1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,280 Everyone thinks that the hardest part of starting a podcast is the techie stuff, 2 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:09,480 the microphone, uploading and editing it perfectly, publishing it to the podcasting apps. 3 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:14,199 That is actually the easiest part. The hardest part about creating a podcast 4 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:18,519 is creating a show that the right people want to listen to, growing it, 5 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:23,199 and using that content strategically to draw your business. That is the hardest 6 00:00:23,199 --> 00:00:27,160 part. The strategy behind the show is much harder than any of the techi 7 00:00:27,239 --> 00:00:32,359 things. Welcome to Imperfect Action. I'm Steph Taylor. For years, I 8 00:00:32,399 --> 00:00:36,159 read all the books, downloaded all the freebies, and did all the courses, 9 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,799 But it wasn't until I started taking imperfect action that my business had its 10 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:46,799 first million dollar year. Imperfect Action is about doing things before you're ready, 11 00:00:47,039 --> 00:00:52,799 prioritizing consistent action over perfect action, and moving forward even when you're not sure 12 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,880 you're doing it right. On this show, you can expect mindset advice, 13 00:00:57,079 --> 00:01:00,600 actionable marketing tips and strategies to build a bit business that brings you more profit, 14 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:07,040 more freedom, and even more joy. Are you on the list to 15 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,760 get my daily businesses? Every day, I'll send you a bite sized prompt 16 00:01:10,799 --> 00:01:14,920 designed to help you grow your business in a more intentional way. Sign up 17 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:18,840 at Stefphtaylor dot co, forward slash DBB, or at the link in the 18 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:23,599 show notes. Hey, welcome back to In Perfect Action. This is episode 19 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:29,719 seven hundred and forty. Today I'm sharing seven of the big mistakes to avoid 20 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,719 if you are thinking about starting a podcast coming into twenty twenty four. A 21 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,000 lot of people ask me, ahy too, Am I too late to start 22 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,599 a podcast? Is it already oversaturated? My response is no, it is 23 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,719 absolutely not oversaturated. There is still so much space for new podcasts out there. 24 00:01:47,359 --> 00:01:51,280 The difference now is though that you have to be really intentional with what 25 00:01:51,319 --> 00:01:53,439 you are creating, what you are putting out there, and the seven mistakes 26 00:01:53,439 --> 00:01:57,439 that I'm going to share in this episode, If you can avoid these, 27 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,239 this is going to set you up for a lot more so excess with your 28 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:05,120 new show when you get it out there into the world. Mistake number one 29 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,680 looking for the things that are working well when you're creating the strategy for your 30 00:02:09,719 --> 00:02:14,360 show. So I get asked this a lot, Steph, what's working well 31 00:02:14,439 --> 00:02:17,319 for podcasts at the moment? And if you are asking this, you are 32 00:02:17,319 --> 00:02:23,080 missing the point because podcasting is a long game. It's not about just jumping 33 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:25,960 on a trend that's working really well right now, because if you do that, 34 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,039 you might find that when that trend stops working or everybody's jumped on the 35 00:02:30,039 --> 00:02:35,719 bandwagon and it's become pretty popular, when that trend stops working, then you 36 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:39,919 have to pivot. So your strategy isn't about jumping on what's working really well 37 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,639 right now and instead thinking about what can you do that is going to bring 38 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,599 you so much joy that you are going to want to keep podcasting forever. 39 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:53,280 What do you love to talk about? What would you love to have Your 40 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,199 show will be about who would you love to interview? What format would you 41 00:02:57,319 --> 00:03:01,080 love to create your show in example this show, there's a reason why I 42 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:05,919 do most of my episodes solo because I like doing solo episodes. I find 43 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:09,360 them much easier for me to create than for me to do interview episodes. 44 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:13,759 Yeah, the show might have grown a lot faster if I'd had more guests 45 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,000 on the show who could then share their episodes with their audiences. But the 46 00:03:17,039 --> 00:03:21,960 solo episodes for me are so much easier, and they allow me to impact 47 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,479 my audience in a different way. So that's why I chose my strategy. 48 00:03:24,759 --> 00:03:29,560 I didn't jump on it because it was working well. Mistake number two. 49 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:35,639 Emulating a competitors podcast format or topic because you think it's working really well for 50 00:03:35,759 --> 00:03:38,439 them. Just because it's working well for somebody else doesn't mean it's going to 51 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:44,280 work well for you. And if someone is already listening to your competitors show, 52 00:03:44,719 --> 00:03:49,560 why should they then switch and listen to your one that is basically similar, 53 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,120 basically the same. Instead, what I would be looking for is where 54 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:58,439 are the gaps in your particular niche or your particular subject area. For example, 55 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,000 when I started this show, most business podcasts were forty five minute long 56 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,599 interview episodes where you had to listen for the whole forty five minutes to get 57 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:10,639 two takeaways, two actionable takeaways. So instead I thought, well, here's 58 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:15,360 an opportunity for me to create these shorter episodes that are much more actionable that 59 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:19,319 somebody can take what I'm teaching and go and implement it straight away without having 60 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:26,000 to listen for forty five minutes. Mistake number three picking a super broad topic 61 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,439 because you think that's what's going to attract more listeners. And I've talked this 62 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:35,360 in regards to niching your business as well. Typically, the bigger your niche, 63 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,120 the bigger your market, the broader you want to go, the more 64 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,240 competition you're going to be against, the more people you are competing against. 65 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:46,040 Seth Godin has this beautiful analogy around making waves. It is much easier to 66 00:04:46,079 --> 00:04:49,639 make waves in a swimming pool than it is to make waves in an ocean. 67 00:04:49,639 --> 00:04:54,439 And it's the same when you are picking your business niche, when you 68 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:58,800 are picking your podcast topic or your podcast audience, If you pick a narrower 69 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,680 audience, it's going to be so much easier to make those waves to become 70 00:05:01,759 --> 00:05:08,160 known in that area, rather than competing against all of the other broader topics 71 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:12,000 that are reaching a larger, broader audience. There are super, super super 72 00:05:12,079 --> 00:05:17,000 niche podcasts out there that are super successful because they chose a really specific niche. 73 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:21,519 And if you are thinking of taking on sponsors as a way to grow 74 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:28,160 your revenue, then there are sponsors who will pay more for niche audiences because 75 00:05:28,199 --> 00:05:31,079 they want to reach that particular niche audience. So keep that in mind as 76 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:35,879 well. Mistake number four thinking that your podcast will grow itself. Now, 77 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:42,800 podcasting isn't an audience growth activity on its own, it is a nurturing activity. 78 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,120 It is a way to build a connection with your audience and to share 79 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:51,079 content with them that ultimately delivers value and moves them closer to buying from you. 80 00:05:51,519 --> 00:05:58,160 But your episodes won't just magically reach new people because discoverability on the podcast 81 00:05:58,199 --> 00:06:01,519 apps it kind of sucks. And unless your show is in New and Noteworthy 82 00:06:01,639 --> 00:06:06,079 or in the top charts, or it gets featured by Apple Podcasts or Spotify, 83 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:11,160 your podcast isn't just going to reach people magically. So that means that 84 00:06:11,199 --> 00:06:15,600 you need to get your show in front of the right people. And that 85 00:06:15,879 --> 00:06:19,040 might look like being a guest on other podcasts and doing interviews there. It 86 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:26,759 might look like optimizing your transcripts into blog posts and publishing those on your website 87 00:06:26,879 --> 00:06:30,439 and optimizing them for SEO so that somebody can when they search that topic, 88 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:35,560 they land on your website and they find that content. Right. That's how 89 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:40,639 you intentionally get your show in front of the right people. But it won't 90 00:06:40,639 --> 00:06:44,839 just attract the right people magically on its own. Mistake number five doing it 91 00:06:44,879 --> 00:06:47,439 without a strategy for how it will grow your business. And I talked about 92 00:06:47,439 --> 00:06:51,399 this last episode. I shared ten ways you can use your show to grow 93 00:06:51,439 --> 00:06:57,160 your business. And I would