7. Start the podcast, flaws and all!

"Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress." - Seth Godin

Hitting PUBLISH is the hardest part of starting a podcast. In this episode, I share my biggest podcasting mistake and why sharing your voice, flaws and all, is the key to honing your voice, podcast, and creative journey. 

To improve on something, you have to start.

mentioned in this episode: La Vida Más Chévere de Childfree Latinas (with Paulette Erato of Latinas in Podcasting) - Ep. #81 Tom Brady sucks at his job

Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Intro
• 0:33 My biggest podcasting mistake
• 6:18 Low-key starts
• 10:34 Flaws and all
• 14:08 On criticism
• 17:31 The beginning isn't supposed to look like the middle
• 17:57 A look back

Transcript

Transcript via Descript. (Semi-edited)

Intro

[00:00:00] Intro: ​when I first started podcasting, I didn't know about microphones editing or even how to get my podcast out there like so many others. I used Google and YouTube and just figured it out along the way. But I quickly learned that your microphone, your podcast hosts and editing software, those are just the things that make your podcast possible.

Podcasting is about so much more. My name is Angela Briones and I wanna welcome you to the space where we talk about podcasting, sharing our voice and life behind the mic.

My biggest podcast mistake

[00:00:33] Angela: Hello friends. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. The topic I wanna talk about today is just starting your podcast and how difficult it is to start your podcast. I talk to people all the time who say, you know, they're just not ready to start their podcast for whatever reason. For some people it's scheduling.

For some people, it's just a matter of being scared, and I completely understand that because I actually started my podcast two years before I ever hit the publish button. I tell you that because to this day, I think that's the biggest mistake I've ever made in podcasting. When I look back at things, I don't see my podcasting mistakes as being the episodes that didn't have a great sound, or maybe my intro was too long or something like that.

Instead, I feel like my podcasting mistake was waiting too long to start. And the backstory to all that is I got my Blue Yeti microphone, the one I was talking about in episode 3, and I recorded two episodes with some friends. One episode I was with a friend who I invited to my house, and you gotta remember, this was before Zoom and before remote podcasting.

So this was like 2018. I remember going to this podcasting class at, I think it was Austin Film Studios or something to do with the Film Society, one of those two, and I went to this class. It was in this little podcasting studio and they were showing us how to use all the equipment, which was truly overwhelming.

You know, the interface was like huge and it was like professional and anybody who didn't know what they were doing, which was definitely me, I. Was very overwhelmed. So anyway, it's 2018. I recorded two episodes, one where I invited a friend to the house to talk, and then another episode I went to my friend's house.

But I recorded those episodes and I didn't do anything with it. I don't even remember why, to be honest with you. I just remember recording them and letting them sit, and maybe it was fear, maybe it was, I was busy. Maybe it was all the above. I don't know. But I let it sit. And you know how it goes. Time just flows, and before you know it, a week goes by, a month goes by, a year goes by, and so forth, right?

Next thing I know, it's two years later and I still want a podcast. And then I'm like, well, I have these episodes that I've just kind of been holding onto, but now they're old. Right? Now the conversation's really old and do I go back to that? I don't know. So I found myself starting all over again. I'm gonna get back to that point later because I discovered something about myself when it comes to stopping something and then starting something all over again, and it's a mental hurdle.

So I do wanna come back to that. I just don't wanna get too far off the track right now. So when people tell me, you know, it's not the right time, I'm scared, I'm not ready, I get it. I really do, because like I said, I don't really know why I held onto those episodes for so long. I. But I imagine that I was just busy and then told myself it wasn't that great.

Maybe it wasn't perfect and you know, I was just psyching myself out. You know what I mean? So in 2020 when I'm finally ready to podcast and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna do this again. I'm gonna start over again. I took this course with one of my favorite podcasters, Farnoosh Torabi. She does the So Money podcast.

