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You're listening to Podcasting Made Simple.
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If you're an independent podcaster and you don't have at least five fellow podcasters in your close network, you're doing it wrong. Hi, my name is Remy Roy. I am an entrepreneur, an author, and host of the Driven Introvert podcast. Many years ago, it seems like ages now. In 2016, I started my first podcast. My motivation was very simple. I saw someone I know launch a podcast and I was fascinated. That's it. That was my motivation. I was curious about this new medium I just discovered, and for an introvert like me, it seemed like the perfect way to scratch my creative itch while hopefully making some positive impact in the world. I enjoyed my podcast while it lasted. I enjoyed recording it, I enjoyed editing it, I enjoyed all the aspects of it. But that lasted all of seven or so months. Because 23 episodes later, I threw in the towel. I could no longer continue my podcast. It wasn't exactly pod fade like I just didn't fizzle out. I made a conscious decision to stop doing the show after reflecting on my short podcasting experience. My reasons were simple, I guess, but they were as follows. No one was listening and I was very discouraged. Also, I didn't know what I was doing wrong, so I didn't know how to fix it. Looking back now, I made all the mistakes in the book. I didn't have a plan for my podcast. I was running on pure adrenaline. I had no idea how to package my content for my audience. I didn't even know who my audience was. So I had no idea how to serve them. I had no idea how to give them what they needed. It was a total disaster. So I had to really take time to reflect and think about this so that I could figure out how to move forward and do better next time. After further reflection, I realized that these are the reasons why I felt stuck on my initial podcasting journey. Beyond watching the few YouTube videos available on how to launch a podcast, I had no one to talk to about my podcast and journey, and that was rough. Even introverts like me need sounding boards. We want people in our corner and people who care about us and offer support. And may I mention that if watching YouTube videos is your alternative for community and intentional support, you've probably never heard of inertia due to information overload, which is basically just analysis paralysis. You have all this information, knowledge rich, but you don't know what to do with it. You don't know how to move forward and make things work. I wanted to succeed as A podcaster, but apart from one or two podcasts I followed inconsistently. I also really didn't listen to podcasts. I didn't have experts I could really learn from on things like audience engagement, podcast growth, packaging, and all of that. I just didn't know what I didn't know. And granted, there's more information now publicly available online, which is a great thing, than there was nine years ago when I started. But that's what happened. I wasn't even in the frame of mind to even know I needed that information. If not, I would have found what was available at the time. Also, I had no community. What I didn't know I needed was actually community. To be in a room with fellow podcasters who were doing the same thing, trying to grow their shows, become better at speaking and engaging with your audience and support each other. This is very crucial, I tell you. Every podcaster needs it. I spent my days at the local library writing, recording and editing my shoes, and no one listened to it. There was no one for me to bounce ideas off of. Many podcast hosts I have met do not have anyone else in their immediate circle who is also seriously podcasting. And that was my experience. My friends and family had no idea what I was doing, and hence they didn't know how to help me. When I got frustrated with the process, I needed community. I needed other people who knew exactly what I was going through, what I was trying to achieve with my podcast. It would have saved me a lot of headaches, which is why I'm very passionate about community for podcasters and why I'm doing this today. So back to my very emphatic statement at the beginning. If you are an independent podcaster and you don't have at least five fellow podcasters in your close network, you are doing it wrong. I know this sounds like very emphatic, but it's true. As far as I'm concerned, it is true. This is important because, see, the stats are clear. The podcasting space is rapidly growing, yet many podcasters are giving up on the craft. Many people are giving up every day. Many people are starting shows, yes, and more listeners are listening to shows across the globe, but unfortunately, many host the abandoning ship. The reasons vary, you know, for why people give up on their shows, but I think at the core of it is a lack of community. If you launched your podcast without a plan and you just decided to wing it, it's probably because you didn't consult anyone or anything on the best way to actually launch your show. Or maybe you didn't do enough of that research, you would have found someone in the podcasting community telling you how best to do it. If you're struggling to find ideas for your show and you give up because of that, it might be because you don't have a community to bounce ideas off of, people to talk to and give you inspiration and ideas that will keep you excited on the journey. The point is, the more you get around other creatives in your field, the more you increase your network, the chances are that you will get the right information and environment to help you thrive. This is true in podcasting or any field that you're in. You need people in your corner, people who get it, people who know. So let's talk about the three levels of community you need to thrive as a podcaster, and I'm going to go from the outside in on this one. It's very important that, number one, you have mentors, experts in the podcast and industry who you're regularly following, listening to, and learning from. It's going to take humility for you to accept that you need this, especially if you think your show is growing and everything is looking good right now. But you do need it. You do need it until there's no more ground to cover and you are the highest, best person, whatever. Podcasting, you need