Are You Stuck in Podcast "Research Mode"?

podcasters, probably 1000s of podcasters. At this point, one of the answers I often get to this question is How is your podcast going? as well? I'm in research mode. Oh, and it's like, it's a cringe worthy answer for me. Even if it's well intentioned, even if it's the truth, even if you're like, no, literally, I have been researching this and I'm starting tomorrow. I still have this visceral reaction when someone tells me that they are in research mode. So we are

going to dive into it. today. I'm going to I'm basically you're in a therapy session with me now, because I'm going to get some things off my chest. But how I feel with all of these podcasters stuck in research mode. So let's get right to it. Welcome to the Proffitt Podcast where we teach entrepreneurs how to start launch and market their podcast. I'm your host, Krystal, Proffitt, and I'm so excited that you're here. Thanks for hanging

out with me today. Because if you've been trying to figure out the world of podcasting, think of this show as the time saving shortcut you've been looking for. So let's get right to it, shall we?

before. And I think that there is a lot of really awesome things that you can learn about yourself, whenever you get introspective, and you start looking and evaluating like things that have happened, you know, across your life, but I feel like this month, like all the episodes that have come out have been some of the things that you would talk about, if you had a podcast therapist, like normally I refer to myself, like, Hey, I'm

Krystal, your podcast coach. But I feel like there's been so many mindset things that I see all the time that we do not talk about. And that is really what I wanted to hit on this month, like the episodes that we've been putting out, because

we haven't talked about them before. Like, usually it's easy to talk about, Hey, I can teach you how to do this, I will give you the How to Choose and the five steps and the 12 steps like, you know, like, here's the three steps you need to start launching market your podcast, like I could do

that all day until I'm blue in the face. But if I cannot actually get podcasters to take action, or someone to go from an aspiring podcaster, to having actually launched their podcast, then all of the things that I've done over the last few years will have been wasted. Right? I'm not here just talking to talk. Like, let's be real honest, I do love talking about podcasting. But that's not why I'm here. I'm not here just to speak at you. I'm trying to help you really resolve some of the

issues where people get stuck. And one of those places one of the top responses I get so often is I'm in research mode, but I like to rephrase it to Oh, you're stuck in research mode.

sounds y'all. It's nothing fancy. Let me just let's cut to this real fast because this is the hard hitting stuff that I know you really want to know. Back in 2020. When quarantine first happened, I told my husband. My only advice is coffee. We're going to invest in a really good coffee machine. So we got one of those ninja coffee makers. That makes like cold brew iced

coffee. And it has a frother on the side. And I gotta admit, like the frother is the most important piece of this whole contraption, because I can make my own lattes. And here's what I do. I know this is total sidetrack, but it's important, okay, if you want to, if we're having coffee together, you need to know how like my coffee. I just do regular we have three boys, we always have

milk in our fridge. So I have 2% milk, I heat it up in the fridge, I put it's not a full cup, it's probably about half a cup or three quarters of a cat. I put it in my coffee mug that goes in the microwave 30 to 45 seconds, I take it out of the microwave, it does have to be warm, especially if it's coming. It's ice cold from the fridge. You put that in the microwave, I had just a little pinch of sugar. And then I froth it and it's so

beautiful. It's so glorious. It makes my heart so happy when I have this big foamy all which is so good. It's almost a cappuccino, but it's a latte. It's what I'm calling it at least it's my version of a latte. And then it's just I pour my hot coffee on top of it and it's glorious. And I have one of those in the afternoon. I don't always have one in the morning because I'm like, well, that's a lot like every day, but it makes it makes me

happy. Okay, so there you go. There's there's the quick aside of why us having a latte together is very special to me, because I love my lattes.

know what I'm gonna do. But I just I know that I want to have a podcast one day, it is in the stars for me to create a podcast and like that is fantastic. How is it going? How is your actual podcast planning going? When I ask this question, two things happen. Okay, it's one of two responses. The first one is just it cracks me up every time. Because they give me this deer in headlights look that you would give to a teacher.

