You’ve poured your heart and soul into creating a show you’re proud of. Something that has the potential to help other people. Something that should have an adoring fan base rapidly building around it.
But instead… Crickets.
It’s easy in these situations to cast blame on others for not seeing the value in your show and the work you do alongside it, or on yourself for wasting your time creating something that failed.
But before you jump to conclusions and either give up on the show entirely or furiously proceed with even more work in the same vein, start by asking yourself a series of questions.
1. Do I Have a Sufficient Sample Size?
First off, you need to cooly assess your work and ask whether you’ve really put out out a reasonable quantity of work to be able to draw any conclusions from.
When it comes to podcasting, our team at Counterweight Creative has found that with almost every one of our clients, it takes at least six to twelve months to really start building momentum around a show, in many cases longer.
Having that perspective and experience allows us to help our clients understand what to expect when they don’t have hundreds of thousands of downloads after putting out their first five episodes.
Look at others operating in your space and decipher how long it’s taken them to build up to the level of success you’re seeking. Just remember not to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others who have been in the game for longer than you have.
2. Am I Getting in Front of the Right People?
If you have a sufficient sample size and aren’t happy with the results, ask yourself if you’re actually getting yourself in front of the right people.
Most people and brands have a poor understanding of who their target audiences really are when they’re first starting out, and end up doing one of two things:
- Creating the wrong type of content to achieve their goals, ie. Attract customers/clients/leads.
- Creating the right type of content but not understanding how to get it in front of their target audience, or even pitching it to the wrong audience entirely.
If you’re not 100% clear on who your audience is including their goals, challenges, and worldviews, it’s time to get curious and find out what you can create to speak to them directly and where they congregate already so you can get your content in front of others like them there.
3. Is My Show Good Enough?
Alright, so you’re getting your work in front of the right people and they’re still not biting.
It’s time to take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself the tough question.
Is your show really good enough?
It’s important to remember that you don’t get to decide if your show is good enough. Your audience does.
You might be extraordinarily proud of the podcast you’ve created, but unless you’re doing it as a hobby, it’s your audience and their reaction to it which issues the final verdict.
Remember, no one creates an amazing show the first time. Creating something that resonates deeply with your audience absolutely will take trial and error, revisions, conversations, and surveys of your audience. Most of all, it requires a deep curiosity to get to the bottom of how you can create a remarkable experience for them by listening to your podcast and then engaging with you further.
4. What Are Others Doing That I’m Not?
When you’re looking to change things up and experiment, a good place to start is by looking at what others are already doing already, both inside and out of your own niche.
There are only so many models and frameworks for using podcasting to build an audience and grow your business. Chances are, someone somewhere is doing just the thing that would work for you. You just need to find it and understand how to apply it to your work.
Researching what others are doing has another important purpose as well.
Especially within your niche, it can be helpful (if not essential) to find the gaps in what your competition is providing and figuring out a way for you to fill it.
These gaps could be related to the content itself, audience targeting, tone, method of delivery, or any combination of these factors and others.
Do your research to find out what the success stories in your space are doing well as well as what they’re leaving on the table, and experiment with adjusting your strategy to fill those gaps.
Roadblocks Are Inevitable
No matter how well things have gone for you so far, if you haven’t already, you’re going to hit roadblocks at some point.
When they show up, you can choose to bang your head against them, hoping that you’ll eventually break through, or approach them with an inquisitive mindset and search for a quicker (and less painful) way around.
Every Sunday I send out an exclusive article on how to use podcasting to build an audience and grow your business. No opt-in, no bribe, no spam. You in?
Jeremy travels full-time, loves long-distance cycle touring, and will always look back on the day he finally saved up enough money to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego set as one of his proudest achievements. He believes that the way to grow sustainable businesses is by leading with heart, vulnerability, and helping your people be and become their best selves.
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