Monday Tip: Are you sure you want to that?

And by that I mean anything from blogging to podcasting to video

But mostly video and podcasting.

When I talk with people about their sites and their content plans — content plans aren’t strategies yet, they are ideas to get the ball rolling — folks often say something like “I’d like to start a podcast. Maybe do a video show too.”

To which I always say something like “Uh huh, okay. Good ideas, but let’s work up to that after we’ve gotten the strategy set.”

It’s a tough thing to say. On one hand I don’t want to stomp on someone’s idea or passion. On the other hand, having done podcasts and videos, I know they aren’t just harder to do, they are harder to keep doing? over time. So here’s my Monday Tip for you:

Are you sure you want to do that?

In the same vein as saying you don’t have to blog and planning your content strategy (don’t forget the three essentials), you need to think through each content tactic you’re going to explore. Here’s the thing about doing video and podcasts — they are a lot harder (and more expensive) than virtually any other content out there. No doubt, you can use your iPhone or HD webcam in your laptop to record video or a podcast. And Macs come with GarageBand and iMovie, both of which are more than capable for producing pretty polished pieces. The thing is, unlike blog posts or even infographics, great videos and great podcasts sound great because they have better than average gear making it possible: better cameras, better lights, better mics, better software. But that’s not all. There is one big, big thing that separates great podcasts and videos:

Time

It takes time to create them. Unless you’re recording a live show, you’re going to need several takes. Period. Then when you’re done you have to polish the content. Video and audio have to be edited to look and sound better. This. Takes. Time. There is no getting around it.

Writing? Oh sure it takes time, but I can write an write and publish a blog post in a couple hours and the quality of my keyboard and laptop have nothing? to do with the finished product. You can’t tell if I typed this post out on my iPhone or iPad or MacBook. Doesn’t matter. The words are the same. You sure and hell can tell if I recorded a podcast or video just using the built in mic and camera though.

Fine, fine podcasts and videos take more time, I get it. I still want to do a podcast (or video blog).

Right, now are you ready to keep? doing it? That’s the kicker. That’s what people don’t count on. I sure didn’t. I’ve started probably a half dozen podcasts. My Walkabout Podcast from 2005–2006 (maybe 2007) was fun, but eventually I had a backlog of episodes to publish and was running out of good ideas.

So I stopped.

I haven’t done a video blog, maybe a one off video here and there, because I’m terrible on camera. I can’t sit still, my eyes wander (what is he looking at?!?), and I fidget. But I’ve done hours of screencasted tutorials for my Using WordPress book and a related video series on building websites with WordPress. And, man I was happy when I finished. They were exhausting.

And this is the thing. There are only a few people I know who’ve kept their podcasts or video blogs going for more than a couple years. It’s tiring, it’s expensive, and it’s demanding work. If you want to do it, more power to you. Heck I’ll even be a guest (voice) on your show. I’ll even give you tips and help you work video and podcasts into your content strategy. But I’m still going to ask:

Are you sure?

Originally published at www.trishussey.com on July 10, 2018.