Podcast Feedback vs Strategy: Rebrand? Or Just Ask?

This episode of the All New Sounding Podcasting Insights

may well shock you. Not because it's gonna be

particularly controversial, but because it's going to be

talking about something which runs counter

to the very thing that my business, Podnos

Podcasting, actually makes money from when

clients work with us. And that is

strategy. And why I think that many

podcasters don't actually need a new

strategy. They just need better feedback.

And when I'm talking about feedback, I'm not talking about the polite kind,

you know, not notes about pacing or transitions

or whether the audio sounds great. What they

actually need is someone to tell them that uncomfortable

truth about what it feels like to listen.

Because here's the thing. A lot of podcasts aren't

actually bad. They're just

massively forgettable. You know, they're competent,

they're structured, they're fine. And

fine is the most dangerous place that a podcast can be.

Fine is mediocrity. Fine is getting

caught in that trap of just publishing content

for publishing content's sake. It's about

ticking off the task from your calendar, week in,

week out. Oh, look, it's Wednesday

podcast recording day. You see, from the

very beginning, the energy you're carrying into that is off.

And the listener will definitely pick up on that lacking energy.

Without the energy, you don't have the strong opening. And when I'm

talking about a strong opening, I'm not just talking about the tone.

I'm talking about answering the question every

listener is silently asking you in the first

30 seconds of your episode.

Why should I care right now? I

mean, scripts can help with clarity. For sure, they can, but

connection comes from delivery, from sounding like a human

who actually believes the thing that they're saying.

I'm not going to be a hypocrite about this. Of course, transitions, how you

place your ads, the pacing, the

strategically placed silences, all of that does matter,

but none of it compensates for a lack of point of view.

So when people say they want feedback on their podcast, what

they usually mean is, tell me how I can polish this.

What they should actually be asking you is, well,

is this actually earning someone's time? I'm going to ask you

now, is this podcast in the various

formats that I've tried with it, is

it worth your time? I'm not changing

formats because the show doesn't work. Believe me, the show works.

I have the listeners that are in my stats. I look at Apple

podcasts and I see how many followers it's got. I look at Spotify

less. So there's as someone very helpfully pointed out on

LinkedIn the other day. But the thing is,

I want this to resonate with you. I want this to make impact on

you. I want your podcasting life

to feel a difference from what I am publishing

for your ears through this channel.

Is this show earning your time? Because growth

doesn't usually come from doing more or doing differently.

It comes from being braver about what already exists.

It comes from taking what you've done, literally

screwing it up into a ball and throwing it in the bin.

And that's kind of what I've done with this podcast. Right now. You'll hear the

difference in the format. And so I want your feedback to

this. Most people never get that feedback.

I'm hoping I'll get it from you. Because

to come back to my opening point, most podcasters

don't need a new strategy. They need better feedback.

And not the polite kind. Thanks so much for listening

to this episode of Podcasting Insights. I've been Neil

Velio the Podmaster, and I'm thanking you for your

time listening this week. If you think anybody else would

find it useful, do. Please feel free to share it with them. And if you

haven't yet, follow the show in your favorite

podcast app.