How to prevent Podfading. How do Podcasters keep going?

[Rock]

As arguably, part of the longest running podcast in internet history, I can chime in with my 2 cents on this...
- If you do the show alone, try and get a co-host. Gets new creative ideas going and splits the work load work it will cut down on getting burnt out.
- Cut down on shows, one really good show in a week is better than 3 shows running on fumes in a week... actually, leave multiple shows a week to guys like Andrew, it takes special talent and good meds to do that.
- Figure out ways to get paid to do your podcast... that may keep you going longer!

[brianmonroe]

Thanks Jeff,

I wanted to reply back to your points as I do think you made many valid ones.

I think it really comes down to passion and creativity. What is driving you to do your podcast or network? Is the ultimate goal to make money fast? If so this will cause a quick burnout. You need a mission statement and stay within those lines of your mission and goal

I agree. I think it is to easy to start to do Internet Broadcasting thinking that you can work from home and make money doing it. While it is true that some do make money doing Internet Broadcasting, most do not and are doing it as a hobby. Internet Broadcasting is NOT a get rich quick scheme. If you are doing it for that reason you need to stop ASAP and get a real job. What I have found is that the people that do it and eventually make money work at it for YEARS. If you do not have that kind of time it is best to do other things. I also totally agree that you should have some sort of mission statement. To use an example of TWiT I know that Leo has stated many times that he wants to be the "CNN for Geeks/Nerds". So the focus is clear about what kinds of shows that he will do, what sort of studio setup he will need and who is audience is.

I think with some podcast I have seen they don't put a lot of thought into what they are doing. They run out of creativity and vision for their podcast. They get tired of the slow overall growth. Don't put all your ammo in your gun and shoot! Save some bullets for growth and creative content.

Yep. It is to easy to just start doing shows as most modern laptops, smartphones and tables have all the tools you need to do shows. So take the time to start doing shows but do not be a perfectionist on your 1st couple of shows while you learn the ropes and find your voice along with learn all of the tech stuff you need to know for your show to be successful. You could consider your 1st couple of shows beta/pre release to take the pressure off.

It takes more from you than just being a podcaster. You have to get your hands dirty and doing a little grass root marketing. Stay engaged with your audience in social media. What I mean is just don't post when your show is happening. Post about other things as well. Things that make you and your podcast tick. Interact with your audience thru social media. Comment on what their posting. Care about your true audience and they will care about you. This will give you that extra energy to keep going.

No question, Marketing is needed to grow your audience. Also, yes, You do not just want to tweet out when your show is on. Do interact with your loyal audience through various means so that they can feel invested in your success.

If you feel your show can not grow anymore let your audience know you are taking a few weeks off from the podcast. Still interact with them on social media. But take that time revamp or start something new with your podcast. Podcasts have to keep getting better with time with overall with content and broadcast quality. Shoot high for these goals and with time you will get there. But shoot and aim well

This is a great idea. Even if it is a couple of small tweets or FaceBook updates. It at least lets your audience know you care about them enough to keep them in the loop and are giving them some mindshare while you are away. Also, if you have plans on changing your show, you can also use it like a tease or move trailer where you are able to develop some buzz around your new ideas or show.

I don't think anyone has this down to a science just yet. Its the Wild Wild West. Hollywood is diving in fast with podcast as well . They are trying to find a model that works for them. So don't follow the trends be Creative and be youself!

I think this is a good thing as Internet Broadcasting is a new medium and even though it is sort of a hybrid between the TV and Radio medium in the end it is a lot more interactive and I do think that interaction is what will end up making it successful. Even though Hollywood is getting in to the game and they will carry over their stars and audience. It does not mean that they will be successful as they still are looking backwards. You can see that by the horrid standards and copyright laws that they have imposed on the industry (HDCP and DMCA). If they really understood their audience and the future they would be looking to interact and engage with them and not just look at them as a source for profits or as thieves for not paying for every copy and every performance of their works.

One guy I think does get it is Dan McQuillen on the tech side of Broadcast Bionics. Check out his YouTube video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayD8xjS_GKc
Also check out him on the awesome This Week in Radio Technology on GFQ:
http://www.guysfromqueens.com/shows/...eners-7-11-13/

If you think you are the Junk then my friend you will get shot in this Wild Wild West.

Yep, Confidence is key. With most things in life, including Internet Broadcasting.

