Like with every new undertaking, there are always challenges to overcome. On the journey of getting your podcast started, you can face a few curveballs that get thrown your way. It is not always easy to know where to get started and what to look out for until you are already committed to your show. Once you get started in the podcasting world, a whole new world of obstacles opens up and has you thinking on your feet to find the solutions.
The best part about starting anything new is that there has definitely already been someone who has gone ahead of you, forging the path and facing those exact same challenges that you are bound to encounter. Learning from these mistakes can be like actual gold, saving you precious time and money down the road. In this article, we will go over some of the top challenges that podcasters face and give you the tools you need to not only prepare for them but also how to get through them to the other side. Take this knowledge, apply it to your own situation, and find a way to efficiently handle challenges as they arise!
Getting Over the Initial Inexperience
Every first-time podcaster inevitably has to deal with getting over the initial inexperience of it all! If you’ve never done something before, you are bound to have a few questions and get stuck along the way. Every now and then you will make a few mistakes that aren’t that great for your podcast, but eventually, this inexperience will pass! If you can stick out and dive into the resources that are available to you, you will be able to get the necessary experience you need to tackle the podcasting game with ease. With every new episode you publish and with each guest you interview, your podcasting skills will continue to develop, and your expertise with grow alongside it. So keep on working at it, be persistent in your consistency, and it will pay off over the long term.
Coordinating Recording Schedules
Often times we go on the podcasting journey with a partner. Many podcasters team up with a co-host who is someone in the same or similar industry to draw listeners from a wider audience base. Their combined skills and offerings add something unique and special to the podcast, making it stand out above the crowd. However, no matter the benefits of having a partner-in-crime, there is always the issue of conflicting schedules. It can often times be hard to make the time to get together for an interview or stick to your recording schedule. Life gets busy, things are left undone, and eventually, you find yourself so far behind that it may not seem worth it carry on. This is where effective time management and coordination comes in. Use helpful scheduling tools like Calendly to make sure that you stay on track with both your recording and publishing schedule. Work out a few recording times in advance, so that if there is an emergency you always have a backup time to record. Getting the content out there is key, so make those schedules work!
Finding the Time
Overall, podcasting takes a lot of time to get everything organized and ready to hit publish. This includes doing your research, finding the right guests, getting everyone’s schedules to match up, and making sure that the content is valuable and specifically targeted to your audience. Then, after the episode has been published you have to make sure to promote the episode out to your audience by sharing it on your social media channels or even sending out a newsletter update to your email list. Each aspect of the podcast requires extra time and work to be put in. Again, using scheduling tools can be a great asset to assuring that you have the right amount of time blocked out for each stage of your publishing schedule. When the workload becomes too heavy, another way to make more time is to delegate out parts of the process. Whether this is the editing, show notes, or even scheduling the episode to publish, having someone specifically assigned to the task can ensure that the process is a lot more streamlined and all the work does not fall on you.
Staying on Track With Publishing
As you’ve heard time and again, consistency is key! To get your podcast off the ground it is imperative that you publish regularly and consistently. The same is true for once your podcast is already launched and your audience has grown. Your listeners rely on you to publish valuable content and many of them wait eagerly for the next episode to be launched. You cannot let them down by skipping dates on your publishing schedule. A way to ensure that you always have the next episode ready is to record a few episodes ahead of time. Always have a few episodes in your podcast “bank”, ready to go at a moments’ notice. This way, when life gets busy, you will still have a great episode ready and waiting to be published. Use topics that are timeless or “evergreen”, that way you do not have to worry about them no longer being relevant to your audience. Stay on track, and don’t let yourself fall behind!
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Reaching New Listeners
Many times one of the biggest challenges podcasters face is discoverability and finding ways to attract new listeners. Since iTunes does not allow for the so-called “viral spread” of podcasts, many successful podcasts are built off of existing brands, or the personal brands of the podcast hosts, who already have a popular following. Today new blogs are usually discovered on social media platforms, which can often be challenging for audio content. Written content can be a great addition to a podcast, such as a transcript or show notes, to help your podcast be more discoverable. Still, one of the best ways to reach new listeners is by tapping into existing audiences of other podcasters. Cross-promotion of content will allow your podcast to be exposed to new listeners, getting in front of audiences that are eager to listen to your episodes and already interested in your specific topic. Of course, asking your audience to share the podcast with friends, family, and coworkers is another great way to extend your podcast reach.
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Coming Up with Fresh Content
When you are publishing readily, it can be easy to run out of ideas of what to talk about. It is important to introduce fresh content to retain the listeners that you already have. The best way to continue infusing new content into your show is to keep an ear on the “market”. Meaning, keep engagement high with your audience, constantly asking them what they’d like to hear about and which topics they’d love to dive deeper into. This way you know you are specifically tailoring your content to your audience, and you are staying up to date with the challenges that they are currently facing. Also, take time to attend events and conferences, whether within your industry or in the podcast industry as a whole, to ensure that you know all the latest trends! This will create a steady stream of fresh ideas for your podcast and allow your creativity to stay on top alert!
Staying Up-to-date With Podcasting Trends
As far as podcasting trends go, the biggest challenge that podcasters face is not adapting to the new features that are available. Often times this means a new app or a new way that listeners prefer to consume your podcast content. Again, attending podcast events can help you stay on top of the latest trends and allow you to research and take part in any new technology that is released, to stay current and up-to-date for your audience. This is part of adapting to your audiences’ needs, really understanding what it is that works best for them and making it even easier for your listeners to access and consume your content.
Monetizating Your Podcast
Monetization of your podcast can be one of the biggest challenges that are top of mind for most podcasters. After all, keeping your podcast going can often be expensive, especially as your team starts to grow. Eventually, you have to find a way to make your podcast sustainable and this usually means finding a way to turn it into a revenue source. This can mean reaching out to sponsors and finding ways to engage your listeners to become not only die-hard fans but loyal customers as well. When you’ve found a way to monetize your podcast, it eliminates a lot of the challenges of continuing to publish and growing your show even further to reach new goals.
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