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Are you contemplating for a long time and postponing a decision to launch a new show? If yes, then probably you are afraid before starting a podcast, afraid of some common and paralyzing things that can successfully sabotage your plans and hopes.
Podcasts are a rage, and people are hooked. Your friends might have recommended your favorite podcasts, and an acquaintance might have even started one. There is even a subgroup of fans, called Super Listeners, where 96% of them will recommend stuff they listen to.
But you may have a question in mind – is it worth it?
Are you someone who has thought a lot about it but afraid before starting a podcast?
Before starting something new, having a few doubts is natural. But sometimes, valid concerns mix up with irrational fear.
How would you know whether your concerns are genuine or over-analyzing things are holding you back?
Let us first discuss the common fears that make people afraid before starting a podcast, and then I shall write about how to understand to what extent these fears are real.
What are the most common fears that make you afraid before podcasting?
If you don’t want to fail before you launch your show learn how to control the imposter syndrome, fear of failure, fear of the new, and understand that routines are sometimes too comfortable. Finally, many people are afraid it is too time-consuming, too expensive, and difficult to monetize.
1. Fear of being an imposter (the imposter syndrome)
Why should people believe what you say? Are you credible enough that listeners would pay heed to your ideas or opinions? Would your podcast even be worth listening to?
This is a very common thought pattern across professions and industries.
In fact, it even has a name – it’s called the imposter syndrome. It is not actually a syndrome, but a very dominant feeling that all your success is not well-earned. It happened just by chance.
Initially, researchers thought that only women experience imposter syndrome, as the people around them often downplay their success. Later on, it was observed that men also go through the same feelings.
And imposter syndrome is often the reason why people are afraid before starting a podcast.
As anyone can start a podcast (no auditions, no qualification check, and a small investment is all you need), there are no clear cut parameters to define who should be a podcaster and who shouldn’t. This fuels a lot of inhibition among people who are considering the idea of podcasting.
How to get over imposter syndrome?
While we are taught to be modest about our achievements, it does not mean that we must doubt them.
If you are a successful teacher, entrepreneur, life coach – that’s only because of the years of hard work you have put into it. No one succeeds because of sheer luck.
You must own your success and believe in your worth. Rather than worrying whether people will trust your podcast, focus on trusting yourself. That is paramount when it comes to ensuring that you are not afraid before starting a podcast or starting anything new in life!
2. Fear of Failure
Many folks don’t start as they are scared of failing. They consider the negative aspects before the positive ones. They are worried about what if they don’t get a good response, and all the efforts go to waste.
It is true that you have to put effort to make your passion translate into a massive success.
If you ask me, I would say that social conditioning has a lot to do with the way we perceive failure. Many folks come from communities or families where success is lauded, but failure is looked down upon. In such an environment, a person might grow up to be an achiever, but he or she will prefer tried and tested things and be afraid of experimenting.
How to overcome the fear of failure?
Failure is natural and part of the learning process. All bloggers and podcasters have seen it. Even the most successful individuals have failed at some point in life. When you read a person’s success story, it often doesn’t speak about the long lists of trials and errors he or she had to do to get that right idea. The culture of glorifying success often hides the hard work and doesn’t talk about the failures that every successful person once faced and learned from.
No matter how good you are, there is no way to say with a guarantee that your podcast will be a success. Yes, you have to give your best, but you also need to change the way you perceive failure. If you ask me, the only way to make sure a podcast doesn’t fail is never actually to make it! But that’s what I don’t want you to do!
3. Fear of the new
You want to start a podcast, but you have a fear of getting into new things. You prefer to continue to pursue things that you have always had. If you want to try out something new, you will ask at least ten people around you for their opinions. Unless someone has some real-life experience to share, you won’t be motivated to try out that thing.
You have listened to podcasts, and you have a feeling that running one can benefit your business. But your family doesn’t listen to a podcast, and you don’t know anyone who makes podcasts….why get into something that you aren’t familiar with?
How to overcome the fear of the new?
Trying new things can be good. You want to start a podcast, so it shouldn’t really matter how people around you feel about podcasting. Because it’s ultimately you, who has worked on the podcast. So until you actually dip your feet into the waters, you can’t really know whether you will like it or not.
I would strongly advise being a bit more experimental with life. The likes and dislikes of people around you shouldn’t govern your choices. Sometimes it is better to try out new things and figure them out on your own.
