EP 22 Reasons to Make the Show YOU Want

We’re covering a part of emotional intelligence in this episode that directly relates to your show’s success. We’ve seen time and again that what makes the difference between shows that succeed and those that burn out is how much the host of the show enjoys the process of making their show. That means it’s really important to make the show that YOU want and avoid the comparison trap that is so easy to fall into.

In this episode Tiff and Christine have a chat about emotional intelligence and how it relates to your show’s success when you make the podcast that YOU want to make.

“You will never be as good at being like them as you are at being like yourself.”

Christine Baird

Topics covered:

• (0:30) Why not to be discouraged from starting a podcast
• (1:45) How your unique way of podcasting will lead to its success
• (8:22) What it takes to make money from a YouTube channel or podcast sponsorships
• (14:43) How to adopt a “create before you consume” mentality

Links mentioned:

• Rob Bell’s podcast

• Tiff Tyler
• Christine Baird
• Aspiring Podcast Hosts & Producers – check out the Think Like a Producer Membership Group

Subscribe to the Podcast!

Many thanks to our production team

• Worthfull Media for audio editing
• Mosaico Productions for video editing
• Amela Subašić for artwork

Transcription of this episode:

(auto-generated, please forgive typos)

Christine (00:04):
Welcome to Think Like a Producer podcast. I’m your co-host Christine Baird.

Tiff (00:09):
And I’m your co-host Tiff Tyler. Being in the podcast industry, being in the content creation industry. This is what we learned, and this is how you can get out of your own way and get started.

Christine (00:20):
You name it. We’ve probably done it. This podcast is about bringing all the wisdom to you. Tune in weekly, to learn how to think like a producer.

Tiff (00:32):
Yeah. If you get the arm in, like have the mic a little bit higher so we can see the mic. Yeah.

Christine (00:37):
So it doesn’t look weird. Okay. So I don’t look like I’m holding a rifle. That’s still one of my favorites.

Tiff (00:43):
Nah. I mean, I still, when I look at it, I’m like, I don’t think I see rifle, but okay. You know.

Christine (00:48):
I think it’s hilarious though.

New Speaker (00:49):
Rifle. Okay. Welcome to this episode of think like a producer, we decided to talk, you know, just a little bit more from the heart today because we’ve made a lot of great episodes, but lot of the questions that we’re getting paper, or I think we might be, you know, sort of discouraging a little bit surprising when it comes to making podcasts, you asked us why do podcasts die? Uh, you access the misconceptions of podcasting. You know, there are a lot of things and a lot of factors that come into podcasting, but overall it is meant for you to have fun. It is okay to start a podcast because you have a great idea or you have a unique perspective and you just want to get it out and let people know what you’re doing.

Tiff (01:28):
It it’s completely fine to just have a podcast. When we talk about podcasting, we kind of reference it from two different sides, whether it’s a hobby and it’s fun, or if it’s a business and you’re trying to make money and monetize, there are different reasons why people start different things is YouTube. You can monetize it, all those great things. But overall, we just want to encourage you to have fun with the idea of podcasting, how fun with the idea of storytelling of content creation of just speaking your mind and letting your voice be heard. Um, it’s okay. There, there really is no issue with it, but Christine, uh, what do you think? You know, I think, you know, maybe I’m maybe I’m coming from a good side, uh, like try and let’s play devil’s advocate side. Like I feel like some people are almost being discouraged now from starting podcasts because it seems like it’s a little bit too much.

Christine (02:18):
Yeah. This is a real thing. We are constantly talking to people who are on the verge of starting a podcast. And the main questions are always the same. Like how much of a workload, how expensive is it worth it to try and throw my hat in the ring? Or can I never be as good as the people that I see already doing it? And the truth is the longer that I’m in this industry going on my seventh or eighth year now I am more and more convinced that the best way to podcast is the way that you podcast there is so much happening. That’s kind of related to networks and professional shows and big money. That’s not ever going to be most of us. I really am thinking of podcasting the way I think of Instagram or blogging. It’s very unique to each person. Everyone uses the medium differently.

