With one year of podcasting under my belt, and forty episodes later, I want to share some of the key things I learned in my first year of podcasting that apply not only to podcasting but life as well.
1. Build Consistency
Podcasting is a lot of work between finding guests, preparing for interviews, recording interviews, and then editing, it is equivalent to a part-time job. Before ever officially releasing my podcast, I already had completed ten episodes which I highly recommend. Life happens though and I quickly used up that bank of episodes and found myself editing every week. It wasn’t easy to consistently post every Wednesday, but I made it happen (besides one delayed episode and a season break) because I knew the power of consistency.
Consistency creates momentum. As I continued recording new episodes, I saw my plays multiplying because now listeners were not just listening to the latest episode that had come out but also going back in time to listen to previous episodes. The more episodes I released the more momentum I gained. It’s like a boulder you are pushing up a mountain. It takes a lot of effort to push it up and any misstep means it could roll back on you but then when you finally get to the top and you push it down you are now running to keep up with it.
Anything great happens from consistent action taken repeatedly. A lot of people quit though before they see the fruit of all their work. There’s a statistic on the internet that says 90% of podcasts will quit by episode three. There’s probably a lot of reasons why this happens but my guess is one of them is because they didn’t see immediate results.
Galatians 6:9 (NIV) says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Two things that have helped me remain consistent have been knowing my why and creating a system around what I am doing. Why are you doing what you are doing? A strong why will help you to remain consistent especially when you might not be seeing any progress. My why for starting my podcast was because I felt God told me to do it and that has been strong enough to keep me going through some rough spots. And then secondly, have a system. If there’s anything you are doing repeatedly you should build a system around it. This could look like a series of steps you take, or templates around what you are doing.
Between the beginning point and the finish line is consistency. Whatever you are working on currently keep going, don’t stop and you will win.
2. Cultivate Curiosity
One of the keys to a good podcast interview is genuine curiosity. The word "curious" comes from the Latin word "curiosus," which means "careful, diligent, or inquiring eagerly." All the questions I’ve asked on my podcast have come as a result of being curious. Curiosity encourages us to look beyond the surface and to dig deeper so that we can understand better. And the more curious I became the better answers I got. There’s so much that we can learn from other’s stories and life experiences if we just inquire.
Curiosity isn’t something that just benefits podcast hosts. It can have a great impact on your everyday life. In one study, it was found that being curious was associated with less defensive reactions to stress and it also helped people navigate tough situations more creatively. In another study, it was found that when you have a genuine curiosity about something you are 30% more likely to recall it.
Many of the great innovations we have today came from people who were wildly curious. One of those people was Walt Disney, "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
Curiosity drives progress and creativity. It pushes us to innovate, to seek out new things, and explore the unknown. I for one never want to stop being curious. My podcast in many ways exists because of it.
If you want to expand your curiosity, try a new activity, something outside of the box for you, or enter a new conversation with the goal of seeing how much you can learn. Become wildly curious and see what beautiful things you might uncover.
3. Be Courageous and Ask
I started my podcast off by interviewing friends, then acquaintances, and then from there I started reaching out to more and more people – even people I considered “too big” to be on my podcast. I thought I’d be rejected but I was pleasantly surprised that time after time I heard “yes.”
Many times, we are the ones who set limits on what we achieve. We don’t think we are capable of something, so we don’t even try. We expect rejection so we don’t even ask. This can be seen in a story of the Bible of the Israelites who were supposed to go into the Promise Land. They sent spies into the land and when they came back with their report this is what they said, “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." – Numbers 13:33 (NKJV)
What is interesting about this verse is “in our own sight.” The way they saw themselves was how others saw them. They saw themselves as unable and because of that they didn’t think they had a chance. Reread that verse but change the word “grasshoppers” to “victors.” Changes everything right? In Jamie Kern Lima’s book Worthy she says, “In life, you don’t rise to what you believe is possible, you fall to what you believe you’re worthy of.” As a child of God, created in His image, you have infinite worth so get out there and try!
Reflecting on my first year of podcasting, I am so grateful for these lessons learned and the growth I’ve experienced. Podcasting has enriched my life. Besides these three lessons, I have learned so much from every guest I’ve had on the show from stopping limiting beliefs, to starting and growing a business, to cultivating a deeper relationship with God. You might not want to start a podcast, but you can incorporate consistency, curiosity, and courage, into any of your future endeavors. These lessons can help you achieve success in whatever path you choose!
You can listen to the Creative Force Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify