The podcast world is a wonderful place. It’s full of passionate, creative individuals, great opportunities, and new frontiers. But if you’re just getting into the podcasting world, it can also be a little daunting. There are field-specific terms, podcast-centered technology, and lingo all it’s own. I get it! It can be quite overwhelming finding your feet and feeling confident in the industry.
So if you’re feeling a little out of your depth, and you’re fretting over SEO or stressing about RSS, you’re going to need a boost in your podcast confidence, and you’ve come to the right place! We’ve put together our strategies that will help you find your podcasting feet, boost your confidence, and get you up and running with the best of them.
1. Sign Up to Podcast Newsletters
One of the first steps you should take as you enter the world of podcasting is to sign up to podcast-related newsletters…like, a ton of them! In order to develop your confidence in the industry, you need to get a broad sense of what’s going on, where, and with whom, and industry-specific newsletters are a really efficient way to accomplish all of the above and more! While most newsletters contain the highlights (and occasional lowlights) of some of the biggest stories and developments taking place in the industry all over the world, they also contain links to the full story, allowing you to read further into the stories that interest or affect you most. Podnews provides one of the best podcast-related newsletters out there. It’s jam-packed with all the developments, hot topics, and breaking podcast news stories and is a go-to source for many in the industry. The newsletter also features great new shows to listen to, and lists all the up-coming podcast events so you’ll never miss a beat! Hot Pod is another handy newsletter you could subscribe to. While it’s a great resource for all the latest podcast news, it also features some in-depth analyses of the bigger podcast-related stories and developments, keeping you firmly in-the-know. These newsletters (and there are many more!) will help keep you up-to-date in an ever-changing industry, and as your knowledge gets a turbo-boost, you’ll find your confidence growing along with it.
2. Learn All You Can
We often feel insecure and lack self-confidence when we are dealing with the unknown. As they say, “Knowledge is power,” and in this case, the more knowledge you have on a subject, the more confident you will feel in your role. That being said, there is no such thing as too much knowledge, so make it your mission to never stop learning. And while those newsletters we mentioned are an effective way to stay on the ball and in-the-know, there are also many other ways to learn more about the industry. Developments, changes, and updates are happening constantly in the podcasting realm, so you actually cannot afford to not keep up-to-date. We’ve listed a few ways you can really enhance your podcast knowledge and so boost your confidence:
1. Listen To Podcasts
Podcasts themselves are a marvelous resource to help you learn about the industry, but this advice is two-fold. First up, we recommend finding and listening to podcasts focused on de-mystifying the podcast industry. There are some great shows out there that teach you how to start a podcast from the ground up, ones that give technical advice, and even ones that give guidance on leveraging social media to your advantage. Whatever angle you’re looking for, you’re bound to find a great podcast about it. The more you listen, the more knowledge you can absorb about the industry, and the greater your confidence will become.
Related read: Top 10 Podcasts About Podcasting
The second part of this advice is to find podcasts that will help boost your self-confidence. While the lack of knowledge and the “newness” of it all may well be the reason you’re feeling a little insecure, you may also just be lacking a little self-confidence and a little self-belief. And who doesn’t need a little confidence boost every now and then? So while you’re busy gaining confidence in the industry, why not kick your self-confidence up a notch? There are so many great shows out there that can really help you address your insecurities and find your self-confidence. The intimate nature of the podcasting medium means that it really feels like the message is intended just for you, and you are able to really absorb and process all the helpful advice you receive via your headphones.
Podcasts To Boost Your Confidence
As an added bonus, we’ve also included three of our favorite confidence-boosting podcasts to help you get that inner voice saying all the good stuff about you, and to give you some solid tools and techniques to help build your self-confidence in a healthy way.
- Leveling up: Creating Everything from Nothing with Natalie Jill – a great show if you’re looking to “level up” and learn how to achieve all that you dream to and more!
- You Turn Podcast – along with host, Ashley Stahl, your confidence will get a major boost as her guests share how to become your best self and live life with purpose.
- The GaryVee Audio Experience – this show will get you fired up to persevere and stay the course as your perspective is shifted and your confidence is given that much-needed boost.
2. Attend Podcast Events
If you are very new to this industry, you may not know about all the great podcast events that take place all over the world! Seriously, there are so many! And they are a great way to learn more about the industry. Depending on the events you attend, you may get the chance to meet some podcasting royalty, watch panel discussions centered on all elements of the field, watch live podcast recordings, and get the chance to learn and grow from industry greats. Podcast events help bring podcasters together, as let’s face it, podcasting can get a little lonely sometimes! But these events create a great space for podcasters to interact, ask questions, and just learn and grow from each other. The podcast community is really welcoming and is a great space to enhance your knowledge and learn new tricks and tips. Most people at these events are also really willing and wanting to share their experiences in order to help newcomers find their feet and to help push the industry forward, so not only will you leave the event having gained valuable information, but you’ll come away having formed some lasting relationships.
