Influential Introvert: Communication Coaching for Professionals with Performance Anxiety - Feedback: How to Ask for Input to Improve Your Podcast and not Cringe

Episode Date: April 18, 2019

I have heard some new podcasters say they’ve recorded 30 or more episodes and they still haven’t shared them with anyone yet. This is a huge missed opportunity to improve your show before you launch. Think about it -- would you rather make your show better before it goes out into the world, or would you rather have potential subscribers hear your first draft?   In episode 7 of Podcasting Step by Step, I share how to ask for feedback that will improve your podcast. And how to feel more comfortable receiving it.   Visit sarahmikutel.com for show notes and more articles on how to podcast.   Ready to start podcasting? Download my free guide: “8 Mistakes New Podcasters Make and How to Fix Them.” I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Have you been wanting to podcast for a while now, but something's holding you back? Maybe it's fear of putting yourself out there or confusion about the tech. I'm Sarah Mikital and on podcasting step by step, I'll break down how to podcast with a little loving motivation to give you the skills and the confidence you need to finally launch that show of your dreams. Let's get started. The thought of asking for feedback on something we've created strikes fear in the hearts of many of us. We are asking people to critique something that we have poured our hearts and souls into,

and this puts us in a very vulnerable position. We anticipate the worst and often feel like feedback is a critique of us and our self-worth. We shrink up a little bit, preparing ourselves for this below, but we need to get over this and get comfortable being uncomfortable, because as cliche as it sounds, feedback really is a gift. It helps us grow personally and professionally, and it takes our creative work like our podcasts to the next level. And it helps us create better shows for our listeners. In this episode, I will share how to ask for feedback that will improve your podcast and make you feel a little bit less cringy when you're asking for feedback and when you're receiving it.

I have heard some new podcasters say that they have recorded 30 or more episodes, and they still haven't shared it with anyone yet. This is a huge missed opportunity to improve your show before you launch. Think about it. Would you rather your show get better before it goes out into the world, or would you rather have potential subscribers hear your very first draft? I would share your very first episode with a group of people who you know can give you honest feedback on how you can improve. People who you know could give you thoughtful commentary. If you don't feel like you have anyone like that in your life, go into a Facebook group like She Podcasts or Podcasts movement and say you're starting a brand new show and you would really like some feedback. I'm sure

that you're going to find somebody who will help you out and maybe you could even do a review exchange with somebody. And when you share your show with somebody, get excited about the feedback you're going to get. So imagine how good you feel when you are in your best creative space while you're working on your show or anything creative. Your ideas are flowing. Let's say you just did a really great interview with somebody. Keep that positive energy when you share your episode with others. Let them know how excited you are about your new podcast and why you're doing it. And when you ask them to review it, let them know it's because you trust them and you really value their opinion. They're going to be so flattered and happy that you asked them to be part of something that means so much to you.

and these are people who want to help you shine. I worked for Apple for a few years, and one of the most important lessons I took from that experience was to always assume positive intent. That's one of the core employee values, and it really shifted the way that I responded to feedback. I used to think of feedback is this sort of once-a-year performance review type of thing where somebody is obligated to say a bunch of nice things about you,

and then a bunch of things that you did wrong. Whereas I think when you get constant feedback from people when you go out and ask for it, you can anticipate that it's people trying to help you out. So when people offer feedback on what you're doing, whether you ask for it or not, assume that they're trying to help you. That might not always be the case.

There are some miserable people out there. But more often than that, when you share your work and your work, and your world with other people, they're looking out for you when they offer feedback and advice. And so we need to shift our mindset and get excited about feedback rather than defensive. There are certain questions that you can ask your reviewers to make sure that you're getting the right kind of feedback. So when you ask people for their critiques, give them the why behind your show. Tell them what they should be listening for and what you don't need them to worry about.

