Am I Ready For Podcasting?
October 24, 2007
A friend posed this question to me today. She really wondered if she was ready for podcasting. In her case, my answer was a definite yes - but it has me wondering… in what situation would a person not be ready for podcasting?
You’re not ready for podcasting if you don’t know who your target market is and exactly what you want to achieve with a podcast. Going into the realm of internet broadcasting without a focus or a plan is just silly - unless you’re doing it for fun… but we’re all entrepreneurs here and we know that we don’t really do anything online ’for fun’ do we?
You’re not ready for podcasting if you’re not comfortable with the sound of your own recorded voice. I remember how embarassed I was in the beginning. All I can really say is that you will get over it. Realize that nobody else hears anything different than usual.
You’re not ready for podcasting if you don’t have a well developed sense of commitment to the project. Do not start a show with a ‘let’s see how things go’ attitude. Set down a time frame, whether that is three months or six months or a year, and jot down a date for evaluating it’s progress. Decide in advance when you will take breaks for holidays or special events in your life and do not veer away from your plan. This will help you to avoid the podfade phenomenon.
You’re not ready for podcasting if you can’t make a huge list of potential show topics. You should be able to jot down 25 or more show ideas right off the top of your head if it’s a topic that you’re passionate about and compliments your business. Seriously, 25 would be my short list!
Just a few reasons that you may not be ready… but if none of these cause you to stumble… what are you waiting for?
Last 5 posts by Kelly McCausey
- Learn About Podcasting - December 29th, 2008
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- I Want Guests! - July 8th, 2008
- Is it ok to take a Hiatus from your Podcast? - June 17th, 2008
It’s always funny to hear your own voice isn’t it? Even when my kids records something and listen to it they say “that’s not me!” LOL
Great tips Kelly
Thank you so much for this list of reasons NOT to start a podcast, Kelly. I’ve been playing with the idea, but since I haven’t narrowed my target market down, I guess I don’t need to do one at this time. This information just helped me avoid a big mistake. Thanks for all you do to help us out!
I fall into the ‘doing it for fun’ category. I’m not expecting my Single Mom’s Talk Radio podcast to bring in finances and I honestly didn’t have a ‘plan’ when I started it which is kind of biting me in the butt now. So I definitely agree 100% that you should be able to jot down at least 25 different show ideas!