They called me out and they were right

I had a wake-up call this week in the form of feedback given to me about my new podcast which launches later this month. There’s a valuable lesson in it for any content creator, so I’d like to share it with you.

Let me give you just a bit of setup first.

Here’s the deal. I’m feeling some pressure when it comes to this new show. I had a wildly successful podcast for twelve years, then I went on podcasting hiatus for a few years.

Now, I have high expectations of myself to start strong with this new show as I step back on to the podcasting stage.

There’s nothing wrong with stretching one’s self to reach higher. But it seems maybe I took it a little too far.

I researched.

I backed my ideas up with stats.

I created a framework to make the content actionable.

I kept it all within a nice concise 19 minutes.

I scripted the content (something I’ve never done with a podcast before).

I spent hours writing and re-writing the episode to get it “just right.”

It was those last two that did me in.

Here’s the feedback I received this week from two separate people after they listened to an advance version of episode one.

“I’d like to hear more about your business, your why’s, and your personality before you give the framework. Otherwise, it feels like a course via podcast. That makes me want to be more selective in listening to episodes only when the topic is relevant vs. listening to every episode.”

“Infuse more of your personality. At times, it felt like an MBA lecture.”

I immediately knew they were right. I’d made the common mistake of trying so hard to be credible and valuable that I had squeezed one of the most important elements out of it.

Me!

I didn’t leave any room for my own personality and story. I even teach my clients this stuff and I still missed the mark on this one.

Here’s the takeaway.

Yes, it’s important to have solid content that is valuable and credible, but what really keeps people coming back to listen is who you are and how you uniquely show up.

This applies to creating content for your marketing as well for your course.

I’ve seen worries about getting it “just right” delay course launches many, many times. I’ve also seen it turn courses and programs into dry lectures that fail to make a connection and have the desired impact despite being chock full of value.

It’s understandable to feel a lot of pressure to create ideas that people find novel, useful, and authoritative. We should always strive to master our craft and create quality work.

But don’t let the pressure, perfectionism, and impostor syndrome choke the life out of your perspective and voice.