Podcasting is easy. There I said it.

Creating one? Cake. Coming up with a name? Ppffft… easy. Recording one? Simple-ish. Finding a good podcast host service? Easy. Publishing? Please, don’t waste my time, it’s so simple. Promoting? Ha, that’s what social media is for. Website? So many website companies out there that offer great templates and make it easy to create one is a no brainer (check out Bandzoogle).

Content? Well….What are you talking about? What is your podcast about? Here is where you bust your ass. However, if you have a co-host or a couple of co-hosts who pull their weight, it’s cake. If you don’t…. well.

Then it’s all on you.

How about getting listeners? Well here is where your hard work, promotion and due diligence shows its ugly face. This is also where you would be significantly better off if you just did not look at the numbers. Because I can tell you from first hand experience, you will be gravely disappointed.

On March 18, 2015 I made the questionable decision to launch myself into the world of podcasting and did so with a great deal of enthusiasm. The Motorcycle Men Podcast was live. Now I will be the first to admit, that I am neither articulate or as intelligent as I should/could be. I would also like to point out that I embarked on a journey into a field that sort of requires that one be both articulate and somewhat intelligent. Not to say that I lack two brain cells to rub together, but I probably lack sufficient know-how to host a motorcycle podcast. Regardless, I pressed on and here I am 8 years, 4 months and 356 episodes later.

Have I learned anything? Well, the jury is still out on that. Am I a better podcast now then when I first started? I think so, but then again, it depends upon who you ask. Are my methods better? Oh yeah. Has the show improved? Uh…. well….. It depends on what you mean by “Improved”.

Podcasts are and should be fluid, ever evolving entities where each show takes on a life of its own. Some podcasters script their shows to the nth degree. Every “T” is crossed and every “i” is dotted. Rigid to the point and there is no room for flex, fluff or, dare I say, fun. Some are rigidly timed, some are excessively long and others are just all over the place on the clock.

I’ve allowed my podcast to be “whatever happens, happens”. I go into each show knowing I have some things I’d “Like” to cover and I have some things that I have a fleeting “Hope” will make the show. The only thing I can say with certainty is that my interviews will always be what they are; A conversation with somebody about something with no time limits or restrictions.

What I have noticed though is that regardless of how much effort I put into the show, it doesn’t grow as I would have expected an 8 year old podcast with over 350 episodes to grow. I am unable to monetize the podcast and all efforts of the past to do so have failed miserably. There were two occasions where the podcast had sponsors at different times that actually paid for their “On-air” promotions and those funds went directly to the monthly expenses (website, webhost, promotional items, etc..), but those occasions were short lived. I even tried Patreon for a time. Patreon is a sort of a fundraising platform used by podcasters and Youtubers to help fund their efforts. Once again, though I employed this method for 6 months, with the intention to keep it going for as long as I could, it generated zero income. Why? We had nothing to offer the subscriber to Patreon.

I’ve had sponsors in the distant past that paid for their air time and then went away. Those relationships lasted only a few months and although appreciated, they were seemingly fleeting relationships. Great people, great products, but they didn’t wow me at the time. Maybe they didn’t want to wow me, I don’t know.

My current “sponsors” are the greatest people I could have ever hoped to work with. Tobacco Motorwear, Wild-Ass Seats and Scorpion Helmets. Do they pay me for their support? No. But they will provide me and my team with gear from time to time because they know I believe in their product and I promote them on my show. We’ve become friends and we are in contact more often than most sponsors would be. These sponsors graciously contribute goods for our Christmas Giveaway each year. These people are top notch.

We didn’t have extra content that listeners could enjoy, no video to share, no shwag we could send, nothing. The only reason for that is money. We have none. Everything the podcast was and is, has been and remains out of pocket. Primarily, out of MY pocket and I have never had the available funds to throw fluff at the podcast, not even now.

