One hill I’ve evidently chosen to die on: podcasts aren’t only creative projects. They’re value-generating assets.

Because if a podcast doesn’t earn its keep, it’s in trouble deep. (To loosely quote the eternal poet Madonna Louise Ciccone...)

I’ve devoted an arguably excessive percentage of my content spaces to shouting from the proverbial rooftops that podcasts are business assets. Very, very valuable ones at that.

But of course they're also a creative endeavor. I routinely get goosebumps and cheek cramps for smiling so hard when a client or cohort member comes up with a fantastically inventive new format heretofore unimagined even by a seen-it-all podcast industry oldster such as me. (Looking at you, Ms. Tammy Bordeaux!)

And so I was surprised by my own surprise when my most recent Talking the Talk guest wrapped up an episode all about the fiscal side of podcasting with a statement that was almost offensively obvious.

(Or, if you’re lost in the pre-launch sauce or dangerously close to succumbing to the early podcast death that is podfade, this statement might sound offensively impossible…)

Podcasting should be fun!

And you know what? Even the fiscal side of podcasting can be fun.

A week ago I might have reacted with a guffaw and a hasty: “Fun? In this economy??”

Fun can feel optional or something we’ll circle back to once the strategy is sorted, which even the goofiest of podcasters 🫣 sometimes overlook.

This week’s guest, Ryan R. Sullivan, has worked on well over a hundred podcasts– increasingly for monetarily minded clients like lawyers, CPAs, and financial advisors, who aren't exactly famous for their lax attitudes towards spending.

Naturally I assumed we’d spend most of our conversation talking about all the ways a podcast can earn its keep: advertising, affiliate deals, revenue models, minimum guarantees, and…MailChimp? #IYKYK

And we did! (Mostly.)

But what I loved most was the emphasis on:

1. Not compromising your values or time to do misaligned things for money
2. Not doing a podcast at all if it feels like a straitjacket
3. Remembering that bringing fun to the mic is as essential as headphones (and yes, headphones are nonnegotiable–despite what the podcasters on your favorite streaming series will have you believe)

Of course we also talked about the literal value of podcasting (have a look and listen below for more on that), but man, it was so good to be reminded of the value of podcasting for the fun of it.

Depending on your current cash-flow situation, you definition of return-on-podcast investment can even include: "making this is a lot of fun."

Or at least be enough to keep you going until your next podcast-generated lead converts...

How to Put the "Fun" Your Podcast Funds

1. Give your podcast a job description. For real. Also known in my cohorts as “the ROI of your why,” ask yourself: “What job do I want this podcast to do for me/my business/mission?”

Generate leads? Build trust? Create content? Open doors? Grow a community?

And then weave it literally into every aspect of every episode:

1. Your guest selection
2. Your topics
3. Your framing
4. And, most important of all: your calls to action. People are surprisingly willing to do what their parasocial relationships ask of them.

2. Remember: everything is editable. Acknowledging the impermanence of your podcast recordings can give you freedom to experiment. Be weird. Be audaciously confident and share your most unhinged POV.

These sessions aren't written in indelible ink–which ironically is the source of much frustration, particularly when some of my best conversations are lost to the cloud, mysterious technical issues, or the ether, take your pick.

But when you're a beginner or experiencing a bout of podcaster's block, it can help to remember the iconic production maxim: we can fix it in "post."

One of my favorite moments in my convo with Ryan had nothing to do with money. It was when he told me he’s renamed his podcast three or four times.

I immediately thought: "I need absolutely every spiraling aspiring podcaster to hear this."

All of these things are subject to change:

✓ Your podcast title

✓ Your cover art

✓ Your format

✓ Your episode

✓ Your ideal audience (!)

✓ Your reason for podcasting (!!)

None of the above need to be a forever thing–and in all likelihood will not be.

Including the reason you’ve invented for getting it “right” before you start: completely made up, completely unhelpful!

3. Stop waiting for certainty.

You'll never know if podcasting is right for you until you do it.

No amount of thinking will give you that answer. You just have to shake off the insecurities, clear your throat, sidle up to the mic and hit record.

Maybe you’ll love it. Maybe you’ll like some of it, and maybe you'll hate some of it. Maybe you'll have the wherewithal to sit with the discomfort and forge ahead into the next episode.

It's also entirely possible you discover you’re happier writing a newsletter or spending hours formatting Google Slides.

Either way, what you learn from giving your podcast a shot = a highly worthwhile outcome.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

​My podcast editor database is becoming very real, and will continue to evolve + grow as long ppl who are good for it make themselves known. If you know any good ones (or are one yourself), check out ⬆️ that FAQ and this ➡️ interest form. Experimental (and likely temporary; definitely imperfect) new podcast art. A highly dialed-down website aesthetic. Walking more. Lifting more. Growing more. A biggggg evolution of my podcast-launch cohort program, and an eventual, highly enriching podcaster collective (watch this space...or drop me an email if you want to hear more)...