Change can be scary. Faced with an ever-competitive world can often make you feel overwhelmed and directionless, but it doesn't have to. Changing and adapting are your best tools, so use them to take your podcast to the next level!
Our founder at Podcast.co, James Mulvany, talks about why podcast competition is a good thing and dishes the dirt on what it takes to run a successful business in Create. Reach. Inspire. Not just for entrepreneurs, podcasters can also learn a thing or two about why competition is a good thing and how you can use it to further grow your podcast, so check it out 👇
1. Plan Past Your Podcast Competition
Move with the times. If you’re surrounded by a load of bigger, more popular podcasts and you’re just starting out, don’t stress. Bigger podcasts will find it more difficult to adapt and change to new things around them. A new podcast directory opens? Get in it. A new piece of smart tech comes about that makes listening easier? Get on it. Do everything you can to move with your listeners and watch as you soar past the podcast competition.
Why Blockbuster Failed to Adapt to Competition
Blockbuster video stores. Most of us will have grown up with those big blue and yellow signs on every corner, renting videotapes from there every now and then. When DVD's were invented and started rapidly growing in popularity, they refused to get with the times and stuck to renting out videotapes, eventually caving with DVD's, Blu-rays, Games, and the like. Then streaming came about. Again, nothing changed.
As of 2019, only one Blockbuster store in the entire world remains, in Oregon, USA. They still operate online, now offering streaming and DVD rentals, but have lost all of their physical stores as a result of not getting ahead of the competition.
2. Get Inspired by Other Podcasters
Inspiration can come from looking at the competition. See what they’re doing and try to think of your own spin on the cool stuff they’re doing. This isn’t to say you should copy your competition because that’s not only some MAJOR plagiarism, but it doesn’t make you look to great either. Have a look around, get inspired, but don’t mimic.
3. Knuckle Down When Times Get Tough
Similar to inspiration, but having some particularly tough competition can actually help to drive and motivate you to make your podcast even better. What can you do to stand out from your podcast competition? How can you make your podcast shine over theirs? This kind of drive is what has helped a lot of entrepreneurs in the past to reach their goals.
4. Stay Focused on Your Goals
Focus is so important. If you keep comparing yourself to other podcast competition around you, you’ll be doing nothing but holding yourself back.
Look at what others are doing, then focus in on your own podcast and what you can do to stand out. If you manage to maintain this focus on what you’re doing, instead of on what everyone else around you is doing, you’ll be at the top of your game in no time.
5. Talk to the Right Listeners
Podcast competition can also help you to find your own area of expertise that you’re good at. For example, you could have a million podcasts focusing on dance, but they only focus on pop and hip hop styles, whereas your expertise is in ballet. Pin it down! Go for it! Focus in on a specific area that you’re super knowledgeable in! This is why having a niche is so important, it separates you from your podcast competition, helping you stand out even more.
