Talking To Yourself

Do you have any listeners?

Does it matter?

Let's parse this out a little. Everyone wants a big audience for what they do, but for podcasting, the number of shows that get big download numbers is... well, it's minuscule. And many of the big shows aren't all that honest about their numbers, so it's smaller than you think.

But whether this is important for you depends on why you're doing podcasting to begin with. If you're looking to make money, well, yeah, you need an audience. And unless you're a major producer with a large budget and the ability to mobilize a lot of publicity, that's going to be tough, something that might take a while. If you're doing it because you like the creative outlet and you have something to say, though, here's what you need to do: Ignore the numbers. Don't even bother looking at your stats.

There's an article at The Verge about Twitch streamers who have zero viewers, and it asks them why they persist. And it's a mixed bag; some say they might as well stream if they're already playing a game, some say it helps them be more outgoing and aids them in being more social and extroverted, and some remain hopeful that at some point they'll be discovered. That's pretty much podcasting, too. You can get lost in the sheer volume of podcasts, or you could break out, but if you're doing it for any reason other than to make money, it shouldn't really prevent you from plowing ahead. It helps you refine your communication skills, and it's fun. Keep those as your guiding principles and you'll be happier.

Got a question about podcasting? Go ahead, send it to psimon@allaccess.com or tweet it at @pmsimon. That's what I'm here for.