PodLab

An American podcast I like to listen to has just celebrated a huge milestone- 1000 episodes.
It took rich roll 14 years of consistent work to reach this point.

You may or may not have heard of The Rich Roll Podcast - it is very popular (1.5 million subscribers on YouTube alone).
But it is definitely not as well known as, say, Diary of a CEO, Call Her Daddy or The Joe Rogan Experience.

I wanted to share his story because 14 years is a useful reality check for anyone who wants to have a crack at starting a podcast with the goal of making it great.

All podcasters wish and hope their first episode will blow up. And many creators quietly expect their podcast to become successful within six months. When that fails to happen, they often assume the concept is broken. But the biggest shows in the world often look inevitable only in hindsight.

Rich Roll makes a great living from his podcast now- 14 years in. But he made NOTHING in the first few years- that was when he was sharpening his act, learning his craft.

If you are just starting out- the most important attribute you need is PATIENCE.
It may take the first couple of years to learn how to podcast- equipment, conversation techniques, preparation, research, production, YouTube, social media, refining the product.
It is likely to be years before you start to see real tangible results from all your early hard work.

The one way you can ensure your podcast never gets the audience it deserves is for you to quit.
Carrying on won’t guarantee you will succeed- but it dramatically increases your chances!

Guess who’s back?? The NZ Podcast Awards are returning for year 6 🎙️✨

Last year blew us away. Over 1 million Kiwis tuned in, and you all cast more than 30,000 votes for your favourite shows. That’s a LOT of love for podcasting in Aotearoa 🥹

We can’t wait to see what this year brings - new categories, new partners, new prizes, and hopefully even more of you getting involved. Watch this space for entries and voting 👀

NEWSFLASH: POLITICIANS ARE MAKING PODCAST-STYLE CLIPS NOW!

Not always actual podcasts. Just the vibe:
Mic on the table.
Nice studio lighting.
Someone talking off camera.
A few sharp clips for social.

And honestly… it makes total sense to us.
Because this style of content feels way more natural than a polished corporate video. It feels like a conversation.

And this isn’t just for politicians: CEOs, founders and business leaders should be doing this too.

You don’t need to launch a full podcast.
You don’t need to become an influencer.
You just need to show up, share what you know, and let people hear from the humans behind the business.
Because Kiwis love supporting people they know…or at least feel like they know.
That’s why this style of content works. And it’s exactly what we do at PodLab.

Come into the studio, record a proper conversation, and walk away with high-quality content for LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and wherever else your audience is hanging out.

Perception: “Everyone’s got a podcast these days” 🤦‍♀️

Reality: Since podcasting was invented there have been a total of 1007 New Zealand podcasts. That’s it!

Why you NEED one: More CEOs, Founders and Senior leaders are creating content because audiences increasingly want to hear directly from the people building companies, not just the companies themselves.

Which means…
The executives who consistently share stuff (ideas, lessons, insights, authentic experiences) will build stronger brands.
Downstream this leads to attracting better talent, creating deeper customer relationships, generating more business, and influencing industries in ways that traditional corporate messaging never could.

So what are you waiting for?
The best time to start was 5-10 years ago. The next best time is RIGHT NOW!

Dom here. I saw this quote on Instagram and wanted to share it with any aspiring independent podcaster.

Since we opened Podlab there is a couple of things we have seen over and over again:

1: Podcasters launch then give up after a few months due to frustration or disappointment at the lack of results for the work they have put in.

2: Podcasters launch then expect to find an advertiser to cover costs from episode 1.
(This means they expect a business to invest in them financially before they even invest in themselves!)

Podcasting is like the cheesy fruit tree quote.
You start.
You nurture.
You wonder if anything is happening
You keep going.
You see things happening- but it’s painfully slow.
You keep going.
Then, eventually, you get to eat the fruit.
And if you keep going, and are good enough for long enough, you have so much fruit you start sharing it with others!

This is the unsexy reality of podcasting:
Its hard. It’s a grind. If it was easy, everyone would be crushing it.
The upside is this: most people give up. So, to be successful, the #1 thing you have to do is keep going!

If you are about to start your journey- DM us. Or help yourself to the FREE resources on our website: Podlab.co.nz