Related read: Podcast Events You Should Attend in 2020 – Part I
3. Ask Questions
As has been said, we can grow our confidence by growing our knowledge, and sometimes the best way to learn is to simply ask questions. However, we’re often afraid to ask, either because we’re afraid to show what we don’t know, or we are afraid the other person will think our question is a little silly… But I’ve got news for you! There is no such thing as a silly question. In fact, it has been said that the only silly question is the one not asked. Asking questions actually shows proactiveness, commitment, and the willingness to learn, all of which are great qualities! You also never know what else you might learn just by asking that initial question. So go ahead and ask those questions and learn all you can, and you’ll be feeling more confident in no time!
Pro Tip: Remember, whenever you ask a question to listen attentively to the answer (so that you don’t have to ask the same question multiple times!), take notes if necessary, and ask for clarification if anything is unclear. That way, you’ll ensure that you maximize all the information you get.
4. Know Your Strengths
Another way to boost your confidence in yourself is to remind yourself of your strengths. Yes, there may be things you don’t know…yet…but there are plenty of things you do! You also have a wide set of skills, experiences, and talents, all of which are assets. The way you see the world, how you relate to others, even that hard lesson you had to learn are just some of the strengths you possess. You’re not coming to the table empty-handed, you have something of value that the industry needs. It’s good to take stock of our strengths from time to time, as this can help boost our self-confidence, and that confidence will help you bring your unique talents and skills to the podcasting industry.
Pro Tip: Aim to focus on what you know, not on what you don’t. Whether you realize this or not, you know lots of stuff! Sure, it may not all be related to podcasting, but you still have plenty of knowledge in your noggin that other people may not have. Use this understanding to boost your self-confidence, knowing that your knowledge and experience brings something of value to the table.
5.Work On Your Weaknesses
Isn’t it funny how we never need to remind ourselves of our weaknesses? We usually know those all too well! But in order to boost our confidence, both personally and for our role in the podcasting industry, rather than focusing so intently on our weaknesses, we should start thinking of them simply as areas that we can work on. So you’re a little disorganized? That’s okay! There are so many tools and techniques you can use to easily improve in this area. Working on our weaknesses actually feels pretty good, gives us more confidence, and can even turn that weakness into a strength!
6. Compliment Others
I realize this sounds like strange advice for building your own confidence, but just hear me out! Truly confident people are those who are able to recognize the strengths, skills, and abilities of others, with the understanding that these in no way detract from their own. So what better what to cultivate confidence within yourself than by recognizing the achievements and successes of others? When you have confidence in yourself, you realize that there is no need to feel threatened by anyone else, allowing you to freely give compliments and praise when others succeed. So while you’re on the road to building confidence in yourself, practice giving compliments to others. Once you get started, you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to give others recognition when you are looking for occasions to do this, but you’ll also discover how great it feels to give honor to someone where it is due! Is there a podcast doing well in your niche? Write a positive review! Is there a “rival” podcaster who just hit a great milestone? Compliment them! Not only will you help strengthen the podcasting community, but you’ll show others in the industry that you have confidence in yourself and in your show, which can go a long way to gaining respect and support.
7. Fake It Till You Make It
Yup, I said it. Sometimes you do just have to fake it until you make it! Too often, we let our insecurities and self-doubt keep us from even just giving something a go, which in itself is really the biggest failure – bigger than if you tried and failed, in fact! Sometimes you just have to pretend you know what you’re doing, and just do it! You may just surprise yourself! Obviously, you shouldn’t use this motto as a reason to be reckless or take unnecessary risks, but in most cases, there is no harm in trying and figuring it out as you go along.
Unless this involves cutting hair (your own or somebody else’s!), then definitely DO NOT follow this piece of advice!
Closing Thoughts
So, in closing, a lack of confidence may be caused by a number of factors. It may be things outside of yourself, like the unknown, or the new, but it may also stem from inside of you, like a lack of belief in yourself, focusing on your weakness and not understanding or appreciating your strengths. Whatever the cause, putting these guidelines into practice will definitely give your confidence a boost and turn you into an unstoppable force in the podcasting world. Be teachable, be willing to learn from your mistakes and the guidance or correction of others, and always be willing to try, and you’ll be an accomplished, confident podcaster in no time!
Related read: Top Tools for the New Podcaster
