WEBVTT 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:04.080 Avoid these 5 common mistakes that new podcasters make. 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:13.039 Thank you for joining me for The Audacity to Podcast. 00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:14.000 I'm Daniel J. Lewis. 00:00:14.134 --> 00:00:17.574 No matter where you are in your podcasting journey, it's possible 00:00:17.574 --> 00:00:21.734 to make 1 of these podcasting mistakes, whether launching or even 00:00:21.734 --> 00:00:23.974 recording your next episode. 00:00:24.214 --> 00:00:28.879 Even if you've been podcasting for 10, 15, 20 years, you could 00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:33.280 still fall into making 1 or multiple of these mistakes. 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:36.719 Especially if you're looking to start your first podcast, start 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:40.159 it outright and avoid these mistakes before you start. 00:00:40.239 --> 00:00:44.405 Here we go. Number 1, striving for perfect. 00:00:44.725 --> 00:00:46.324 This plays out in a few ways. 00:00:46.564 --> 00:00:50.884 First, we often think about perfection and the curse of 00:00:50.884 --> 00:00:51.684 perfection. 00:00:51.684 --> 00:00:56.324 We try to have the perfect sounding audio, the perfect podcast, 00:00:56.539 --> 00:00:58.140 the perfect presentation. 00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:02.219 We try to edit ourselves to absolute perfection, editing out any 00:01:02.219 --> 00:01:06.700 kind of or or a pause that's even a microsecond too long. 00:01:06.700 --> 00:01:11.725 And sometimes we strive so hard for perfection that it ends up 00:01:11.725 --> 00:01:14.444 sounding artificial because it is. 00:01:14.525 --> 00:01:17.484 You might not actually sound that way when you're speaking. 00:01:17.484 --> 00:01:21.645 I'm not saying leave in every single mistake because that's the 00:01:21.645 --> 00:01:23.564 authentic you as some people might put it. 00:01:23.780 --> 00:01:29.140 Still try to edit out the mistakes, try to present something that 00:01:29.140 --> 00:01:33.619 sounds great, but it doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:38.034 We also strive for perfect in some of the options that we're 00:01:38.034 --> 00:01:39.314 considering for things. 00:01:39.474 --> 00:01:43.314 The perfect microphone, the perfect camera, the perfect lighting, 00:01:43.314 --> 00:01:46.754 the perfect backdrop, the perfect website theme, the perfect 00:01:46.754 --> 00:01:50.674 podcast hosting provider, the perfect this or that podcasting 00:01:50.674 --> 00:01:50.915 tool. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:56.240 I fell into this even just recently as I finally, after nearly 15 00:01:56.240 --> 00:01:59.840 years, upgraded the camera that I've been using for recording my 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:02.560 podcast, which I'm still not doing anything with the videos that 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:05.439 I've been recording lately, but I will someday soon. 00:02:05.885 --> 00:02:09.324 Thanks to this new camera that I feel a lot more confident with 00:02:09.324 --> 00:02:12.044 this new camera and some of the things that can do for me better 00:02:12.044 --> 00:02:13.405 than the old camera could. 00:02:13.405 --> 00:02:18.604 I've been using a Canon T4i digital SLR camera for 15 years. 00:02:19.040 --> 00:02:23.360 And that works great for recording videos and for taking 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:24.000 pictures. 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:28.719 It doesn't work great for streaming video or connecting that 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:30.800 video in any way to my computer. 00:02:31.135 --> 00:02:33.455 Believe me, I have tried everything. 00:02:33.455 --> 00:02:37.775 I even installed Magic Lantern and got just the perfect version 00:02:37.775 --> 00:02:42.735 to be able to do a clean HDMI out and got an HDMI capture device 00:02:42.735 --> 00:02:45.455 for my computer and tried to connect these things together. 00:02:45.455 --> 00:02:50.790 And it looked pretty good, but still had some major problems to 00:02:50.790 --> 00:02:53.509 it. And I realized I need to upgrade. 00:02:53.509 --> 00:02:57.909 And 1 of the cameras that I've been looking at, the Sony ZV E10 00:02:57.909 --> 00:03:00.144 Mark 2 went on sale. 00:03:00.144 --> 00:03:04.144 And it was a 1 day sale, and it hasn't been that sale price in 00:03:04.144 --> 00:03:06.704 more than a year. And it's the best price it's ever been. 00:03:06.704 --> 00:03:08.224 It's never been lower than this price. 00:03:08.224 --> 00:03:11.905 And it was this price only 1 other time that I could see in its 00:03:11.905 --> 00:03:13.824 entire history of being released. 