podcast – English with Kirsty

10 things I’ve learned from 10 years of podcasting!

What were you doing 10 years ago? I was getting ready to launch my first podcast. Would it be ok? Would anyone listen to it? Would I have enough ideas to keep it going? Would I even enjoy it? I had no idea – but I did it anyway!

10 years later I’m planning the podcast’s 10th birthday celebration. Would you like to attend? The event is being organised on LinkedIn and you can find out more and sign up here. If you don’t use LinkedIn and you’d like to come, use the contact form and I’ll give you the joining details.

What have I learned?

I decided to write about 10 things that I’ve learned – not because I think my story is so interesting, but because I thought you might be able to relate, it’s good to look back and see how you’ve grown, and maybe these points will help if you’re thinking of starting a similar project.

1. You have to start

I’ve changed many things since I started the podcast. I have a better microphone. I now have episodes with all kinds of interesting guests. The format is different. Really, the target audience is different because it changed as my business grew and evolved.

But none of that would have happened if I hadn’t had the courage to start, record that first episode, and send it out into the world! This is why it’s not good to wait for perfection before we start – that way doesn’t leave room for ideas to develop and transform into what it is that we really want. Sometimes we don’t know what we really want until we actually get started!

2. It’s a journey!

Following on from my first point that “”you have to start somewhere””, you don’t start with the finished product. You learn things. Sometimes you lose motivation. You find it again. You change things. You improve things. All the time, you keep growing and learning.

I’m much happier with the more recent content, but this isn’t just because I’ve developed as a podcast host. It’s because the identity of my business has developed too and it’s therefore much easier to bring relevant content and conversations.

There are lots of very general podcasts for English learners, but I didn’t want to be in that space any more because when I’m looking for content in my additional languages, I want something that will challenge me a bit more. In the same way, most of my clients are at the level where they need something more challenging to keep them interested.

When I started teaching in 2012, I was doing a bit of everything. Well no … I knew I wanted to work with adults online and I broadly focused on clients in German-speaking countries. Now my geographical area is wider, but the type of work that I do is more specific and this is reflected in the podcast content too. That’s why we talk about methods for language learning, communication, topics related to freelancing and language roles, and I bring stories of multilingual professionals who share their tips, challenges, and what they’ve learned.

So I will keep learning, developing my skills, meeting new interesting guests, and seeing how the podcast evolves. How about you? If you look back, how has your business changed over the last years?

3. You’re more likely to stick at things if you’re committed to them!

I knew I didn’t want to make video but I loved talking with people. Kirsty the child was always making recordings of her voice and the people (and animals!) she encountered.

There are a lot of people who want to give you advice. Some of it’s good. Some of it is advice that worked for them. Some of it is just bad advice!

But even in terms of the good advice, when it comes to how you communicate with people, it has to be in a way that works and makes sense for you.

I have a long history with podcasts. As someone who relies on less visual media content, podcasts work well for me. Before I became a freelancer in 2012, they used to accompany me on my 3-hour commute each day. They’ve opened up worlds to me in my additional languages and helped me to absorb the vocabulary that I draw on to build my sentences today.

Before I became a podcaster, I had consumed many hours of podcasts and I didn’t need convincing that the format works!

So in 2015, at a time when I remember lots of posts encouraging us to try out some platforms for streaming live video that I’m not even sure still exist, I went my own way and started a podcast! I haven’t looked back!

It doesn’t matter about the latest trend! How do you enjoy keeping in touch with others on social media? What kind of content do you enjoy producing?

4. Sometimes you need a break!

I took one at times during the pandemic, when I ran out of ideas, interesting people to talk with, or I was just busy with other things. The podcast has been going for 10 years and I have shared 278 episodes so far, but there were longer gaps in the middle.

I think it’s important to be consistent, but I also believe it’s better to be quiet when you have nothing to say and speak when you’ve got something useful to share! Ok, the point about what’s useful is subjective, but we don’t need to fill every space with words because we’re afraid of the silence!

Whether it’s a podcast or another type of content creation project, sometimes we do just need a rest to recharge and get some new energy or inspiration.

Sometimes we need to stop and think about what is and what isn’t working. The focus of my podcast definitely shifted. As I started enjoying the content again, it became easier to create it and the ideas came more readily.

Sometimes a break can show you that you’re not actually missing something and then it may be time for it to come to an end. I’ve heard various podcast episodes where people say they are coming back soon and then they didn’t. If something has reached its natural end, it can be good to let go to make room for something else to take its place.

