Your Show Is For People To Listen To, Right?
Unless it’s not.
There’s nothing wrong with a vanity show.
There’s nothing wrong if you and your friends want to turn on some mics and record yourselves goofing off. There’s also no issue posting it when you’re done. Yours would not be the first show to do this, and will not be the last. Many people like putting something “out there” for the heck of it. They usually believe everything they say is incredibly interesting, so why not share it with the world?
If this is you, I have a question.
Have you ever heard a recorded conversation between two friends who don’t know they’re being recorded? (I know, kinda creepy)
If you have, then you know how awkward a normal conversation can sound. People repeat themselves constantly. They interrupt each other. They use verbal shortcuts no one else would understand for things they have shared memories about.
This is how you and your friends sound.
You may think you can fix it in editing…maybe. If you’re doing your show strictly for fun, you probably won’t bother. You won’t care.
And if this is still you, then you may also not care if anyone beyond your close circle of friends and family listens to it. Because that’s what’s going to happen.
But what if it does matter?
What if your goal is to develop a huge fan base?
Then you will have to think about everything you do through the filter of what people will enjoy and want to listen to.
You need to answer the question your audience has going through their mind,
“Why should I care?”
If you can’t give a good answer to this, why are you talking about what you’re talking about?
You need to understand it’s not about you. It’s about adding value to the lives of people who listen.
Granted, this can be tricky. Chances are no matter the topic, there will be people who are not interested. But those are not the people you’re reaching for. You want to find listeners who are as passionate about your topic as you are. You want superfans.
When picking a niche for your show, when adding a feature, when choosing a guest, have you asked yourself “What’s the point of this?” “Will anyone enjoy this?” Is the information adding value to people who love this topic?”
This is going to require some brutal honesty.
Can you recognize when you’re no longer interesting? Are you trying to deliberately make your show longer, ignoring when the conversation becomes weak?
How can you tell when to stop?
I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you can see these red flags.
I think you will notice when things slow down. I think you will notice when you’re desperately searching for more to say. I think you will notice when the subject was changed merely to keep talking. I think you’ll recognize detours that lead the show away from your topic.
When these happen, STOP.
Podcasts are fluid. This means it’s okay for your shows to be different lengths. Don’t get hung up on this. A great shorter show beats a long, rambling show every time.
The important thing to remember is to keep going only as long as the material is interesting.
Use an outsider to listen to it before posting, someone you trust. You don’t have to follow their feedback, but it will at least give you some idea about what may not be working.
Note that the more shows you do, the better you’ll get at noticing what’s working and what’s not.
Your show isn’t likely to be noticed for the first dozen episodes anyway, giving you time to work out the kinks.
Did you notice I said a dozen? That’s the minimum. Many people wait for enough shows so they can binge listen. This means if you’re frustrated with a lack of listeners after three episodes, you might want to look for a different side hustle.
Building an audience takes time. Keep your listeners in mind, give them value, and they will find you.
I am a 30-year major market veteran of radio and other media, including hosting a morning show for over 12 years, plus I was a news anchor and reporter for another 10 years. My goal is to teach the soft skills needed to be successful in podcasting and radio, like how to get the best from a show guest, and how to work with co-hosts.
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