium subscriber, jump in and join us this Friday morning for office hours. Last month, one member had me all to himself, and we mapped out his newsletter strategy. RSVP in the members area to get the link and the reminder.

And now, on with today’s post!

The Elevate Podcast has been around since 2017, reaching millions of downloads for its 500+ episodes (I’ve lost count).

It’s hard to believe the whole thing started quite by accident in one season of Transform, where we had a lot of video content and no time to edit it.

Our intern videographer then suggested that we start a podcast because audio alone would be easier to edit than video.

So we brainstormed a name that started with E (fitting with our other E-themed words like educate, entertain, and so forth).

Elevate was the obvious choice - we already used it in our branding, and it felt right.

We had the first episode out within a week—classic us, diving in headfirst.

Now, as I look back, I see so much I would do differently if I were starting a podcast again.

I would do more audience research on the title, tagline, SEO and other things.

I'd be more intentional about the programming.

Of course, now that AI is here, there's something in me that wants to bring together the best of Elite Agent and the best of AI-powered agents in a medium which is both video and community first.

Michael Taylor's AI Audience Testing Method

I recently listened to Michael Taylor on a podcast discussing his approach to audience testing using AI. Michael is a prompt engineering expert and former marketing agency owner who's developed a fascinating method for testing content before publishing it to real audiences.

What caught my attention was his step-by-step approach, which anyone can use.

The concept is brilliant in its simplicity: if AI can roleplay as one character, why not multiple? Why not create an entire focus group?

Side note: If this reminds you of the time that Janet created “rebound guy” Derek and then a whole neighborhood on the NBC TV show The Good Place, there are some similarities…

The Workflow I Used for Testing Podcast Names

Here's how I applied Michael's method to test potential names for my new real estate podcast:

1. Create Diverse Personas

First, I asked ChatGPT for 100 AI personas representing different types of real estate professionals:

Create multiple personas relevant to a real estate industry audience. 
I want to focus on real estate agents like business owners, brokers, sales agents, property managers buyers agents, marketing professionals, admin professionals, trust accounting professionals, all of those different types of people that work in the real estate industry 

Each persona should have a name distinctive characteristics, preferences, and demographics.

# Guidelines

- **Characteristics**: Define distinct personality traits for each persona.
- **Preferences**: Identify specific property preferences or needs.
- **Demographics**: Include age, income, family status, and location.

# Steps

1. Identify a target segment within the real estate audience.
2. Develop a detailed persona with clear characteristics, preferences, and demographic information.
3. Repeat for multiple, varied personas.

# Output Format

Provide each persona in the format of a short paragraph, detailing their characteristics, preferences, and demographics in natural language.

# Examples

- **Persona 1**: A young professional... [Detailed characteristics, preferences, demographics here]
- **Persona 2**: A retired couple... [Detailed characteristics, preferences, demographics here]

# Notes

- Consider various real estate markets and customer types.
- Ensure diversity and inclusivity in persona creation.

I need xx personas 

For each persona, I included details about their work style, pain points, and what they look for in professional development content. I ran this prompt several times to research agents in different countries.

2. Generate Podcast Name Options

I also used AI to brainstorm several options that aligned with my vision for a community-first, forward-thinking real estate podcast and came up with the following list (some you’ll see are familiar):

• The Spark Sessions

• The Leadership Diaries

• The Next Level Agent

• The Strategy Lab

• Agency Amplified

• Amplified Agency

• The next horizon

• Real Estate Revolution

3. Test With Simple, Direct Questions

Following Michael's advice about keeping questions straightforward, I created a prompt to ask each persona:

• "Which of these podcast names would you be most likely to click on and listen to?"

• "Why does that name appeal to you more than the others?"

• "What topic would you expect to hear discussed on a podcast with this name?"

You are a talented market researcher. Elite Agent is starting a new podcast about innovation, leadership and strategy. 

I would like you to ask each of these personas which podcast names they would be most likely listen to.

Please list their responses with the name they like the most and the reasoning for their preference.

Please return the answers in a table in an artifact

Options:
1. The Spark Sessions
2. The Leadership Diaries
3. The Next Level Agent
4. The Strategy Lab
5. Agency Amplified
6. Amplified Agency
7. The next horizon
8. real estate revolution

4. Collect and Analyse Responses

This is where things got interesting. Each AI persona provided a preference and detailed reasoning behind their choice.

The ‘responses’ showed clear patterns:

• Younger agents gravitated toward tech-focused names like "The next-level agent” (so did our team)

• Experienced agents preferred "Real Estate Reimagined" as it suggested innovation without being intimidating

• Broker-owners liked "The Leadership Diaries" as it implied actionable tips from other leaders

What I Learned From This Process

This method provided several benefits that traditional focus groups or social media testing couldn't match:

1. Speed and efficiency - I tested multiple options in hours rather than days or weeks

2. Honest feedback - AI personas don't have social pressure to be nice about my ideas (!)

3. Detailed reasoning - Each response included specific explanations about why certain names worked or didn't

4. Risk-free testing - It avoids putting half-baked ideas in front of my actual audience

5. Cost effectiveness - Traditional market research would have cost thousands of dollars and heap of time.

How You Can Apply This Method

If you're considering a rebrand, new product launch, or content series, here's how you can use this AI audience testing approach:

1. Define your audience personas with specific characteristics

2. Create multiple options to test (3-5 is ideal)

3. Ask simple, direct questions that focus on preferences and reasoning

4. Look for patterns across different persona types

5. Pay attention to unexpected feedback - it's often the most valuable!

What I found really cool about this approach is that it doesn't replace human decision-making—it enhances it. The AI doesn't make the final call; it provides rich data that helps you make a more informed choice before you spend a single dollar on any kind of production - whether it’s a brochure, a flyer, a video … or a podcast.

And the winner …?

Well, after a bit more to-ing and fro-ing with the robot, I have a shortlist of three, which I’ve listed in a poll below.

If you’d be so kind as to pick the one you’d be most likely to listen to, I’ll let you know on Friday if the robot was close.

Happy hunting 🚀

—Sam

Co-Founder of Elite Agent

Creator of 30 days of Practical Property Prompts

Creator of The Complete Conversion System 

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