WHAT’S THIS EPISODE ABOUT?
Mistakes New Podcasters Make
There are so many things I wish I would have known when I first started podcasting. And instead of looking back at all the mistakes that I made and feeling like I totally messed up and those #LessonsLearned are just fluttering away into an oblivion…
I thought I would share them with you!
We’re going to talk about the top 5 mistakes I see new podcasters make all the time. These mistakes started off as ones that I did myself before I started gaining momentum on my podcast.
But now, I’m immersed in the podcast world.
And I still see people make the same mistakes over and over again.
If you’re just getting started, you will know to avoid these at all costs!
If you’ve been podcasting for a while and are making some of these mistakes, I’m going to tell you how to turn those wrongs into rights!
Don’t you worry…I’ve got you taken care of!
Here are the top 5 mistakes new podcasters make.
So today I’m sharing with you the five mistakes new podcasters make so let’s get right to it.
1. NOT PLANNING AHEAD!
The first of the five mistakes new podcasters make is NOT planning ahead! And this will come back and bite you in the rear.
It’s almost like one of those sneak attack things where you don’t think it’s really THAT important. “I don’t HAVE to plan out my content…I know what I’m going to talk about…I have an idea of how things are going to go a few weeks from now…”
Y’all, this is a recipe for disaster!
If you don’t plan ahead, you’re going to be in trouble! And that is the God’s honest truth!
One thing that I made the mistake of doing when I first got started podcasting was trying to come up with content on the fly. This is the perfect setup for feeling burned out, overwhelmed, and losing momentum in your podcast when you’re just starting!
I caught myself asking each week, “Well, what am I supposed to talk about today?”
Then that same question would come around the next week, “What am I supposed to talk about today?”
Until finally I felt SO overwhelmed – not knowing what I should talk about. I kept thinking I didn’t have enough episode ideas because I was forcing myself to come up with ideas on the spot.
And let me tell ya, it ain’t fun trying to podcast like that!
The best way to overcome this mistake (and what I’m suggesting for you to do) is to sit down and spend an entire day planning content. That doesn’t mean you have to plan out an entire year. Or 6 months. Or even the next three months!
But I’m going to challenge you to sit down in the next forty-eight hours and come up with twenty podcast episode ideas.
Hang on…Let me be VERY CLEAR!
I’m NOT asking you to record twenty podcast episodes in the next forty-eight hours. (That’s just CRAZY TALK!) I’m asking you to come up with twenty podcast ideas.
This is something that I teach my students and clients to do on a regular basis. Twenty ideas for your podcast can equal five months’ worth of content – if you publish one episode per week.
2o Episodes = (4 Weeks in a Month * 1 Episode Per Week) * 5 Months’ of Content
I don’t want you to burden yourself each week with, “What am I supposed to talk about?”
Come up with the ideas NOW that way you have the freedom to really plan and outline your podcast. And another great thing about doing it this way…
It makes Podcasting a lot more FUN And LESS stressful!
2. BEING REACTIVE, NOT PROACTIVE!
The second of the mistakes new podcasters make goes hand-in-hand with not planning ahead! If you’re being REACTIVE to everything, then by definition you are just reacting to whatever is happening to you.
You aren’t being PROACTIVE!
And I have a few examples of this. Let’s say you are putting out podcast content on a weekly basis. But then you realize, “Oh crap…I haven’t planned anything for next week!”
BOOM…REACTIVE!
And then you realize, “Oh, I didn’t market anything on social media this week about my podcast!”
BOOM…REACTIVE!
Or you could simply realize that you are spinning your wheels. You’re trying to keep up with planning, recording, editing, publishing, marketing and you all of a sudden feel super overwhelmed and the process isn’t fun anymore!
BOOM…REACTIVE!
And this one really hit home for me. I know this feeling all too well. Because I’ve been there!
I overwhelmed myself with the podcast process. I simply didn’t have a plan in place. I was reactive to everything that came at me each week.
That’s why I want YOU to really take the time to plan things out ahead of time. Be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to creating your podcast, editing, and marketing every week.
Create enough margin in your schedule so that you can be proactive in your podcast journey. Instead of reacting to everything as it comes out to you, be ready for it. Say, “Bring it on!”
Trust me, you’ll thank me later on this one!
If you need help with the podcast process, make sure you download “The Ultimate Podcast Checklist”! It literally has every single step of the process you could ever need! Whether you record solo or have guests on every episode, this checklist can really help cut down on the overwhelm!
Joined the Bootcamp Yet?
This is our FREE 5-day Podcast Video Series that walks you through the basics of podcasting!
