Pod-Crashing Episode 25: The Seven Truths Of Podcasting


This past week I was invited to break out of the studio and sit with future Broadcasters. The subject? Podcasting! The importance of investing your personal time and creative space to what’s quickly becoming a good sized puzzle piece in the world of content connection.

Each lecture was four hours long. Oh yeah. When you call me to the stage we’re gonna plant the seed and wait for the first leaf to leap out of the soil.

During those ticks on the clock we covered seven main areas that most podcasters never tap into. My father used to shout, “No matter how much it might hurt or comes across as being boring. The truth
is always the best way to lead.”

Truth number one of the seven. When it comes to podcasting it’s easy to start. Even easier to quit. It’s like looking at a really cool bottle of ice cold beer on a very hot Carolina day. You can’t wait to pop that
top and pour those natural juices through your system of choice. The biggest mistake always takes place during the first big gulp. Podcasting comes across as being free spirited and fun until you need to
get the work done. Suddenly that bottle of beer become funny tasting earth water. You forgot to read the label. It’s strawberry flavored with a twist of lime.

Easy to start. Easier to quit. I love listening to the stories of those getting started. They’re so excited about launching the episodes and instantly there’s 150 to 200 listens. That’s right Captain that oh wow
factor of making the right decision to be a podcaster has pumped up the volume in your heart. You’re gonna make money! But now you’ve got to plan and execute shows number two, three, four and so on. What? The analytics are showing a huge drop in the numbers. That vision to hit one million quickly begins to fizzle and those well invested ten hours have started sending out invitations to find a new sport.

Easy to start. Easier to quit. This totally leads me into the second of the seven truths. Just because I’ve seen many people kick off a podcast then drop it off like a dirty diaper doesn’t mean you’re gonna feel
the same storm. The second truth? You are your own story. How I reached my first million can’t be compared to your journey. The layout of decisions and reasons for each season are completely in tune with your own universe. Podcasting is a beast blessed with many faces. We might see eye to eye on which platforms to use and what it’s like to watch a totally nothing episode become your biggest attraction in months but ultimately your story as a podcaster will walk it’s own path.

This is why it’s wise to join a podcast community. To compare the bumps and bruises. To try new ways to produce or interview. Social media techniques versus just posting it to Blogger.com The podcast
adventure is a wild ride that always has a story of its own. It’s yours. And I have mine. I keep a journal. Documenting what I’ve tried and why. When it doesn’t work out I go back into the journal and locate
the areas of weakness. The best way to build a skyscraper is from the ground up. If you think you’re starting out on the 13th floor then you should also expect there to be no elevator. All things that move in an
upward motion start beneath the surface of dirt.

Truth number three. Practice, practice, fail, practice. The only way you’re gonna bring light to an otherwise silent spot on the wall is to figure it out. Podcasting is like sex. A lot of people show up thinking
they know how to use the tools. You’ve got to practice. To locate that voice. This isn’t terrestrial radio. Developing the right pitch volume and tone demands a little love and affection. Practice, practice, fail
practice. Be nice to your creative self! When it’s not paying off like you dreamed that’s not a red flag for you to pick up a country song and play it backwards. You’re not getting anything back.

When new ideas hit me. I write them down. I plan out what could be the execution. The first attempt never makes it to the air. I listen to the episode in the car. I listen to it in a stinky burger laced place
with a food rating of 83%. You are judged by what’s listened to in the moment. The moment it drops then you’ve got to know in your masterful soul that this is a new podcast that will have lots of episodes.
Don’t quit it before it’s time because its evolution no longer matches the original vision.

Truth number four. Don’t let your friends critique your podcast. The further you keep your art away from those who love you most the more fun you’re gonna have putting it out there. Friends try to be nice.
Friends think you can handle the truth. Friends will lie when something is out of tune or over baked. If they want to hear your craftsmanship let me locate it on their own. Google is a wonderful tool. If they
bring it up in a conversation do all you can to break free of it. Save your friends for other occasions such as crashing a new Cheesecake Factory.

Truth number five. Weekly versus daily episodes. I do them both. That doesn’t mean I like it. Two truths already discussed come into play. You are your own story and practice, practice, fail, practice. I come
from terrestrial radio. We do shows everyday! You get used to the energy. I have three podcasts that get attention once a week. The numbers are high but individually they aren’t generating enough steam
to keep this engine on the tracks. I grasp the idea of why so many prefer to use the once a week approach. I do love it though when I go to Marc Maron and Dax Shepherd and the boys have brought me
some quality content and conversation several times during the week. What do I do? I keep going back to them. The more we listen the more advertisers enjoy sponsoring them.

Truth number six. Never too early to start but you’re fifteen years behind. Think about that for a moment. When I first jumped into podcasting in 2012 it was already in forward motion. No matter how hard
I worked on developing my own voice and style I was still fifteen years behind. I totally respect those that took huge chances in the years before me. It prepared my 2012 stage. This was way before
iHeart Radio began to support it. Long before Spreaker and Anchor.fm. Before those platforms began to unfold I spent a ton of time searching for radios to post the interviews and features. I gave my stuff
away just so I could learn how to play.

Today’s new podcasters have it a little sweeter. Everything you need is right there for the taking. Oh wait. That brings me to a truth. Easy to start. Easier to quit. I’ve always looked at this cool way to share
conversation as being our KDKA in Pittsburgh. That little torch knew it could and proved it. It hit the air in 1920. Alan Freed, The Real Don Steal, Wolfman Jack, Casey Kasum, Dick Clark, Howard Stern and
every local small town hero wouldn’t have been heard if someone hadn’t planted the seed.

Truth number seven. The very second you begin a podcast your longterm vision is to reach 100 plus episodes. You have to think like this! You aren’t going to get valuable advertisers by sluggishly playing
along. Someone’s gonna ask, “How many episodes have you posted? What’s in your catalog? How long did you say you’re going to do this?” They always told us in martial arts that we can’t master the
punch, kick or block until we’ve done it 100,000 times. There was a time in radio when the old timers would tell the young bucks, “You’ll never be looked at as a pro in radio until you’ve been fired three
times and divorced just as many.” The longer you spend in between these sheets the more you’ll understand what they mean.

There you have it! Seven podcasting truths. Grab your light sabers and take up sides during this battle in the galactic core of a universe that looks brighter than the Northern Lights.

I’m Arroe and that’s pod-crashing