It's my absolute favorite. And she did a podcast course, like a free podcast course, and it was via Facebook. That's how I found out about it with Jacqueline Malone. And Jacqueline Malone does the Go-to Gal podcast, or at least at the time? This was back in 2020. I'm, I'm assuming this podcast is still going on, but I took this course with them and one thing that Jacqueline said is so true, and I wanna share it with you guys.

She said, you polish your podcast by doing it. It's the action that brings clarity. 

That is so true because unless you do the thing, there's no way to improve on it. You know? You actually have to start and put one foot in front of the other or one word in front of the other and just start doing it. Just start talking.

Just start speaking. Just start making it happen. And like I said, to this day, I feel that holding onto those episodes for two years and not doing anything for two entire years, ultimately that just put me behind. Because, yeah, maybe I wasn't ready, but I would've been podcasting at a time when there weren't as many podcasts out there, you know?

And I would've been that much more ahead. Now, at the same time, you know, everything happens for a reason. So it is what it is, but I share that with you because it's never gonna be the right time. Your podcast is never gonna be perfect, and that's okay. At the end of this episode, I'm gonna share with you a little segment of the very first podcast I did for The Gay podcast for everyone, which by the way was a completely different title when I first started, it was called They Can't All Be Betty. And at the end of that episode, I shared that I was gonna put my podcast out there, flaws and all. And I wanna share that segment with you because I hope it inspires you because you're gonna hear that it's not that perfect.

You know, my p’s are very plosive and you know, again, I have the Yeti mic, so it's not as great as the mic that I'm currently using right now. I'm sure the Yeti's come a long way in its current version, but still. You can tell the difference over time, right? But at the same time, for me, when I listen to it, I'm in love with it because I remember recording that and I remember how great it felt to just let it go, even if it wasn't perfect, it was gonna be okay.

Low-key starts

[00:06:18] Angela: The point wasn't to be perfect. The point was to make connection. The point was to have a conversation. The point was to create conversation, right? I know that so many people have reasons for not starting. I mean, if your schedule doesn't allow it, that's one thing that is a really hard thing to overcome.

But if what is holding you back is you, maybe there are some ways that you can start this a little quieter and maybe not have to put yourself on blast right at the beginning and let me share some ideas with you - what I'm thinking, because I just feel like if you could just get over the mental hurdle and just start it and just go and just hit publish and just breathe after that, you're more likely to do another episode, right?

So maybe one idea that you could do is maybe you could do a private podcast. Maybe you could do a podcast where you just share that link and that RSS feed with people you wanna share with. Maybe that. Maybe you don't blast it out on social media. Maybe you just put it on Apple Podcast, not on Spotify.

Maybe you put it on Spotify, not on Apple Podcast. You know, you can decide. You don't have to put it on all the podcast directories all at once. When I actually started in 2020, I didn't put it on Apple Podcasts, which was iTunes at the time. I didn't put it on there. I actually put it on SoundCloud and I let it live on SoundCloud for I don't even know how long, to be honest with you.

'cause I was so scared to put it on iTunes. I just wanted to like quietly put something out there because I was scared. And I think that's okay. You know what I mean? Like I think it's okay to be scared, like that's natural and that's human and that's normal, you know? And like for me and so many others out there.

We've never done this before. It's a big thing to put your words out into the world, whether it's on paper, whether it's on a podcast, it's a big thing. So I stayed on SoundCloud for a very long time, and when I look back I was probably hiding there 'cause that felt comfortable. Like it was out there. But it wasn't out there.

Like I didn't feel like I was on blast, like if I was on iTunes, which is now Apple Podcasts, of course. What that did for me, you know, letting it live on SoundCloud for a while. What that did for me was it let me kind of get my footing as far as podcasting goes, and eventually I was like, you know, I've got it out on SoundCloud and I don't know who's listening to it.