mentors. You need someone to show you the way. You need someone to show you a better way, a more efficient way of doing things. Some of mine are the host of shows like Insider Secrets to a top 100 podcasts, grow the show, pod news, buzzcast, to name a few. You need mentors. Number two, you need a pipeline to regularly meet new people in the podcasting space. This is a more focused and intimate community that you agree to be a part of. It could be podcaster meetups in person, online, it could be Facebook groups. And Facebook groups are actually structurally limited in helping forge really meaningful connections, but they're still very helpful. So it could be Facebook groups, it could also be podcast conferences, summits and events that you go to. Pretty much a very intentional way to bump into new people who are also podcasters looking to succeed in the space. Do that. That's number two. Number one, you need mentors and experts you can learn from. Number two, you need an intentional way to meet new people. Number three, you need to have some podcaster friends you can literally call or text anytime. This is a more intimate and meaningful connection than the last one. When you are swamped and you know you had to get that episode out, that's someone that can be on the phone with you on sort of an impromptu co working session and helps you get motivated, you know, to actually do the thing. When your editor sends you a draft and you need a second set of eyes or ears to decide if this hits the mark or not, those are the friends you email and say, hey, can you take a look at this? Tell me what you think. When you forget to sign up for that podcasting event or that conference, those are the friends that will text you in the group to say, hey, is everyone signed up, everyone ready to go? See you in a month or something? You need community. It doesn't matter if you are an entrepreneur or a corporate executive. If you're looking to succeed and thrive as a podcaster who's doing it for the long haul, you need community. It's very important you have that mindset that you want to do this for the long haul. You're putting all of the intentionality into your show, into growing it, into creating great content, into connecting with your audience. You also need community to help all of this work together. So what does community look like for me right now? So what does community look like for me right now? I have all three levels. Mentors from afar and experts that I regularly follow for industry, insights, trends, everything in between. I also have podcasting communities that ensure that I'm always meeting new people and expanding my network. Some of them I joined because I needed it. Some of them I created it because I needed it. And of course, my podcaster friends on speed dial. So think about this. What does this look like for you? What can you take away from all of this? A quick reflection for you. Just some questions for you to think about. Ask yourself. Are you in the podcasting space for the long haul? Are you podcasting for the long haul? If you're not all in, that's fine. But if you want to succeed and thrive, whatever success means to you, then it will require some intentionality on your part. Do you have meaningful connections that make podcasting an even better experience than going at it alone? Can you name at least five podcasters you are familiar with and can reach out to anytime? If you don't, and if you can't, what intentional steps can you take today to build those connections? All right, so I want to give you a homework assignment. Is that okay? Take one step in each of those three levels of community that I mentioned and try and figure out what that looks like for yourself. Right? Look at it. The three things that I mentioned. Experts. Community that helps you meet new people every time. And those Intimate connections that you can call and speed dial anytime. So look for podcasts and experts you can follow and learn from. Go on the podcast apps, Google, whatever, find a couple of them and follow them. Listen to them. As a podcaster, you need to have shows that just talk about podcasting because you need to learn about the industry and that helps you do that. Number two, join a podcast group and meet up. Maybe a virtual one or in person one. Whatever it is, do it today, do it today. Find one. There's so many depending on where you are. If you want a local one, if you want to do virtual, find one and do it today. Number three, connect with someone you meet in these groups that you really jive with. Invite them to chat, grab a coffee, or maybe just jump on the zoom to get to know each other better. It's that simple connection that actually makes things work. And it's very simple to actually make these connections, even if you are an introvert like me. All right, remember, the community is a give and take thing. And make sure you try to give more than you take. That means you bring your skills, your experience, your perspective to the table. Help someone out, answer a question, jump on a call if you have time to show someone how something works or just help them in whatever way that you can. And don't just lurk in your online communities. Be a part of things. The more you give, the more it comes back to you. So let's talk about this. The future of podcasting is really bright, but the outlook for podcaster health is really low. According to recent data that was actually provided by Podmatch and other podcasting focused companies. This means that most podcasters give up before they get the chance to make a significant impact on with your work. Don't let that be you. You won't get to be a part of the future of podcasting if you quit too soon. So find your podcast tribe so you never feel alone on this journey. Remember, you're doing it for the long haul. Let's build the future of podcasting together. Build and leverage community right where you are. Thank you.
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For more episodes, please visit podmatch.com episodes thank you so much for listening. Hey Alex, here. I wanted to give you a gift. As a thank you for staying around till the end of the episode. I put together a list of nine things that will help you level up as a podcast host, guest or agency. To see the nine things with no sign up required, visit podmatch. Com free. I hope these nine things serve you well.