Lately, I have employed the use of a service called “Buy me a Coffee”. Again it is sort of a fundraising/support system for creators where “supporters” can pledge money to the effort either monthly or with one single donation to the “cause”. Remarkably, the podcast has received funds towards the operation of the show and those funds merely covered some of the monthly expenses to run the show… for a month or two. That’s it.

In 2020 I started a merch page where our listeners can buy podcast merch to support the show. To date, that has generated $26. Not even enough to cover one month of podcast expenses.

One of the things that I like to do on my podcast is offer giveaways to our listeners. Sort of a chance for us to show our appreciation to our cult like following for supporting, if only in the “We like you” sense, all of these years. But it bothers me to a point and let me explain why.

I only get reporting numbers from one source, which is my podcast host, Buzzsprout. The reporting is excellent but it is only one source, so all the numbers I get are representative of only this one source. Still going by this one source, I’m averaging 1,100 to 3,000 downloads per week. Two years ago, that number was 1,500 to 5,000 per week. A bit of a drop since going full remote. Again, just from this one source. I don’t know what the numbers are from Spotify, Soundcloud, iTunes or Google Podcasts and whatever other sources are out there. Regardless of what host you use, reporting of the numbers for your podcast are just going to suck and only because you won’t be getting ALL of the numbers. Now here’s where it bothers me and this will eventually bother you, you budding podcaster you.

When I have these giveaways, listener participation is minimal, at best. One would think that if you’re giving stuff away, you’d get a tremendous response. For our annual Christmas giveaway, I always have high hopes for hundreds, if not thousands of participants. For the Christmas Giveaway of 2022, we gave away a GPS, Riding Jeans, a Helmet, books, t-shirts and more. Who wouldn’t want any of those things? We had 95 participants in the giveaway. 95. Based on my download numbers, I should have thousands of people clamoring to get their hands on these goodies I’m giving away.

I just don’t get it. But it is what it is. Participate or not, doesn’t matter. My podcast has no requirements for its listeners.

All of this equally translates over to my YouTube Channel “Ride with Ted” as well. Though that channel has only been around for three years, it’s growing very slowly. Not that I don’t promote it, I do, but I have, in typical Ted fashion, have jumped into an extremely crowded pool where everyone is doing the same thing; Trying to make money and motorcycle related YouTube channels are a dime a dozen. AND we’re all trying to compete with the likes of Itchy Boots, Million Dollar Bogan and Shadetree Surgeon to name a few. It’s nearly impossible. How do you compete with that?

The simple answer is……. You don’t.

As with podcasting, you do your own thing, be yourself and be your show. Don’t compete, don’t try and one-up the next guy, don’t try anything. Like Yoda says, “Do or do not, there is no try”. Do your thing as you want to do your thing. If you are fond of curse words, use them. If you want to be Pat Boone squeaky clean and wholesome, then do that. Be genuine, be yourself, on and off mic, on and off camera.

I have always held myself to that standard that I will always be my own show and my own host, unincumbered by rules, should be’s, better be’s, influence, suggestion, pressure or what everyone else is doing. The bottom line boys and girls is, brace yourself, I don’t give a shit what everyone else is doing. I will always do my thing the way I want to do my thing and I promise you I will always be genuine. If you meet me in person, you’ll find me to be the nicest person you will ever meet. Honest, not a phony, I don’t put on airs and graces to appease company, I am very approachable and friendly, what you see, is what you get. If I tell you I will email you, I will email you. If you comment on my show, I will respond and I will thank you for listening and watching. I am humble and I humble myself.

Podcasting isn’t for everyone and I know I’m no Joe Rogan and I have no desire to be. Would I like millions of listeners? Sure. Would I like to have my podcast monetized and get millions for my voice? Sure. Will it happen. Oh hell no. But that doesn’t mean I won’t continue doing podcasts or making YouTube videos. I do it for myself and my few dedicated subscribers.

Podcasting is a labor of love. Become one with that and you’ll do just fine.