00:03:14.210 --> 00:03:18.129 So I knew this was a good price. I needed to snag that deal. 00:03:18.129 --> 00:03:18.930 And I did. 00:03:18.930 --> 00:03:23.090 But even with the camera literally in my hand, I was still second 00:03:23.090 --> 00:03:26.770 guessing my choice because I was thinking, is this really the 00:03:26.770 --> 00:03:27.730 perfect camera? 00:03:28.025 --> 00:03:31.224 Now I know I can't afford the best camera out there that's 00:03:31.224 --> 00:03:34.825 multiple thousands of dollars, but there was another camera that 00:03:34.825 --> 00:03:37.545 is really good, especially for its price. 00:03:37.545 --> 00:03:43.330 The Sony a 6,700 does a lot more than my ZV E10 Mark II can do, 00:03:43.409 --> 00:03:45.010 and it does certain things better. 00:03:45.090 --> 00:03:49.330 And it has things like in body image stabilization. Oh. 00:03:49.729 --> 00:03:54.050 And it has other things to it that are also nicer than the camera 00:03:54.050 --> 00:03:55.090 that I ended up getting. 00:03:55.405 --> 00:03:58.764 And that to me was a different level of perfect. 00:03:58.764 --> 00:04:02.685 And even though I'd already purchased the camera and already got 00:04:02.685 --> 00:04:06.044 a good deal, I was still thinking and even still watching videos 00:04:06.044 --> 00:04:09.245 comparing the camera I got with the other camera I wanted. 00:04:09.530 --> 00:04:11.610 And here's what it came down to for me. 00:04:11.610 --> 00:04:14.810 And you can try and apply similar thinking if you're facing a 00:04:14.810 --> 00:04:17.610 similar situation where you're torn between trying to get 00:04:17.610 --> 00:04:19.770 something that's quote perfect, unquote. 00:04:20.009 --> 00:04:23.689 I looked at the ZV E10 Mark II and what I paid for it. 00:04:23.884 --> 00:04:28.365 And I looked at the a 6,700 and what it's currently selling for. 00:04:28.444 --> 00:04:32.845 It would cost 60% more to get the 6,700. 00:04:32.925 --> 00:04:36.685 Would I get 60% more benefit from it? No. 00:04:36.845 --> 00:04:40.060 In fact, some of the features that it has that the camera I got 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:43.899 don't have like the in body image stabilization, I might not 00:04:43.899 --> 00:04:45.660 never actually need. 00:04:45.899 --> 00:04:50.699 Because in the years that I've had my DSLR, it's been very rare 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:52.300 that I've taken it off the tripod. 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:56.464 Even when I've taken it to conventions like CES, NAB Show, 00:04:56.464 --> 00:04:59.985 Podcast Movement, such, and recorded on-site video interviews 00:04:59.985 --> 00:05:04.625 there, even then, the camera was on a tripod, so it didn't need 00:05:04.625 --> 00:05:06.544 image stabilization of any sort. 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:10.959 So the camera that I got doesn't have any kind of in body image 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:14.560 stabilization, but it does take very good videos, especially 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:18.560 beautiful videos with a lens that I happen to get for a great 00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:20.240 deal on a beautiful lens. 00:05:20.584 --> 00:05:23.064 I thought there was something wrong with the lens based on how 00:05:23.064 --> 00:05:26.745 low of a price they were asking for, but I got a fantastic deal 00:05:26.745 --> 00:05:29.625 on it. I thoroughly checked it out, and it's it's great. 00:05:29.625 --> 00:05:30.584 It's beautiful. 00:05:30.584 --> 00:05:33.464 At some point, follow me over on YouTube, the audacity to 00:05:33.464 --> 00:05:37.420 podcast.com/youtube, as I will at some point get back to making 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:38.459 some videos here and there. 00:05:38.459 --> 00:05:42.220 And this camera was 1 of those things that I needed to help me 00:05:42.220 --> 00:05:45.819 with that because there's a very simple thing that the camera can 00:05:45.819 --> 00:05:49.180 do that I really wanted to be able to do some videos again. 00:05:49.394 --> 00:05:52.514 Cause I didn't want to have a separate video studio like I've had 00:05:52.514 --> 00:05:52.995 in the past. 00:05:52.995 --> 00:05:56.514 I just want to have my 1 place where I sit down and record audio 00:05:56.514 --> 00:05:59.954 and video, have a great camera for that and be able to show 00:05:59.954 --> 00:06:03.560 products very easily by just holding up a product to the camera 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:06.439 and having autofocus really well. This camera does that. 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:09.160 This camera also does 4 k and some of the really nice stuff too. 