Here is the complete transcript of the podcast
Thank you for tuning in. Happy Thursday morning to you welcome or welcome back to success with Srini. As promised, yesterday, I am taking up a question that has come in and has been in my inbox for a long, long time. This question came in in the month of May, I think, May or June, maybe May, I believe. And it’s not that I did not have the know-how to answer this question. I should. I was reasonably in a good place to answer this. But I was internally going through my own measure, I was building up myself to answer this. I think I am in a good position. Now to answer this question. This question is about podcasting. Streaming. I’ve been listening to your podcast for a long time. And at one point, I decided to start my Well, I decided to start my own podcast, which I did. But after three weeks, I stopped doing it. I only did two podcast episodes. I did not like the way I sounded. And when I did my research on how to get listeners, I don’t know how to find listeners. And when I did research, on how to find listeners on YouTube. It’s so hard. So can I be a guest on your podcast? Because everybody says that the best way to get listeners to your own podcast is to become a guest on somebody else’s podcast. Need your insights? Okay. This was a question from me. Here we are in September, I think I have some more data to talk about this.
Now, this gentleman, I believe, is not listening to this podcast anymore. Because if they did, then I would have gotten some more questions about what I haven’t. I’m not sure if they are. I’m just making this up. I could be totally wrong. I want to be wrong on this about this assumption. But if somebody doesn’t get an answer for this long, they will tune out. That’s my reasonable guests, I think, okay. Let’s talk about this. There are many, many sub-questions within this big question. So first of all, congratulations on starting a podcast. And I genuinely wholeheartedly mean it, I think every listener of this podcast to start their own podcast because if you’re listening to something, or anything like this, I think you have enough information within you that you can share with the world. So everybody has a voice, every voice has to be heard, I highly suggest you do. What topics to start? Well, let me give you my example. I could start multiple podcasts. And the reason why I stayed with this podcast is that this is something that I do every day. My passion is in this, this is my passion. I could start a podcast on business, entrepreneurship, and parenting, all different, different topics I could, but I don’t wake up every day thinking about those things. If you ask me something about business, I will answer your question. If you ask me anything about philosophy or success, I will answer your question, but there are things that I don’t wake up with. And for me to really stay in the game for a long time. I need to wake up in that mindset. So my mindset is, I wake up in the morning thinking about what can I do to make other people happy. Or what can I do to take away some people, some individual’s pain of suffering, I wake up in success mode, I am constantly thinking about others. So not a good thing to do. By the way, you should always think about yourself, okay, so don’t do what I’m doing. But do what I’m telling you to do. So because I wake up every day with that thing in my mind. That is my lifeline. So that is how I want to be easy. It’s going to flow, the content flows. And everything I do here is a one-take thing I don’t record 100 times if you do that, then you will give up and this is a daily podcast. I cannot sit here recording one episode 20 times trying to make it right. Make it sound good. I have every limitation. I record my podcasts in a car on the freeway, not freeway. I have not that I released it that way. But sometimes I do record three ways not to publish. But to get the main idea and main thought so that when I’m static, then when I turn the recorder on, whether inside or outside, I can flow with the content. I’m done. So I’m using my time as I’m driving around. That’s the point. I’m a one-take podcaster I don’t try to police myself as much. I won’t go into editing. I don’t edit my thinking This is who I am. This is how I sound. can I modify it? Can I change? Can I improvise? can I improve all this? Yes. Anything that you see on this earth can be improved. See, the world is very symmetric. You and I look alike. We have two ears, two eyes, a brain, and two legs. Every animal tigers are identical lions are identical. There’s a lot of symmetry on earth, but can they still be improved? Yes. Will this improve 1000 2000 years from today? Maybe 10,000 years from today? Yes, yeah. So anything and everything that you see to perfection, understand there is an element of more perfection in everything.
So I can, but this is why I’m this is how I sound. Now, is it possible that people who don’t like the way I speak will not listen to this? Yes, I understand that. And I respect that, too. So I That’s why I go on radio shows and tell people if you don’t like what I’m sharing on my podcast, don’t subscribe. Very simple, very simple. Ask. And if you fake that, ask, then you’re just doing. You know, I don’t know, you’re just wrong. You can’t fake it. So start with a topic that you are passionate about that you wake up, that’s my point, you wake up with that image in your mind of who you are, but be authentic when you’re doing it. So that time that you’re spending, the time that you’re putting in is, you know, doesn’t come across as if you’re making an effort. So I see people quit. Because they’re trying to be someone, they are not themselves. When you are yourself, then content will flow, ideas will flow, and everything will come together. Very simple. Where to find listeners, start with your family with your friends, start there. It doesn’t happen overnight. Very rarely, do I see people who really make it very big in overnight and all that. But it takes time it takes effort. It doesn’t. And that’s why people quit. That’s why easy to start a podcast, but very hard to stay in the invisible cost is the time that you put in. And you can’t put in the time and stay with it. Unless, if you if you think that people have to appreciate you all the time. They don’t. Not that they’re not listening. They are not making the effort to write a comment or write a review and all that. And if you go look at my podcast today, there are hundreds of episodes. By the end of this year, I have had 365 episodes, one episode a day, sometimes two. But I don’t know when I looked at my iTunes. I have hardly like 10 or 15 reviews. That’s it. It’s not like 1000s of people are giving good reviews or hundreds of reviews I have no. So I need to be extraordinary and have a tremendous big, huge footprint for that to happen. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time.
