Many people will tell you that the most challenging part of making a podcast is the production, distribution, or promotion. While I’ll be the first to admit that all those parts are complex, I think they’re wrong. The hardest part of making a podcast lies at the beginning of the journey and the Three Big Questions. I’ve produced podcasts where I didn’t answer these questions, and those shows failed.

Answering these questions is often the difference between a successful show and a failed one, and it’s also the difference between a show that lasts a long time or one that goes into podfade — a show that just fades away after a few episodes. Podfade happens to about 75 percent of podcasts. Many podcasts fizzle after one episode, some don’t make it to ten episodes, and even fewer get past their 20th episode.

Podfade happens because people get discouraged by their download numbers and realize they’re not going to ‘make it, so they give up, but here’s what I want you to know. Growing an audience takes time. Unless you have a pre-built audience that follows you, you’re likely starting from scratch. So it’s going to take a long time, which means a lot of episodes, and a lot of work.

Make this work and these episodes a lot easier by answering The Big Three Questions, which are:

1. Why are you starting this podcast?Why do you want to make a podcast? Are you starting a business? Are you trying to market a service? Are you trying to put your name out in your field as an authority? Or, are you a fan of a show or a particular interest and want to connect with other fans?

All paths to podcasting start here. Answer this question. Write it down and post it somewhere if you need to. Keep this answer handy because this is your “Why.”

2. Who is this podcast for?Who is your podcast for? Who’s your ideal listener? If you’re a hobbyist, this could be something as simple as “Other fans of pre-Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd.” If you’re coming at this from a business perspective, an excellent place to start would be your business model. A Life Coach may want to target an audience interested in personal development, time management, career development, and mindfulness practice, for example.

You may want to create a profile of your ideal listener to help guide you through your journey and refer back to it whenever you feel blocked. Then, if you know what that listener would want, you can resolve that block.

3. Why should anyone listen to your podcast?You’ve got to give a potential listener a reason to listen to your show. Are you providing information that can help someone in your niche (we’ll get into that a bit later), are you interviewing people in your field, or are you providing a place for people who have the same interests? These are all valid reasons for people to listen and for them to come back for more.

Give some serious thought to The Big Three Questions. Then, answer them as clearly and — most importantly — as briefly as you can. Think of this as an elevator pitch, something you can say clearly to someone in a short time. I’m making this podcast because 1, for 2, and in this podcast, I will 3.

For example:

I’m making The Mid-Life Creative because I want to teach people how to start a creative career later in life. I believe people like me want to create a new creative life in their 40s, and in this podcast, I will show them the things I learned to make my transition to a creative career easier.Take some time and fill in those blanks before you move on to the step, where we’ll talk about naming your podcast.