But fortunately in the case of English with Kirsty, that wasn’t what happened. Spending more time on LinkedIn also introduced me to many new people who gave me ideas for new episodes and new topics to explore.

5. Sometimes you get a little glimpse into the lives of your listeners

It’s a great feeling to put a name or story behind the numbers. I don’t give as much feedback as I probably should when I’ve enjoyed listening to a podcast episode. I should work on that!

But I know it’s a really nice feeling to find out something about the people who are listening to the episodes. One listens while walking the dog. Another takes the podcast on hikes. Another listens on the way to work in a country where I’ve never actively done any podcast promotion.

Then there are the moments where people quote things that you’ve said in the podcast or they mention something that they’ve learned or are trying to do differently.

As well as the conversations I have with my guests, I love this aspect of connecting with the listeners and learning something about them too!

Is there someone whom you could thank, encourage or just connect with today because you’ve enjoyed their content?

6. It’s opened up conversations that I could never have had without a platform

It’s not just about creating content for the listeners, although that’s important. I’ve learned so much as well and having this platform has meant that I’ve had a reason to contact people who otherwise would probably not have spoken with me.

I do it in a much more organic and natural way by building relationships, contacting people to explain why I would like to speak with them, and usually giving a suggestion about what I’d like to discuss with them. Doing it this way means that I’m more likely to find people who are engaged and interested in creating content about our topics and not focused on my meeting certain growth metrics before they’ll even speak with me.

I feel that I have a gatekeeping role for my podcast too. I don’t say “yes” to everyone who wants to come on or promote something. It has to make sense for me and my audience or else the podcast becomes scattered and you don’t see a clear direction or consistency with the content.

7. It’s not just about the numbers

I love numbers and spreadsheets and analysing data … but I have learned that it’s not the whole story. That applies to my business in general and not just the podcast, but let’s focus on the podcast for now!

In the beginning I focused a lot on the download numbers. The problem is, it’s easier to get more downloads when you’re producing fairly generic content that appeals to a much wider audience base. But if this isn’t the audience that you’re trying to build, it doesn’t really help you long-term.

If you create content for a more niche audience, it’s likely to appeal to fewer people, but if it goes well, those people will be more engaged and involved. It will be easier to get to know them and there’s a higher chance that they’ll be interested in other things that you’re doing – because they are the right people for you!

I know I have listeners who listen even though they’re not directly in my target audience group and I’m happy to have them there! I want the podcast to be a useful resource for anyone who finds it helpful.

If an episode gets a higher-than-usual number of attention, of course I’m happy about it. But the numbers aren’t everything!

8. It’s fun being part of other people’s journeys too

Some guests have returned and it’s lovely to witness their ongoing growth – whether that comes in the form of the updates that they share or because they’ve grown in confidence as a speaker. Some of my guests had never been on a podcast before and I’m happy if I can make it a positive experience for them so that they want to go on and do more.

9. Sometimes it feels as though the tech hates you!

The awful background sound that you didn’t hear at the time. The time it didn’t record and you had to ask a guest, whom you barely knew, if it would be possible to do the whole thing again. The time the solo episode did record and the microphone was on mute.

The challenges I had getting my feed back on one of the main platforms after a misunderstanding led to it being removed in error…

You can’t avoid the technical problems – it’s how you deal with them that counts!

10. This format is not going anywhere

I’ve been listening to podcasts for around 20 years now. Some other platforms that people thought you absolutely have to be on have disappeared. This one hasn’t and I’m convinced that it’s not going anywhere!

So does it bring you clients?

This is a question that I’m sometimes asked!

The short answer – yes, but it’s not my main source of clients. A few times people have said “I listen to your podcast and now I’d like to book a call so we can talk about working together!” It does happen.

The longer answer is that the podcast is just part of a bigger puzzle or marketing strategy.

The podcast is a way for people to get to know me. They might listen to an episode with a guest whom they already know. Then they might come to one or more of my free events. They might follow my content on LinkedIn. All of this builds trust. Then, if I’m offering something that they need, they’re more likely to come and talk to me about it because I’m now not some stranger on the internet! We may have had interactions online, they know have an idea of who I am through the podcast, and they might have met me at an event.

And, as my guests usually share their episodes, I also have the chance to meet whole new audiences. Some people from those audiences may then decide to keep listening to the podcast and hopefully get some value from it.

How about you?

What are your favourite podcasts? Do you have any ideas about content projects (podcasts/YouTube channels/blogs/books/other social media content) that you’d like to start creating? If so, what’s the biggest thing preventing you from doing it and what’s the first step that you could take to bring the project one step closer to reality?

Written by a human for humans 😉

Tag: podcast