I got like, I got some feedback from a, a couple of people on SoundCloud or whatever. Not a lot, don't get me wrong, but like enough to where I had a little confidence. And then that's when I got Buzzsprout as my podcast host, and I only put it on Apple and Spotify. I actually didn't hit Google and any of the others that were options because again, I was still kind of like timid about things, which is kind of weird because Apple and Spotify are the big ones.

Right? But that was just my way of taking things slow. And I tell you that because if fear is what's keeping you from sharing your voice, I. Maybe you can find a way around it by launching it a little quieter or putting it in a private podcast. Honestly, I'm soft launching this podcast. I haven't put it on social media at all.

I've only told a handful of people, maybe a couple of handfuls of people. Um. And that's mainly because I kind of wanna see how it does without social media. Obviously I have another podcast and I'm not worried about putting it out there the way I was worried with my first podcast. But there is so much work involved on the back end of the podcast, which we've talked about in previous episodes.

You know, there's so much work involved with the social media and just kinda marketing your episodes and I just don't wanna do all that. It's a lot. So I share those two ideas with you. You know, the private podcast or soft launching your podcast. 'cause those are two really easy ways to get your podcast out there.

A little quieter, maybe feel a little, you know, safe in doing it. At least you're getting it out there. And like Jacqueline Malone said in that class that I took with her, you polish your podcast by doing it. You know, you're afraid it's gonna be bad. I get that. But honestly, I think that's part of the process.

Flaws and all

[00:10:34] Angela: I think you have to put it out there. Flaws and all. Like I said, in my very first podcast ever, I'm gonna put it out there anyway. I'm gonna put it out there, even though it's not gonna be perfect, I'm gonna put it out there, even though I still have a lot to learn along the way. Truthfully, I've already made mistakes in this podcast.

Like this is my second podcast and I've been podcasting for five years. Right? But there are still mistakes I make in this podcast, and maybe people can hear it and maybe they can't. Maybe they recognize it, maybe they don't. But the point is to just keep going. You know? Do it anyway. It gives you something to look back at, like the little clip I'm gonna share with you at the end of this episode.

I loved revisiting that because. I not only remembered where I was at that time and what my headspace was at that time, but also looking at it from the point of view as somebody who's been podcasting for five years, I listened to it and I think so many things. You know, number one, I'm proud of myself for hanging in there.

To be honest. Number two. You know, I was listening to this thing the other day that was so true. This person was saying like, if you start making movies, you're comparing your movie that you're making to movies that you watch, like you're comparing the quality and the production and everything to something that takes a group of people to do.

It takes a ton of time to do and takes a lot of learning along the way. And how can you, if you've just started, be at that same caliber? There's no way you can, right? Same thing with podcasting. You are comparing your podcast to somebody who probably has a professional studio. They might have professional editor, all the things, right?

Don't do that. We can't do that. We can't do that to ourselves. It's so unfair. So don't compare your beginning to somebody else's middle. And that being said, I want you to check the show notes for this episode. 'cause I'm putting a link to one of my favorite podcast voices out there. Paulette Erato. She’s amazing.

She's also. Powerhouse behind Latinas in Podcasting. And one of her recent episodes, it's episode 81, is called Tom Brady Sucks at his job and she cracks me up because she loves to talk about how Tom Brady sucks at his job. And this particular episode is all about how Tom Brady being like the greatest quarterback of all time.

I guess I don't know a lot about football, so I'll just, I'll just leave it at that. But as great as he is on the football field, he's not the greatest commentator about football. And he's allowing himself to just be bad and people are allowing him to be bad. And how there's something inspirational behind that.

So check that episode out. It's in the show notes. It's one of my favorites. I have it saved so I can listen to it over and over. 

And going back to your podcast doesn't have to be perfect. You know, in the last episode, episode six, podcasting in Your fifties, where I chat with Jen Vertenan, we recorded that I think in October of last year, I think, I can't even remember anymore, but at that time, she had a completely different name for her podcast.

