210. Podcasting Isn’t for Everyone: Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Start a Podcast

Thinking about starting a podcast but not sure if it’s actually right for you? In this episode, we’re getting real about why podcasting isn’t for everyone. You’ll learn what podcasting actually requires behind the scenes, why so many people quit early on, and the truth about what it takes to stick with it long enough to see results.

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This episode was produced by me, The Podcast Teacher! Contact me at Hello@ThePodcastTeacher.com.

Transcript

Most people who start a podcast quit before episode 10. The question is, are you one of them? The stats are pretty frightening. An estimated 47% of podcasters quit by episode 3, 75% by episode 10, and over 90% by episode 20. Yikes. Do these stats mean that podcasting isn't worth it? Or that it's too hard? Let's talk about it in case we're meeting for the first time. Hi, I'm Julia Levine, AKA the Podcast Teacher. You're listening to Podcasting for solopreneurs, the show that helps online business owners grow their podcast to get more listeners, leads and sales. The fact that most podcasters quit before episode 10 absolutely does not mean that podcasting isn't worth.

Also. Also doesn't mean those folks weren't good enough or didn't have something valuable to say. But it does mean that podcasting requires a specific set of skills and personality traits. So are you cut out to be a podcaster because, spoiler alert. Not everyone is to be a podcaster, the first thing you need to accept is that you are signing up to play the long game. Podcasting is not a quick win strategy. It's not something where you post a few episodes and suddenly see a flood of listeners, leads, or sales. In fact, most of the time you won't see much of anything at all at first.

And that's the part that can really get to people because we're so used to platforms that give us immediate feedback. You post something on social media and within minutes or hours you, you know if it's working. You see the likes, the comments, the views. It feels rewarding. But podcasting doesn't work like that. You can put time, energy and effort into creating a really valuable episode and then release it into what feels like complete silence. No feedback, no instant validation, no clear sign that it's working. And for a lot of people, that's discouraging.

It makes them question whether it's worth continuing and therefore, often they don't. They quit. But here's the shift that you need to make. Podcasting is a slow growth strategy by design, and that's actually what makes it so powerful. I like to contrast it with social media, which to me feels like an endless hamster wheel. You create content, you post it, and then almost immediately you have to do it again and again and again and again. It never really stops. Yes, you might get quicker wins, but those wins are short lived and they require constant effort to maintain.

With podcasting, it's different. You create one episode and that episode has the potential to work for you for years. Not hours, not days, years. I have multiple students who haven't released new episodes in over a year. Not because they gave up, but because they had life things going on and they just had to pause. And their podcast still gets new listeners every single week. Someone can discover your content long after you've recorded it. They can find it through search, binge multiple episodes, and build trust with you.

Over time, that one piece of content keeps working in the background. And when you continue to stack episodes on top of each other, that's when things start to compound. At first it's slow, at first it's slow, but over time it builds momentum and eventually it starts to feel like your content is working for you instead of you constantly working for it. But you only get to that point if you're willing to be patient and keep showing up, even when it feels like nothing is happening yet. So the real question is, are you willing to stick with podcasting long enough to see the results? Because if you can, you absolutely should consider starting a podcast. If you're looking for a quick fix, you probably should not. Along with playing the long game, there's another trait that really determines whether someone is cut out to be a podcaster. And this is where a lot of people fall off.

You have to be willing to be consistent. Not just when it's exciting, not just when you feel motivated, and definitely not just when you're seeing results. You have to be willing to keep showing up regardless of what else is happening. Obviously excluding major life events, of course. Because the reality of podcasting that no one really talks about is that most of the time it feels like you're talking into a void. You record an episode, upload it, hit publish, and then it's crickets. Nothing, zip, zilch, nada. You don't hear immediate feedback, you don't really know who listened, and you don't really know if the episode helped them or bored them or made them click away halfway through.

It's very different from other platforms where you can have real time interaction, because podcasting is mostly a one way communication. That's not as true if you're posting a video podcast on YouTube and you have the comment section, but generally speaking it's one sided. So if you rely on external validation like download numbers, reviews or messages from listeners to keep going going, you're probably going to burn out really quickly and not make it past episode 10 because those things are inconsistent, especially in the beginning. Some weeks you might see growth, other weeks not so much. And if your ability to crank out episodes depends on seeing tangible results, it becomes really hard to keep going. That is why consistency in podcasting is less about discipline and more about deciding that this is something you're doing, you're committed to it, you know where it's going, and you understand that it's a marathon, not a sprint. When you go in with that mindset, you stop obsessing over every single episode's performance. You stop questioning whether it's working after a few weeks, and you start focusing on what actually matters.

If you're cut out to be a podcaster, you're focused on showing up, refining your message, getting better with every episode, and building something that compounds over time. There's a saying in the podcast world that the only way to fail at podcasting is to stop. And I 100% agree with that. So if you can stay consistent even when it feels quiet, even when it feels slow, even when it. Even when you're not getting the feedback you hoped for, then you are cut out to be a podcaster. So we've talked about playing the long game and staying consistent, regardless of external validation. And now we'll address one more piece that's just as important, but is a little more personal. You have to actually care about what you're talking about.

And I know that might sound obvious, but it's worth slowing down here for a second. Because when you start podcast, you're not just talking about a topic once or twice. You're committed to talking about it regularly, probably every single week for a long time. Which means that you're going to be explaining the same concepts in different ways, answering similar questions over and over again, sharing your perspective on trends and changes in your space. And if you're not genuinely passionate about your topic, that's going to get old fast. People can tell when you're not excited about what you're saying, even if you're saying the right words, that lack of energy comes through. And when it does, it makes it really easy for someone to stop listening. On the flip side, when you are passionate about your topic, it's evident.

It makes your content more engaging, it makes it easier to keep showing up, and it allows you to go deeper instead of just skimming the surface. So if you're choosing between a few different ideas for your podcast, don't just think about what topic will be marketable, although that is important, too. Think about what you still want to be talking about a year from now. The reasons that so many podcasters quit before episode three, 10 or even 20 have nothing to do with valuable content or the worthiness of podcasting. They have to do with appropriate expectations, skills and personality traits. Are you willing to play the long game and stay patient? Are you willing to stay consistent even when it feels quiet? And are you passionate enough about your topic to keep showing up week after week without getting bored? Because if the answer to those is yes, even if it's a hesitant yes, then you have everything you need to make podcasting work. You are cut out to be a podcaster, and you should definitely consider starting a show. And if you're listening to this thinking, okay, I want to do this, but I'm not totally sure where to start or how to do it the right way.

That's exactly what I help with, and you can book a consultation with me at thepodcastteacher.com/consult. We'll map out a plan to work together on your podcast based on your business, your goals, and the way you actually want to show up. Until next time, happy podcasting.