Biggest Mistakes I Made as a Podcaster

I started my podcast back in August of 2017. I had no idea what I was doing at first. I had absolutely no interviewing skills and my conversational skills were subpar at best.

But, that’s not a big mistake. You’ve gotta learn somehow, right?

I was so nervous and worrisome interviewing my guests. Why would someone say yes to come on my podcast? I lacked the confidence and in turn it showed on my early interviews.

What did I do? I invited my guests to come on via a LinkedIn message or email - I recorded the interview and DONE.

Our relationship ended.

I was unconsciously starting transactional relationships because I had doubts about my own worth and platform.

But…what can I GIVE THEM?

I’m talking about people like Seth Godin and David Meltzer, and so many more people impactful individuals that have a global impact and titans of industries.

I stopped thinking as a “podcaster” and more as a human.

I realized that these are normal people that have doubts and insecurities just like you and I but have achieved more than the average person. Still, completely ordinary people doing cool things.

When I started thinking in this lens - it was like I was looking at a good friend of mine. Most of these people have businesses or are actively working on something that isn’t necessarily always working out.

I began offering my advice and help where it was relevant and started opening a dialogue with them on a regular basis. As I kept on doing this, my skills went to the next level and so did my podcast.

As time went on and I persistently and consistently did this I started getting referrals, suggestions, opportunities and even paid gigs from my newly found friend guests. They stopped seeing me as a show host and more of a friend that can add value to them on a long-term basis.

The other big mistake I made was limiting myself and my podcast’s vision. I started to take the Humans 2.0 podcast seriously in January and started to see results pay off in March when I saw my show start climbing the top charts on iTunes.

When I saw this my mind opened up to so many different pathways because I never thought it would happen. I repeatedly began telling myself everyday “Humans 2.0 is going to be the World’s #1 podcast.”

I take a cold shower every morning and I say this mantra to myself as a way to pump me up and jump in the cold…because no normal human wants to take a cold shower :)

Now, I don’t equate reaching this goal to my self-worth or anything but different avenues and methods of getting to that goal started to become a bit more realistic and I started believe in myself.

You will never take action in something you believe is impossible. All the facts and statistics in the world don’t matter.

I interviewed Jeremy Ryan Slate on August 1st. I saw a totally normal dude (once a history teacher) rise above his average life and transform it into an extraordinary life. One of the avenues he used for growth was his own podcast, Create Your Own Life.

Jeremy told me that it took him 400 episodes to reach Seth Godin. He said “He likes big numbers.” Later in the day I wrote an email to Seth. It took me a solid hour.

I poured my heart into it…complete state of FLOW. Send. Didn’t even read it. I probably should have as I caught a few spelling and grammar errors.

21 minutes later Seth got back to me.

He said - “let’s record it soon" …he scheduled it for the next day

Our interview was much better than expected. I said “Technology is always changing the environment. We should be mindful of the mediums and communication methods but the fundamentals are never going to change.”

Seth says - “I love that. You should be a copywriter for me”

and then I understood it...

Seth took a shot on me, someone who could never repay him back because somebody once did that for him. I also realized everything I want in life is on the other side of my willingness to try.

After landing that interview with Seth I went on to interview some other amazing GIANTS like Naveen Jain and Ed Mylett.

I was limiting myself. Now, granted you don’t want to start a podcast and then request to interview these people right away, but I was hustling my way through the podcast grind and it was paying off.

Next level. Raise your standards and expectations. Next level. Raise your standards and expectations. Be grateful in every moment in life while pushing yourself and watch what happens.

I hope you learned a thing or two from this article. Please let me know if you did :)

If you’re looking for a technological self-development podcast that focuses all about the human experience transformation in this 21st-century world, you should definitely check out my podcast, Humans 2.0 

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You can Listen to my podcast, Humans 2.0 on iTunes, Spotify Google, Stitcher Radio,iHeart Radio or YouTube.