By Priya Sharma
After producing hundreds of episodes for clients, we've seen every mistake in the book. Here are the five that cost new podcasters the most time and momentum.
Mistake #1: Waiting until everything is perfect. Your first episode won't be your best — and that's fine. Ship it. You'll improve faster by publishing than by endlessly tweaking.
Mistake #2: Ignoring audio quality. You don't need a $5,000 setup, but you do need clean audio. A $100 USB mic in a quiet room beats a $500 mic in a tile bathroom every time.
Mistake #3: No content strategy. 'I'll just talk about whatever' isn't a plan. Define your niche, your ideal listener, and your episode format before you hit record.
Mistake #4: Inconsistent publishing. Pick a schedule and stick to it. Weekly or biweekly works for most shows. Your audience needs to know when to expect you.
Mistake #5: Not repurposing content. Every episode is a goldmine of content. Pull quotes for social, write blog posts from key points, create audiograms. One recording should fuel a week of content.