“80% of the world doesn’t know who the f*$% podcasters are!”
-- Roman Mars
Podcasting looks competitive on the surface. Podcast news is full of stories about Top 10 charts, download measuring contests, and millions in ad revenue up for grabs. But are we all competing for the same finite piece of the pie?
Sure, we all have the same gear, similar processes, and are the same players. However, our topics, audiences, and perspectives vary greatly. They’re like fingerprints. Most people have fingers but what is on those fingers, the random groves, is unique. Similar to how most podcasters have microphones, mixers, and recorders but no two shows are exactly alike. Turns out, adding that “human element” makes a podcast special. It turns a formula into a one-of-a-kind experience.
Podcasters are also not stealing audiences from other shows. The listener decides which shows to listen to, not the podcaster. If you ask ten listeners, “Why do you like this show over that show?”, you will get ten different answers. They can’t quantify why they like a certain show, they just do. In most cases, when listeners tell surveyors why they like a certain podcast, they respond simply, “I just like the way that podcaster tells a story.” This makes a podcast a personal choice for that listener.
The only competition a podcaster needs to be focused on is time. There are only so many hours in the day that a person can use to listen to your podcast. This makes podcast selection important. If a listener decides to listen to your show then you are talking about a topic specific to their interests with a perspective and quality they enjoy.
That’s it. That’s the secret formula.
Am I speaking better than the next podcaster? Maybe.
Do I have better sound quality and music? Possibly.
Am I talking about the same topics in the same way? Not a chance.
This is where podcasters need to stop seeing each other as competition. Unless we both talk about the same topic that is inside a niche of a niche in a niche, our audience is not the same. And even if we do talk about the same specific topic, I will certainly talk about it differently than you do. If we go back to asking those ten listeners which podcaster does it better, you’re probably going to get ten different answers again. My audience likes the way I do it, while your audience likes the way you do it.
Here’s the rub – they may like the way we both do it and listen to both podcasts!
Why?
Because it is not about the better podcast, it is about the specific podcaster. Listeners come for the topics but stay for the podcaster.
When you discover that you cannot control what listeners like (or don’t like) then you are free:
- Free to help other podcasters succeed.
- Free to give out your secrets.
- Even free to be nice.
I believe this is the big revelation you need to embrace.
Now, if you accept my premise that the listener has all the control then it stands to reason that we, as podcasters, have no control. This is not true. We have all the control we need over the production of our show, the quality of our research, the telling of our stories, and the amount of time we decide to spend showing up. We control all of these factors. The only thing we do not control is our audience. They get to choose to listen to us or not. All we can do is provide them with the best possible experience if or when they do decide to listen to us.
But you do have complete control over how you treat other podcasters. When competition for audience is taken off the table it leaves room for collaboration, support, and just being downright nice to one another! Every other form of media is cutthroat.
Every other form besides podcasting.
Podcasters are the last vestige of unabridged free speech. If we don’t work together then how can we expect to keep it free?
If you can’t work with other podcasters and don’t want to help those who you see as competition, then at least, for starters, stop throwing punches.
I don’t think that’s asking too much.
Maybe that little change will start you down the path of being nice to your fellow podcaster. Especially when you realize that in the non-zero-sum game of podcasting, the listener decides who wins.
🤠☕
Oncetold is a podcast education and technology company. We turn new podcasters into yarn weavers, big dreamers, and true believers. Start telling your story at oncetold.us.
Find more podcasting wisdom on Not Easily Squished or at noteasilysquished.com.