There’s really only one rule to podcasting

If you search for advice about starting a podcast or YouTube show — you’ll find a lot of takes and a lot of golden rules. But the truth is, unless you’re running a show for a company, it’s your show and you can do whatever the heck you want.

What they will understand from tuning in to just one of your episodes is whether you’re actually passionate about the topic. Without your sincere interest as a host, the show will go to shambles. Your guests, if you have them, won’t be into the conversations and nobody’s gonna recommend the show to their network. 

Now let’s take a look at some of those rules that I think are bollocks.

And that, dear reader, is my only rule for you — make the show you want to make. Does that mean you release every week, every 2 weeks, on the third Thursday every month? That’s all up to you and I’ll go out on a limb and say that your listeners won’t really care.

Everyone has the same guests

I host an interview style show and the first “rule” that drives me nuts is really not a rule, but an opinion — everyone has the same guests.

Now honestly, I think Peep makes some good points here — especially the last two about distribution. But when it comes to guests and guest variety, I think this is simply a lack of creativity on the side of hosts. 

Look, we’re not talking about the chart-topping shows here — the big business operations that have the latest New York Times best-sellers booked right when their new book is published or the Forbes-level thought leaders of a given niche. 

When you start a show in an area you’re passionate about, I’ll just assume you are already part of some community in that area. Maybe you have a niche site or tool, maybe it’s just a social account. But you should know some folks and if you’re friendly enough a few of them will probably be willing to join your show. 

On my show Ship it and Sip it, I think about 80% of my guests had never been invited to a podcast before. That’s an amazing opportunity to both give and receive as a host. So find your tribe, and invite them in. 

Publish your show on a set schedule

This is a very slippery rule to disregard. And it has everything to do with you and your personality as a host & podcast creator. But I believe your listeners don’t really care if you publish a new show every Thursday morning or every other Friday or whatever.

In fact, out of the ~50 or so podcasts I’m subscribed to, I only know off the top of my head one that publishes every Tuesday morning — and that’s only because they mention it pretty regularly. 

And one of them — quite niche and small — started with maybe 6 episodes out of the gate and then fizzled out. BUT every time I see their show updated in my library, I hit play! Why? ‘Cause it’s clear they’re passionate about the podcast but also busy folks. 

It’s a side project for them and when they do find time for it, they create interesting episodes. 

So don’t think if you miss a week, nobody will ever listen to your show again. If they’re subscribed, your new episode will pop up in their queue whenever it’s published. If we’re talking about YouTube — the algorithm doesn’t care either. If you make a fab episode, it will go out to your subs there and may even get boosted by the algorithm. 

But maybe you need a set schedule to make it a habit, or else you’ll never publish past episode 3. That’s fine, do what ya gotta do. 

Follow a set podcast structure

You’re probably starting to notice a trend — set guidelines are not my thing. After all, making a podcast is a creative venture. And the vision you have for episodes 1-10 will be different from episode 110. 

Some of my favorite shows follow a familiar structure, some by default are just intro-interview-the end. Others have multiple styles that they cycle through — solo shows, interviews, repeating round-tables, etc. 

I’ll leave the audio discussion for another time, since I’m not an audio expert. But I share this just to show there are folks who truly do hate unstructured shows.

And here’s how my one rule (make the show you're passionate about) ties back to the structure. Once you decide to take the leap and start recording, you probably have been thinking about the show for a while. 

You have some vision, some grand plans, or maybe you just gotta get all those ideas out in a conversation and share it with your community. So you will find your structure — or at least one to start with. 

And then you’re free to experiment. If you burn out on scheduling remote guests for your interviews, try a few solo shows. Drop a segment, drop in a new one. 

Make the show you want to make

So let’s wrap up with the one rule — make the show you want to make.

I say this because I don’t think podcasts have quite the same characteristics as something like a product or MVP. You can’t just identify an underserved niche, use your skills to build a product and monetize it quickly. Are there shows that pay the bills? Yeah, you bet.

But I think most successful shows are born out of passion projects. Where the success is a byproduct of the creator(s) compelling interest in the topic and the way they convey ideas to their community. 

And if you want to make it faster and way way way easier on yourself, talk to our team at Clipwing about our pro editing package. We take your raw video files, craft an amazing intro and send you back a show ready to ship