You know how much I love this podcast right?!
And it’s not just because I love connecting with my community in this way – but also because of how much easier it’s made my content creation process. Instead of spending all my time focused on social media and worrying about whether the algorithm will deem my content good enough to be seen…
I have a way to connect with my community AND a marketing channel I own minus the pesky algorithm and million hoops you need to jump through for your content to actually be seen. The moment I launched my podcast it changed the game for my content creation process.
I’ve also supported many of my clients to launch their own podcast and they feel the exact same way!
My guest on this episode of the How I Do Content Podcast shared her experience with launching a podcast – I’m loved talking to my client and friend, Siska Wijaya.
Let me introduce you to Siska Wijaya
Siska is an Introvert Coach who supports introverts to fully own their introverted self and create their own version of a full, inspired life which she does through her 1:1 coaching series, The Empowered Introvert.
Last year Siska launched her podcast – The Introverts Chat Podcast – and since then she’s gone from hating creating content to absolutely loving it! If launching a podcast in 2024 is something you’ve been thinking about, you want to keep listening!
Things You’ll Learn in this Episode of How I Do Content
- What made Siska decide to start her podcast the Introverts Chat Podcast
- How Siska overcame her initial hesitation to launch her podcast
- Siska’s advice if you’re considering starting a podcast in 2024
TL;DL version:
Like many business owners, Siska describes her relationship with social media as love-hate. As a business owner, she knew that she wanted to be able to share her voice and connect with her community but social media didn’t feel like an enjoyable or sustainable way to do it. She decided to press pause on socials and take some time to explore other content marketing options that felt more aligned.
During a coaching call, Tahryn was the first person to suggest creating a podcast. As a fellow introvert, Tahryn resonated with Siska’s feelings towards social media and also knew that it was totally possible. Initially, Siska wasn’t keen on the idea but after fleshing it out and realising it would totally transform her content strategy for the better, she was in!
Steps to launching a podcast as an introvert
The thing about podcasting that we know makes them successful is consistency. Unrealistic time frames are the enemy of a sustainable podcast. Set yourself up in the way you wish to continue by keeping things as chill as possible to reduce overwhelm.
1. Set realistic goals
Siska decided to launch her podcast on her 40th birthday, which gave her a generous amount of time to launch. Being generous with the time frames reduced any overwhelm that would creep in with each task
2. Plan it out on paper
From episode content, to cover art, to podcasting platforms – get it all down on paper so you know exactly what you have to do to produce each episode of your podcast.
Create a Google Doc with a to-do list in the lead-up to your podcast launch and make sure tasks are bite-sized and feel achievable. As well as giving herself generous time frames, Siska made sure tasks were broken down into simple steps to make it all feel easier.
3. Design a podcasting schedule that works for you
When planning the frequency of your podcasts, think about what is going to be most sustainable for you. Sure, there are ‘ideal’ podcasting schedules, but if it’s not going to be sustainable for you it will just lead to burnout. Whether it’s recording a season upfront, weekly, fortnightly or monthly – figure out what schedule will work for your life is the best way to ensure you stay consistent with your episodes.
4. Lean into support and accountability
Having someone who understands the process and can gently hold you accountable means you’ll keep going, even when you’re feeling unsure. Tahryn played a pivotal role in providing support and accountability for Siska during her podcast planning and launch. Having consistently produced her podcast for years and being an introvert – who better to lead the way?
5. Reminder: action is the antidote to fear
Remember, the only way to help resolve any fear around launching a podcast, is to launch a podcast! Thinking about it over and over is not going to make you feel any better about it. Stick to your plan, lean into your support network and take things one step at a time.
Fast forward to thirteen episodes in, Siska is so comfortable with the podcasting process that it doesn’t feel scary or overwhelming anymore. She loves it!
The benefits of podcasting as an introvert business
Builds confidence
As with any new skill or venture in business, it can feel scary when you first launch your podcast. Siska felt nervous about how she sounded and it didn’t feel ‘natural’ to her at first when recording herself for her podcast episodes. But as time went on, she learned to embrace her style of podcasting. Now she doesn’t overthink it and can happily listen back to her recordings without being hypercritical or wanting to burn it down and start again.
You get to be yourself
Podcasting helps you to drown out the ‘noise’ of the online world and focus on yourself, your own business and what you’re good at. There’s no pressure to keep up with what feels like an extroverted business world so you can fully lean into your own magic, which is reassuring and validating.
Learning from guests
Guest interviews are not only the place for your audience to learn new things – they mean you also get to build your business network and learn things along the way. There’s often so many tips, tricks, skills and insights on offer from interviewing other business owners that you can take away to use in your own business, too!
Staying consistent with podcasting as a business owner
We know the importance of staying consistent when it comes to building a successful podcast and Siska shared some of her tips for not only staying consistent but finding joy and ease in the process, too.
Have a system
Google Docs and Sheets are a go-to for Siska in her podcast production process. Not only the place where she plans the episode content, but she also uses them to keep show notes, transcriptions and images, so she can easily pull bits and pieces to repurpose for other marketing content like socials.
Be generous with time frames
Rather than engaging in a staring contest with the cursor and forcing content to spill out – Siska gives herself plenty of time and space to create content for each episode. Knowing your capabilities and allowing generous time frames means things flow easily and make for much better content – and much less stress along the way!
Tune out the online ‘gurus’
Sure, there are ideal ways to produce a podcast but if you don’t create a process based on what’s enjoyable (and therefore sustainable) for you – it won’t work. Siska finds it helpful to stay off socials if it feels like she’s buying into other people’s views and opinions too much. Don’t be afraid to do things your own way.
Self care leads to consistency
The energy you put into your content is the energy that is transferred to your audience. So, the best way to ensure you’re putting your best content out into the world? Looking after yourself first. For Siska, this means making time for journaling, mindful movement like walking in nature and regular meditation (she has a lifetime membership to Calm app which she credits with this).
Trust the process
Siska’s self-care practices really help her lean into trusting the timing of life and knowing that she is exactly where she needs to be. It removes urgency and judgement from the content creation process which means it brings joy into her work. When work feels abundant and joyful – it helps with not only the quality of her content but the consistency too.
Connect with Siska Wijaya
- Follow Siska on Instagram @ms_siska_wijaya
- Listen to the Introverts Chat Podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theintrovertschat
- Download your FREE copy of “Rediscovering you: 5-day journal” at https://www.subscribepage.com/startprioritisingyoufirst
Want More?
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