Inconsistency is kryptonite to a growing podcast.
Have you watched a TV show and loved every minute of it only to never return to the final season because it took 2 years for it to come back? I’ve definitely experienced this time and time again (The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Boys, just to name a few).
In the podcast industry, this phenomenon is called, “Pod-fade”. If you’ve started a podcast and abandoned it then you have become one of the statistics.
People love to have consistency in their lives. It offers safety and predictability which leads to trust, eventually. Humans, by nature are creatures of habit. If they find something they like is reliable and consistent they will continue to show up. I tend to listen to one or two podcasts when I’m at the gym, Matt O'Neill Real Estate's “The Good Moods Show” or Rob Jeppsen “The Sales Leadership” podcast. These shows are consistently there during my workouts with new conversations and ideas. If one or both of these shows didn’t have a new episode for me to listen to during my workout routine I would easily find another available right at my fingertips.
What are some ways we can maintain consistency in a world full of distractions and priorities?
Create a “Recording Day” block of 2-4 hours (ie. every Thursday 9am-1pm) on your calendar.
Create an Guest Invite email template to invite guests with a link for them to book automatically. Use a tool like Calendly to have them show up on your designated recording days.
Within this calendar link include a Guest Form form them to fill out that captures all the info you need (ie. Name, Title, Company, Social links, etc.).
Set email reminders for yourself and your guest to ensure they show up!
Create your processes for pre-interview (all of the above), during-interview (let them know what to expect/questions you may ask), and post-interview (below)
Post-interview process example; after your interview upload the files immediately for your podcast editor (Clients of ours use Riverside.fm which no longer requires them to upload files. They can now record and walk away!)
Input episode info into your “Podcast Planning Spreadsheet” (create one if you don’t have!) that identifies: Release date, Episode #, Guest name, Episode title or theme, links to files, etc.
Provide editors and social media managers links to spreadsheets, audio/video files, etc.
If you are a solopreneur, or a super busy business owner editing your own podcast and creating social media promotions this can be an additional challenge to remain consistent. The workload associated with one episode can be daunting and eventually lead to procrastination and “Pod-fading”.
Having a VA is one solution but typically an assistant won’t hold you accountable. My company and team works with our clients to ensure they’re consistent. We work hard to help them with all the pain staking “admin” work that it takes to remain consistent for years.
I recommend hiring people who can help you OR develop your system, team, and process to remain consistent!
Btw… Superman eventually defeated kryptonite by getting an overabundant amount of exposure to the sun. Let’s put things in place to create this counter to ”pod-fade” so we can always remain relevant and top of mind to our growing audience.
Now go get those episodes recorded!
Need more tips? Here's a LINK to download my free "Go From Podcast Schmo to Podcast Pro" tips for being a host or guest on podcasts.
