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Probably because I\u2019m a Broadcast instructor I see a lot of startups and huge letdowns. Yeah I\u2019m the guy that proudly stands up front looking at all those rows of hardcore dreamers and says, \u201cIf you\u2019re here to chase radio get started in the smallest town in your state. The big boys are already full with three million people are sitting impatiently on the waiting list. Or\u2026 You can start podcasting and declare yourself hired. Because you\u2019re the president and CEO of Me Inc.\u201d
The problem with opening that door is that everybody thinks it instantly comes with fame and fortune. Yeahhhhh guess what? When those numbers don\u2019t show up the thought of doing more episodes sits in the cellar until you\u2019re in the mood to pop open the microphone again or you\u2019re taken over by jealousy. Everybody else looks like they\u2019re having fun so it ignites a new fire in your drive forward.
Not to be a buzz kill but podcasting demands a lot of attention. You\u2019ve got to be willing to work hard and be committed. Even if you\u2019re doing it as a hobby or you\u2019re a business that\u2019s been convinced that it\u2019s a new way to reach customers, you can\u2019t envision a certain number of expected episodes then quit. You\u2019d never unpeel a banana then set it on the counter and walk away. You\u2019d have fruit flies in less than 60 minutes.
From the first start know in your heart podcasting is always moving forward. They say the human being can read the same sentence seven different ways. Take the subject of your episode. It too can be delivered in multiple ways. You\u2019re never the same person on each episode. It\u2019s completely natural to always bring different ideas and experiences.
Look at the way Chelsea Handler continues to cover mental illness. Same subject. Several different episodes with brilliant content and hardcore attention grabbing inflection and storytelling. The other day I was instantly drawn to Dax Shepard\u2019s Armchair Expert because he reposted a conversation with the late Peter Fonda. Famous person with a crap life. We\u2019ve all heard them but not in the way that Peter brought his story forward.
The reason why I bring this up is because so many podcasters get caught in the hiccup. It\u2019s that one moment when your creative juices don\u2019t show up. Oh I\u2019ve been there. This is my fortieth year in broadcasting. You get to get to this part of the journey unless you\u2019ve learned how to move through those pain in the ass dry spells.
As to why so many pull their podcast ship off the water? It\u2019s the same old stories, \u201cI wasn\u2019t feeling it. I\u2019ve run out of ideas. The social networking part of the process is too time consuming. I\u2019m not making money and that\u2019s not in my plans.\u201d Yeah yeah yeah.
Subliminally speaking. Hitting that blank spot in the wall can easily affect you. The listener in you is tuning out. Is your show moving in forward motion? Is it more about you and less about the physical listener? If it is\u2026 The listener in you is in the front row of your show! It\u2019s read to punch the next button.
No seriously! It doesn\u2019t matter who\u2019s hosting the show, the inner core of every person involved is affected by their way of how they listen. The listener in you has a completely different personality then the performer. Which is why you can\u2019t stop podcasting after thirteen strikeouts at the numbers game.
If the ambition and addiction to podcasting has left you cooled off. Grab some space and head out to the streets or busy office. Time to listen to the episodes in the very places your fans and followers are hooking up to the vibe. Put yourself at their level. Adlibbing and improving are a skill. If you\u2019re dropping tracks with no scripts those ears of yours know when the subject at hand is either off coarse or out of tune.
I do get a little bothered when talent tell me, \u201cNot every podcast can be a homerun. I crack the mic open and we\u2019re off!\u201d Which basically tells me (the listener) that quality doesn\u2019t matter. Edit edit edit! You make a mistake, keep moving! Get the thought out! Then return to the crime scene to patch up the disturbance.
Hitting the blank spot in the wall is a symptom that requires a solution. I totally grasp the free spirit slash organic approach to breaking bread on the microphone but man you can\u2019t wing a bowling ball a hundred miles an hour at the pens and expect to get a strike unless you follow through.
Oh hell yeah. I\u2019m repairing your desire to podcast with my personal experiences as a bowler with the AJBC. It was in the late 1970\u2019s but the analogy of following through is the first step toward a new beginning.
If you\u2019re getting burned out then create a shorter podcast. If you\u2019re tired of waiting for people to show up, do the episodes yourself. If the podcast subjects are all over the place\u2026 follow through with well disciplined focus. One thought per break. The food talk goes on the cooking channel not the main vein. The book talk goes to an author podcast not the hot spot. Break up your subjects by giving them their own stage.
If your final decision is to put a nail in the coffin be ok with it. This isn\u2019t terrestrial radio where there\u2019s only so many stations in each town. You didn\u2019t terminate yourself from the podcast. Something needed to grow in a different direction and a sliver of your life looked at that blank spot in the wall and chose the easier route. I\u2019m gonna walk away for a while.
Hmmm you\u2019d gain more experience if you hung in there. Teaching yourself how to quit is a bad habit with no doctors in the market to fix the broken spokes. It\u2019s ok to lose a couple of teeth in this hockey game. It\u2019s not supposed to be easy. There\u2019s always joy in podcasting! The joy of exercising your right to speak.
So what\u2019s the moral of the story? It\u2019s perfectly fine to soak your big toe in podcasting without taking it as serious most. Dabbling around with it part of the growth. Do yourself a favor though. When you do reach that blank spot in the wall try not to advertise it to your family, friends and followers. During that break from the action repost your past performances. Gaining new listeners every day is a fun part of the practice. If your episodes are stacked they aren\u2019t going through ten pages of stuff to find your best work.
If they haven\u2019t heard it before. Then it\u2019s a brand new show. If you haven\u2019t heard it in a long time. It can feel like a brand new show. You might be inspired to crank up the creative engine and give yourself a shot of juice.