Be honest: how many unfinished podcasts are sitting in your queue right now? How many episodes have you meant to listen to but just haven’t gotten around to? And yet, despite the absolute avalanche of content already drowning your ears, you’ve found yourself thinking: I should start a podcast.
You’re not alone. Everyone you know is starting a podcast. The guy who sits in the back of church with a Moleskine? He’s launching “The Art of Deconstruction” (which, let’s be real, is just him and a buddy asking, “But why do we believe that?” over and over again). Your old roommate? He and his friends are two episodes deep into “Just Some Dudes Talking,” a podcast so generic it might actually be AI-generated. Even your mom has a pod now—something about organic gardening and the dangers of microwaves.
It’s the Golden Age of Podcasting, which is a nice way of saying there are too many podcasts and not enough listeners. So before you jump into the fray with your own “conversations that matter” or “raw unfiltered takes,” let’s pause. Ask yourself these four crucial questions before you pick up that mic and add more content to the already bloated gasping-for-air internet.
1. Do I Actually Have Something to Say?
Not to crush your dreams, but just because you can talk for an hour doesn’t mean you should. A podcast needs more than just vibes—it needs a reason to exist. Are you bringing a fresh take? A unique voice? Something people actually want to hear?
If your pitch is, “Me and my friends are hilarious and should record our convos,” just know that literally every friend group thinks the same thing. (And yet, you are not SmartLess. You are just some guys with microphones.)
A good podcast is built on content, not just charisma. If you can’t sum up your idea in a sentence that would make a total stranger hit “follow,” it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
2. Am I Willing to Commit to This?
Starting a podcast is the easy part. Continuing a podcast? That’s where dreams go to die. A good show takes consistency, effort and at least some willingness to edit out the weird pauses and dog barks. Are you ready to promote episodes? To record even when your co-host is “super busy” (read: flaking)? Because the internet is littered with dead podcasts that ran out of steam after episode five.
Before you start, write down at least 10 solid episode ideas. If that feels exhausting, maybe the podcast life isn’t for you.
3. Who Is This Podcast For?
Your target audience cannot be “people who like podcasts.” That’s too broad. Niche is king. Are you making this for Christian creatives trying to break into the industry? For theology nerds who want deep dives into church history? For people who just want to know if worship leaders should still be wearing wide-brimmed hats? (They shouldn’t.)
If your ideal audience is “literally just my friends,” maybe… just keep the convos in the group chat.
4. Am I Just Doing This Because It Sounds Cool?
Look, podcasting is cool. But there are already three million podcasts out there and most of them are fighting for the same small audience. If this is just an excuse to buy a nice mic and feel important, there are cheaper hobbies. Podcasting works best when it’s done out of passion, not just the desire to say, “Oh yeah, I have a podcast.”
Final Thought: It’s OK Not to Podcast
This isn’t meant to crush your dreams—just to refine them. If you’ve got something to say and you’re ready to put in the work, go for it. But if you’re just adding to the noise because everyone else is doing it, maybe reconsider.
Because let’s be honest, we all already have enough half-finished podcasts in our queue.