Christine (03:10):
You don’t look at Instagram and be like, there’s one way to Instagram. There’s not one way to take talk. There’s not one way to be on Pinterest, right? But I think with podcasting, since it’s a little more involved with production, people think, Oh, there’s only one way to do it. And if I’m not doing it the way that the big wigs are doing it, I’m not doing it right. Well, this is simply not true. The best shows are very unique. They legitimately are unrepeatable. And it’s because of the people who are making them not because of like the genius idea they had of the special format that magically does everything. So I believe this more and more and more when I see a new podcast that a friend or an associate of mine comes out with and I listened to an episode, of course, I try to listen to the at least one episode of every new show that a friend does.

Christine (04:00):
I’m so excited and I want to support them. So I try to always like listen to at least an episode. What I love about every new show I hear is how it’s totally, that person’s show like they can’t, you know, extricate themselves from it, nor should they. And so I get really excited when people come out with shows and I can tell this has them all over it. Whether it’s the way they’re talking, the way they’ve edited, the music, they’ve chosen, the topic, the length. It doesn’t matter any of that. As long as it’s really aligned with that person, their vibe, their energy. And so I’m gonna just echo what Tiff said and say, it’s way more important to start a show that feels sustainable to you. That feels really fun. That’s keeping your enthusiasm high because you actually enjoy making it. These are all secrets to avoiding burnout.

Christine (04:53):
The quick road to burnout is to try to emulate someone that you think you’re supposed to be like, it’s a simple, just burn you out so fast because you will never be as good at being like them as you will at being like yourself. And so this is like a very legitimate point. We had written down in our outline for today’s episode. This isn’t fluffy. Yeah. It’s a little bit of emotional intelligence, but it’s, it’s really essential. And having worked on some shows for years now and having worked on my own show for years now, I’m really seeing this more and more and more the shows that really do good work consistently over the long haul and end up becoming really successful are the ones that stuck to a format and a cadence and a style that was truly what they loved doing. It was unique to them.

Christine (05:42):
Some of my very favorite shows have absolutely no music, no intro, nothing like literally the person hits record and they just start talking. And that is the episode. Rob Bell is one that comes to mind. He’s an author speaker, former pastor, and I’ve listened to his show for a few years now. He is an excellent speaker, but he is himself to a T. He has absolutely no music. There’s no bumper. There’s no outro. Yeah. Like it just, he pushes record and he starts talking and he has an outline like he’s very well experienced in, you know, writing things like sermons. And, but there’s nothing fancy. And he doesn’t edit his show at all. Sometimes here, like his kid in the background, or if he’s in his back house, in his backyard in LA, there might be a helicopter going by. He’s not bothered with editing any of that.

Christine (06:38):
And it’s, so him, if you’ve ever heard him speak in person or on social media, he doesn’t do a lot on social media. You know, that’s Rob, like he is just himself kind of zing into his own little beat. So that’s yeah. As a word of encouragement, but it’s actually based in solid evidence that I’ve seen. Um, I have noticed on the other side, when clients of mine who have been podcasting for a while, start to get burned out, their enthusiasm starts to wane. They take longer and longer breaks. They’re getting episodes to me, you know, last minute. And it’s because, cause a lot of times I noticed like they’re starting to really get into the comparison game. And then, you know, when I kind of have a heart to heart with them, I’m like, what if we just went back to you doing the thing that you really are good at the way you do it, let’s forget about all this.

Christine (07:28):
And it’s consistently this like sigh of relief, like, Oh my gosh, I forgot. Thank you. That feels so much better. So there’s my two cents about making the show that feels sustainable. That’s very authentic that doesn’t need to look or follow the format of other peoples. We are always going to share with you ideas on this show because we want you to have plenty of resources. If you’re starting out, it does not mean you need to follow them. You don’t need to have an intro. You don’t need to have music. Like if that’s not your thing, don’t worry about it. If it is your thing, have fun with it. Okay. Well, I don’t know how long it went on that, but, um, number two, there’s another point we want to emphasize guys, and this has to do with monetization and you may be like, why are you talking to me about monetization?

Christine (08:14):
If we’re talking about reasons to have the show I want, well, we just want to kind of put into context that if you’re trying to build a show based on other people’s revenue models, like you’ve heard influencers say like I’m getting a million downloads and the sponsor revenues incredible. And I’m making five figures, six figures a month off my podcast. And it’s so easy. Well, let’s just, uh, give you some numbers so that you’re not, not inaccurately understanding what they’re saying. Thinking I have to do a show just like so-and-so so that I can make thousands of dollars in sponsor revenue or I’m a failure. Tiff, tell us about the hours. The actual numbers required to be making money off of YouTube.

