Podcast marketing and administration can be difficult. Maybe you got into podcasting as a business from the get go, maybe you started your podcast as a passion project, maybe it was a little bit of both. Regardless of where you started, you’re at or approaching the point now where you’re feeling overwhelmed… or, at least like you’re not giving the proper things the proper amount of attention anymore. As your podcast grows, there are inevitably more things that need more from you. Bigger podcast, bigger appetite. Guess what? That’s normal, and you’re not alone. In fact, it’s a sign of success that you can’t handle it all on your own anymore. So, embrace it. And do something about it. Maybe it’s time to think about farming out some of your tasks. Here are things you might want to consider as you seek sustainable ways to continue to grow your podcast.
What podcast marketing and administration skills are you best at?
First, you need to take an honest look at yourself and your strengths: what areas of podcast marketing and administration are you truly skilled at? Are you a podcast editing whiz? Are you great at sourcing & securing guests? Are you able to build buzz for your podcast on social media? You should consider focusing primarily on the things you’re best at, and farming out the other things to people better suited to doing them.
What podcast marketing and administration tasks do you love doing?
You wouldn’t be where you are without your passion for podcasting and your particular point of view. Never lose that. But what do you absolutely love doing? Podcast social marketing? Podcast editing–weaving a cohesive, compelling story from disparate threads? As your podcast continues to grow– even if you’re starting/have started a podcast network–make sure you hold on to at least one of the things you’re passionate about.
What is it worth to you to continue doing those podcast marketing and administration tasks?
This one is all about opportunity cost. We all have choices to make. If we make the choice to continue handling podcast social media marketing ourselves, what might we have to give up, and/or what might we miss out on because of that choice? For the things you’re best at and the things you love, consider only focusing on the items that tick both boxes: skill and passion. Direct others on the rest, if you’re able.
What is your budget for outsourcing?
If you’re bringing in professional podcast editors, social/marketers, web designers, producers, and the like, they don’t come free. What are you able to set aside each month–and for how long–in order to give these folks enough time to produce results for you and your podcast? What else could you do with that money? What will it cost you not to bring in others?
What does success look like?
We love experimentation. But we are also in the business of podcasting (podcast hosting, podcast stats, and podcast websites), which means at least some of those experiments have to pay off. So, before you pull the trigger and bring on a podcast editor, a podcast marketing consultant, or anyone else, make sure you have clearly defined and measurable objectives. That way, you’ve all decided what success looks like ahead of time, so it’ll be easier to recognize when you hit or miss.
It might not feel like it–down in the trenches, slogging it out to grow your podcast–but the fact that you’ve gotten to the point that you can no longer do all the things your podcast needs in order to keep growing is a good thing. It’s a signal of success. Congratulations. And, sure, it also means you’ll have other challenges to deal with. But keep at it. The world needs more podcasters, not fewer.