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:12.919 It's a great camera. It's not perfect, but it is very good. 00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:15.800 And I can't afford the 1 I really, really wanted. 00:06:15.800 --> 00:06:18.654 And I was very tempted to think, well, as long as I'm spending 00:06:18.654 --> 00:06:21.295 this much, maybe I should just go ahead and spend 60% more and 00:06:21.295 --> 00:06:22.095 get this other camera. 00:06:22.095 --> 00:06:25.375 But I had to remind myself, I actually didn't plan to spend money 00:06:25.375 --> 00:06:28.654 at all on a camera yet. But I saw this great deal. 00:06:28.654 --> 00:06:31.455 I knew that if it went on sale, I wanted to get it. 00:06:31.455 --> 00:06:33.790 I knew it was a good sale. So I took action. 00:06:33.790 --> 00:06:36.270 You might feel this way about your microphone. 00:06:36.270 --> 00:06:39.629 I saw this in a podcasting subreddit group where someone was 00:06:39.629 --> 00:06:44.830 asking, should I get the Samsung q 2 u for $70 or should I get I 00:06:44.830 --> 00:06:48.865 think they were saying the Shure MV 7 or maybe the MV 7 x for 00:06:48.865 --> 00:06:50.465 more than twice the price. 00:06:50.865 --> 00:06:53.985 And you have to first think how much money you even have to 00:06:53.985 --> 00:06:54.625 spend. 00:06:54.785 --> 00:06:58.464 If you only have $70, well, that should make the decision very 00:06:58.464 --> 00:07:01.584 easy. Get what you can get for $70. 00:07:01.909 --> 00:07:03.430 It doesn't have to be perfect. 00:07:03.430 --> 00:07:07.269 It doesn't have to be a 300 or 400 or $500 microphone. 00:07:07.349 --> 00:07:11.029 Your audience might not even know the difference, especially if 00:07:11.029 --> 00:07:14.870 they never hear you use both microphones in the same episode. 00:07:14.870 --> 00:07:19.004 Even if you switch microphones between episodes, they might not 00:07:19.004 --> 00:07:20.285 even notice the difference. 00:07:20.285 --> 00:07:22.685 Now if you're going from super cheap microphone to something 00:07:22.685 --> 00:07:27.164 better like a q 2 u or an ATR 2,100 x USB, if you can even get 1 00:07:27.164 --> 00:07:30.365 of those since they've been ironically and and really weirdly 00:07:30.365 --> 00:07:33.509 discontinued as great as of a microphone that is, but your 00:07:33.509 --> 00:07:35.029 audience might not know the difference. 00:07:35.029 --> 00:07:38.069 We could strive for perfect in the perfect podcast hosting 00:07:38.069 --> 00:07:41.750 provider, the perfect website theme, the perfect this or that 00:07:41.750 --> 00:07:45.269 podcasting tool. It doesn't have to be perfect. 00:07:45.269 --> 00:07:49.504 Even if you have the perfect tools, if that was even possible, 00:07:49.584 --> 00:07:51.985 that doesn't mean your podcast episodes are going to be perfect 00:07:51.985 --> 00:07:55.824 because you are not perfect. You never will be perfect. 00:07:56.064 --> 00:07:57.824 Strive for excellence. 00:07:57.985 --> 00:08:01.664 Don't strive for perfection because we'll never reach perfection 00:08:01.664 --> 00:08:02.384 in this life. 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:06.680 And even when it comes to certain tools, there is not a perfect 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:07.319 tool. 00:08:07.319 --> 00:08:11.319 And I know we can be so tempted by trying to find the perfect 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:11.879 tool. 00:08:12.120 --> 00:08:15.319 That can come into play with AI tools, like which model is the 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:19.155 best? Is it Opus? Is it Sona? Is it GPT? Is it Gemini? 00:08:19.155 --> 00:08:23.315 That stuff is going to go back and forth for years to come. 00:08:23.555 --> 00:08:27.235 And it's about what works best for your needs. 00:08:27.235 --> 00:08:30.275 And when I see people ask, what's the best podcast hosting 00:08:30.275 --> 00:08:33.990 provider? I try to find out what are their actual needs. 00:08:33.990 --> 00:08:35.909 And there are a few I recommend. 00:08:35.909 --> 00:08:39.190 There is not 1 single podcast hosting provider I recommend to 00:08:39.190 --> 00:08:42.070 everyone because I recognize that people's needs are different. 00:08:42.070 --> 00:08:44.274 So if you need this, then this provider is best. 00:08:44.274 --> 00:08:46.595 If you need that, then that provider is best. 00:08:46.754 --> 00:08:49.075 But maybe you don't need those certain features. 00:08:49.235 --> 00:08:52.995 So don't strive for the perfect choice, the perfect podcasting 00:08:52.995 --> 00:08:57.840 tool, or even perfection in what you're doing to try to edit it 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:01.759 to absolute perfection because that might not even sound good if 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:04.080 you manage to try and get it there. 