Tiff (08:56):
10,000 subscribers, don’t get overwhelmed, 10,000 subscribers before you can really monetize the channel. And even then it’s a lot it’s based on views. How many people are watching, how long they’re staying, how many ads, you know, you can actually add to the video and think about this. You, I think about this every time I go through YouTube, there’s so many ads on YouTube and of course, you know, YouTube, don’t shut us down. We love your platform, but there’s just so many ads that you can add in the middle of an episode, beginning of the episode, end of the episode. And I think, you know, making sure that you’re speaking true to the content over the money is always going to be the priority. Now there have been shows that we’ve worked on that have two hour plus interviews. To me, you can put a couple ads in there and you’re still going to have some pretty good content before an eight minute vlog or, you know, five minute quick video to have four or five ads in that video. Are you still serving the audience? Are you still giving them what they want or are you trying to grab as much cash as possible? Not saying one is better than the other.

Tiff (09:57):
Just thinking about like the idea of just taking the numbers out of your head, taking the pressure off of like, I gotta get to this crazy viral video. I got to have a million views for every video or like, I’m just not good enough. The podcast, wasn’t a success, the vid, the YouTube channel, wasn’t a success like we would just love to just kind of give you a moment to just breathe in to the idea that you can just have fun with this, let the subscribers come, let the audience come. We of course will have episodes about how to grab those kinds of people to make sure that you’re, you’re hitting the audience and you’re, you’re taking care of the people that want to find you that want to see you that want to consume your content. But really to just, just to just like linger on the idea of having fun with it, without trying to always go for the numbers, always go for the results.

Tiff (10:45):
And really who is this affecting? Who’s really seeing this. Who’s really enjoying this. Who am I impacting right now? We talked about this on episode 17. Like really like what makes good content, the people that are impacting and how I’m supporting them to impact the world and make it a better place. So yes, there, you need to have a lot of numbers, a lot of views. You’re always going to be checking your YouTube analytics is always going to be there. Your show is always going to be growing, but YouTube rewards, consistency and posting your show and posting videos weekly and getting things going. So be a little more concerned about how I’m going to stay enthusiastic, like we talked about and it’s that kind of like our part one here, I’m going to really enjoy this show week after week, day after day to really continue with it because the more I’m consistent, the more these numbers will grow. And then when I get to that 10,000, 20,000, a hundred thousand subscribers, I’m really starting to get, you know, a couple of dollars in here and there from YouTube, you know, it’ll just be an after effect, not necessarily the number one reason why I decided to start the show. Um, but Christine, you know, all about the podcast numbers. So for the podcast numbers, is there a quick reality check when it to numbers and money and making money off of your show?

Christine (11:57):
Yeah, I would love to. It’s honestly very helpful. So industry standard in audio podcasting when it comes to sponsors or advertisers, these is going to be like, if you’re getting sponsored deals through your hosting network, or if you’re, you’re actually listed within network or an agency, your probably average starting rate is going to be $20 per thousand downloads for an episode. So if you do the math, even if you got 5,000 downloads an episode, you’re only making a hundred bucks on that one episode. And so I always tell people really don’t worry about sponsorships and advertising until you’re getting thousands upon thousands of downloads per episode, like 10,000 is like probably similar to YouTube until you’re really getting about 10,000 downloads per episode. You really don’t need to be messing around with outside sponsors because is it really worth it? You got a hundred dollars from that episode and you had 5,000 downloads, like there’s so much more you can do with 5,000 listeners than just make a hundred dollars off of an outside sponsor ad.

Christine (13:05):
And we cover monetization strategies separate from sponsors in our membership group. So if you really are interested in this and you want more like feedback and Q & A and strategy, feel free to join our membership group because that’s a better place where we can kind of give you individual coaching. But just as the basic reality check, that’s the kind of numbers you’re looking at. So, like Tiff said, just like with a YouTube channel, with an audio podcast, it’s going to pay off way more to just really focus on making content you love and enjoy that serves your audience, that organically builds it. And, um, there’s all sorts of things you can promote to your audience long before you’d be in a position to take on outside advertisers. Now the asterisks here being, if you’re already a very well-established brand who has sponsor relationships, maybe you’ve been very successful with a social media following.