And as I was doing the show notes for the podcast, I realized, oh, she's changed the name. Okay. You know? And I was like, well, it's too late. I can't like go back and rerecord that particular segment of the podcast. But that's what I'm talking about. Like, it's okay. Number one, your podcast might not be perfect.

Like I didn't have the right name, right. No worries. I put it in the show notes. It's all good. Number two, our entire episode was about the pivots of podcasting. We talked about how you can allow yourself to change your music, change the name of your podcast, change your intro, whatever, you know, try different things on.

On criticism

[00:14:08] Angela: Again, goes back to that quote that Jacqueline Malone said: Action brings clarity until you start doing the thing, you can't get clear about how you actually want it to be. You know what I mean? That being said, I wanna stop and like highlight the biggest thing for me, like if I give people any sort of advice, it is always this, do not listen to anyone unless they also have a podcast too.

I'm not even joking. Unless somebody has a podcast, they don't understand like the really difficult parts of it, they don't understand the challenges. So like, let's say for example, I've had this happen a million times, you know, my sound is grainy, or the sound isn't that great or whatever, it's choppy.

Somebody who doesn't have a podcast might point that out to me and it'll feel like daggers, right? If I listen to it and if I let it, right? But if I hear it with the mindset of, well, they don't have a podcast and they don't understand that my guest was sitting outside and I couldn't control the sound or I was lucky to get the sound I got or whatever.

I'm really proud of the sound I got after all the challenges I had with sound or whatever. I'm really proud of it in the end, right? But if you do get some sort of criticism or feedback or whatever, kind of take it with a grain of salt, unless that person is in podcasting. 'cause unless they're in the space that you're in, unless they know what it's really like, all the challenges: Time, scheduling sound, whatever. If they're not in the arena, as Brene Brown says, let it go. At the end of the day, you've got something out in the world, and that is all that matters. 

When I first started podcasting, I. Probably the biggest thing that helped me at that time, I just so happened to like run into this podcast called Akimbo, A-K-I-M-B-O.

It's by Seth Godin, the writer. He has an episode called The Pursuit of Perfection. And again, I'm listening to this episode when I'm first starting my podcast. So as he's talking about the idea of perfectionism and how that can stop you from pushing something out into the world. I'm really listening.

Full intent, right? And he basically says, if you insist on perfection, you are never gonna put something out into the world. What you really need to ask yourself is, is this good enough? Because the answer is probably yes. And if it is good enough, put it out into the world. Put the book out, put the podcast out, put the song out, whatever it is, because there's something about putting it out into the world and letting it go, and going on to the next one, the next episode, the next chapter, the next whatever.

It's only by the action that we can grow and learn and get better, and you should always be in that space. I'm personally always in the space of, I'm always learning because I am truthfully. So just remember, your podcast can be whatever you want it to be. Your episodes can be long, they can be short, they can be guest-centric. They can be solo episodes, they can be both. They could be weekly, monthly. Take a break. Don't take a break, it's yours. And you get to decide what your podcast looks like. Best of all, you can change it along the way. You can tweak it, figure out what's working, what's not working. But you can't do all those things if you never start.

The beginning isn't supposed to look like the middle

[00:17:31] Angela: So put it out there, flaws and all. So hopefully for a little inspiration. I wanna end this episode playing a little snippet from the very first podcast episode I ever did was for my other podcast, of course. And ironically, the title of that episode was called The Beginning Isn't Supposed to Look Like The Middle.

I hope it inspires you to put your story out there. Thanks for listening. Until next time.

A look back...

[00:17:57] Angela: But that said, this isn't a space that I'm comfortable in. My usual space is writing, writing screenplays or blog posts that honestly, I've revised over and over and over and over, and people do not see it until I feel like it's as perfect as it can possibly be.

So with regards to this podcast, will it be perfect? Probably not. I mean, I can almost guarantee that it's going to be very, very, very imperfect, but I'm gonna put it out there anyway, you guys, flaws and all. The same way - Ironically, the same way I came out of the closet, timid I. But hopeful that my community is out there.