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:06.399 Even stuff like noise removal. 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:10.960 I remember many years ago, I think my first time at CES, the 00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:14.524 Consumer Electronics Show, something was messed up about the way 00:09:14.524 --> 00:09:17.485 that the camera or the microphone were working with each other, 00:09:17.565 --> 00:09:20.684 and the audio was recorded with a lot of noise in it. 00:09:20.684 --> 00:09:24.764 I could run that audio through noise processing tools that were 00:09:24.764 --> 00:09:25.725 available back then. 00:09:25.725 --> 00:09:28.490 This was 10 years ago, more than 10 years ago. 00:09:28.570 --> 00:09:30.809 So the tools weren't as good back then, but they were still 00:09:30.809 --> 00:09:31.210 pretty good. 00:09:31.210 --> 00:09:35.049 I could run it through those tools and completely eliminate the 00:09:35.049 --> 00:09:38.090 background noise. Perfect. Right? Wrong. 00:09:38.090 --> 00:09:41.845 It eliminated so much noise that it even affected how well you 00:09:41.845 --> 00:09:43.605 could hear the speaking. 00:09:43.684 --> 00:09:47.845 The part that was most important for people to hear removing the 00:09:47.845 --> 00:09:52.164 noise completely and dare I say perfectly then messed up other 00:09:52.164 --> 00:09:55.370 aspects of it. So don't strive for perfect. 00:09:55.370 --> 00:09:58.409 I spent the most time on this point because I think this is the 00:09:58.409 --> 00:10:02.570 thing that can affect all of us the most is that at any point, 00:10:02.809 --> 00:10:05.850 just like I was facing this with a camera, and I've been 00:10:05.850 --> 00:10:09.335 podcasting for almost 20 years, and I was still falling into a 00:10:09.335 --> 00:10:13.654 trap of trying to strive for the perfect camera, even the perfect 00:10:13.654 --> 00:10:16.774 camera that I can afford or the perfect lens I can afford. 00:10:16.774 --> 00:10:20.695 Don't strive for perfect. Strive for excellence, not perfection. 00:10:21.259 --> 00:10:25.259 Number 2 mistake that new podcasters make or podcasters might 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:29.100 make this at any point in their podcasting journey, doing too 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:29.660 much. 00:10:29.820 --> 00:10:33.340 When I started my TV show fan podcast about the TV show Once Upon 00:10:33.340 --> 00:10:35.740 a Time, I started trying to do too much. 00:10:35.915 --> 00:10:38.555 I had these big grandiose plans. 00:10:38.634 --> 00:10:41.435 I want to interview every cast member of the show. 00:10:41.514 --> 00:10:45.274 I want us to be podcasting every week even during the hiatus. 00:10:45.274 --> 00:10:48.795 I want to do this and that and do live video and do all of these 00:10:48.795 --> 00:10:50.554 things. And you might think that too. 00:10:50.554 --> 00:10:54.929 And right now, there is this obsession with video where everyone 00:10:54.929 --> 00:10:58.049 is saying, oh, video podcasting is making a huge comeback. 00:10:58.049 --> 00:11:01.250 The definition of that aside, there is all of this pressure, and 00:11:01.250 --> 00:11:04.370 maybe you even feel it yourself to video, video, video, video, 00:11:04.370 --> 00:11:06.545 video, video, video. You have to be doing video. 00:11:06.545 --> 00:11:07.585 You have to be on YouTube. 00:11:07.585 --> 00:11:09.665 You have to be doing all of this video with this high production 00:11:09.665 --> 00:11:12.705 value, multiple cameras, and this perfect looking set and all of 00:11:12.705 --> 00:11:15.825 this stuff. No. You don't have to do all of that. 00:11:15.825 --> 00:11:20.304 You don't have to do everything people say they think you should 00:11:20.304 --> 00:11:22.529 do. Don't try to do too much. 00:11:22.769 --> 00:11:25.970 Even if simply live streaming is too much for you, don't try and 00:11:25.970 --> 00:11:26.370 do it. 00:11:26.370 --> 00:11:30.129 At some point, yes, you can add that and learn how to do that and 00:11:30.129 --> 00:11:33.889 mix that in with what you're already doing as you grow. 00:11:34.209 --> 00:11:36.450 But don't try to do too much when you're starting out. 00:11:36.745 --> 00:11:39.865 Or maybe you're feeling overwhelmed already with how long you've 00:11:39.865 --> 00:11:42.184 been podcasting and all of the new things that everyone is 00:11:42.184 --> 00:11:44.185 saying, you need to be doing this. 00:11:44.345 --> 00:11:47.465 And you might feel like, that's just too much for me to do. 00:11:47.625 --> 00:11:48.665 Then don't do it. 00:11:48.745 --> 00:11:51.865 I give you permission to not do that thing that is too much for 00:11:51.865 --> 00:11:52.345 you to do. 