A Podcaster’s Pyramid of Needs

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The first question that a new podcaster often asks is: How do I get my podcast out there?

Those who’ve done a bit more research on the production process, might even ask: Which media host shall I use?

They might then ask about microphone, editing and online recording platforms… some might even be thinking about how to grow their show, or even wondering how to make money directly from it.

They rarely talk about format or how they want to present themselves to the rest of the world. But this is really what they should be focusing on first, before moving on to all their other needs.

There’s no point in thinking about monetising a show, when you haven’t launched it, or edited it, recorded it, planned your episodes, defined your format and thought about what you want to contribute to the world through your content.

This all comes round to prioritising your needs as a podcaster. The beginning podcaster can see there is a long, steep road to follow before they get their first episode out. And so they focus on that last milestone: releasing their audio to the world.

It’s easy to misunderstand what we need help with when starting a show. And some of these needs can’t be met until we address the foundational ones.

Until we’ve satisfied need 1, we can’t successfully address 2; until we address 2, we can’t satisfy 3, etc. Sounds familiar? Does it remind you of somebody else’s work?

That’s because I’ve totally stolen ,erm, been inspired by Maslow‘s pyramid.

So now that I’ve got your attention, let’s have a look at the Podcaster’s Pyramid of needs.

The Podcaster’s Pyramid of Needs

If you’re in the learning or HR profession, or if you’ve done any teaching or management training, you will have come across Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. (In fact, if by any chance you used to follow me when I blogged about team leadership, you might have come across my post on how sharing custard creams can help team members fulfil their needs…)

Maslow’s popular psychology theory suggests that, as human beings, we want to become our best but we can only do this if our needs are met one by one. Once our physiological needs are met (water, food, etc) we can move onto meeting our safety needs, then our social needs, our status/esteem needs, until finally we are ready to become the best versions of ourselves.

In a similar way, a podcaster can work through their needs one by one, starting by understanding what they want to get from their podcast and how they want to present themselves to the world. The place to start is not ‘How do I get my show out there?’ That’s our last need and there is plenty of work to do before then.
Let’s have a look at these needs one by one.

The Need to Have Something to Say

Many new podcasters don’t spend much time figuring out what their most basic need is. They know they want to podcast about a topic, they have a few ideas for some episodes, and that seems to be enough to get them started.

But as with any form of content creation, we need to start thinking about what we want to achieve with our content. Here are some questions you should consider answering first.

What are you really trying to say?
To whom?
What is your unique perspective?
What do we want people to think about us?
How do we want people to feel when they listen to us?

We need to be driven by the need to have something to say, otherwise we will record one episode, maybe even 2, 3 or 4… and hit a block. In December 2020, 41% of podcasts on Apple Podcasts were inactive. Only 38% of shows had released 100 or more episodes, with 35% of shows consisting of only 1 or 2 episodes. (Data courtesy of the My Podcast Reviews service by Daniel J. Lewis, which you can find at MyPodcastReviews.com/stats.)

Setting up a new show and understanding the creation process takes a lot of time, so it makes sense to have an idea of where we’re starting before we head off. Many of these things will change, but we need to understand where the need to set up this new venture comes from.

The Need to Find the Right Format

Next comes the need to understand what format suits us best, and what style of delivery. For many new podcasters, there is only one format that makes sense, and that is the interview format. But although that is the most popular, there are others that may suit you better. A talking head, conversations with a co-host, magazine-style, Q&As…

If you decide to go with the interview format: what kind of interviews will you run? Very structured ones, conversational ones that go off in lots of tangents? Will you use the same questions all the time, or will you spend time researching your guests to make sure each question is carefully crafted to that specific person? Or somewhere in between.

The Need for a Suitable Recording Space and Equipment
Many podcasters ask me about microphones, but very few ask about how to get a space ready to provide the best audio quality. (If you are indeed ready to address this need, I recommend this episode from Big Podcast on Improving Your Podcast Studio.)

Of course microphones are getting better and better, even phones are recording in very high quality (As an anecdote, I recently sent a voice note to a friend, who asked me where I had recorded it as the quality was so good. I used the Memo recorder on my phone.)

My co-host in My Pocket Psych, Richard, has worked with our producer to adapt his office space to give the best sound through use of screens and pillows, while still using a basic microphone, the Yeti.

Some spaces are echoey, some have a fridge next to them that gives off a hum, so finding a suitable space for recording is a basic need.

As well as looking after the sound quality, you also need to make sure that you’re going to feel comfortable. Recording an episode should be something enjoyable, and working crouched over a microphone in a closet might not be the best option. This is a very important need, and you need to address it at the same time that you look for the microphone.

The Need to Learn Audio Production or to Outsource the Process

The two most obvious options when addressing these needs are, either training yourself how to produce audio, or outsourcing it.

I always recommend that new podcasters work on at least a few episodes themselves to understand how their recordings need to be worked on for production (it might help you listen to how suitable your recording environment is with a critical ear), and to help you to pick up on any mannerisms or things about your delivery that you might want to change.

In any case, it’s worth spending some time on thinking about how you are going to meet this need, before moving onto the final one: distribution.

The Need for Episode Distribution

This need is very easily met, but it’s worth doing some work on it, once you’re sure you can meet all your other needs.

In a nutshell, a podcast is hosted by a media host. You upload your files, and they’re sent off to all podcast distributors and platforms, like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts to name but a few. There are many choices for this and even if cost might be a deciding factor on whether you start your podcast or not, it’s worth leaving this to the late stage, as there are a range of options to choose from, including free ones.

Ask around and find a distribution platform that will be easy to work with, and that will stay on top of all the developments in the space. Here’s a recent article by Podchaser that might help you: A Complete List of Podcast Hosting Companies and Their Cost)

In summary, setting up a podcast and keeping it going takes a lot of time and effort, so it’s worth spending some time upfront laying down the foundations. Before heading off and signing up for a media host and start identifying possible sponsors:

Take the time to plan your episodes,
Plan where you will be recording and how,
Think about how podcasting will help you connect deeper with your audience than any other medium.

If you would like help with any of the above, or indeed with any aspect of setting up your first show, get in touch.

And I would love to hear which of the above needs you find most difficult to address, and which you can’t wait to tackle!

If you find the blog useful, and are looking for media hosting and web hosting, consider using my affiliate links to Buzzsprout and Bluehost.