With Advertising be creative in doing something outside the box. Don't mimic other shows with your advertising. Be passionate about what you are trying to sell. If not don't take the money from the advertisers. Your client and fans will see that you are not into what you are trying sell. Find your audience and your Advertisers that fit your over all podcast. Its going to take time. Don't make it chore for yourself. Make it part of your life your passion. Make it fun and creative and see the results.

Totally! The audience can see through a scripted live read/ad copy and will tune out because they have heard it all before. I also think it is good to draw from what others have done but do make it your own. Do not just do the same exact ad's as others do as there is a good change your audience has seen/heard them before on other shows. Not only should your bring passion to your show but to your advertisers too. They will really appreciate it along with the audience too. It does help if you have actually used the products that you are selling so that you can bring your own perspective to the Ads.

Always stay humble and don't drink your own Kool Aid. If you take yourself way too serious You will have what I call the Jack Ass effect. You will be way to cocky and it will show with your fans and peers.

No one wants to be that Jack Ass. But in many years working in music industry I know this to be true. You have to stay humble and build relationships. Relationships will last a life time if you show love and really care for people.Sometimes you will get burned by a Jack Ass but don't let that stop you from building great relationship with your peers.

Yes! One of the most annoying things for me is when a host laughs at his own jokes and no one else is laughing or thinks that just because they are behind the mike they are better than their audience. Being humble is important as it allows you to better connect with your audience and like has been said above, that connection is gold and will pay back many times over in the future.

If your miserable it will show. No one wants to work with a Jack Ass. I dealt with many artists, PD's radio host,TV networks, hosts on TV shows, PR, etc. I know this for a fact. If your miserable just stop and quit. You are not doing anyone any good including yourself.

Don't be a Jack Ass broadcaster! Stay humble. Keep creativity and passion going! Love people and love what you do!

Not only if you are miserable, is it a bad thing but also if you are not feeling well. Do allow yourself some time off as everyone gets sick and just like a real job, you need to give your body some time to heal. It is really hard for many people to be happy and upbeat if they are not feeling well. Now I am more talking about physical ailments. Not mental issues. That is for a different post and discussion.

As always, good luck and stay positive. If it does not work out the 1st time do not be discouraged. Keep working at it. Many of the people you see that are really good online have been doing it for years along with have been fans of radio or TV for a long time. Learning tips and tricks along the way.

-Brian

[brianmonroe]

As arguably, part of the longest running podcast in internet history, I can chime in with my 2 cents on this...
- If you do the show alone, try and get a co-host. Gets new creative ideas going and splits the work load work it will cut down on getting burnt out.
- Cut down on shows, one really good show in a week is better than 3 shows running on fumes in a week... actually, leave multiple shows a week to guys like Andrew, it takes special talent and good meds to do that.
- Figure out ways to get paid to do your podcast... that may keep you going longer!

Rock,

Great ideas! I am really glad you and Kieran where able to find each other as you both work so well together. I am also glad you only do one show a week. It gives us in the audience something to look forward to versus doing a daily show where it is not as special for the kind of show you guys do. Also, it does give you more time to get material together for each show. Again, getting paid to do something you love is great. Just do not make it your 1st priority or you will begin to resent your audience and end up burning out quickly along with potentially ruining your name and brand for a long time.

-Brian

[Rock]

Rock,

Great ideas! I am really glad you and Kieran where able to find each other as you both work so well together. I am also glad you only do one show a week. It gives us in the audience something to look forward to versus doing a daily show where it is not as special for the kind of show you guys do. Also, it does give you more time to get material together for each show. Again, getting paid to do something you love is great. Just do not make it your 1st priority or you will begin to resent your audience and end up burning out quickly along with potentially ruining your name and brand for a long time.

-Brian

i want people to figure out ways to make money using podcasts, then i can take my 10% consultation fee.

[brianmonroe]

Rock,

People can make money doing Internet Broadcasts. But it is not easy. Some people sell swag with stuff from the show, others do affiliate codes and there is always the standard ad model. But in the end to have any of that work you need a good size audience. Then you can take your 10% if you wish to assist them with any or all of that.

-Brian

[Spencer Kobren]

This is a great topic and one that I can certainly relate to. Believe it or not, it's coming up on the 15th anniversary of my broadcast, and there has been more than one occasion when I just wanted to throw in the towel.

Even though I started on the radio, my broadcast was exactly like many of the start up podcasts of today, except I had to go out and hustle to sell my own advertising before I was able to get my first show on the air.

Essentially, I had to sell a concept with no demo, no numbers…not even a single listener. Being that I had zero experience on the radio, and in light of the fact that every program directer in New York laughed me out of their office when I pitched the concept, it was a risk for my sponsors to invest the big money necessary to get the show on the air for a thirteen week trial. To say the least, the barrier to entry was significantly more difficult than it is today, but the drive it takes to be successful is no different.

