Release Worry: Podcast with Confidence
If you’ve been on the fence about podcasting since the pandemic, today’s blog post will help.
It’s time to hop down from where you’re perched—watching opportunities pass by.
It’s time to stop thinking you shouldn’t launch your very own podcast and start making some plans.
Recently Mary contacted me with a few questions about launching a new podcast and wondered, Is now the right time? Since the start of the pandemic so many have dabbled in podcasting and it feels like there are a sea of shows out there. As we chatted, I realized the number one thing holding Mary back was she needed a confidence boost to help nudge her off that fence.
Look Before You Leap
When you know the facts, you’re more confident and can make an informed decision. Here are some wisdom and experience nuggets I shared to help her feel more comfortable and ready to get her feet firmly planted on solid podcasting ground.
1. Nobody has the same exact experiences, expertise, or and connection to the topic you wish to speak to as you. There can be similarities, sure. But there won’t be another Sean, Jane, Molly, or John who can speak on the topic with the same dictation, examples, or voice as you.
2. As individuals consuming the content, we are drawn to what speaks to us. Podcasts, like books, blogs, and television shows, have been out for over a decade proving they are here to stay and like other types of media come with loads of variety. Yes, podcasts have been around for more than a decade now.
Turn to any type of media and you’ll see multiple series on similar topics. Take, for example, crime or true-crime series. You have multiple drama series on television such as CSI or Criminal Minds. There are true crime documentaries on Netflix or Hulu such as The Staircase or Making of a Murderer. And then there are podcasts covering true crime—so many recognizable podcasts—like My Favorite Murder or Serial. Add to these options the countless other media dedicated to crime and true crime, and yet, the sheer number and variety of shows in existence doesn’t stop production companies, independent and corporate podcast companies, and others from making content dedicated to true crime. This is because each story can be told differently, from a different perspective, or artistic view.
So, yes, a podcast on dog training already exists but the stories you have to tell and the way you tell them does not.
BONUS: If you can offer a unique spin on the way you share your content, you can set yourself a part a bit and draw listeners from other shows on your topic (because you know they already enjoy that topic) to your show.
3. What you think may be true, perhaps isn’t really true. According to Rob Walch at Libsyn, it is said that there are over 1 million podcasts today, but there are only about 500,000 active podcasts. This means that while a lot of people may have started a podcast during the recent pandemic, chances are many of them have already pod-faded—meaning they began production and fizzled out after 3-5 episodes.
Go ahead and leap! You’ve got this and your audience is waiting to hear from you.
If you’re someone who has been hosting Instagram Lives or Facebook Lives, I have some surprises coming in my next newsletter. Watch for it. I’ll be sharing how you can seamlessly tie in all your “Lives” efforts to your podcasting. This will be a game-changer and eye-opener.