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:55.759 Right now for me, yes, even though I've got a brand new camera 00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:59.200 that looks great, and I recommend that you follow me over on 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:02.480 YouTube for when I do publish some videos over there, the 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:05.120 audacity to podcast.com/youtube. 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:08.000 Right now, even though I am recording and I have been for the 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:12.804 last few months recording videos of each of these audio episodes, 00:12:12.804 --> 00:12:15.605 and I'm looking into a camera when I record the videos and I have 00:12:15.605 --> 00:12:17.924 my notes in front of me, even though I've been doing that and my 00:12:17.924 --> 00:12:20.085 lights are on and everything, the videos look great. 00:12:20.420 --> 00:12:22.820 I've not done anything with those videos yet. 00:12:22.820 --> 00:12:26.259 I did some little experimenting last year, but haven't really 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:28.019 done much with the video since then. 00:12:28.019 --> 00:12:31.139 Because to me, right now, it just feels like too much. 00:12:31.540 --> 00:12:35.745 While I'm a full time dad, single, homeschooling my son, and 00:12:35.745 --> 00:12:40.064 running a business, then trying to edit video on top of that, I 00:12:40.064 --> 00:12:43.184 can't afford to pay someone else to edit the video for me, and I 00:12:43.184 --> 00:12:46.464 really can't afford the time and energy to edit the videos 00:12:46.464 --> 00:12:46.944 myself. 00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:51.019 So I've just been recording the videos and not doing anything 00:12:51.019 --> 00:12:54.540 with them yet because it would just be too much for me at this 00:12:54.540 --> 00:12:55.019 point. 00:12:55.019 --> 00:12:58.379 Now with a brand new camera and what this new camera will enable 00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:02.779 me to do, maybe that will allow me to do some more video stuff 00:13:02.095 --> 00:13:04.495 separate from the audio podcast in the future. 00:13:04.495 --> 00:13:07.294 But please don't fall into this trap of trying to do too much 00:13:07.294 --> 00:13:09.855 with your podcast. Simplify things. 00:13:09.855 --> 00:13:13.294 Maybe even for your individual episodes, you might be trying to 00:13:13.294 --> 00:13:15.375 squeeze too much into that episode. 00:13:15.539 --> 00:13:17.779 For this episode, I want to have an interview. 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:19.220 I want to have a monologue. 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:21.059 I want to have a dialogue with my audience. 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:22.500 I want to answer q and a. 00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:25.059 I want to do this and that and this and that and that and this 00:13:25.059 --> 00:13:27.940 and all of this stuff that you're loading into your episode, and 00:13:27.940 --> 00:13:29.539 it could be just way too much. 00:13:30.475 --> 00:13:32.315 Split that stuff out if you want to. 00:13:32.315 --> 00:13:35.274 Maybe you do a monologue in a separate episode. 00:13:35.274 --> 00:13:38.715 Even though it's the same subject as your interview was about, 00:13:38.715 --> 00:13:42.235 maybe you separate those 2 things, and that can have its own 00:13:42.235 --> 00:13:43.035 strengths to it. 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:46.660 Don't try to do too much with your podcast, whether you're 00:13:46.660 --> 00:13:50.340 starting out and trying to plan what you do or you're planning 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:53.540 your next episode for a podcast you've been doing for years. 00:13:53.620 --> 00:13:58.259 Don't try to do too much. Number 3, starting without a plan. 00:13:58.745 --> 00:14:01.225 Whether you're starting your first podcast or even your next 00:14:01.225 --> 00:14:04.904 episode, have a plan of some sort. 00:14:05.225 --> 00:14:09.544 Unless you are extremely experienced in the art of communication 00:14:09.544 --> 00:14:14.050 and public speaking and presenting an idea and teaching, don't 00:14:14.050 --> 00:14:16.610 just sit down to the microphone and try to wing it. 00:14:16.930 --> 00:14:22.370 The best content will always have a plan behind it in some sort. 00:14:22.370 --> 00:14:24.850 Many people have quoted this and I don't know where it originally 00:14:24.850 --> 00:14:27.970 came from, but failing to plan is planning to fail. 00:14:28.264 --> 00:14:29.705 That really does apply. 