You Don’t Have to Do It All
Below are a couple of phrases that can be a little triggering for my delicate ears …
“Oh - you’re thinking about doing a podcast?! That’s great! Make sure you do a VIDEO podcast”
- or -
“You have to be on ALL the current social media platforms to market your show.”
That alone will make me talk out loud to myself for a solid 10 minutes as I begin to explain to no one in particular, why neither of those things are true. Let’s go with a healthier alternative, and I’ll explain things in a more concise way.
If you are thinking about doing a podcast, resist the urge to “do it all.” Not every option is one that you have to pursue.
There are a lot of THINGS that people/brands/companies say you MUST do, when in reality it all just amounts to extra sprinkles on the cupcake. Just keep in mind your reason(s) for starting the podcast. That will help you determine what to focus on and prioritize. Start small and do one or two things really well and then expand out - IF - you want to. And if you try something that doesn’t work, that’s okay! You tried it. It didn’t work. Make sure you learned something from the experience and move on to something else.
Remember:
You don’t have to include video.
You don’t have to be on all the social media platforms.
You know what you HAVE to do for podcasting?
Record your voice.
Distribute your voice (aka an RSS feed).
I’m oversimplifying a little, but not by much.
Pace yourself in regard to all of the new tasks and skills you take on while creating your content - especially if you’re new to this podcast adventure. Once you start to master your workflow and understand how long it takes to create your vision, THEN you can sit back and decide if you’re ready to add more things to your to-do list.
“Don’t be a jack of all trades and master of none.”
A couple of golden nuggets to consider:
Video production tends to take up more time, money, and mental bandwidth when compared to audio-only podcasts.
If you don’t enjoy engaging with a particular social media platform, then why bother doing anything on it?
I should also make the disclaimer that I’m writing all of this from the viewpoint of someone who typically produces and edits my own podcast (in addition to marketing it). So, if you are in a situation where finances are no barrier, then kudos to you - the sky is the limit! In theory, you could hire out someone to edit your show AND market it on whatever social media best suites your needs. That frees up more time to focus on the creative/fun stuff. But even with unlimited finances … I would still caution you to take your time, start small, and expand from there. Don’t be a jack of all trades and master of none.
Here’s a quick example of how I’ve tried to apply some of these thoughts to a recent project of mine. When I started my fiction podcast last year, I tried to put all of my prior podcast experience to good use by setting realistic goals.
Goals for year one: Pick the most appropriate podcast hosting platform, set the show’s launch date and don’t miss it, create the show’s artwork, make a trailer and publish it before my main episodes launch, and meet all of my publishing deadlines.
That’s it for year one! I kept the bar low. Behind the scenes, I did start claim social media accounts (Instagram) and my website domain name, but I didn’t put pressure on myself to do anything with those resources. I was only securing things for future investment.
Goals for year two: Create a newsletter, publish an official website, and have fun with social media.
Goals for year three: Evaluate if current social media options are working, look into the potential for paid marketing, and re-evaluate current website host.
I am still on year two, and notice how I don’t have any mention of doing video versions of my audio-only podcast …
Now - I have thought about doing a video version, ha. But I don’t believe it makes sense for me to consider it at this time, due to my own personal goals with the podcast. So aside from an occasional passing thought, I don’t entertain the idea of video podcasts.
“ … it has turned into ‘just another thing for me to do' …”
As for social media - I haven’t really been utilizing this option as I intended.
I thought it would be more fun and exciting, but it has turned into “just another thing for me to do,” which drains time and energy away from doing the things I enjoy. So now - I’m thinking about just deleting the Instagram account.
If I entertain the idea of trying a different social media platform, my only criteria are:
It’s fun and easy to use.
My posts are able to reach people who might enjoy listening to my podcast.
Or - like I said - I’ll just get rid of social media all together! It’s up to me, because it’s my podcast. I have the podcast, website, newsletter and email to stay in touch with my audience, so in theory, I don’t really NEED social media to do anything I’m not already doing.
You might be thinking, “What about using social media to market to potential new listeners?” That’s a fair point. But when I think back to how I’ve heard about the podcasts I currently listen to, most of the marketing was done via word of mouth, or someone on a podcast episode mentioned another podcast name that people might enjoy. So, consider me unconvinced that social media really drives a lot of long-term listeners to podcasts.
As usual, a lot of the podcast tips out there on the internet are more of what ya call guidelines … so I hope there is something useful in this post. I truly get frustrated by people who tell new podcasters that they have to do “all of the things” - and then it turns into this overwhelming mountain of tasks - leading to burnout and the dreaded “podfade.”
Don’t be discouraged by someone else’s to-do list. Understand what your goals are, who your podcast is for, and what keeps you excited to continue podcasting!
Good luck!