So you add one listener of the week, a month. My quality sucks. I hate listening to myself, You are not supposed to judge your quality. Okay? Don’t be hard on yourself. And let people decide your quality. And don’t listen to your podcast or to your recordings. If you’re struggling with it, don’t do it. Don’t do it. In the initial stages later on, maybe I listen to my recordings. I don’t like them. To be honest. If I listen to this recording, which I will, by the way, I will not like it, I’m telling you, but it is what it is. But this is how I sound in real life. And I have people who love me. Not everybody does. But whoever I have love me. So whoever you are, the way you sound, people love you. So stay with that. Don’t change your natural self, so that you can please people doesn’t work that way. Can I be a guest on your podcast? No matter which YouTube video I see. They tell that the best way to get listeners to your own podcast is to become a guest on somebody else’s podcast. I’ll tell you something. I have never, I was never interviewed on a podcast. I don’t think I ever was interviewed by anyone on a podcast honestly. Radio shows Yes. One or two, maybe over the years. But I don’t think I was ever invited to be a guest on any radio show. at a level that I from some by someone who said okay, Srini I need to listen to you on my show. Maybe once or twice, maybe two times. Genuinely, somebody invited me to be a guest on the show two times. I’ll take that back two times. If I remember properly. One time for sure. Two times. I’ll give it I don’t have the third occurrence of me ever showing up as a guest on somebody’s show. Yeah, I paid money to become a guest. Yeah. When I was trying to build My business initially. So I for sure, I have never been invited to any podcast. Not that I’m bad. It’s just that I never made an attempt. Can I book myself on hundreds of podcasts? Yes. How do I advise people to become guests on other podcasts? Yes. Can you spend money and become a guest on somebody’s podcast? Yes, you can. That’s the way the podcasting industry works. So you can pay and position yourself. But that doesn’t mean that we’ll get listeners. And even if you end up getting listeners, it doesn’t mean they’re going to stay. There’s a lot that has to happen for somebody to stay, and listen and engage with you. So can you do it? Yes. But will it work? I don’t know. Can you become a guest on my podcast? Yes. I have no problem having you as my guest on my podcast. But here is the criteria for this. As much as I tell you not to subscribe to my podcast unless you listen and you find value. Likewise, I cannot have you as a guest on my podcast, unless you, I know for sure deliver value. So go start your podcast, send me a couple of episodes. Let me listen. Let me fall in love with what you’re sharing. And I absolutely love what you’re sharing, then I will automatically have yours as my guest. In the past, I made this mistake of having, you know, people come on the podcast, and I interviewed them. And all they did was promote their business. I don’t promote my business on this podcast, which I could. But I’m not saying hey, go check out this link and sign up. I don’t do that stuff. But they did in the interviewing. And I’m like, don’t do that. People will listen to you, they love you. They like you. They love you.
They’ll connect with you emotionally, and they will reach out to you don’t promote this stuff. And let me tell you, that not 1000s of listeners listen to my podcast either. So not just because you listened doesn’t mean that others are listening. So don’t put me on the top of a mountain. As if, you know, I’m not, don’t put me on the stage, please. Okay. So, yes, start your podcast. And if you’re not done, and this is a message to everyone who’s listening, not only to you, but you already did start. But the key to success is repetition and frequency. And I said that multiple times here. If you do it one thing, the one-off thing here and there. It’s all going to work. Everything involves effort. Everything demands your attention, your time, and your intentions, just not once, but over an extended period of time. Please put in that effort, please, you will be surprised what happens. And don’t do it because you want something out of it, do it because somebody else wants something out of you. The secret to getting something in life is to give it away first. Now the secret doesn’t ensure that you’ll get something. The secret is that you need to give something away, whatever you want in return. And you got to give it away over a long period of time. And if something happens and is written great if something doesn’t happen, don’t worry about it because there was fun in giving things away or giving. So people donate because they derive something out of it. Not necessarily tangible stuff. That a lot of intangibles in our existence. We got to love and respect those intangibles.
Okay, I hope I answered your question. So go do whatever you’re planning to do. Tap into your passion. Yes, start with one listener, two listeners, and three listeners. growth is slow. Don’t judge yourself. Don’t listen to yourself. If you don’t like what you are, your voice and all that let listeners decide on you. About you. And yes, become guests on other podcasts and people will invite you if you’re good. I’m not that good. So that’s why nobody invites me. Okay. That’s it. You have a wonderful, wonderful day ahead of you, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Stay tuned.