00:14:29.705 --> 00:14:32.745 Now that doesn't mean that if you don't have a plan, your podcast 00:14:32.745 --> 00:14:35.304 is going to be an utter failure, but I don't think it's going to 00:14:35.304 --> 00:14:38.585 be as successful as it could be without a plan. 00:14:38.585 --> 00:14:40.024 What does that plan look like? 00:14:40.024 --> 00:14:42.424 Well, it depends on what the context is for your plan. 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:45.740 I do recommend that you have a general idea of where you want to 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:49.980 go both for your podcast as a whole, like whom you want to serve, 00:14:50.139 --> 00:14:52.620 what kind of content you want to put out there, what you want to 00:14:52.620 --> 00:14:55.100 be known for, but also for your individual episodes. 00:14:55.554 --> 00:14:59.154 What is the takeaway that you want your audience to get from 00:14:59.154 --> 00:14:59.634 this? 00:14:59.715 --> 00:15:03.634 Even if your podcast is focused on entertaining your audience, 00:15:03.634 --> 00:15:05.154 well, that's part of your plan. 00:15:05.475 --> 00:15:08.595 How are you going to go about entertaining them? 00:15:08.595 --> 00:15:10.195 How are you going to get them to laugh? 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:13.600 What stories are you going to share or jokes are you going to 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:17.360 tell or interesting things are you going to pull out to entertain 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:19.679 your audience? Have a plan. 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:23.120 Even if you don't completely follow that plan or you ad lib along 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:26.455 the way, that's fine to do, but start with a plan. 00:15:26.695 --> 00:15:31.314 I've changed something about how I do episodes of The Audacity to 00:15:31.314 --> 00:15:35.575 Podcast for the last 6 or 7 episodes or so. 00:15:35.735 --> 00:15:40.230 And a couple of people have picked up on something I've changed, 00:15:40.309 --> 00:15:42.550 and they are correct in their suspicions. 00:15:42.550 --> 00:15:44.230 And I'm curious if you've picked it up too. 00:15:44.230 --> 00:15:48.710 Reach out to me, any of my channels on x or anywhere I am as the 00:15:48.710 --> 00:15:49.269 Daniel J. 00:15:49.269 --> 00:15:52.149 Lewis, or even just email feedback at The Audacity to Podcast dot 00:15:52.149 --> 00:15:52.470 com. 00:15:52.470 --> 00:15:55.165 Let me know if you can tell what I've been doing differently. 00:15:55.245 --> 00:16:00.284 But every episode I've done for years always has some level of a 00:16:00.284 --> 00:16:00.845 plan. 00:16:00.924 --> 00:16:03.804 Even though I know I could, at this point, I feel very 00:16:03.804 --> 00:16:07.164 comfortable just sitting down and talking about any aspect of 00:16:07.164 --> 00:16:09.610 podcasting, and I can do that for hours. 00:16:09.610 --> 00:16:13.049 And I have done that for hours, but it's always been with a plan. 00:16:13.129 --> 00:16:16.570 And even if I want to record an episode and I have only a few 00:16:16.570 --> 00:16:20.009 minutes, I'll spend those few minutes to make a good plan for 00:16:20.009 --> 00:16:21.610 what I want the episode to cover. 00:16:21.610 --> 00:16:25.315 Even a a simple basic outline, that could be your plan. 00:16:25.475 --> 00:16:30.595 Number 4, obsessing over the quote launch unquote. 00:16:30.754 --> 00:16:34.595 This is the other side of the plan where you might go too far and 00:16:34.595 --> 00:16:37.875 you're starting to think, oh, I want launch day to be this. 00:16:37.875 --> 00:16:40.639 I have to have this many episodes, and they have to have this 00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:41.440 specific thing. 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:45.200 I need to make this really big splash when I launch my podcast. 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:49.360 It is fun to have a big launch, to have that whole thing to say, 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:50.720 we're now available. 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:54.240 Everyone go listen today because today is the day you can listen 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:57.554 to it or build up that hype, that momentum, put out that trailer, 00:16:57.554 --> 00:16:59.075 that teaser, whatever it is. 00:16:59.075 --> 00:17:03.154 Build up the engagement ahead of time, the anticipation for your 00:17:03.154 --> 00:17:05.954 episode. That is fantastic to do. 00:17:05.954 --> 00:17:11.569 Don't obsess over that, but also realize that the size and impact 00:17:11.569 --> 00:17:15.890 of your launch doesn't actually have a direct correlation with 00:17:15.890 --> 00:17:19.409 your long term success. Here's a very good metaphor for this. 00:17:19.730 --> 00:17:20.609 A wedding. 