Bad reviews suck. Whether you just got one or you’re still ruminating over the one you got 4 years ago, getting a bad review on your podcast is never a fun experience.
You’ve put so much time, energy, and money into this podcast and now someone who listened to 3 minutes of 1 episode is giving you a 2 star review because “your voice is unbearable and there’s too many ads”.
Over the years I’ve had more than my share of bad reviews, trolls, bots, haters and downright rude people commenting on my podcasts. This episode is about bad podcast reviews: how to deal with them, what you can learn and finding peace in the truth not everyone will like your podcast.
In this episode: (1:34) One inevitable truth of podcasting. (2:08) The different kinds of bad reviews. (4:34) The first thing you need to look for in a bad review. (6:11) How to identify actionable feedback from bad reviews (and avoid more bad reviews).. (8:26) What to do after you get a bad review.
Bad reviews suck. Whether you just got one or you’re still ruminating over the one you got 4 years ago, getting a bad review on your podcast is never a fun experience.
You’ve put so much time, energy, and money into this podcast and now someone who listened to 3 minutes of 1 episode is giving you a 2 star review because “your voice is unbearable and there’s too many ads”.
Over the years I’ve had more than my share of bad reviews, trolls, bots, haters and downright rude people commenting on my podcasts. This episode is about bad podcast reviews: how to deal with them, what you can learn and finding peace in the truth not everyone will like your podcast.
In this episode: (1:34) One inevitable truth of podcasting. (2:08) The different kinds of bad reviews. (4:34) The first thing you need to look for in a bad review. (6:11) How to identify actionable feedback from bad reviews (and avoid more bad reviews).. (8:26) What to do after you get a bad review.
Want a review? Send me a message with a link to your podcast! review(at)morganfranklin(dot)media
Morgan Franklin:
Getting a bad review sucks. Really getting a bad review at any context is never fun. But getting a bad review on your podcast feels especially personal because not only have you spent your time and energy and money to put this thing out there for other people to listen to for free. This is a small part of yourself that you put on display for other people to consume and to hopefully enjoy and find value in right. So when you see that three or two or one star review come in, it can feel really painful and discouraging. Today we're going to talk about bad reviews, how to deal with them, how to learn from them, and why getting a bad review is not the end of your podcasting career. In fact, it's just the beginning. Hello, and welcome to podcast for profit. My name is Morgan Franklin. I'm a podcast producer, strategist, and educator. This podcast will help you create and grow a podcast that cuts through the noise of social media and speaks directly to your target audience. If you're ready to create a podcast that will align you with the experts in your industry, position yourself as a trusted leader and create another source of revenue for your business, you're in the right place. In podcasting, bad reviews are not inevitable. I want to say that if you're listening to this episode, and you've never got a bad review, it is not inevitable that you will get one. But what is inevitable is people not having the exact same view as you. What is inevitable is eventually someone in your audience having a different opinion than you. The podcast industry is growing every day. And it's incredible for podcasters like us, but it brings a whole new group of people who are experiencing podcasts for the first time, and they have a lot of opinions just like us. But unlike us, they don't always have a platform to share those thoughts and opinions, especially when it comes to our show specifically, let's start by talking about the different types of bad reviews and how to deal with them. First being your standard star only. No comment, no user name, no information review. If someone gives you a two star or a one star review, but doesn't have the gumption or eloquence to write why they're doing it and put their name beside it. Please don't give this any attention. Clarity is kindness. If someone can't take two minutes out of their day to tell you why they found your podcast so atrocious that it deserves a one star review. Don't waste your precious time or energy giving it another thought. I know it's easier said than done. I know it's hard because you're never going to know why this person gave you that review. You're never going to know who gave you the review. I know that's hard to but currently there is nowhere on Apple podcasts or Spotify or any other podcast hosting platform that I'm aware of where you can see who gave rating only reviews. The peace of mind I can give you is the petty, anonymous behavior, like giving bad reviews for no reason. And being rude online will never come from someone that has something better to do. Successful, competent, established, people are not out on the internet, finding snarky things to say or people to give one star reviews too. Most of what we do is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves. So when you see that bad review, your chest gets tight and you start to feel those feelings of inadequacy coming back. I want you to remember that person was only trying to make you feel as bad as they feel. But what if it's not anonymous? What if it's someone that's coming out with their full username to tell you what a piece of crap your podcast is? Again, rude, stupid people are bold on the internet. But again, the only promise I can make you as a podcaster as you will find people who don't agree with you, you will also find people who do agree with you. But the people who don't agree with you are not your people, plain and simple. Before we completely start to spiral over this review, let's take it apart. Let's see if there's anything we can gain out of this listener sharing their thoughts with you. The first thing to look for is does it start with something like I've been a listener of the podcast for years or I've been a fan for a long time. This should have you stopping in your tracks. This should have your attention 100% Because this person is who you're making your podcast for their opinion is valid. This opinion is warranted and you should be sitting down and shutting up to hear what they have to say. This is A fan that wants to reach you. And they're taking the time out of their day to let you know how you can improve, or at least how they think that you can improve. So many times I'll see an influx of these when someone starts monetizing their podcast or using their podcast to sell a product or service, the person will leave a one serve you and say it feels like an ad or there's too many ads or I skipped through 10 minutes of ads. And again, from