We all know how important it is to build a home on solid ground, but what about podcasting?
Here are 8 pitfalls you need to stop immediately to insure that your building a podcast on a solid foundation.
Take it from someone who’s been there and did it the wrong way. Learn from my mistakes so you can put yourself in the best position for success.
1. You’re not being consistent
Yeah I know you keep hearing it, practice makes perfect. But I’m going to beat it over your head over and over again until you get it. Practice. Makes. Perfect.
So why aren’t you practicing?
I bet it’s because your blessed with golden vocal cords that make you sound like the Berry White of podcasting huh?
Then you decided to take the week off after telling your listeners you’d publish every week on Thursday morning. What do you think would happen if Breaking Bad didn’t air mid season?
You’d have a lot of unhappy campers.
Stop being lazy, show up when you say you’re going to, and create content silos to stay ahead of the game.
2. You’re not engaging and don’t put any personality into it
Quick question… would you listen to your podcast? If you don’t think it’s good why would anyone else? It’s OK if you don’t, but it’s time to start considering engagement and injecting some personality.
What does Oprah, Howard Stern and Joe Rogan all have in common? They know how to inject their personalities and keep people glued to their show.
What makes you “you”? How can you incorporate that into your show in a fun, engaging way that keeps people coming back? Figure it out and sprinkle that Sh!^ everywhere!
3. You’re audio and production are sub par
Oh how pleasant is it to listen to a chain saw through ear buds! Sub par audio and production will be the death of your podcast because it kills the vibe.
You get 60 seconds to win them over and if you can’t get the basics right your toast!
- Make sure you check your levels – red is dead!
- Don’t record in rooms with large open spaces
- Invest in a quality microphone.
Why not even invest in your business by hiring a team of professionals?
As far as production goes, please stop copying everyone else’s cheesy intros and bumpers. Why not try rapping your own or getting some help from a creative genius – Christina Canters plays the uki over hers!
4. There’s too much fluff
This is not the time to unload about your crappy day, why you missed last week’s episode, or what you ate for dinner. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
Podcast listeners are busy people. They’re driving to work, traveling across the country, and squeezing in that last minute gym sess.
According to Libsyn, 63% of the 2.6 billion downloads from their network back in 2014 were from mobile devices.
Respect their time and your listeners will respect you.
5. There’s no real value
Podcasting is hard work and everything you put out there needs to add value or your hard work will be worthless. Why would any sane person spend years not putting out something that has impact?
When I was growing up my mom used to say, “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all.”
I’ve modified this for podcasting, “If you don’t have anything of value to say, don’t hit the record button.”
6. You’re an instant gratifier
Are you an instant gratifier? Do you yearn for McDonald’s drive-thru results? Well, I have bad news… podcasting is a long-tail game.
Expect to put in 12-24 months before seeing any return. If that’s too much work, you should keep it moving and find another inbound content strategy for your business.
You have to be confident with knowing there’s the potential for a huge payoff down the road. Ask ask my buddy John Lee Dumas is it worth it?
Focus on the process of honing your mic skills and showing up, the payoff will come.
7. You’re not connecting with your audience
Your podcast should be a dialogue, not a monologue. You need to respond to every email, thank people for reviews, and create a conversation between you and your listeners.
Why not get outside the box and send them a starbucks gift card? Invite them over for dinner? It might sound crazy, but that’s how you become a purple cow.
Your audience includes the people you interview too. Don’t be a hit and run podcaster.
You know those podcasters who get the interview, hit their guest with the episode share link, and never call again?
One night podcast stands get the job done, but the real value is in creating long-term lasting relationships. I like Ted Rubin’s style of building.
8. You don’t have a clearly defined goal for your podcast
Podcasting just to podcast is just ludacris in my opinion. If you don’t have a clear defined goal or revenue model, how will know what success looks like?
Cheesy, yes. Cliche, yep. But I can guarantee you they’ll be days when you don’t want to show up and get behind the mic. I can’t promise you a million downloads, but I can promise you that.
Those will be the days you need a swift kick in the pants or what my coach Jason Womack calls your “So that” statement.
Bringing it home
I don’t ever profess that my advice is gospel and works for everyone under the sun. But I will say that these have been observations and things I’ve learn the hard way from being in the podcast trenches since 2013.
Avoiding these 8 pitfalls will put you in the best possible position to succeed and build your podcast on a solid foundation. Because ain’t nobody got time for a house of cards!
Are you podcasting to grow your personal brand or business? Comment below and chime with your feedback. Have you been guilty like I have of making some of these mistakes.