Christine (13:55):
So you’ve already had some experience doing sponsored ads on your social media or affiliates. Like if you have a great email list, something like that, of course, you might be able to kind of run to the head of the line and get some direct sponsorship deals earlier on in, you know, if you’re that person, right? So if you’re working on a show that already has good sponsor relationships from another channel that you produce content on, you can definitely negotiate deals for your podcast before you have thousands of downloads per episode. But again, you know who you are. So that’s a different scenario if like most people, if you’re starting a podcast and you have no connection to companies and sponsors and brand deals, that’s just kind of the numbers to let yourself relax and be like, I’m not even gonna think about that for a while.

Christine (14:42):
And I’m going to focus on building this community in a way that I really love. And it’s a lot of fun. And, um, again, there’s a lot of ways to monetize your podcast pre sponsors, but we, you know, you can definitely DMS or if you want more information and kind of get group coaching, you can definitely join the membership group link in the show notes. Okay. So point number three, about reasons to make the show that you want to make Tiff tell us what another compelling argument is to stop worrying about what other people think and focus on, what brings you joy.

Tiff (15:16):
So we, we basically mentioned this throughout the episode to just let go of comparison and just start creating. And I did not talk about this before the episode, but Christine, what do you think about a challenge for all of our listeners right now, our viewers right now to create before you consume? So we’ve been around a lot of great entrepreneurs, a lot of cool people, uh, I don’t know how to describe it outside of like, they make a lot of money and sometimes some of us just want to be them because they have made so much money, but the overall point of this episode is to have fun. And so when I think about people that I admire, I was thinking about their morning routines, right? It’s a little like w where they start the day, where is their mind at, in the very beginning of the day.

Tiff (15:57):
And I think for a lot of people and for myself, when people tell me to stop comparing, I’m like, okay, but like, I’m on Instagram, I’m on Twitter are marketing myself. I’m looking at what other people are doing. How can I consume less and create more? So my challenge is for you to spend the first 30 minutes of your day, not looking at your phone, but just picking up a actual pen and paper, not on a screen, I don’t have your iPad or anything like that, but a pen and paper and suggest to start writing. It could be your idea for your show. It could be, um, just whatever you dreamt about the night before. It could be anything that really comes to mind. But just the idea of less comparison to me is just breaking in the habit of starting the day, always looking and consuming while the other people are doing so.

Tiff (16:45):
Yes, you’re very unique. You have a unique perspective. No one else has lived the life that you live. But if we spend eight, 10, 12 hours a day looking at other people’s lives, I feel like at least personally, for me, it’s very hard to hear the voice in my head, or it’s a really know where I stand out of. I’m always, always listening to other people. So this is a challenge. This is our first like, think like a producer challenge. If you co-sign Christine, do you co-sign on this. Okay. Okay. Let’s do it. So we are challenging you to spend the first half an hour of your day just writing, uh, taking notes, whatever that looks like for you, but just creating, kind of using your voice a little bit in the morning. And what you can do is tag us and think like a producer, um, maybe grab a screenshot once you now pick up your phone, like you’re going to do anyway in the morning and just say, Hey, I, I took the time that that took create this morning.

Tiff (17:36):
I did something for myself this morning. We’d love to see it. We’d love to continue to spread this message of just creating before you consume. But to me, comparison is a habit. And that’s really what I want to establish here for me to break any habit that I have. It has to be replaced by something else. Um, but that’s, that’s what we want to make sure that we emphasize your unique perspective, your unique voice, and letting it come out a little bit more than watching other people. Another good idea would be to stop watching people in the industry that you love. Right? Like I absolutely love self-improvement and motivation, but Christina, I even had a conversation this morning about it. You know, it’s interesting to see when you step outside of your field, the new ideas that get sparked by looking at other industries and other people and other perspectives, um, that you’re just not used to, just to spark something different.

Tiff (18:26):
You know, whether it’s a color scheme or even sometimes for me, it’s an edit. When I look at something that’s completely outside of the influencers that I typically work with, it just gives me more ideas on how to be creative and unique. So we’d love for you to stop comparing yourself. We know it’s not the easiest task in the world, but if you can start to break some habits to change some things up, we think that you can continue to let your voice out a little bit more and really start to fall in love with your uniqueness and your own perspective. But Christine, any other thoughts on that?

