When I started my podcast, I was pretty green. I had no idea where to start. Pretty quickly, though, I realized that the technical side of podcasting is fairly straightforward. You really only need a handful of things: a microphone, earphones, a recording device (even if it’s just your phone), editing software, and a podcast host. But while all of those things made my podcast possible, they weren’t the things that kept me going during the podcast grind – a time when the struggle is not about the technical challenges of a podcast, but instead, the emotional part, if you will. The part where doubt and impostor syndrome creep in. The part you don’t expect at all. Or, at least, I didn’t.
To push through and to avoid the podcrash, you need three things that aren’t “things” at all.
The first thing your podcast needs that isn’t a “thing”: PATIENCE
As you begin to publish more and more episodes, you will inevitably get better at all of the stuff that slowed you down in the beginning. You’ll find a rhythm for everything — a recording schedule, publishing schedule, booking guests if you have them, and also editing. You’ll also slowly begin to level up your equipment and your podcasting space. Throughout that process, you have to be patient with yourself. Give yourself room to make mistakes, to learn, and most of all, to keep going.
The podcrash struggle is real. Don’t quit. Trust me, I get it. When I first started podcasting, I wanted to quit every other day. Just be patient with the process of learning, honing the skill, and crafting your voice.
Sidenote: Check out Matt D’Avella’s Slow Growth Academy and sign up for his Snail Mail. It’s been my biggest dose of inspiration regarding patience and pacing.
The second thing your podcast needs that isn’t a “thing”: CONSISTENCY
As a podcaster, I listen to a lot of podcasts, and one podcast/er, in particular, came at just the right time. It was Seth Godin’s podcast, Akimbo. In the episode The Pursuit of Perfection, Seth reminds the listener that creativity is only achieved when we consistently create, in spite of perfection. We have to allow our project to be good enough and to simply let it go out into the world.
As a beginner in the podcasting space, I wanted everything to be perfect. So much so that it hindered the process of actually publishing episodes. I was meticulous in my edits and listened to the podcast more times than I care to admit, trying to create the “perfect episode.”
Before I knew it, weeks would pass and I still hadn’t published anything. While I was editing and polishing one episode, in attempt to make it “perfect,” my counterparts were pushing out weekly episodes. I was holding onto perfection in a space that called for consistency.
Don’t hold onto your work. It needs to be heard. Publish it and move on to the next episode!
Quote: You polish your podcast by doing it. Action brings clarity.
(Jaclyn Mallone (The Go-To Gal podcast)
For me, the hardest part of the podcast process was simply doing it alone. I was the host, creator, and editor of a project that was completely new to me. I needed community and I needed support.
The most vital thing your podcast needs (in my opinion) that is not a “thing” at all: A CHEERLEADER.
Sure, a massive audience with tons of positive feedback would be ideal, but for those of us just starting to cultivate our show and our voice, that might not be the case. If you have at least one person who understands the grind and will talk you off the podcasting ledge, their support will make all the difference.
If you don’t know anyone in the podcast space, that’s ok. Aside from my podcast friends, I leaned hard on both my sister and my girlfriend. Although they didn’t know the struggle of podcasting, many times it was their kind, supportive words that made the published episode possible.
So grab a mic, hit record, and share your voice.
While your podcasting equipment is the necessary tool that can pull at your budget, the things that will keep your podcast going are completely free!
In the comments below, let me know about your podcast so I can cheer you on!