When I aired my first broadcast the pressure was really on to succeed, and the "real" radio guys were surprisingly not too friendly or supportive. I was the brunt of a lot of jokes around the station, so I can relate to Steven's message.

What I learned early on is that for every hater there are many more people who really appreciate what you do. I had to develop a thick skin from day one, and as the online world evolved I had to learn to embrace the haters and just role with whatever came at me, and believe me it's been relentless over the years. The more successful you become the higher up the food chain your detractors become.

I've been harassed, defamed and even had my life threatened because what I do (hair loss is big business), so you can imagine how this type of shit can put a damper on going out there a doing your weekly broadcast. There were days I just wanted to say "fuck it…Why am I still doing this?"

The bottom line is that it's all about having passion for what you do and finding ways to really enjoy it. Being good at it doesn't hurt and like Adam wrote, making money always helps to keep you motivated, but it takes real drive and commitment to make that happen.

I also agree with Brian that you have to take breaks once in a while. I've been doing my live show every other week for the past couple of months and it's been a good thing.

Everyone gets burnt-out from time to time, but in the end, I believe you dictate your own success.

[bushido]

I've done 3 shows so far and all three have been land mines with gems of experience to grow with.

As for podfading, I've learned a number of lessons that have helped me overcome podfade.

1.Get over the Ego
My first show, lionsden radio, was number one in podmatic's san francisco comedy category for 3 weeks. Being my very first podcast, the success went straight to my top floor. long story short, it crashed and burned.
Lesson: Your place at the top is never secure, you could fall at anytime. So don't internalize it when it happens.

2. Prepare your material
Some people in this podcast game are just naturally entertaining. No show prep, no prepared material, they just sit down and turn on the gear and it's gold. I'm not one of those guys unfortunately, my second show was featured on stickam's front page but I would sometimes prep a show an hour before going on without a single thought put into it days before. Honestly, a good 3/4s of my second show was raw improv, which was rooted in my often time macabre and off color sense of humor. this combination pretty much kept my numbers lower than spilled milk in the basement. which was one of the 3 reasons why THAT show faded.
lesson: prepare...and don't sweat the viewer numbers

without getting too wordy, the point I'm trying to make is (in my opinion) often times podfade is a combination of things, most of which are of our own design. But if you can gain insight from set backs and pitfalls, you can learn to enjoy podcasting and lessen the chance of podfade.

[Podnutter]

Wow this is amazing. Some really great advice here!

Let me ask this question for all of you. Can you return after podfading? How much will your audience suffer?

[bushido]

heck yeah, you can come back.
You will lose some audience even if you don't podfade (people lose internet,interest, get married-have children-have less time to listen, etc)
But it's the core audience you want to worry about.

[brianmonroe]

Spencer,

Really well said. I do like how you talk about how there used to be gatekeepers that put up large barriers to you getting on the air. Something that we really do not have today. The good news is that now niche Internet Broadcasts can find their voice and audience without having to be laughed at because your subject is a niche one where there is not an obvious audience.

I totally agree that you have to have a thick skin as you grow your audience as there always be people that do not like what you are doing. Just as long as they are a small minority then it is not that big of a deal. As long as it is all just words and not actual actions that someone has real plans to carry out. Sometimes the hate does come from people that just do not know any other way to get attention and so that is how they express themselves. Or it could be fans of other shows in the same niche that do not want to see you succeed. In either case, it is best to just ignore them and move on.

Again, I totally agree about the passion. It is true with Internet Broadcasting or anything else you do in life. If you really do like it, it will all work out in the end. You may not become wealthy but at least your life will not be wasted away slaving away doing a job you hate.

bushido,

No question that you can not have an ego doing this. There are way to many others that are in the Internet Broadcasting so just like you found out, your audience can change in an instant so do not get to impressed with yourself just because you have many people checking out your show.

Yes, You do need to do show prep. Most people forget that and assume that they can just go live and have a great show. In most cases, that just does not work out well as most people are not good with coming up with material on the spot. Not only that but there is always something in the news that can be a good show or segment topic. Also, it keeps the show focused along with counting the show so that it does not drag on forever.

Podnutter,

Yes. You can totally return after podfading out. Just do not expect to have the same audience when you do. Of course if you where doing what I and others have said to do, by still being active on the various social networks you should be able to regain many of your former audience.

-Brian