Starting and growing a successful podcast that achieves the goals you’ve set out for it is not an easy task.
It takes patience, commitment, and a willingness to do the legwork early on to get your show to the point where it begins to reach the snowball phase of growth.
But reaching that phase can take time — sometimes a lot of it — and while you’re in the midst of what can sometimes feel like an endless grind, it’s easy for your mindset to take a turn toward the negative.
You may have started out your show with energy, excitement, and optimism about what you were creating. But when you’re putting the work in and failing to see results you can find yourself feeling bitter, hopeless, and defeated.
I probably don’t need to tell you but these mindsets won’t serve you in busting out of the rut and resuming or increasing the speed of growth.
It’s times like these when you need to find a way to feel like you’re making progress, even when that progress isn’t reflected in your download or revenue numbers.
Develop A Plan of Action
The best way I know to do this is to first name the issues that are currently frustrating you.
Write down every issue related to your podcast or business that’s stressing out, angering, or annoying you on a piece of paper where you can see them clearly and look them in the face.
Once you have the issues in front of you, beneath each, start brainstorming a list of ideas on how you could conceivably solve — or at least make progress on — each of them.
The problem at the root of these negative feelings is a sense of powerlessness, and coming up with a list of solutions to work toward allows you to take control of the situation and regain your power over the direction and growth of your show.
I do a brain dump like this every time I feel stress or worry start creeping up, and the exercise consistently works wonders.
Almost invariable, what once looked like a hopeless situation with no way out and nothing I could do now has a long list of viable solutions beneath it that I can begin taking action on immediately.
The amazing thing is that you don’t need to wait to see results for the mindset shift to take place. It’s more about the feeling of agency and control than the actual signs of progress.
Get clear on the issues in your show, map out their potential solutions, and take back your power over your podcast.
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 freebie no bribe. But hopefully a new perspective, encouragement, and maybe even some occasional wisdom. It’s something I’m proud to create and I’d be honoured to share it with you.
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.
- Why Wouldn’t They Just Google It? - March 14, 2021
- Before You Can Market Your Podcast, You Need To Create A Marketable Podcast - March 11, 2021
- Podcast Promotion & Marketing Are Different (Here’s How to Use Each Effectively) - March 10, 2021
