Yep! Here's some things you'll wantt o avoid as you grow your podcast! Some of these are a result of being new, which is ok, but you'll want to overcome them sooner than later. I also provide some possible solutions to these.

1. Give Up

2. Inconsistency

3. Lack of Passion

4. Going too deep for your audience or yourself

5. Don't Know your Target Audience

6. Bad Sound

7. Sloppy Editing

8. Poor Social Strategy

9. Too Broad

10. No Long-Term Plan

In this episode I give my experience and exposure to podcasting in South Africa.

I started listening to podcasts in July 2015, and have had my own since November 2015. In that time I've made a few observations:

1. Podcasts in South Africa are mainly done by media companies

2. There is very little diversity in topics

3. There are almost no podcasts dedicated to teaching a specific topic

4. The number of podcasts hosted by individuals is very low.

This may seem to be all doom and gloom, and to be sure, I complain A LOT in this episode. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I believe this presents an opportunity for those of us who are in the game, to grow the awareness of podcasting to the rest of the country.

It's still a growing trend, and is yet to hit critical mass here, but there is an increasing number of people who will make podcasts a part of their lives and their personal growth.

Impostor syndrome affects those who have achieved, and even those who are yet to start. Let's talk about what it is, and how to deal with it.

It affects those with something to offer;

It comes with some(a LOT) of ego;

BUT, Impostor syndrome doesn't have the final say!

In the end, what matters is what you have to offer, not how you or anybody else feels about it.

And a very good remedy for Impostor syndrome, is a good memory!

Remember what got you into this;

Remember what you believed you could achieve;

Remember the wins and positive feedback!

Impostor syndrome could hunt and haunt you for the rest of your life, but it doesn't have to be the deciding factor in your life.

The Oscars were certainly exciting, but were obviously affected by the dark cloud of controversy around the diversity of Best Acting nominees. They acknowledged the reality throughout the show, but never really tackled the issue head-on!

I give you 3 reasons you MUST address controversy on your platform, especially when it affects your listeners.

1. How you address controversy is a sign of leadership.

2. Dealing with controversy on your platform is NECESSARY!

3. Doing this show that you're also human.

I also talk briefly about changes with iTunes and how you submit your podcast. Plus their new logo size recommendations.

Street Fighter 5 launched last week! The 5th installment of the biggest fighting game franchise on the planet... And it stuttered! From poor servers the first few days after launch, to missing elements that are now basic to fighting games, this was yet ANOTHER example of games that are launched before they are complete.

We can learn 5 things from Street Fighter 5:

1. Don't Over-Promise and Under-Deliver

2. A Complete Package is better than a Cool Package

3. Hype is Great... For a Great Product

4. Rather Delay and Finish, than Rush and Crash

5. Pay Attention to Your Reputation

I hope you consider what expectations your audience has of you, and whether you're meeting them or not.

Listen in for an in-depth look at how this example in the gaming world, has application in the podcast and blog world!

Here are 7 strategies to make sure the goals you set are achieved. Time to swallow some tough pills!

1. Set goals in line with your values

2. Don't be afraid to set BIG goals

3. Write it down...NOW!

4. Be as detailed and specific as you can

5. Don't lie to yourself

6. Be patient with yourself

7. Celebrate how far you've come, and accept the challenge of how far you have left to go.

These will help grow in your dedication to your goals.

Don't just think about it... Do it!

It's the New Year and I almost didn't continue with my podcast! Find out why, and how I decided to keep podcasting!

I give 5 ways you can beat tough times that make you question your resolve:

1. Mourn Your Loss

2. Remember You're Not Alone

3. Get Help!

4. Tweak Your Systems

5. Start Moving (again)!

Whatever you do, don't quit podcasting! Don't quit anything you know you SHOULD be doing!

Your podcast topic is what your audience comes to hear! Deciding what your podcast topic should be can get difficult to finalise, since there are so many options available to you. You need to make a choice you’re going to stick with!

I suggest these ways of deciding what your topic should be:

1. Talk about what you know

2. Talk about what you are passionate about

3. Combination of 1 & 2

Furthermore, consistently coming up with new content for you your episodes can get difficult after your energy from the first few episodes. I show you how I’ve figured this out

1. Note-taking (Evernote)

2. Mind maps (X-Mind)

3. Feedback/Questions from listeners

These strategies will help you decide and be consistent with your podcast topic.

Go for it!

The purpose of your podcast should be one of the first things you should know with great clarity. Everything else can be learnt and decided over time, but purpose is something you must be sure about from the beginning, as it will fuel your drive for podcasting.

Purpose can be defined in two ways:

* The reason for which something is done, created, or exists

* A person’s sense of resolve or determination

Let’s dig into these.

 

1. The reason for which something is done/created/exists

Why should your podcast even exist? What is it doing for you and your listeners?

Starting with you, it’s good to know your reasons, because they help determine other elements like how much time and money you’ll put in

If this is just a hobby and you’re just getting your toes wet, you can really take your time to learn and grow (something I suggest you do regardless of your aims). It can also make it more of a fun process rather than this tough mission you must accomplish or someone will lose their hair!