Christine (18:58):
Yeah. Well, I love what you shared because yes, we did talk about it, but also these reminders we need all the time. Hopefully you’ve heard this before. We’re just your daily dose today. Honest to goodness is a problem of our age that we have so much ability to compare each other. And while that can be helpful on a certain level, it can become very unhelpful on another. And we know, you know what we’re talking about. So yes, one of the reasons to do the show that you want is because you will be able to get way more creative ideas when you are actually letting your own creative juice, your own creative life force within you lead the way. If you are too focused on the way other people are doing things it, and I’ve seen this time. And again, I know you have as well, Tiff, it can paralyze you quite literally.

Christine (19:51):
It will just stop you from doing anything because you just get, you know what I’m talking about, you get in that rut where you’re just only looking at what other people are doing. You just get totally overwhelmed with, like, I can’t do anything until I figure out how to do what they did and they did. And they did, and they did bad news. So yeah, as you know, kind of a mindset tool, mental health tool, but more, more than that, an actual strategic production to all make sure that when you’re doing your creative sessions, you’re planning, you’re looking at episode ideas and you’re actually envisioning what kind of content you’re going to create for your audience, that you’re doing it from a place of innate creativity. Yeah. You’re going to get great ideas from other people, but just like TIFF said, taking that time in the morning, or maybe you’re a night owl.

Christine (20:39):
So you do this at night where you’re actually writing down your own ideas, you’re letting it kind of go through your own filter. And you’re like, you know, also so did that. But I actually realized like the way I would do it would be this way. That’s where some of my best ideas have come from. And, you know, kind of in response to the industry I work in, I’ve had to develop my own skill sets, where I have limits on how much inspiration I take in. And I’ve learned to really check in with my gut and be like, okay, I’ve, I’ve reached my limit free today. No more screens, no more social media, no more podcasts. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes I take in too many podcasts in a day and I’m like, I gotta pull back and I just need to journal. I need to go for a walk.

Christine (21:22):
I need to do a puzzle. And just like, let my mind go. And just kind of go into that state of creative boredom as they say. So yeah. Before I go off on a very long tangent about creative skillsets, I just want to reiterate like this as an actual production strategy. It’s not just like a field code, you know, self development tip, even though it’s also that we’ve seen this time. And again, it is super helpful to unplug and let your own ideas come to you and trust your intuition and, and know that the message that your trying to share in the way you’re trying to share it is unique for a reason. That’s a good thing. And a lot of this just comes with time and practice. So you might try some ideas that you love and they’d really are awesome. And you might try some ideas.

Christine (22:09):
Really good. Did not take off at all. That’s fine. That’s fine. That’s great. That’s helpful. Don’t worry about it. Just be consistent with the process, make sure you’re focusing on things that really bring you a lot of joy and excitement. If you notice, you’re getting into that comparison trap, unplug, put up some healthy boundaries. And that is what will really help you stay in the long run and serve your audience in a really important way. And you know, one day there will be a lot of really awesome opportunities if you stick with it. But one day at a time it’s going to work out if you just run at your own pace. Okay? So there’s our episode for this week, but have a pep talk, but have a reality check. Hopefully a lot of encouragement. If you enjoyed the episode, we would love to see a review of yours on Apple podcasts. It makes a huge difference for other people to realize this show is a good show and we’re subscribing to. So thank you for all your ratings and reviews. We really appreciate them. Of course, subscribe, subscribe on YouTube, share it with someone that you know is actually thinking about this. And you’ve been talking to about this. Hopefully it will be supportive to them and we will see you on the next episode.

Christine (20:59):
Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Think Like a Producer. This has been a Worthfull Media production. Massive thanks to our team who makes the show possible. Worthfull Media for audio editing, Jorge and Veronica from Mosaico Productions for video editing and effects and Amela Subasic for our amazing artwork and graphics.

Tiff (21:22):
If you want to learn more about how to market, monetize, and grow your podcast, we have a membership group where you can get more access to us and feedback on your show. As a special bonus, you get free access to Christine’s DIY, do it yourself, podcast course when you join the group. Check the link in the show notes for more information.