“Start a podcast,” they said.

“Start a podcast,” they said.

“It will be fun!” they said.

“You’ll make lots of money!” they said.

Yes, there is lots of money to be made in the podcasting craft – and it’s also a terrible reason to get into the craft. Because podcasting ain’t a bed of roses. It’s hard work. You feel like you’re speaking into the wind more often than you feel truly engaged with your audience.

Now this doesn’t at all mean your audience isn’t engaged with you. Those download numbers are real, assuming you’re using a reputable podcast host like Captivate, libsyn, Podbean, (stay away from Anchor.fm, I’ve heard some things from circles I trust).

If you see numbers accumulating, you can only assume people are listening and being impacted by what is being said on your little show. Else why would they keep pressing play?

They just don’t interact with you all that much. That’s just the nature of the craft. If you absolutely need human interaction to validate your work, then don’t get into podcasting. It’s often thankless, lonely work.

Notice I said Often. It doesn’t mean you’re a lone voice crying in the wilderness. You do get recognized for your work at trade shows, conferences and such. And it’s a great way to build a network of influencers within a niche, and in turn become an influencer in your own right within said niche. It’s just that such interaction is few and far between.

I’m not saying all this to complain or discourage anyone from starting a podcast. Truthfully, I needed something to write for the day and I had just finished a set of show notes that began exactly how this post began, so I just ran with it 😉

The truth is there is something tremendously satisfying about having an idea come to mind, maybe while out for a walk, then writing it down, visualizing how an interview might go, then actually doing said interview, have the audio go through the production process with show notes, graphics and everything, then seeing it published on Apple or Spotify, or even your own website.

It scratches an itch that I didn’t know I even had sometimes, and it’s what keeps me coming back for more.

The money element? Go for it – after you’ve established your voice, your niche, your own unique way of delivering your message. If you’re parroting someone else, using a bunch of phony emotion to “build an audience” and whisper a bunch of sweet nothings into their ear that you don’t even understand much less believe, you’re doing it wrong. If any revenue comes from that strategy, it will be fleeting.

It’s like meeting an attractive person of the opposite sex. You can get by on charm for about 15 minutes; after that you’d better know something. If not, that 15 minutes is all you’ll ever get with that person.

That’s the way it is with so many people who “try out” a podcast. It’s fun for about 15 minutes (or maybe 15 weeks) then they get bored with it, and it’s off to the next shiny object to play with.

Bottom line is if money is the motivation to get into podcasting, you’d be well-advised to find another motivation and quickly. Because the money won’t come right away, and you’ll soon be left with a bunch of wasted time, energy and gear sold for pennies on the dollar on Facebook marketplace. You’ll join the ever growing chorus of wannabe’s who didn’t put any real thought into how or why they should do it – they just did it.

A better motivation? Have a compelling message that only you can share – and then share it consistently, in a way that’s engaging to listen to. Give the audio a quick “haircut” i.e. edit, create some graphics on Canva.com. You’ll instantly stand out from the crowd of half-hearted folk who are wallowing in the Great Swamp of Uncertainty. And you’ll make yourself quite attractive to people who are interested and hungry for what you have to say!

Advice like this is one of the perks of working with us at Podcast Artistry™. Sure we get the audio and show notes all gussied up for company coming over for dinner, but we help guide our clients in important decisions such as direction, content, all the many little decisions that go into producing a quality show. If you’re interested in checking it out, here’s the link to do so: https://podcastartistry.com