So don't insert your own opinion on what you think can be improved, what you would do better next time. Just let them listen with a clean slate without any bias. So I'll give you an example. After I recorded my very first podcast interview for Postcard Academy, I asked a handful of friends and former colleagues if they would listen to it and give me feedback. And here is exactly what I said in the email that I sent to them, along with the audio. Thank you so much for listening to this first interview and giving me feedback. There's still time to edit, so let me know what you think can be cut or what could be improved for next time. If you think I missed a trick, then I inserted the Dropbox link.

And then I said some things to keep in mind. This is the raw unedited file. This finished product will sound much better. This is a weekly travel podcast featuring people who moved across the world and are in enjoying their adopted cities to the fullest. The format of the show, hear a little bit about the guests and their journey starting a new life in a new place, then get their travel tips on where they're living. The purpose of the podcast is one, to inspire people who are considering such a move by providing real case studies,

and two, provide useful information to a wider audience of people who love to travel. I'm recording the intro and outro separately with lively music, and we'll give a proper introduction to the guest there. Some questions I have when you finish listening. Did the content of this interview achieve its intended purpose? What would you cut or change? What can I do better next time? Do you think the format is okay? What would you change to make it more engaging?

What did you like best about this interview? Any other thoughts? Go crazy with the feedback. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate this so much. P.S. Cringe. forcing yourself to sit down and listen to yourself is so, weird. X-O-X-O-X-O. I've actually totally gotten over the weirdness of listening to my own voice,

and it doesn't bother me at all anymore, and this will hopefully happen to you too after you edit your first two episodes. It's just something that I think almost all of us go through. It's not natural for us to hear our own voice, but then you get used to it. But back to the feedback. Even though I believe feedback is a gift and I work on staying in the right mindset, let's be real. For many of us, including me, there's always going to be a tiny twinge of nervousness when we share our work. This fleeting fear of looking dumb and a secret wish that the only feedback we'll get is, this is perfect, don't change anything. But of course, everything can be improved.

So here are a few things that my reviewers said. I love the conversational back and forth you had with the guest. Some people might be more interested in hearing about the travel tips rather than the expat story. maybe have a clearer line in the podcast where you transition from one section to another. My favorite podcasts include a fire round of questions toward the end. She seemed a bit nervous at the beginning, but really opened up toward the end. Ask a few questions up front not meant to be on the podcast to get the guests feeling comfortable, and you can edit that out later.

Before jumping into the podcast, reiterate the format and flow, even if you mention this via email just to get the guests more comfortable. So those are really helpful concrete tips, and I implemented all of that feedback in Postcard Academy, my travel podcast, before I launched, including the Lightning Round, and that actually proved to be really, really popular with listeners. So that's the benefit of getting feedback ahead of time, but feedback doesn't stop there. Once you start building an audience, you can get listener feedback on what they like about the show, what they would like to hear more of, what topics they would like you to cover. And you can ask for this feedback a number of ways, directly on your podcast,

in social media, in your newsletter. You can ask people to email you or send you audio messages via a tool like speak pipe. There are many ways to get feedback. It's easiest to get people to respond to questions if you ask them to answer something very specific. So instead of, what did you think about this show? You could say, what is the number one? one tip that you learned in this episode, send me an email or send me a direct message on Instagram or wherever you like to receive feedback. But if you're looking for more answers, you could say, hey, I would really like to get to know you guys better. I created a survey on survey monkey or whatever tool that you like. If you could take two minutes out of your day, I would love it.

You can find the survey on my website. And when you start hearing from your listeners, and that is when podcasting starts to get really exciting and fun. To sum all of this up, always assume positive intent. Don't be afraid of feedback. It makes us stronger. It makes our show better. And it really makes us more confident and excited when we get behind the mic. And also when we want to hit publish on our episodes. For show notes on this episode, including questions to ask to get the right kind of feedback you need for your podcast, head on over to sarahmicatel.com slash

feedback. Thank you for listening to podcasting step by step. You are now one step closer to launching that podcast you've been dreaming about, but I want to get you even closer. I created a free guidebook for you with actionable worksheets called eight mistakes new podcasters make and how to fix them. To find that, head on over to sarahmicatel.com slash fix. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it at sarahmicatel.com slash blank no more.