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There’s a lot of chatter about success in podcasting, but far less about finding happiness as podcasters. No, the two are not mutually exclusive. For many, the trendlines for the two follow similar tracks.
Everybody measures happiness differently. One assumption is when you get what you want, you’re happy. And while that’s probably true for toddlers, there’s a lot of garbage that comes along with “wants” that are often detrimental to both success and happiness.
To me, I equate happiness to contentment. That’s not the same thing as complacency, which is to be avoided. What makes me content about my podcasting journey may not be (and likely will not be) the same thing that makes you content about your podcasting journey. We both have to chart our own paths toward happiness and contentment
Doing More To Achieve Podcasting Happiness
Being content means being happy with what you have. But that doesn’t mean you have to do without. If you have the means, sometimes doing more with your podcast can greatly increase your level of happiness.
You might choose, for example, to focus more effort in post-production, making your episodes sound that much better, which makes you happier with the quality of the episodes you put out. And it’s a safe bet that when you’re happier with the quality of your show, your audience will be happier too.
It might mean investing more in marketing or outreach to grow your audience to a size that you can better monetize. Perhaps to the point where your podcast becomes viable enough to afford you more opportunities to keep doing what you love.
Or you could spend more time building a bigger and better-connected community, engaging with that community in ways that increase the connections between you and your audience, which increases the happiness your podcast community brings to everyone.
Doing Less To Achieve Podcasting Contentment
Happiness, again, means being content with what you have. But sometimes, you have too much on your podcasting plate and your happiness is waning under the pressure. If that’s the case, unburdening yourself from commitments can go a long way toward getting you to a more happy place.
Can you outsource some podcasting tasks that you really don't enjoy? For example, I outsource correcting my transcripts for a nominal fee that I gladly pay so I don’t have to do it.
It might mean cutting back on (or cutting out) engaging on a social platform that you don’t find all that enjoyable. Yes, you've been told to do that it’s the place to be as a podcaster; but you just don't like it. Perhaps you’d be happier if you stopped trying to engage with followers there and started using that platform as a distribution-only platform. Or, if you want, maybe consider deleting your account altogether.
Perhaps reduce your episode output frequency, which will, in turn, lower your stress and anxiety. Reducing stress and anxiety will almost certainly make you a happier podcaster. Your audience will almost certainly appreciate the happier host.
Doing Things Differently To Achieve Podcasting Bliss
Ok, so maybe “bliss” is overdoing it, but bear with me. The concepts of more and less denote zero-sum elements, but that’s too linear. Think differently. And maybe do different things to cause a positive outcome on your happiness and contentment as a podcaster.
Sometimes drastic changes are warranted, like shifting the entire focus of your show if you're not happy with the direction it's been going. Or when you notice you’re feeling too uninspired too often. Maybe you’d be a happier podcaster if you were podcasting about something different?
Or maybe you’re too deep in your own processes that have grown stale. Consider joining a network or a collective, adjusting your processes to be more in line with your new affiliated shows and producers. That feeling of teamwork and collaboration could just be the thing to make you feel happier.
Perhaps the change is more subtle and simple, like changing where you podcast in your house or which direction you will face in your podcasting area. Maybe you need to change your recording date to later in the week. Or maybe change your recording time to earlier in the morning. Little changes like this can give you a fresh perspective and, with luck, increase your overall happiness as a podcaster.
Ultimately, your happiness is just that: your own happiness. So take control over it. Especially if you’ve tried to chase someone else's definition of what success in podcasting looks like and found it lacking. Podcast in a way that makes you as happy of a podcaster as you can be.
Season Four Of Podcast Pontifications Will Be Different!
By my count, there are only eight remaining episodes of this season of Podcast Pontifications. After that, I'm going to take a few weeks off to not do a daily show and also prepare for Season 4 of Podcast Pontifications dropping in July of 2021. That season will be filled with change and happiness, I think you’ll agree.
Those who’ve opted into a membership on BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra will get a sneak peek of some of those changes, including opportunities for deeper engagement between their podcasts and Podcast Pontifications, tomorrow. So if you've been considering a membership but have yet to pull the trigger, now is the time.
No episodes of Podcast Pontifications on Friday, so enjoy you weekend. I shall be back on Monday with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
Cheers!
Podcast Pontifications is written and narrated by Evo Terra. He’s on a mission to make podcasting better. Allie Press proofed the copy, corrected the transcript, and edited the video. Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media.
