Perfection is NOT Necessary

Amber Beels 0:02
I really want to start a podcast. But I don't have every single detail planned out. So you know what, I can't get started? Yeah, let's talk about this. You're listening to Practical Podcast Tips. My name is Amber Beels. And today, I'm going to cover tip number 31. Perfection is not necessary. There are a lot of components that go into starting and having a podcast, you may feel like you have to have everything planned before you start. So let's talk about this mindset. There is a lot to starting a podcast, it is not for the faint of heart, I will tell you that. There's a lot of you have to think about like, artwork, your idea of the podcast, you have to come up with an outline, you have to script out your intro your outro or your call to action. What microphone do you use? What recording software do I use? What editing software do I use? Which hosts is the best? How do I write show notes? And so, so much par? There's a lot and it can be overwhelming. And I totally get that. But I'm here to tell you that you don't have to be perfect with it. There is a mindset that if it's not perfect, then what will people think my audio isn't good? What if people think that I just don't know how to use a microphone? Maybe they don't think that I'm technical enough? What if my interview questions suck? What if I say I'm too much, there's just this toxic negative mindset that a lot of podcasters or wannabe podcasters hit. And then they can't move past that. So maybe they would have had an amazing podcast, but they were so afraid of failing, that they never got started. And I'm here to tell you, you have to fail forward, you will fail. Failing is a part of learning, it's a part of life. And it's just how you look at it. That will determine on how you live your life. If you fail forward, at least you're moving the needle forward, at least you're going somewhere, you're not stuck in a rut, you're not just staying in the same place you were last year, you're moving forward. And I'm here to tell you that you have value to bring, you have a message to speak. And it's okay. If it's not perfect, you're going to connect with the people that you are meant to connect with. So what if your audio isn't all that great. So what if you say I'm a lot, if that person that's listening to your podcast connects with your message, they're not gonna care about that. They're gonna care about what you're talking about what your content is, they're gonna care about the value and relate to you. You make come across as more authentic because your podcast isn't perfect, because you have a snoring dog in the background because the doorbell rang, because you sneeze like you're human, you're gonna do these things. And there's something heartwarming about that, that a lot of people connect with fail forward. If you keep planning and keep planning, you will keep putting off your podcasts until you feel that the time is right. But let me tell you, nothing will get done. It's never going to be the right time. It's never going to be the perfect time to launch or start your podcasts, you're always gonna find excuses. If you're stuck in that mindset of not failing. It's okay to fail. And I know we've been raised in a society where you know, you're not supposed to fail. You're supposed to be perfect social media is a highlight of your life. It's not there to show all the failures and the troubles and the trials in your life. Nobody's posting that because somebody was see that. But you know what, maybe people do? People, when they look at social media, when they look at Instagram, and they see the highlights, they're like, man, well, my life doesn't even compare to that. How do I how do I compete when really, there's filters and again, it's a highlight. They're showing you the best of their lives. And sometimes people just want down to earth people like they want to be able to connect with someone that fails, but is not afraid to be authentic and to put themselves out there because they know that their message is important enough for people to listen to, even if it's not produced perfectly. And I have great news for you. You're gonna grow and you're gonna learn as you grow. You're not always gonna be in this imperfect podcasting state, if you will, if you want to call it that. So your audio is not perfect. You're gonna learn okay, you know what? I like podcast I set sound a certain way. And I know that this microphone produces that type of sound. Or maybe you learn how to do audio processing, and you're able to do that to your sound, maybe you decide I'm going to wear headphones, and that drastically improves your audio quality. Maybe you learn to edit and take out your arms, if you're insecure about that, you're going to learn as you go. And, you know, there's something heartwarming about seeing someone from the beginning, and seeing their growth. If you have audience members that find you in the beginning, and they get to see what your podcast was, and what it grew to be. There's something endearing about that. Being able to see where someone came from and where they are now. And being a part of that journey and being able to still go back and listen to their first episodes. There's just something about that makes your audience connect with you on on a different level, and actually is able to relate to you and think you know, what if they did it, and their audio wasn't all that great, or their episodes weren't all that great in the beginning, but now they're amazing. Why can't I do that? Why can't I start my own podcast and learn as I go to. So you never know who you're going to touch with your podcast, who is going to connect with you and your message, and you're doing a dis justice to people if you don't start your podcast, because think of all the people that you're not reaching to all the people that you could be relating to and could be helping. When, in reality you haven't started because you're afraid that they're going to judge you. No one is perfect. And perfection is not necessary. I really hope this helps you guys. Remember, fail forward. Don't worry about people think you are going to connect and reach the people that you are meant to. And they will care way more about your message than all the little things that you keep letting get in the way. That's it for me guys. Thanks so much. I'll see you in the next episode. Hey, thanks for listening. If you liked this episode, please feel free to leave us a review. It really helps out the show. And I'd love to hear how it helped. Also, if you know someone else that could benefit from it, go ahead and share it with them. Thanks again and I'll see you in the next episode.