Ona here!

In this week's episode of The Podcast Trapper, I have a hot take for you.

Indie creators and fellow community-builders: Nobody owes us anything!

There it is, I said it.

If your audience isn’t doing exactly what you ask of them, don’t berate or belittle them. I’ve been seeing a lot of this lately. More than once, I have seen creators chastising their audience, frustrated that they are not liking, subscribing, commenting, purchasing, following, or listening.

Especially as we head into a recession, I’m here to give you a pep talk. Frustration is at an all-time high and while your feelings are valid, they might not be as productive as you think.

The thing is - your audience does not owe you.

Let’s discuss…

It’s time to address our expectations

I get it. You saw a gap in the industry and stepped up. You may have seen an opportunity to change lives, tell an important story or create community.

I see you, and I relate.

You poured your time and energy into your podcast, event or collective - expecting people to be just as obsessed as you are. You painstakingly wrote a newsletter. You spent your savings on hosting an event. You spent every second of every day managing a Facebook group or posting on Instagram.

But the sad truth has arrived: No one is going to be as obsessed with what you do, as you are. And that has to be okay.

It’s time to face your expectations. Really ask yourself - what have I been expecting of my audience? What standard am I unintentionally holding them to? Am I setting them up to disappoint me?

The fact of the matter is, nobody asked you to sacrifice your mental, emotional, physical or financial health for the wellbeing of your community. It’s too much for any one person, and you’re doing the most. Who are you actually upset with?

It’s time to ask  yourself: Do you actually have a community?

The answer to this may seem obvious. Of course you have a community! But do you, really?

Maybe not.

If you are struggling to get people to take action, you may not be connecting authentically with your audience. It may be time to step back, look at your work with fresh eyes and take stock of what’s working, and what is not.

If they’re not subscribing, they may not be resonating with your content. If they’re not opting in to your emails, maybe they’re just not seeing the value and your effort could be best spent elsewhere.

Do you have a community or do you have an audience who just likes people-watching? If they’re just lurking and taking zero action, that’s valuable information.

I always refer back to the classic story of the influencer with 50+ million followers who couldn’t sell seven t-shirts. Case in point: It does not matter how big your vanity metrics are, if people don’t love what you do. Take that information into account and remind yourself that if your audience is not taking action, you may need to switch up your marketing plan.

Reclaim your passion

This is a hard truth, but if you are only creating for the money, it might not be the right business for you. There is nothing wrong with discovering that.

If you feel burnt out and angry at your audience for never doing enough, maybe you need to join an industry that guarantees success. Getting a “normal” job isn’t for everybody, but you are promised a specific amount of money at a specific time, and being an independent creator sure does not provide that! There are few certainties in life, and it is okay to acknowledge that being a creator full-time is not for you.

I left a full-time career in healthcare to open Adode Media. I left behind my big income, my benefits, my paid holidays, etcetera. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make and I do not hold my audience accountable for my decision.

They didn’t ask me to do this - I felt called to do it, and I’m glad I did.

Your feelings are valid

I want to step back and make a point, though! While I don’t endorse chastising your community or lecturing your audience, I do want to validate your feelings.

It is okay to be frustrated. In fact, it’s okay to be pissed off.

I can understand what this feels like. Being frustrated is an essential part of being an independent creator, because making big moves comes with a territory.

You get to be mad.

I just ask that you share these feelings with a therapist, vent to your best friend, or tell your fellow creators over a glass of wine after hours that you’re feeling down and ask for a pick-me-up. Don’t take this out on your audience.

I also want to remind you that it doesn’t work. People don’t go on the internet to feel bad about themselves. They don’t want to be chastised, and you’ll probably just drive them further away. Process your feelings in your real life, and return to the internet having taken care of yourself! It’s better this way, I promise.

I give you permission to quit.

Are you over it? I give you permission to quit.

That’s right - I personally give you permission to step away, take a vacation, stay in bed for a day, or whatever it takes for you to feel like yourself again.

As a community builder myself, I can attest to the fact that this role feels thankless a lot of the time. Sometimes I will feel the warm and fuzzy feelings - when someone comes to me and tells me that they landed a big sponsorship at the event I put on, or when they used my advice about client contracts to avoid a legal problem, or when they used my advice to help grow or monetize their show. That feeling is incredible. But for every time that happens, there are far more times when nobody acknowledges my work, and I have to be at peace with that.

In the past, there were so many times when I was like - what was I thinking, doing this? For example, I put on Blk Pod Festival and I personally did not make any money from it. Seriously, my work was constant and thankless and unpaid. I did it because I believed in it wholeheartedly, and it had meaning to me.

I see what goes into what you do, and you are a gem for doing it. Avoid giving all of yourself and burning yourself out completely.

This is important advice especially for Black people. We have to do so much already to get ahead that it feels like we need to hustle more, more, more - and then our light is dimmed when we get burnt out. I’m here to tell you that you deserve more.

I like to say: Nobody owes us anything, but we owe ourselves everything.

That’s all for today’s episode!

Thoughts? Feelings? Reach out to me at support@adodemedia.com.

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