It’s estimated that 75% of podcasts don’t make it past episode 7
Currently, there are about two and a half million podcasts listed on the directories,
but of those, only about four hundred and fifty thousand are actually active.
Meaning that almost two million podcast hosts have ghosted their shows.
This is a tragedy because podcasting can drive leads and sales, build authority and relationships,
and facilitate incredible networking opportunities.
Why do you think the world’s most successful business owners, entrepreneurs, influencers,
or authors all have a podcast
This is why I don’t want your podcast to fail.
And so in this video, we’re going to look at the top 7 reasons that most podcasts fail
and why yours won't.
We have a lot to cover, we better hurry up and start!
Hey Amigo, welcome to the Pod Sound School,
I’m Veronica your marketing girl, and our YouTube channel is really a must for any creator
or entrepreneur wanting to learn more about marketing, content strategy, and podcasting.
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Before we get to the juicy stuff, I have an announcement.
I’m so excited.
Because we, the Pod Sound School, are hosting a one-time-only Live interactive Bootcamp
in only two weeks (at the time I’m shooting this video).
It’s called, Podcasting for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs
And it’s a live two-day Podcast Bootcamp designed to immerse you in the world of podcasting
and teach you how to create a lead-generating and thriving podcast for your business.
So if you’ve got a small business or you’re gathering the courage to start one, this bootcamp
could be the perfect fit for you, come check it out by going to podcastingsmart.com/bootcamp
Okay, so now to the juicy stuff:
Let’s reveal number one:
Loss of Enthusiasm
The first flub on this list, this podcasting error is an easy trap to fall into.
Podcasters at this party may perceive a lack of support from friends and family, struggle
to get any feedback from listeners, or simply become more interested in other new shiny
objects and hobbies.
Sometimes they become resentful of their low listenership, or lack of downloads.
They feel underappreciated or unseen.
It doesn’t take long for the honeymoon period of a brand new show to come crashing down
and for podcasters to quickly be slapped in the face with the reality that podcasts can
be a tremendous workload, especially when time is spent in the wrong way.
This brings us perfectly to number 2
Improper Task Management
Even more common, this screw-up sends podcasts barreling down the drain.
And the worst part about this game is that it’s so easy to play.
Especially considering that podcast education is so sparse and misdirected.
Many podcasters use wrong and completely inefficient audio editing apps.
And the podcasters, who actually attempt to edit, do so with a whole slew of bad habits
that accumulate to hours of wasted time each week.
Good task management commonly includes things like batch recording, batch editing, outsourcing,
time blocking, and streamlined scheduling.
Podcasters on this team lose many hours each week scrambling to come up with topic ideas
only minutes before they were supposed to press record, and as a result, the episodes
don’t come out as concise, which in turn requires more editing, and also hurts the
overall clarity and quality of the important takeaways and messages from each episode.
And this is where number two actually bleeds into number three because it also has to do
with mismanaged time and that is.
Number Three.
Doing Everything on their Own
As we climb the ranks, this dirty little disaster is commonplace.
I don’t know if it’s fear-based, or if so many of us are just control freaks, but
it can be really hard for some people to let go of their show so that it can grow.
By far, the biggest hurdle and time-consuming aspect of podcasting is the editing, and yet
podcasters famously insist that they can't afford to hire an editor to help them, which
is preposterous.
It takes three hours to edit an average podcast episode.
Three weekly hours would account for a tremendous amount of show development and promotion.
And as the creators and visionaries of their shows, there are vital tasks for growth that
only they can perform.
Editing is not one of these.
But low self-worth, or limiting money mindsets, keep these DIYers hooked to the hamster wheel.
What happens.
Eventually, they crack.
Let’s Reveal Number Four.
Mixed Bag of Topics / Lack of Direction
We’ve now crossed the middle mark, and these GOOFS are truly unforgivable and also painfully
more prevalent.
Whether it’s a smorgasbord of random topics or a general lack of direction.
Shows in this group are PROS - at turning listeners away.
These podcasts are the ones that have a completely different topic every episode, out-of-place,
hard-to-understand series within their shows, or strange or esoteric episode titles.
Or these are the podcasts that never include episode intros, never introduce what their
shows are about, or tell their listeners what to expect.
There doesn’t seem to be any clear goal in sight, neither for the listener nor the
host.
A mixed bag of topics is extremely hard to pull off and only works if there is something
that binds all of the topics together and remains relevant to the select audience.
But these creatives insist that because they have so many different topics that interest
them, their listeners would also relate.
That people want natural conversations and tangents.
What happens.
The listener runs away, never to return, and the podcast fades out into oblivion.
Okay, we’re getting more sinful and more common.
Only three more to go.
Number Five.
Unrealistic Expectations.
These podskis are the ones that give up too easily.
They lack commitment.
Maybe they were coaxed into podcasting by a podcaster that they admire or a guru that
made promises of the life-changing results a podcast would bring.