Or it could be something you’ve always wanted to do in your life, some kind of goal. Similarly, it could be attached to something you love doing/talking about and you want to share that with other people.

Connected to this, you could be podcasting to share an expertise. You’ve realised you have a lot of knowledge about some topic, or your friends recognise you as the go-to person about your topic choice, and podcasting is a way of expressing that beyond your normal circles.

Is this a business opportunity? Well, if it is, you’ll need to be intentional with your strategy and the steps you take. It’s best to do this with a topic you thoroughly enjoy, because will only pay you if they believe you love what you’re doing. Also note, monetizing isn’t so straightforward; you’ll want to be sure you have a product/service that’s worth it!

Onto your listeners, you should have an idea of why they would want to listen to you talk. This has almost everything to do with your topic, and your knowledge of how people may or may not interact with your topic (do some research!).

Which questions are you answering? Who are giving a voice to? These are things to think about when thinking about your potential audience. Will they gain any value from listening to you?

Another element here is the community you can build/tap into with your topic. You could become a lightning rod for people to connect through. This can happen just thorugh your comments, or a Facebook page!

Fact is, people unite around specific things: nationality, language, favourite movies… etc. You must make sure you’re not just rambling nonsense to yourself, but your speaking to SOMEBODY SPECIFIC, because you can’t speak to everybody.

So know your audience.

 

2. A person’s sense of determination or resolve.

This is all about your drive for podcasting. I’m not talking about passion. There’s a lot that can be said about passion, but this has more to do with the determination to just keep doing this, no matter how you feel.

“Sometimes the passion isn’t there, but the purpose is always there! Purpose is the true foundation of motivation.”

Purpose is what keeps you going. Answering all the questions I’ve asked before will be a reminder of why you should get in front of that microphone and hit record. Knowing your audience keeps you thinking about who could miss out if you say nothing.

If you really have no purpose after a while, re-evaluate what’s going on in your own heart.

 

***More important than knowing how to podcast???***

Yes it is!

Purpose gives reason to process (more p’s).

Without Purpose, your Process becomes Pointless!

So in other words, purpose is what keeps you doing the task of podcasting, as it supplies the bedrock for all your goals and ambitions.

You must have a very strong,

If you’re like me, you’re a procrastinator. That means you know you should do something but never plan when you’re going to do it, or even worse ignore plans for the sake of other stuff. And I especially did that when it came to starting my podcast.

Truth is, it’s hard to start

But starting is something we MUST do in order to get anywhere, and with a podcast, you can’t go far with a “maybe” attitude

Here’s what you gain from truly starting a podcast with intention.

1. It opens up all the options

From topics to equipment, you will go into a research phase that makes all the possibilities known to you!

You won’t just want to buy any microphone, you’ll look at which ones are popular.

Then which ones are recommended.

Then which ones you can afford.

Then finally, which one you’ll buy!

That whole process belongs only to those who start with intention. Most people stop at the first part of seeing which microphones are popular, then give up because there’s too many, or the prices aren’t appealing, or there’s a bird flying past.

The whole idea behind having all the options before you is to get you to the point of decision! Once you’ve made up your mind, you will go to the next part.

2. You learn with purpose/direction

Once a strong decision has been made, you go into a deeper research phase to learn even more about the consequences of your decision.

When you’re looking for a phone, you never think of which protective covers are available for it. You only do that once you’ve decided on, or have even purchased the phone.

Same with podcasting.

Some of the knowledge you’re missing will come as a result of making a decision! In fact, a lot of what you previously perceived as barriers (the technical understanding, cost of hosting a website, time commitment) cease to be barriers, but become goals to reach!

That’s how I learnt to use Adobe Audition to edit my sound. I had always used Garageband for other stuff, but I had Audition on my computer and never touched it. I found out it had superior editing capabilities, but I had to learn them all. Youtube tutorials became my friend, and I hacked my way through learning Adobe Audition. Now it’s my go-to app for ANYTHING to do with my podcast sound.

So after all the options, you make a choice. And after making a choice, you now have context for whatever learning you need or progress you make. If you get to this point, what comes as part of the package is the next thing.

3. Gives you ENERGY!

Everything you need to do as a podcaster requires energy. Though in the long run it isn’t the most important thing, it definitely has huge benefits when starting!

This is what following through on your decision to podcast will do, and it makes some of the early fears of learning new things or building new relationships more doable. You won’t be sitting somewhere wondering whether or not to do it, or watching the bird that flew past earlier. You’ll be typing out that email, or doing the homework you learnt in a tutorial.

It’s what I experienced and I see it everywhere.

When you don’t want to go to the gym, but decide to go anyways… You’re not going to get in there and sit. Regardless of how you felt before, you’re going to do the work!

Where did that energy come from? Making the decision!

4. You find out what you truly have

You won’t know what you’re capable of until you actually tried this. The clarity of your message isn’t sure until you’ve had other people come to you and comment (especially those in your target audience… You DO know your target audience right?).

Cool thing about podcasting: You can grow as you go! Where you start and where you’ll be after 7 episodes are two very different places. But you’ll only see that when you start.