Try Podcasting! It’s Great! (For Some)
Your reasons for trying may determine if you succeed.
Why would you want to do a podcast?
There are many reasons. Some are great, others will doom you to fail before you truly get started.
Let’s focus on a few reasons why you feel you might want to “put on a show,” and what the consequences could be.
Maybe it’s FOMO. It seems everyone else is doing it, so you think you should to.
What’s the old line our parents told us? If everyone else were jumping off a bridge, would you do it too? As a kid I usually had a smartass answer, but as an adult it makes sense to examine if it’s true you’re jumping on a bandwagon. The real question is, is a podcast something you really WANT to do?
Often we don’t know if we’re going to like something until we try it.
Just don’t commit major resources until you’re certain it’s for you. You’ve probably heard a gazillion sources tell you that you can do it with your phone, so the entry point is low.
I say do a practice show or two and see if doing podcasts has promise. You don’t even have to post them. (By the way, after doing a show or two on a phone, get some better gear. You don’t have to use the expensive stuff. An inexperienced ear may not know much about the quality of what they’re hearing, but a lot of us listening can tell you’re using crap equipment pretty quickly.
Another reason to do a podcast is because you feel you have things to say and that you want everyone to hear.
And then there are those who are trying to convince you that doing a podcast would be good for your business.
If this is you, at least give your business podcast a fighting chance. Find someone on your team who would truly enjoy doing it. Assigning an employee or team at random to create a podcast is not going to lead to a good outcome if none of them feels pleasure doing it. This is one of those instances where caring matters. If your host is not into it, we’ll hear it, even if only subconciously. We may not be able to put our finger on why we feel bothered, we will only know it doesn’t feel right.
Money is stated by many as a big reason to begin a podcast. This may be one of the worst reasons.
People truly believe they’ll make sacks of money with a podcast, but that’s not the reality. Some will, the majority won’t. The ones that do are providing value to their audience. The ones that don’t are using all the online tricks for “getting one thousand followers in 30 days!”
Please understand, I’m not saying the desire to make money with podcasts is bad. What I’m saying is that if money is your only motivator, you’re not going to do well.
For starters, you won’t have anything to say that people will want to listen to. You’re likely to pick a topic based on something you think is a moneymaker instead of something you’re passionate about. You’re going to become bored or frustrated pretty quickly trying to think of things to talk about.
Plus, there’s a chance you may not know a thing about your moneymaker topic. It may feel to you that all you have to do is a quick internet search, then start recording! That’s a fast way to look like an idiot, especially to people who do what you’re talking about for a living. This is also a great way to get people to just ignore you.
You might also want to start a podcast because you want the attention. But then you’re at risk of doing stupid attention grabbing stuff that could end badly.
What would be a good reason to do a podcast?
You have a passion for something, and you love to talk about it.
It’s a lot more difficult if your heart’s not in it, and you’re only doing it for other people. This will lead to pod fade, meaning you’ll stop and add your podcast to the pile of dead shows. If it’s not for you, it won’t take many episodes before you give up.
Now this doesn’t mean you can’t fail if you’re enjoying it. It could just be the wrong topic for a show, and trying a different take on your subject may be a better idea than quitting. Don’t waste time on something that doesn’t feel right. Passion should lead to enjoyment or fulfillment. Shift gears if you need to.
Podcasting can be extremely rewarding, and for some, lucrative as well. Come on in and join the party!
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