When most people think about starting a new podcast, they paint a picture of it in their mind. And when they describe this picture to me, I notice the same thing.
They’re telling me what the show could look like in 5 years time. They’re telling me what it looks like when it’s hugely successful and they have tonnes of resources to pour into it.
Most of the time, they are describing something that looks like Diary of a CEO.
Look, I get it. Steven Bartlett has done really well out of that. And yes, there’s a whole discussion to be had about what“really well” means, drop me a DM if you want to chat about that.
But here’s the thing. Shows like DoaC and Modern Wisdom, did not start out like that. Far from it. Go back and check out the earliest episodes. You wouldn’t even recognise them.
6 Year ago:
Today:
For what it’s worth I don’t really like this show but it’s a very good example of what lean production strategy looks like.
What you’re seeing is growth.
And it’s not accidental growth. It’s smart, strategic growth.
And that’s what this podcast episode is all about helping you realise.
By using the Lean Start Up principles that Eric Reis lays out in his book, we can do something really quite remarkable.
We can get our idea off the ground quickly, without getting bogged down in necessary features, complicated set ups and lots of financial barriers.
From there we can test lots of things about the show and measure what parts are working well and what parts could be changed. From these data backed findings, we can decide what changes to make; which ones will benefit the audience.
It’s a wonderful way to think about podcasting from a practical POV so that we can actually get over that first hurdle of starting, not with a huge bang, quite the opposite…
In a way that allows for mistakes that could well become quirks, and in a way where early adopters feel like they can be involved with shaping something new and awesome.
I love this approach to podcasting and when we (Soundquake) plan strategy for a new show, these principles are always considered.
I would say “make sure you check out this episode, it’s an important one” but I could say that about any episode. So I won’t.
Stay creative.
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Lean Podcast Production