What I've Learned From Bringing the Inner Monster Podcast to Life
They* said it didn't make any sense.
Who is going to listen to a podcast that mixes short horror fiction with monster mythology and personal development?
Sure, if you're looking at a starting a podcast and consider things like minimum viable audience or the numbers of listeners you need to gain advertising deals, or the number of new podcasts started every day, then starting a very niche podcast like this probably makes no sense.
However, if you're looking at starting a podcast as an opportunity to put yourself out there, create something that YOU want to see happen in the world, and take a beginner's mind in terms of audio production, refining your thoughts, developing a schedule, and building the habit of creating every day, then this totally makes sense.
I created the Inner Monster Podcast to combine my love of storytelling, monsters, and the work I do as a leadership and business coach. I already run a business called Kaiju Coaching, so why not double down with my own unique take on things like impostor syndrome, intrinsic value, dealing with internal narratives, and other topics that are of use to most human beings?
Additionally, I know that the blend of personal development with mythological history of monsters and short horror fiction seems out there. But part of the reason I'm launching the show is because I believe in the combining of random things to find insights into the human condition. If you've ever read my blog (you can start with the entry titled "Chameleons, Honey Badgers, and Tigers" to see what I mean), you'll know that looking for advice in the strangest places is a hobby of mine.
That said, I've been hesitant to launch this podcast, partially because I'm not sure if there was an audience besides myself, but also because I didn't want to launch something that I couldn't keep up. While the rates of new podcasts are incredibly high, there are few new podcasts that can continue a sustained output, and nearly as many fade into the ether and stop producing episodes every day. I want to share with you some things that helped me go from concept to reality.
There were two big things that helped me push past the doubt and ship the podcast.
The first was committing to the work of writing at least 15 minutes every day. I started this practice back in April, and now, six months later, not only have I cemented a daily writing practice, but I've also been able to write the scripts for a good number of episodes in advance of launching the podcast.
Having episodes "in the can," so to speak, really boosts my confidence that I can keep up a weekly podcast schedule. Also, what if you didn't need a weekly podcast? If this is really about making a podcast (vs. making a "successful" podcast), then why not consider different formats? Do a season, or a monthly podcast! Regardless, doing sort of a test run where I learned that whatever schedule you want to keep you can actually do is helpful.
Additionally, and I'll get to this later, but I made the decision to host the whole podcast by myself. I usually listen to podcasts that are interview-based or have multiple hosts and producers looking into different areas, but I figured if Lore (a major inspiration) can do a solo show, so can I. I also didn't want to be slowed down by having to get interview guests on the show.
The second big factor was finding the tools to tackle production. It helps that my skill set includes basic usage of Adobe Audition to edit the audio and Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create my own artwork for the show. That said, after researching different podcast hosting sites, I found Anchor.fm. Anchor.fm is free (great when you're not expecting a huge audience and don't want to pay for hosting) and offers a good amount of tools for not only creating podcast art, but also editing and recording as well.
Honestly, especially if I wasn't as technically proficient as I am, I would definitely recommend Anchor for anyone who wants to just get started and can do the bare minimum of choosing photos and text for art while recording on your phone. This isn't sponsored by Anchor (although they do offer to sponsor new shows often) - but one thing I noticed is that they're not great about updating your main site with a link to listen on Apple podcasts because they're owned by Spotify and want to push listeners away from Apple.
It's not a big deal, and they'll distribute your podcast to Apple Podcasts (the big player in the podcast world), but I found that while the link to listen hadn't auto-populated, my show was uploaded to the Apple Podcast directory at least a few days prior.
Go Make Something
So if you have an idea worth sharing, or even if you just want to create a show for yourself, I think there can be a lot of learn by creating your own show. While solo shows are easier in some ways, interview shows not only allow you to speak with interesting people (like my other podcast, In Trust), but if you're not into creative writing, can be an easier way of finding something to talk about.
Like I said earlier, for me personally, a solo show is easier in some ways than doing an interview show, or doing an interview show with a co-host like I do with the awesome Lisa Lambert for In Trust.
Now that I can say I've done both formats, having a co-host can be easier in that you don't have to carry the lift of the podcast all by yourself. Also, with interview shows the heavy load is in knowing how to transition between questions and answers and how to ask good questions.
For you, writing scripts and presenting them might be easier, and for others, leveraging the minds of other awesome people might be easier. Either way, I encourage you to go and create something yourself.
It's never been easier. If either the Inner Monster Podcast or In Trust interests you, there are trailers online for both shows for a snack-size bite, and I encourage you to give them a spin if leadership, success, and leveling up are things you're interested in.
I hope this was helpful, and I encourage you to go and create something yourself. After all, what's there to lose?
*they = my own inner monsters/impostor syndrome
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