Why you should NOT start a podcast
Staying home all day in this lock-down with absolutely nothing to do, starting a podcast seems like a great idea. Everyone’s doing it so it wouldn’t hurt to jump on the bandwagon, would it? It looks like very little work and big money. And the best part of podcasting is the investment cost; it can honestly start from $0 (not even exaggerating).
But here’s the catch. It only LOOKS like very little work and big money. In reality, podcasting is a very time-consuming thing which requires a lot of creativity, passion and patience. And for most of the people, those three things are tough.
You must’ve read plenty of articles motivating you to start a podcast. This article is not one of them. I want to help you realise that having a successful podcast (the one you can make money out of) is no walk in the park.
If any of these points fall under your reasons for starting a podcast, then I would strongly advise you to rethink about starting your podcast.
1. You are only doing it for the money
It may seem like it is easy to earn money through podcasting. But trust me, it is not. You cannot make money without listeners and if you have no passion for podcasting, growing your audience, spending the time to engage with your audience or even for the topics you are recording about; then don’t start a podcast. Most podcasters earn money through ad revenue which is accumulated based on how many downloads you get. While hosting sites like Anchor might offer you ads immediately once you sign up, you cannot earn much unless you reach over 1000 downloads. You can only be successful in the entertainment industry if you have a passion for what you are doing. Trust me when I say, your listeners can very clearly know if you are serious about podcasting and whether they should spend time listening to you talk about whatever.
If you are only doing it for the money, then I would advise you to find another way for earning money because it will be a while before you can start making money (unless you already have a good fanbase from other means like YouTube)
2. You are not really passionate about it
As of 2020, there are 850,000 active podcasts. However, statistically, the majority of people who start a podcast usually quit at an average of 7 episodes. One of the causes of it might be the failure to think of content, but the primary reason for it is because people are just not so passionate about podcasting. Unless you enjoy listening to podcasts and you think you’ll enjoy recording podcasts, don’t start one. The main reason why I say this is because you won’t perform well in something you are not passionate about. Especially when that something requires creativity and dedication to be successful.
Why make people listen to something you won’t listen to? That’s quite unfair to your audience, and in most cases, podcast listeners won’t even listen to more than 45 seconds of said podcasts.
3. You expect immediate growth
If that is your mindset going into the podcasting business, then there’s a 99% chance you will quit way before reaching your third episode. Starting up in this business, whether it’s podcasting or Youtube, etc., it’ll take quite a while before you get a large enough audience. In some cases, one of your episodes might blow-up, and people will start recognising you. Still, for that to happen, you need to have excellent quality episodes on consistent bases so that each episode has that window open for blowing up. Losing motivation because of the lack of listeners when you first begin is the worst thing you could do. Do podcasting because you love it and then eventually people will love and appreciate your work. These things take time, and that is why earlier I mentioned that patience is the toughest things for most new podcasters.
4. You have no content ideas for future episodes
Before you start your podcast, I want you to grab a pen and a piece of paper and brainstorm ideas for ten episodes. If you cannot think of at least 10 episodes, you would not be able to consistently upload. This brainstorming activity will tell you two things; whether you have enough ideas for future episodes so you won’t just disappear and reappear out of nowhere and whether you have a creative mind to talk about whatever into a mic for 1 hour and make it enjoyable. Make sure you have relevant content ideas before starting a podcast. In my opinion, it isn’t necessary to confirm your niche immediately. I think the smarter move is to explore different niches and see whichever one/few works the best for you; this way, you can also have more content ideas.
5. You fail at consistency
Everyone who has had experience in the field of social media and entertainment (again, like YouTube, podcast, etc.) will tell you that above all, being consistent is the most important. One of the primary importance of consistency and why it will play a massive role in your success story is because it helps with the algorithm. There is a higher likelihood that the algorithm recognises your podcast and recommends it to someone when you upload consistently and frequently. Nobody likes ghosts. Plus, the best part is that you improve with each and every episode. Your next episode will always be better than your previous one. Do NOT ever promise your audience that you will post on these days of the week and just don’t post. Nobody likes a person who cannot stick to their promise. If you do not give your audience new episodes consistently, you should expect that they will no longer be interested in your content. So if you aren’t ready for this long-term commitment, don’t start a podcast.
6. You think it is effortless
I chose to put this as the last reason because the previous five reasons show you how much hard work is put into each and every podcast episode. It takes a long time to get monetised and for businesses to want to invest in your podcast for advertising their products. Growth may be slow and not very steady for the first few episodes, some people might find that discouraging and lose passion for podcasting. Creativity and consistency are vital, but they take time, love and a lot of sitting down and thinking, not everyone can survive that without continually being frustrated and stressed. Podcasting should be relaxing and fun, not stressful. But if after reading all this, you still think it is a walk in the park, then you are either very stubborn or very keen on giving this a shot. But trust me when I say, podcasting is the last thing that’s “effortless”.
I have no intentions whatsoever to crush your dreams. However, I do think it is vital that you see both ends of the line to decide whether setting up everything, spending money on equipment and trying this project will be worth it. True, you never know unless you try but then it is best for both you and your listeners that you go into the podcasting game without having the reasons mentioned above in your pocket. Be careful before spending hundreds of dollars in recording equipment, this is a mistake many newbies make. I also advise that you use free hosting networks like Anchor or RedCircle (I use RedCircle for my podcast) because you do not want to pay subscription fees for something you’re unsure of.
I do hope that these tips gave you a real insight into the world of podcast. I hope after reading this article, you won’t be disappointed with yourself and your podcast when you start because you already would know what to expect.
Regardless, I really do hope that if you are really passionate about podcasting, you will give it a shot! It is enjoyable and something I am sure I will continue podcasting for a very long time.
(listen to my podcast “KINDA FUNNY by Maria Shooketh” on Spotify and Apple Podcast)