the listener perspective, this is valid from the podcaster perspective, I know you need to make money to keep this podcast going. And those ads probably aren't even covering those costs. But if your listeners feel that way, you have to make adjustments you at least have to try to make adjustments. Without listeners, there isn't a show. So try to take the feedback you get, especially from fans with discernment. And if there's any changes you can make make them. But what if it's not a fan, because usually a fan will try to let you down moderately easy, but the person has just listened to one episode and got really cheesed off is going to give you the what for I can review the context. Is this about the audio or production or any part of the podcast that actually needs to be adjusted? Are you getting even more offended by this review? Because you know, it's kind of true? If yes, use this. I know it hurts to hear our podcast isn't perfect, but use it as an opportunity to learn and grow and improve. So in six months, when someone new is coming to listen to your podcast for the first time, they don't leave you another one star review is saying the exact same thing. But what if there is no useful information to glean from the review? What if it is purely based on opinion, and they're just mad about something you said or something you think, and they feel so passionately about it that they gave you a one star review? In my opinion, this is the best case scenario for a one star review. And just to hear me out on this, because if you ever have a future listener that's trying to figure out if your podcast is right for them or not. And they see this person complaining about your point of view. And they will instantly know like, oh, yeah, I totally agree with this, or I need to get out of here. If you get a one star review with someone that's complaining about something you said or a commonly held belief of your show, take this as a sign that you're reaching people. Are you reaching the exactly right people? No, clearly not. But you are out there. You have people that are finding your show and enough people that have found your show that you've found people who don't like it. And that's an accomplishment in itself. Should it be something that you're exactly striving for? No. But take this as a win. There's very little you can do about a bad review on a podcast. I've had clients in the past that have tried to get bad reviews off of Apple podcast, it did not work. They contacted Apple directly Apple does not care. This person hired an agency out to try to get the review taken care of Apple again, does not care. They're not going to do anything about their review. Don't waste your time and don't waste your money trying to get reviews taken off because it is very, very unlikely it will happen. So if you can't remove it, what can you do? How can you be proactive in this situation? If you're anything like me, I can't just sit still when something bad happens. That's the absolute worst feeling. So what can you do? First, ask people for reviews. Ask people for reviews that have specific information, especially on Apple podcasts or anywhere where you can write in a review. If your podcast is about, let's say time management, for example, ask people to give you a review with one way your podcast has helped them regain their time throughout the day. If you just got a bad review, you want to make sure that you have at least a few good reviews in front of it with constructive testimonials that backup all the claims you've made about what your podcast actually provides to its listeners. Ask your friends, ask your family, send out a message to people who care about you and say, Hey, can I ask you for a quick favor? I know this can be embarrassing. I know. It's embarrassing, because I do it. I'm right there with you. But what's even more embarrassing is when you have a bad review and you don't have good reviews to counteract it. Do a podcast review swap with another podcaster if you have any podcasting friends that you haven't already reviewed their podcast, send them a message say hey, I'd love to review your podcast if you'll review mine. Take the time to tell them why you love their podcast and then reiterate it in your review. Try to stay calm. I know bad reviews can be heartbreaking, but the only thing you can do is try to learn from this experience. If there's anything to learn, sometimes unfold Generally there isn't. But no, this is not a reflection of you. This is not a reflection of the hard work or dedication that you have put into this podcast. If you're having a really hard time, or you just can't get past it, try this exercise. Write down on a piece of paper or in your notes app, or whatever you have. I'm thankful my podcast brings people blank. And fill in that blank with something that you're thankful your podcast is providing to your listeners. Then on the next line, right? I'm proud my podcast blank. What is something that you are proud of your podcast, it can be anything big or small. Then the last thing is right. If I didn't have my podcast, I wouldn't have blank. And write one thing that your podcast has brought to you that you would not have if you did not have this podcast. We can't control what happens to us. But we can control how we react. We can control if we try to find the positive and be grateful for the incredible things our podcast has brought us and other people. So we can completely spiral out of control and think the world is on fire. And no one is ever going to listen to our podcast again. Or take us seriously or subscribe to our show. And if you're thinking any of those things, it is not true. absolutely not true. Every day will get easier. Look at all your favorite podcasts and read some of the totally unhinged goober II reviews and know that you are not alone in this crazy world. Almost no one has a perfect review on anything ever. And does that stop them from making content or whatever it is they're doing? No, no way. That's part of it. My last piece of advice to you or rather sentiment to leave you with is some people will never be satisfied. And that is not your problem. If you've recently had a bad review, or you just want to test out your asking for review skills, send me an email with a few sentences about your podcast and a link to your podcast where you'd like me to review. I'll include this address in the shownotes but my email address is review at Morgan Franklin dot media. So instead of.com It's dot media review at Morgan Franklin dot media. I'll answer these messages in the order they are received. I can only listen to so many podcasts a day, but I will personally listen to one episode for everyone that messages me and takes the time. And thank you for listening. If you're still here and you haven't rated this podcast, I would really appreciate it if you did. It helps more podcasters find the podcast and it helps me know that I'm on the right track.