00:17:20.609 --> 00:17:25.444 The size and fanciness of the wedding is in no way guaranteeing 00:17:25.444 --> 00:17:29.844 the success of the marriage. This is pure conjecture on my part. 00:17:29.845 --> 00:17:33.365 I even sometimes wonder if the bigger and more grandiose the 00:17:33.365 --> 00:17:36.404 wedding, the more problems they have later on in the marriage. 00:17:36.484 --> 00:17:40.100 Not because of the size of the wedding, but because of maybe it's 00:17:40.100 --> 00:17:42.900 reflecting something about their personalities or their 00:17:42.900 --> 00:17:45.779 priorities and such that they're more interested in the big show 00:17:45.779 --> 00:17:48.259 than actually making the relationship work. 00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:51.940 That little tidbit and conjecture aside, and I have no scientific 00:17:51.940 --> 00:17:55.345 backing to that. That's hypothesis at this point. 00:17:55.345 --> 00:17:58.944 But with your podcast, I have seen this happen too many times for 00:17:58.944 --> 00:18:02.545 me to count, where someone has made a big deal about their 00:18:02.545 --> 00:18:06.065 launch. And where are they today? They're not podcasting anymore. 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:07.519 They fizzled out. 00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:11.519 And it's not because of their size of their launch that they 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:14.880 fizzled out, but certainly how much effort they put into their 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:17.200 launch didn't keep them going years later. 00:18:17.279 --> 00:18:19.119 So don't obsess over the launch. Yes. 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:22.825 It's fun to make a big splash and to get all of that energy and 00:18:22.825 --> 00:18:26.984 momentum from day 1 and have people anticipating your episode, 00:18:26.984 --> 00:18:28.424 but don't obsess over it. 00:18:28.505 --> 00:18:31.144 I don't see this so much now as I used to. 00:18:31.305 --> 00:18:34.265 But in the past, there was certainly the obsession over trying to 00:18:34.265 --> 00:18:38.130 get into, back then called iTunes, new and noteworthy. 00:18:38.289 --> 00:18:40.690 Dave Jackson just threw up a little bit in his mouth when I said 00:18:40.690 --> 00:18:41.089 that. 00:18:41.089 --> 00:18:43.490 People don't obsess over that so much anymore because I think the 00:18:43.490 --> 00:18:46.210 truth of new and noteworthy and how that works has spread more 00:18:46.210 --> 00:18:49.730 and also people realize that new and noteworthy isn't in as many 00:18:49.730 --> 00:18:51.784 places as it used to be anymore. 00:18:51.865 --> 00:18:55.384 It is still cool to get in there, but it's not something you can 00:18:55.384 --> 00:18:59.065 follow a strategy to get in there other than try and make an 00:18:59.065 --> 00:19:01.704 amazing podcast with great marketing behind it. 00:19:01.785 --> 00:19:04.105 And some of us can't afford that. That's fine. 00:19:04.289 --> 00:19:08.450 But the size of your launch isn't going to affect the success of 00:19:08.450 --> 00:19:11.809 your podcast. So don't obsess over the launch. 00:19:11.890 --> 00:19:14.529 And number 5, not launching at all. 00:19:14.609 --> 00:19:18.295 Or we could even say fizzling out after you've launched. 00:19:18.455 --> 00:19:20.775 It is a statistic at this point. 00:19:20.775 --> 00:19:24.535 You can go over to podcastindustryinsights.com and look at the 00:19:24.535 --> 00:19:29.095 statistics, especially from Apple, of how many podcasts have 00:19:29.095 --> 00:19:33.929 launched with 1 episode and have done nothing since then. 00:19:34.170 --> 00:19:35.529 It is staggering. 00:19:35.690 --> 00:19:40.089 Most of them came from Anchor or now called Spotify for creators. 00:19:40.090 --> 00:19:43.369 I think there is a certain demographic that that attracts that 00:19:43.369 --> 00:19:46.090 it's a lot of people just testing, just playing with things and 00:19:46.090 --> 00:19:49.565 not really intending to have launched a podcast into all of the 00:19:49.565 --> 00:19:51.164 podcast apps and directories out there. 00:19:51.164 --> 00:19:54.605 But still, I really do think that the biggest hurdle for 00:19:54.605 --> 00:19:58.765 podcasters to face is episode 1, both getting there and also 00:19:58.765 --> 00:20:00.764 getting past episode 1. 00:20:00.845 --> 00:20:04.549 And you can see it in the data that so many podcasters struggle 00:20:04.549 --> 00:20:06.549 to get past that first episode. 00:20:06.549 --> 00:20:10.710 They might obsess over the launch and either they never launch or 00:20:10.710 --> 00:20:12.630 they launch and do nothing after that. 00:20:12.789 --> 00:20:14.470 So don't make this mistake. 