really encourage you to think about how you can 94 00:06:57,319 --> 00:07:00,959 use your show or how you will use your show this strategy for it. 95 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:04,199 Otherwise you run the risk of it just becoming another thing that's on your to 96 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:09,839 do list, but that isn't actually driving any growth or isn't actually moving the 97 00:07:09,839 --> 00:07:13,240 needle in your business, but it's taking up your time. And there are 98 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,319 so many ways that you can leverage it outside of just using it to get 99 00:07:16,439 --> 00:07:19,839 clients or grow your audience. There are so many other ways you can leverage 100 00:07:19,879 --> 00:07:24,240 your show. So go back and listen to that last episode because that will 101 00:07:24,279 --> 00:07:29,160 get you thinking about the strategy behind your episode. And if you are starting 102 00:07:29,199 --> 00:07:32,120 one, always come back to this question, how is this driving my business? 103 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,439 How is this growing my business? And then that way, when you 104 00:07:34,519 --> 00:07:40,079 create the show, you can create it with that strategy in mind, because 105 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:43,360 that's what you decide to use the show as, or how you decide to 106 00:07:43,399 --> 00:07:46,959 use the show to grow your business. That's going to determine your topic that 107 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:49,120 you talk about. That's going to determine your format, it's going to determine 108 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:56,199 pretty much everything. Mistake number six worrying about what microphone you will use, 109 00:07:56,639 --> 00:07:59,639 where you will host it, or how you will edit it before you even 110 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,120 know what your show is going to be about. Everyone thinks that the hardest 111 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:07,480 part of starting a podcast is the techie stuff, the microphone, uploading and 112 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:11,360 editing it perfectly, publishing it to the podcasting apps. That is actually the 113 00:08:11,519 --> 00:08:16,319 easiest part. The hardest part about creating a podcast is creating a show that 114 00:08:16,399 --> 00:08:22,079 the right people want to listen to, growing it, and using that content 115 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:26,199 strategically to grow your business. That is the hardest part. The strategy behind 116 00:08:26,199 --> 00:08:30,319 the show is much harder than any of the techi things because you actually have 117 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,000 to think about it. Whereas the techie things you can tick your way through 118 00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:35,639 the techlist of it. You can find how to do that online. I 119 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,600 teach it inside the podcast launch plan as well. But the strategy you have 120 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:43,679 to be the person who is thinking critically about how this is going to grow 121 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:50,200 your business. Mistake number seven not being able to clearly and succinctly tell me 122 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,440 what your podcast is about, who it is for. For example, this 123 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:56,879 show I can tell you really quickly this is a bite sized online business strategy 124 00:08:56,879 --> 00:09:01,159 podcast for online business owners with new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. 125 00:09:01,759 --> 00:09:05,039 Great. That tells you what it is, who it's for, when you 126 00:09:05,039 --> 00:09:09,919 can expect new episodes. Your podcast topic is so important, and knowing who 127 00:09:09,919 --> 00:09:13,519 your listener is is also so important. These can be the difference between a 128 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:18,480 show that skyrockets and one that gets no listeners and you do ten episodes and 129 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:22,320 then give up because you haven't seen any traction. And inside my free masterclass, 130 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:26,759 I'm letting you in on my simple strategy for a powerful podcast topic. 131 00:09:26,159 --> 00:09:31,000 You can watch that masterclass. It's called your First one thousand Listeners. How 132 00:09:31,039 --> 00:09:35,320 to start a podcast without the overwhelm. Head to steptaylor dot co slash podcasting, 133 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,000 or if you prefer, you can DM me on Instagram and there at 134 00:09:37,039 --> 00:09:41,440 stephtaylor dot co send me the word podcasting and I will send you the link 135 00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:46,840 to register for that masterclass. There you have at seven mistakes to avoid if 136 00:09:46,879 --> 00:09:50,440 you are thinking of launching a podcast in twenty twenty four. If you're not 137 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,919 already subscribed to the show, hit the subscribe button or the follow button and 138 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,799 it just means you'll get each new episode straight to your podcast app every Monday, 139 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:01,240 Wednesday and Friday. Thank you so much for listening, Catch you next 140 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:11,679 time, M.