Iterate, don't procrastinate.

I tell existing podcasters all the time that their podcast is an ever-evolving publication.

You can do all the planning in the world, and absolutely nail it from day one, but you'll eventually come to a point where you want to change something.

That change can be major, or minor.

But the change is inevitable.

When I'm coaching podcasters on this, I'm trying to get them to understand that needing to adjust the format or offering is all part of the longer journey.

And that if they realise their podcast is no longer serving their big goal purpose, then they should make changes without hesitation.

Examples of 'evolved' podcasts

Look at Steven Bartlett's "Diary of a CEO".

There's a reason its name makes absolutely no sense to anyone who's ever listened.

That's because when he started the podcast, he was a nobody, with very few listeners.

And he used the podcast as a way of keeping himself accountable, in the form of a diary in spoken word.

If it was still following that format now, I wonder if anyone would be listening to it?

One podcast you definitely won't remember in its initial format (because nobody listened to it) was Gemma Collins' first attempt at the medium, with BBC Radio 1.

"The Gemma Collins podcast" lasted for two years and four months before someone decided, "this isn't working" and ditched out of it.

It wasn't working for a very simple reason.

She had too much control over the 'format' and it sounded terrible.

It seems like Acast felt they could do something about her previously poor podcasting performance.

(What a beautiful sentence that is to read back!)

I think they were wrong.

She launched a new podcast with them in October 2022. It was imaginatively titled "New: The Gemma Collins Podcast" and it released weekly until the new year.

Then seemingly she got bored.

Then she released another episode a year later, in a wave of excitement.

Sadly, her first episode back this year sounded as poor as the previous ones.

And, predictably enough, it's seemingly died again.

I'm guessing she's either too difficult to work with and they just ditched it.

Or, the results were so terrible, she ditched it out of frustration of not getting the attention she so desperately craves.

Poor Pineapple Audio Production who have the unenviable task of working with Gemma on bringing that to life.

Anyway, I don't want to make this the 'let's rip on Gemma Collins' newsletter edition.

To my point.

Embrace the change

I wouldn't be much of a podcast consultant if I wasn't able to recognise this need for change in my own stuff.

For the past year or more, this newsletter has been written as something of a 'credibility piece'.

Almost like a running log of proof that I have valuable insights in podcasting, and therefore I should be taken seriously by anyone and everyone who's ever even muttered the word 'podcast'.

And you'll know as well as I do now, that this is no good reason to write a newsletter.

Now, this newsletter needs to become something different.

Something more valuable.

Something that speaks to the eyes of the reader who will get the most out of it.

Who this isn't for anymore

It's been an honour to serve up insights around general podcasting for the past several months, and I've always appreciated the feedback and engagement around those.

But this is LinkedIn, and that's a platform that's supposed to be frequented by business owners and corporate employees who are trying to connect with potential customers and suppliers.

What this platform is becoming, is a haven for attention-hungry creators and influencers who thrive on the organic reach LinkedIn offers them.

I felt like my newsletter was mostly pandering to these people, previously.

And I want to bring it back on track.

So, if you're a creator who enjoyed my general podcasting insights, you'll need to get yourself signed up to my Podcasting Insights emails instead.

These are going to be fortnightly, and will offer all the juicy insights and industry gossip that you love to digest.

You will, of course, still find me writing about these in my general posts, but if you want in depth analysis, the emails are where you'll be finding them.

Get yourself signed up to those here.

Who this LinkedIn newsletter IS for...

Are you someone who is creating, or thinking of creating, a podcast for commercial purposes. In other words, you're hoping that what you publish will in some way add to your revenue?

Then this is for you, and you should keep following.

Over the coming weeks and months, I'm going to be sharing insights, thoughts, ponderings and data that will be of interest to anybody who is creating content with a commercial intent.

Whether that's as a solopreneur who's using a podcast for credibility, brand awareness and ultimately sales, or a big corporate entity who are looking to build thought-leadership and profitability, in the most efficient way possible, via leveraging a podcast.

I'm also determined to offer something for you, regardless of what stage you're at with your podcast.

Whether it's just an idea right now, or you've been releasing episodes for years, you'll get insight from each edition.

Alternatively...

If you're a general podcaster who realises this newsletter isn't for you anymore, but you hate signing up for emails, and the idea of clicking the link above fills you with belly-vomit...

The Podmaster podcast will continue to offer insights regardless of your position in the space.

This is a platform specific decision, not a business one.

I plan to continue helping all kinds of podcasters from hobbyists through to CEOs.

So now that we've got that elephant out of the room...

You can look forward to the first edition of my new-look newsletter next week.

In the meantime, did you see this article I wrote about how to secure podcast sponsors?

It goes nicely in depth, but here's the skinny.

• Research their brand's values and goals
• Showcase the value of your audience
• Do the thinking for them - pitch a complete idea
• Offer them a trial period so it's a win-win
• Get working on some case studies for how your podcast has provided results

Speak soon!

Neal (The Podmaster) Veglio