I get a lot of messages and emails from people who say “I want to start a podcast, but I have no clue where to begin”. And this doesn’t just apply to podcasting, a lot of this will apply to starting a YouTube channel too.
And I’ve put a lot of this advice out there on Twitter and Instagram, my username is Chris Van Vliet if you don’t follow me already. I’ve also been a guest on a bunch of podcasts where I’ve talked about this…. but I figured let’s put this all together in one place. It will be quick and very much to the point, but I think there are 5 main things you need to keep in mind if you’re looking to dive into the wild world of content creating. So here we go!

NUMBER 1: First and most importantly, ask yourself why you’re doing it.

Why do you want to start a podcast?

One of my favorite books is called Start with Why by Simon Sinek. And he talks about how people aren’t interested in WHAT you do, they are much more compelled by WHY you do it. So find your WHY! And if your WHY is to make money, you will have quite a rude awakening.

I’m assuming you want to start a podcast because you have some important ideas you want to share. Think about what is going to make your show stand out in the sea of more than a million podcasts that currently exist:

• 12% of podcasts have only published one single episode
• 6% haven’t made it past two episodes.
• Half of all podcasts have 14 or fewer episodes.

And I think this happens when people have the wrong expectations of their podcast. Because you will probably start out with wayyyy less listeners and downloads than you expect. 

It is so crucial to realize and understand that it is a labor of love.
Podcasting requires a lot of effort. You have to plan, write, research record, edit and publish every episode.
If you don’t love every single part of that process, you should give up right now. Otherwise, you will burn yourself out.

NUMBER 2: Just start.

So many people dream about starting a podcast or talk about doing it… but that’s where it ends.

Stop worrying about whether you have the right microphone or the right camera or the right logo or the right name. Because you know what these are? These are just EXCUSES! If you want to do it and you’re passionate about it. Just start! Start today. Start tomorrow. Pick a day and start!

And realize that every podcast, even Joe Rogan or Conrad Thompson or the talented hosts of My Favorite Murder all started with zero episodes and zero downloads.

It is very much a marathon and not a sprint. I always say, no one was listening to episode number 61 of The Joe Rogan Experience. In fact, hardly anyone was listening to episode 361 of his show.

Once you do start. Don’t stop.

That leads us to…

NUMBER 3: Be consistent.

If you expect people to show up and listen to your podcast, you have to show up for them. They need to be able to count on you to be there when you say you’re going to be there. That’s just great life advice too.

Don’t put out two episodes this week and then skip next week. I’d say aim for AT THE VERY LEAST one episode a week, and make sure it’s on the same day every week.
Podcast listening is habitual. I mean think about it. You probably listen around the same tasks every week –whether that’s driving to work, sitting at your desk, doing some sort of workout, maybe walking the dog. Your favorite podcasts that you listen to are tied into those behaviors. So as a podcaster, perhaps you say every Tuesday I’ll have a new episode. Or every Tuesday or Thursday. But get people used that routine.

Number 4: Bring value.

If you are passionate about it, other people will be passionate about it too.

People are choosing to listen to your show out of all of the shows they could possibly listen to. People want to be either entertained or informed.
Actually statistics show that nearly 75% of podcast listeners say they tune in to learn something.

And bringing value applied even more when it comes to getting guests. It’s obvious what’s in it for you if they give you half an hour or an hour of their time to be on your show…. but what’s in it for them? What value can you provide them?

I see far too many emails or DMs where someone says “Hey, I have a podcast, I know you’re busy, but it would be great if we could interview you”. I think that’s only hitting on half of it. That’s basically saying, here’s what I’ll get from it? Want to help me?

Think about value first! Value for your listeners and value for your potential guests.

And finally NUMBER 5: Think ahead.

You’ve heard me say before, vague goals get vague results. If you don’t know where you’re heading, you’re never going to get there.

Make a list of potential episodes so you won’t be left scrambling every week. And make it a big list. Like just brain dump 10, 20, 50 episodes that you could do.

Because once you’re done with your first episode, you should already know what you’ll be doing for episode number 2. And then keep that momentum going!
I think the biggest reason that podcasts fail is because don’t find their audience. If you don’t have an audience, you might as well just call up your friend on the phone and tell your podcast to them because that’s pretty much what you’ll be doing without an audience.
So there we go! I hope that helps you either start your podcast or if you already have a podcast, I hope this gives you some guidance to help take things to the next level.

I love this quote:

“you don’t need all of the steps, just the next one”
Take that one, then take the next one after that and so on!