Hi everyone. Man, doesn’t it seem like everybody has a podcast? On this week’s episode of Everybody Has A Podcast, I went solo to talk about the three objections I hear most often from people who haven’t started their own show. It doesn’t matter if it’s personal, a hobby, professional, or a blend of all three. People have the wildest reasons for not starting.
I know that’s coming out the gate a little hot. I’m not trying to insult or berate anybody. My heart behind it is simple: I want you to have your own podcast, even if you don’t do it with us. Watch the episode below, or keep reading for the full breakdown.
The short version
"I don't like the way I look or sound." You already show up as yourself every day. A microphone and a camera don't change that.
"I don't know what to talk about." You answer questions about your work, your hobby, or your story all day long. That's your show.
"I don't have a system to follow." The structure already exists. Walk in, record, and follow the playbook.
"I don't like the way I look or sound."
Here's the deal. Every morning you choose the outfit you're going to wear. Ladies, you're doing your hair and makeup a certain way. Guys, you're doing your hair a certain way, except for us bald guys, who don't have to do our hair at all, which is wonderful. Every day you're choosing how the outside world sees you, and then after you're dressed, you barely think about it again.
Podcasting works the same way. There's no rule for what you should wear or how it needs to look. You just need to be you. Look like you, sound like you.
Every day you leave the house and talk to people at the store, on a walk with the dog, at your kid's sports practice, or with your coworkers. They see you and hear you exactly as you are. A camera in a studio or a microphone in front of you doesn't make that unacceptable. If you're only listening to this, I'm bald, I'm wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, and nobody has ever told me I need a suit and tie. In fact, if I showed up at your office in one, you'd ask me what the special occasion was. I dress the way people see me at networking events, at my office, at the studio, and on Zoom calls. That's the whole idea.
Remember, too, that you're a listener as well. You're benefiting from podcasts made by people who may have once thought, "I don't like the way I sound." They made the content anyway, and you got value from it.
And a tough one, but I'll say it straight. If you're on social media judging people for the way they look and sound, you should expect that judgment to come back around. But I'm willing to bet you're not criticizing someone who's solving a problem for you or telling their story. Being confident matters, but it shouldn't stop you from making content.
"I don't know what to talk about."
Goodness gracious, I don't even know where to start with this one. There are podcasts about life, entertainment, sports, hobbies, reading, business, and law. There are podcasts about true crime, reality TV, and podcasts about podcasts. This is one of them.
There's kind of a podcast for everything. Want to find one about trust wills? It's out there. Tax planning? Also out there. Maybe that's not what you turn to on a Friday night to unwind. But when you have a problem to solve and a podcast answers it, entertainment value doesn't matter. Value matters.
If you're doing a professional podcast, think about your day. You're answering questions from coworkers, customers, and vendors. You're answering them in DMs, email, text messages, and phone calls. That whole bucket of topics can come over to podcast space. Then you can point people to the episode even when you aren't available in the moment, and they can watch it once or rewatch it until it sinks in. They can also share it with someone who needs it.
I talk with people who've had 15, 20, even 30 year careers, very successful in their field, who tell me they don't know what to talk about. I chuckle, because how did you stay successful for 20 years without knowing what to talk about?
If you're doing a hobby podcast, think about what you know off the clock. Collecting, knitting, crochet, maybe you bought a loom during the shutdown. Training your dog, exercising, a specific sport or athlete. Here's a hint: if people in your family and friend circle say, "Wow, you know a lot about that, don't you?", you're probably onto something.
If you're doing a personal podcast, all you have to do is tell your story. Where have you been? What happened to you? What did you do to get out of tough situations? Who helped you along the way? Talk about the times you felt stuck and the times everything was flowing and you were going 80 in the fast lane on autopilot.
One caution. Don't fabricate your story. That works against you. Be honest about what really happened. Be a little theatrical, be a little loud, sure, but don't falsify the facts. Then you don't have to carry lies forward that never needed to exist. Make it real and be authentic.
"I don't have a system to follow."
Bottom line up front: we've already designed a playbook that tells you what to do and where to put everything we deliver to you. You're ready to put your podcast on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and audio syndication platforms.
You walk into the studio, do your show, and leave. When you leave, our system takes that show down the pipeline of our production process and delivers everything finished. After we deliver it, the playbook shows you where to put it. You can do that yourself, or someone on your team can, maybe an assistant or a virtual assistant. Or, if it's most helpful for you to understand the process first, do the first five or ten episodes yourself and refine it for your specific show.
The technical structure exists. We have the physical space, the equipment, and the post production process that delivers a finished product ready for each platform you want. You can modify it to your liking, and you'll leave with it either way.
Then comes the next question: "But Andy, what do I talk about? Who should my guests be?" There are a lot of ways to slice that. It could be a solo show like this one, you and one guest, or a panel where you ask two or three people questions for a longer, deeper conversation. The structure for your show comes from what you talk about all the time, what people trust you for, and what they come to you for when life gets hard. All of that feeds your pre-production: scheduling guests, setting up your time with us, coming in to record, and carrying out the process.
Share this with someone
So, no matter how you look or sound, whether you think you have something to talk about or not, and whether you feel like you lack a system, those are the things we help people with here.
I hope this was helpful. If you know someone who should have a podcast but hasn't started yet, please send this to them. I want them to feel empowered and encouraged to start their own show. Yes, even if they're not doing it with us.
Thank you so much for reading, and we'll see you next time.
