Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Podcast

Author: Audreyonna Sequale

These days, it seems like almost everyone has a podcast. Some do it for fun, others do it to spread information but mostly everyone wants their podcast to be profitable and popular. Unfortunately, those two things might not come as quickly or easily as some podcasters would like. Here are a few things I think aspiring podcasters should know before getting started.

The Money Doesn't Come Easily

Here's a hard truth, if you're getting into podcasting for the money you may want to think twice. Monetizing a podcast takes time and effort.

Of course, you could use a donation-based platform like Patreon or ad placement services like Midroll or Megaphone but the big bucks won't come rolling in immediately. However, what you can do before you begin is craft a list of potential sponsors. Think of small businesses that might be willing to fork over some ad dollars in exchange for promotion and pitch to them once you've got a few episodes under your belt and a decent listenership.

Neither Do the Listeners

One of the biggest complaints I hear from podcasters is the lack of support. As a matter of fact, I believe this is one of if not the number one reason why most podcasters call it quits early on.

I understand that no one wants to feel like they're podcasting in vain, especially if they're considering it as a route to more income but having patience while growing your show is crucial. Great content, promotion, and collaboration will be a huge help in gaining the audience you want but nothing will take you further than consistency.

Consistency is Key

When you're starting a new podcast, the goal should be creating great, engaging content and keeping your name on people's lips. The way to do that is to be consistent.

Releasing your podcast on a certain day and time is a great start. Making sure you stick to that schedule can be difficult (trust me) but it pays off in the long run because you will have built a sense of expectation with your growing audience.

Even if you decide to release your podcast in seasons so that you can take breaks to create more content, make sure you're still engaging your audience in the meantime through social media.

These are just a few tips I wish someone would have given me before I started my podcast; Strong Friend Check In. Learning these lessons along the way has been helpful and some of them I'm still learning. If you want to be successful in the podcast game, make sure you're doing your research beforehand and manage your expectations. In doing so, you can have the successful podcast you wish for!