3. COMPARISON OF OTHER SHOWS!
This is one of those mistakes new podcasters make that I’m ashamed to admit I did (and still do sometimes)! I used to frequently compare myself to other more established shows for a long time! And I still – to this day – slip into the comparison trap from time to time.
However, since I’ve been podcasting for a while now, that happens less and less often.
If you are a one-person show running your podcast – handling everything from booking a guest interview to scheduling the call to recording and editing and promoting and all the things that go into creating the podcast – then you can’t compare yourself to someone who has an entire staff of people handling all the other things that they don’t have to deal with!
Make sure you’re giving yourself tons of grace!
If you’re just getting started, you WON’T…hang on, let me repeat that…
If you’re just getting started, you WILL NOT have the same numbers as someone who’s been doing this for six months. Or a year. Or two years. Or a freaking decade!
If you’re brand new to the game, don’t think you’ll have the same seamless processes and systems in place as someone who’s been podcasting for a while.
All of these happen over time.
Give yourself some grace, put your head down, and do the work.
You’ll get better as you keep podcasting. I promise!
4. SPEND TOO MUCH TIME EDITING!
Stop spending so much time editing!!
I did this in the beginning too, so I’m not just coming down on you. I’m also speaking to my podcasting self from last year.
Because I spent WAY TOO much editing in the beginning.
I would spend more than an hour editing a podcast episode that was around 30-45 minutes. I tried to edit out every single “Umm” and every time I breathed loudly into the mic.
I literally edited every…single….little…word that I thought was a mistake.
Not only did I waste all of this time editing my natural way of speaking (trying to be perfect), it made me feel like I wasn’t good enough!
I kept thinking to myself, “It shouldn’t be this hard. I shouldn’t make this many mistakes. And I will NEVER get any better at editing!”
The truth of the matter is…you’re going to make mistakes.
You’re going to mess up. You’re going to say something wrong, or cough, or lose your train of thought in the middle of recording a podcast episode. And that’s okay! Because you will get better over time. And I can promise you that your audience is more concerned with the content you’re creating then you sounding perfect.
Actually, my audience has responded more positively the less that I’ve edited my total screw-ups out.
They’ve told me, “It helps me feel like I don’t have to be perfect either!”
Take that into consideration as you create your podcast and edit it going forward. Your audience doesn’t want you to perfect. They just want you to be YOU!
5. NOT PROMOTING NEW CONTENT!
Come in close for this one. Closer…nope. Still not close enough…we need to have a pep talk!
You can create amazing content every single week…But if you don’t tell anybody it’s there, you’re missing out on the chance to share your message with the world!
Yes, you could get lucky and someone stumbles upon your podcast episode and share it with millions of people and it goes viral.
But that’s not reality. Nor is it usually how these things work.
If you’re a solopreneur, you need to be the Marketing Director, Promotional Manager, and Public Relations Representative for your podcast!
And I think that that scares a lot of people.
Especially people that are a one-woman or one-man show. They feel like they can’t measure up to the other shows they compare themselves to. (Remember, that’s Mistake #3 that we aren’t going to do anymore, right?)
The truth is no one you hirer will have as much passion for your podcast message as you do.
They may come pretty close, but at the end of the day it is YOUR job, YOUR responsibility, and YOUR privilege to promote your podcast.
I’m going to link to a few videos below that have to do with marketing your podcast. And I’ll throw in a few podcast episodes where I show you exactly how you can market your podcast. I don’t want you feeling stuck wondering how to promote your podcast. Let me guide you.
Those are the mistakes I see new podcasters make most often.
And like I said in the beginning if you’ve been making these mistakes…it’s okay!
I’ve made them too and that is one of the reasons why I wanted to create this episode.
But really…I wanted to share the knowledge that I wish I would’ve known before I really started my podcast. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes that I did in the beginning.
You can also watch the video below for more stories on mistakes new podcasters make and how to avoid them!
RECAP: Mistakes New Podcasters Make
- NOT PLANNING AHEAD
- BEING REACTIVE, NOT PROACTIVE
- COMPARISON OF OTHER SHOWS
- SPEND TOO MUCH TIME EDITING
- NOT PROMOTING NEW CONTENT
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
- Amy Porterfield & Brooke Castillo “B- Minus” Podcast Episode
- Marketing Videos on YouTube
- “How to Market a Podcast” Podcast Episode
- The Ultimate Podcast Checklist
- ProffittPodcasting.com
- Proffitt Podcast Online Community Facebook Group
- Podcast YouTube Channel
- Resource Library
- 5-Day Podcast Bootcamp
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