00:20:14.630 --> 00:20:18.794 Don't leave your message only in your mind and never getting it 00:20:18.794 --> 00:20:20.794 out there. Get your message out there. 00:20:20.794 --> 00:20:23.754 Make the impact that you want to make for good. 00:20:23.914 --> 00:20:27.674 Don't obsess over trying to make a perfect launch, but also don't 00:20:27.674 --> 00:20:31.674 obsess over a perfect launch, but also don't forget to actually 00:20:31.674 --> 00:20:34.940 launch. Put it out there. Get the message out. 00:20:34.940 --> 00:20:37.259 You can improve things as you go. 00:20:37.419 --> 00:20:40.539 Even if you want to just start on a free podcast hosting 00:20:40.539 --> 00:20:43.659 provider, like Buzzsprout has a pretty good free plan with them. 00:20:43.659 --> 00:20:47.179 The audacitytopodcast.com/buzzsprout is my affiliate program. 00:20:47.179 --> 00:20:49.015 I only recommend things I truly believe in. 00:20:49.015 --> 00:20:52.855 But you can sign up for a free hosting plan over there and launch 00:20:52.855 --> 00:20:55.734 with a couple of episodes, play with things just to see. 00:20:55.815 --> 00:20:58.934 And episodes over there will expire over time, and you can only 00:20:58.934 --> 00:21:01.255 have so many episodes on the free plan. 00:21:01.414 --> 00:21:04.190 But that can give you a chance to just experiment. 00:21:04.190 --> 00:21:08.910 See if you can survive past episode 1, and you can improve as you 00:21:08.910 --> 00:21:12.589 go. Or you could even decide that was a good practice. 00:21:12.589 --> 00:21:16.269 I'm gonna scrap it all, start over much better, and then keep 00:21:16.269 --> 00:21:19.070 going from there. Yeah. You can do that too. 00:21:19.070 --> 00:21:21.204 It's not like you're married to your podcast. 00:21:21.285 --> 00:21:25.845 So don't make these 5 mistakes that I see new podcasters make all 00:21:25.845 --> 00:21:28.565 the time. Number 1, striving for perfect. 00:21:28.565 --> 00:21:32.565 Number 2, doing too much. Number 3, starting without a plan. 00:21:32.565 --> 00:21:34.565 Number 4, obsessing over the launch. 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:38.119 And number 5, not launching at all. 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:42.519 I would love to help you build a deeper relationship with your 00:21:42.519 --> 00:21:46.200 audience because I think for many of us podcasters, it's not 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:49.160 really the size of our audience that matters the most to it. 00:21:49.494 --> 00:21:53.095 It is the change we're making and the connections we're making 00:21:53.095 --> 00:21:53.974 with the audience. 00:21:54.134 --> 00:21:57.734 And that's why I made Podgagement over at podgagement.com to help 00:21:57.734 --> 00:22:01.734 you deepen the relationship with your audience, to engage with 00:22:01.734 --> 00:22:05.029 your audience through ratings and reviews, through feedback, 00:22:05.029 --> 00:22:08.070 through voice mails from your audience, to engage more with other 00:22:08.070 --> 00:22:11.670 podcasters in your space, like through the networking feature, to 00:22:11.670 --> 00:22:14.470 track how you're doing in the charts, tracking your podcast 00:22:14.470 --> 00:22:19.065 across nearly 34,000 charts, to engage with great images that you 00:22:19.065 --> 00:22:22.025 can share on social networks and share the feedback that you 00:22:22.025 --> 00:22:26.505 receive with the rest of your audience outside of the podcast and 00:22:26.505 --> 00:22:29.305 share the reviews that you're receiving, showing off the change 00:22:29.305 --> 00:22:31.705 that your podcast is making in people's lives. 00:22:32.080 --> 00:22:35.759 And so much more that you can do with Podgagement to supercharge 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:38.319 the engagement you have with your audience. 00:22:38.320 --> 00:22:42.080 Go to podgagement.com to sign up for a free trial to help you 00:22:42.080 --> 00:22:45.775 deepen that relationship with your audience so that you can grow 00:22:45.775 --> 00:22:48.494 your podcast. That's at podgagement.com. 00:22:48.494 --> 00:22:50.974 And now that I've given you some of the guts and taught you some 00:22:50.974 --> 00:22:54.974 of the tools, it's time for you to go start and grow your own 00:22:54.974 --> 00:22:58.255 podcast for passion and profit. I'm Daniel J. 00:22:58.255 --> 00:23:00.654 Lewis from theaudacitytopodcast.com. 00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:03.079 Reach out to me on x at the Daniel J. 00:23:03.079 --> 00:23:05.559 Lewis and pretty much everywhere else too as the Daniel J. 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:07.159 Lewis, and thanks for listening.