But then after producing 6 or 7 episodes, and only seeing a few downloads on their analytics
and knowing that most of those were generated by themselves.
They claim: “it’s not working, this isn’t for me, it’s not worth my time, some people
are not cut out for this.”
This group of podcasters are filled with excuses and riddled with delusions.
They’re too hungry for that instant gratification.
For that viral episode, or internet jackpot that they see everyone else celebrating.
This batch of podcasters is definitely NOT LAZY.
In, a fact quite the contrary.
But what’s likely going on under the surface is something in the family of insecurity,
fear of failure, or fear of success.
The sad truth is.
These are the podcasters with the most potential.
Because even though they have a big box full of excuses, they also have an insatiable appetite
for recognition, which happens to be a defining quality of the most successful podcast hosts
and producers.
So if you fall into this category.
It may be a good idea to leave any expectations behind you and trust in the process of what
comes from committed work and steadily making deposits toward a project that will likely
span many years, not just a few short weeks.
Okay, I’m a little scared for this next one.
Second to last on the list, Number Six,
Bad Audio OR ZERO editing
I knew this one would be on the list, but I didn’t think it would be so high.
But it’s a painful reality of the majority of podcasts.
They sound like crap.
And although the arguments and excuses are plentiful, things like, “people don’t
care if the audio is low quality, they’re just listening on their phone, they tune into
Clubhouse or Twitter spaces and that audio sucks.”
But if you really look at the habits of most podcast listeners, they actually don’t listen
through their phone or even their laptop speakers, they listen in earbuds, headphones, or through
car speakers.
All of which intensify the listening experience and bring out every nuance of the recordings.
This is a very intimate listening environment for the listener and here’s a short list
of common complaints listeners have on this issue:
One voice is much louder than the other Noise is much louder than the voice
Sudden clicks or pops Overall volume issues, either too low, too
loud, or inconsistent volume episode to episode
This doesn’t mean every podcast has to sound top quality to be a success.
But the audio has to be clear, consistent, and free of too much noise.
And here we are, the moment you’ve been waiting for, the NUMBER ONE REASON that podcasts
fail:
Number 7 Lack of Marketing Strategy
This oversight is far and wide the reason most podcasts are dead in the water before
they even start.
Thinking of a podcast as a business may take the fun of it for some of the podcasters in
this crew.
But lack of a marketing plan or what you imagine the business side of your podcast might look
like in a few years is KEY to not only creating a better show for a hungry crowd, but also
being able to get a return on your efforts, and your investment of time and money.
The professional and financial benefits of having a strong show are immense, which is
why every top influential business owner, entrepreneur, influencer, or author has a
podcast.
They are undeniably effective at generating leads, advertising your own products or services,
fostering relationships, building authority, and facilitating powerful networking.
So why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of all of these things and start a podcast
without, at the very least, making a sketch or short few paragraphs of what your marketing
strategy is going to be?
And that concludes the big 7 bumbles, fumbles, and failures.
What did you think?
Are you currently making any of these mistakes, which one do you identify with the most?
These mishaps and slip-ups are all part of the learning process.
They are the very mistakes responsible for building some of the greatest shows.
Because It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there and start to share content with
others online.
There will be inevitable setbacks and personal battles, obstacles, and yes, total failure.
In fact, knowing that you’re going to mess up is one of the things you can count on the
most, so rather than get discouraged or lose enthusiasm, embrace that failure, and dance
with it.
Then when you get knocked on your ass, stand up, dust yourself off, and get back in the
ring.
And now that you know all of the top reasons podcasts fail, we can use that information
to ensure that yours doesn’t, here are seven things you can do to ensure success:
First, Keep an attitude of enthusiasm for your show, learn from your mistakes, and be
willing to adapt as you go.
Second, Take time to plan and schedule every task related to your podcast production and
keep track of the time each task takes you to complete.
Third, Ask for help!
Remember you are the CEO.
You are the talent, find the tasks that are busy work and outsource those tasks to other
people.
Forth, Tell your listeners where each episode is
going to take them.
Don’t make a show for you, make a show for them.
Five, A podcast is a slow thing to grow that requires
commitment and a constant drive to improve.
You will suck, you will fail, you’ll keep learning and keep adapting.
Six, Take some time and educate yourself on audio
production.
Learn about mic techniques, editing basics, and how to reduce noise from your recordings.
Seven, Build a marketing strategy for your show.
Conduct market, topic, and keyword research.
Don’t assume you know what your audience wants, collect data and information from them
about what they want.
And since, lack of marketing is the number one reason podcasts fail, it’s critical
that you learn more about marketing.
In this video here take a deep dive into marketing and content strategy for creators, podcasters,
and entrepreneurs.
It’s never too late to incorporate a marketing strategy into your podcast,
And if you’re just starting a podcast, watch this video, take out a piece of paper, and
let’s make a marketing plan together.