I luckily get to talk to a number of people who want to start their own podcasts. Some of them are solopreneurs, others are very creative storytellers or hobbyists.
“Ten Episodes” is the most important thing I can share with novice podcasters:
Don’t publish the first podcast until you’ve started recording the eleventh.
I often encounter enthusiastic newcomers eager to share their voices with the world. While I admire their excitement, I have one crucial piece of advice: Do not publish your first episode until you’ve started recording your eleventh. This may sound counterintuitive, but let me explain why this approach can significantly enhance your podcasting journey.
Build Your Confidence and Skills
Recording multiple episodes before your debut allows you to refine your skills. The first few episodes are often a learning experience, filled with trial and error. By the time you reach your eleventh episode, you’ll have honed your interviewing techniques, storytelling abilities, and overall presentation style. This confidence translates into a more polished product when you finally hit “publish.”
Establish Your Podcast’s Identity
As you record the first ten episodes, you’ll have the opportunity to solidify your podcast’s tone, style, and format. You may discover what feels right for your potential audience and what doesn’t. This early experimentation helps you define your unique voice, making your podcast more compelling and engaging when it’s time to launch.
Set a Production Rhythm
A defined rhythm allows for better planning and organization of your content, ensuring you cover a range of topics and can manage guest scheduling effectively. Having a set timeline can help maintain a balance between quality and quantity, allowing you to focus on creating engaging, well-produced episodes. A production rhythm can help keep you motivated and accountable, especially during busy times or when creativity wanes. Plus, you’ll get a sense of the overall effort of what it means to produce your podcast consistently over time. If you’re approaching your podcast with intent, it takes roughly ten episodes to get a gauge on this rhythm.
Create a Buffer for Consistency
One of the keys to successful podcasting is consistency. By recording ten episodes before your launch, you’ll have a buffer of content ready to go. This means you won’t be scrambling to produce new episodes after your first one is out. Instead, you can maintain a regular release schedule, which is essential for growing and retaining your audience. Besides, some platforms (ex: Apple Podcasts) won’t list your podcast until you have multiple episodes to publish.
Refine Your Equipment and Editing Skills
The first few episodes can also serve as a testing ground for your equipment and editing skills. You might find that your microphone isn’t picking up sound as clearly as you thought or that your editing software is more complex than you anticipated. By the time you’re ready to launch, you’ll have ironed out these technical issues and will be more adept at producing high-quality audio.
Gather Feedback and Make Adjustments
You should absolutely test your podcast out on others. Recording several episodes allows you to solicit feedback from trusted friends, family, or beta listeners. If your podcast sucks, you’ll want to know it in advance. Pick people who will be genuine and honest with you. Their insights can help you identify areas for improvement, from pacing and topic selection to audio quality. Incorporating this feedback before your official launch will elevate your podcast and make it more appealing to a wider audience.
Develop a Strong Launch Strategy
With multiple episodes recorded, you’ll be in a better position to strategize your launch. You can create an enticing promotional plan, aligning your marketing with your podcast’s debut. Release multiple episodes at once to grab listeners’ attention, or even develop teaser content. A well-thought-out launch can significantly increase your podcast’s chances of success.
Avoiding Podfade
Most importantly, setting a production rhythm across your first ten episodes will inform you if you really want to continue producing your podcast. Podfade is rampant. Podfade occurs when a podcaster slowly or suddenly stops recording new episodes and producing new content. Life gets in the way, passion waxes and wanes, distractions happen. In 2018 amplifi media revealed some shocking statistics: 75% of 540,000 podcasts out at the time were not in production. That’s a lot of people who simply faded away from the podcasting scene. Most podcast producers will produce seven or fewer episodes before ceasing production.
Ten Episodes
While the temptation to share your first episode can be strong, holding off until you’ve recorded your eleventh will make a huge difference in your podcasting journey. Take the time to build confidence, refine your skills, establish your podcast’s identity, and create a buffer for consistency—all essential elements for a successful podcast. Embrace the learning process and prepare to launch a podcast you can be proud of. Your future listeners will thank you.
Contact The Podcast Wizard
As always, don’t hesitate to contact the Podcast Wizard if I can help you with your production endeavors.