4. Routines are comfortable
You don’t want to change your daily activities and make out time for podcasting. You come back from your office and slump on your couch. Maybe you binge watch Netflix late into the night and have trouble getting up on time the next morning.
But you are happy with your routine. The fear of disrupting your life makes you afraid before starting a podcast. You want every day to be the same, and there is no space for anything new.
How to overcome the fear that podcasting is time-consuming?
Routines can be changed. It’s not that hard. All you need to do is to try out for someday. It might blend in your life more easily than you think. But of course, it won’t happen if you are afraid before starting a podcast and not making initiatives. When you start, it will become a part of your routine.
Of course, there is another factor at play here. That is whether you enjoy the process or not. It would be way easier to make podcasting activities a part of your life if you are really passionate about your niche and enjoy the tasks you have to do to make a final podcast.
5. Fear that podcasting will be time-consuming
You fear that podcasting takes a lot of time. And you are a busy-bee. You wonder that you will have to give up things to make time for it. You will have to write a script, record your podcast, and promote your show.
It is true that sometimes you will have to stay awake late or give up some leisure activities. And that’s why you are afraid before starting a podcast.
How to overcome fear that podcasting is time consuming?
It does take time – podcasting would demand you to spend at least ten to twelve hours a week. This is one point where you need to carefully analyze. I can understand that it might not be possible for everyone to invest this kind of time in making podcasts. But many of you can surely benefit from better time management and make out time for podcasting. Don’t decide on a hunch. Scrutinize how you spend your time podcasting.
If you spend hours scrolling social media or watching Netflix, maybe you can cut that time and invest it into podcasting. Rather than consuming content made by others, work on your own content.
Similarly, if your podcast is about a niche that you have expertise in or are really passionate about, the time spent on research would be quite less for you. Choosing your niche wisely can help you reduce your efforts and make the time spent in podcasting more enjoyable.
Don’t let the number of hours make you afraid before starting a podcast, without analyzing how you can manage time better.
I would suggest outsourcing part of your work so that you focus on what matters the most in your limited hours. Things like writing a transcript or social media posts can be easily handed over to someone else without shelling a lot of money. Teamwork also improves the quality of the final output.
6. It’s expensive to begin
You are worried that you will have to shell money for starting a podcast, and you wonder if you can afford it. There are a lot of other things to spend money on. Why spend it on a podcast that might not even click with the listeners?
How to overcome the fear of high expenses?
Budget and control the expenses. Some expenditure is inevitable. But if you are shying away from spending money without actually figuring out the amount, then you should really sit down with a pen and a paper and reconsider your decision.
You can buy basic podcasting equipment for $150.
Of course, there are more expensive options available. If you think this amount is difficult to spend, have a close look at your spending habits. Maybe you can let go of a few recreational shopping trips and spend that money here. I am not judging you, and I completely understand if you don’t want to spend this amount.
I am just trying to make a point that we often wrongly perceive some things as expensive but don’t keep tabs on other things where we can save money.
7. Difficult to monetize
After all the hard work, will you ever make any money out of it? Many folks look at creating content solely as a source of income. And that is the reason the thought of podcasting cropped up in their minds.
And let me not mince word, money is a strong motivating factor to begin and continue any work. This holds true for most people. If you are one of them and don’t see quick money, you would be reluctant to do the task.
How to overcome the fear of difficult monetization?
Many people are afraid before starting a podcast as podcasting won’t fetch them money in the short run. And if you are searching for an immediate source of income, you can’t get it from making podcasts.
Podcasts don’t make money in the beginning. They can be monetized down the line, or they can greatly benefit your business. Most podcasters who have successfully monetized their show earn a side income from their podcasts. Getting advertisers is quite easy.
With a lot of focused effort, you can make full-time income solely from podcasting.
You should not start a podcast if the only reason is to make money from it. It may or may not happen. I want you to keep your expectations in the right place.
Conclusions
Now the question arises, how can we overcome these fears? It is natural to be reluctant, but your concerns can be managed. Let’s have a look at them one by one.
In a nutshell, I want to say that it’s okay to have concerns before starting something new. But one must always sit down, think deeply, and analyze if these concerns could actually be a problem. Think rationally – I don’t want you to miss out on an opportunity to create something amazing because of your inhibitions.
And that’s why I want you to analyze your priorities and see if podcasting is right for you or not.
What was your biggest fear before you started a podcast?
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