Are you in the Podcast Business? Or the Business of Podcasting?
Recently I interviewed Khayra Bundakji from the mstdfr network and founder of the Azzbda podcast, on Own the Future podcast, and learned two things:
Not the encouraging advice you’d expect to hear in an email newsletter about podcasting.
Let me explain . . .
During the conversation with Khayra I asked how Azzbda podcast was going, download numbers etc. typical stuff . . .
Khayra graciously revealed they are producing one episode a month, and receive TEN THOUSAND listens each month.
I was stoked. “10k while only putting out one episode a month. Epic!” I exclaimed.
Khayra was not as enthused, “Yeah . . .” she said, “I mean I feel like we could have so much more.”
*cue the record scratching* Wait what?? Hold the phone.
Ten Thousand people show up a month and you’re bummed?!?
Little did I know my hypocritical judgment was about to become exposed…
For point of reference:
The MEDIAN download of an episode (not mean or average) is 173 download per episode.
For those of us who are foggy on our high school math, the median is middle number of the data set. Of the 660,000+ podcasts and hundreds of millions of episodes, 50% will have less than 173 download and 50% will have more than 173 downloads.
The MEAN (or average) of an episode is 2000 downloads per episode (after accounting for the top top podcasts and those waaay down at the bottom). [according to Rob Walsh with Libsyn, in a piece from 2016]. These stats may have changed in the last three years—but not by much.
Okay… back to Khayra. They have 10k per episode. Sure, it isn’t in the millions, or hundreds of thousand, BUT it is in the top 5% of all 660k+ podcasts in existence.
On the graph you can see how Azzbda, the blue triangle, is performing better than 95% of all podcast! That better than 627,000 of the 660,000+ podcast—globally.
From my perspective, as a relatively new podcaster still in the days of small beginnings, I would be OUT OF MY MIND to have 10k listeners per episode.
The truth, however, reveals I’m a hypocrite. Because I look and my above median downloads per-episode, and I’m discouraged.
If I am honest, I’d be discouraged if I was getting 10k, 100k, or a million downloads per episode.
Why? Because there is always more, there is always another level of success to achieve.
So . . . Am I even qualified to be writing this email to you? What might I say to benefit you in your journey?
As I pondered all this . . . I came to a point of revelation, a point of truth in the form of a question:
Why are you podcasting? Are you in the podcast business? OR . . . the business of podcasting?
Are you in the podcast business? Are you doing it for the numbers? The following? The masses? The “money”?
Hustling for another subscriber, the shout out, download . . . never stratified and always craving more?
OR
Are you in the business of podcasting? Are you satisfied with the one? The individual you touched with your words?
What if you ONLY impact 173 lives. Would you continue? Would you continue to share your stories, truth, laughter, and tears with your world?
Is your message/story/perspective so important, so costly, so worth it you would show up even if only SEVENTEEN people listened?
As Kharya says, “Podcasting will save the world.” It happens one person at a time.
Kharya is in the business of podcasting. She believes in her work and her message. She would keep showing up even she only changed one life through her work.
It is easy to get caught-up and blinded with the numbers. That can happen with ten, or ten million followers. But, we MUST NOT miss the beauty of intimately impacting the ONE person listening. The ONE person caring about your work.
If you don’t believe your work is worth it if you only touch one life . . . then you should ask yourself if you are giving yourself to something you truly believe in? Or are you chasing an illusion of fame and significance?
If you find yourself in the podcast business, yearning for the attention of the world . . . quit.
Instead . . . Join the business of podcasting . . .
. . . the business of putting you work/yourself out there
. . . the business of taking the time to saying something meaningful
. . . but the business of seeing and saying something to the ONE.
. . . Because your work, your voice, your story is worth it—even if only one listens.
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