If she were to ask you. Where's your homework? And you're like, Oh, crap, I didn't know we had an assignment due today. That is literally what happens when someone tells me like, Oh, I want to have a podcast one day like I've just I'm so excited. I'm like, great. How's your planning going? Like, where are you? And they're like, What? But like, but they just totally get stumped. And they don't know what to say. They don't know what to do. They like I can see it in their eyes.

They're like, I wish I could disappear and run away from Krystal as quickly as possible. Because I just realized, she's the coach. And this is what she does. And she's probably going to ask me, What are you going to talk about? What are you going to do? Like, she's going to just say all the things and they just look like I wish I could disappear away from this entire conversation. just totally fine. But it happens a lot. That's response number one. The second response that I get, and this goes

back to why this makes me cringe. I hear Oh, I'm still in research mode. I'm still in research mode. This is why we're talking about it today. This is why this is why we're dedicating an entire podcast episode. And we're not just like, oh, we'll throw that in there as a funny little joke. No, we're definitely diving into this today. Because research mode is like a four letter word to me. It really is. I mean, I can't even say it correctly to her. I said it really weird last time

research mode. That's all I was trying to say. Oh my gosh, hang on. I just had a moment to please tell me you've seen the movie. The Incredibles the animated movie. I just heard Edna mode. You know what I'm talking about, you know, you know the character, you know the part where she's like going through her security. And she says her name, Edna mode, and it's real monotone. That's how I feel like we're in research mode. Like this is a bad thing. It's not a good thing to tell me that

I'm still in research mode. Okay. All of you kids, all of you kids, all of you parents that have small children. And you've seen The Incredibles you're laughing right now you're like, I know exactly what she's talking about. If everybody else I'm sorry. It's just a weird. It's a weird quirky thing. I quote movies. Very often. Sometimes my kids and I will speak exclusively in movies. I do the same thing with my husband too. So yeah, welcome. You are officially part of this

family. Now. We're having a lot tied together. And like we're just we're speaking in movies speak. Okay, this this is what this podcast is come to and I'm here for it. This is actually a lot of fun for me. So if you don't know what the term Research mode means if you're like, oh, that just means researching, hang on, there is a spectrum. As the more I talk to podcasters, and the more I meet people, there is a spectrum of what I'm in research mode actually means. And that's what I

want to break down. Because if you're listening to this, and you have not started your podcast, it is likely you are stuck in research mode that is disguised as something that you think is actually really productive and a good use of your time. I'm going to debunk some of those today. All right.

far as I got. And I'm like, Well, what doesn't sound like you need to do more research if you know, marketing, but you know, okay, let's, let's keep going. your topic is marketing. Well, is there anything specific about it? Well, that's the part I'm trying to research. I'm trying to explore all of the options of marketing. And I say, Okay, well, well, you know, what is? Tell me more? Tell me more. What are your What are your thoughts?

What are you thinking? Well, I could go the angle of online marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, in person marketing, outbound marketing, b2b marketing, b2c marketing, like, there's so many different options in May. I'm just like, why does it go? So Mike? Yes, there are lots of options. Do you know the background on any of these, because I think what happens is we look at all the possibilities that are out there, when it comes to podcast topics, and all the things that

we know and that we're passionate about. And then we say, Oh, I'm really not an expert in these. But I could be so I'll wait and start my podcast whenever I've got like six more months of experience under my belt, and then I can start that really super niche podcast that no one else really has. This is a bad plan. Okay? This is your if you're nodding, you're like, Oh, crap, that's me. This is a bad plan. Okay, but I'm not gonna

give you this solution yet. We're just gonna keep going down with the bad ideas, the bad ideas of, quote, research mode. Okay, so that's one. The next one is when someone tells me they're in research mode, and I say, what does that look like? They said, Well, I'm deciding on the audience and who I want to speak to. I'm like, Oh, this is fantastic. Like this is, this is great. This is what you're supposed to do. Right? So Well, tell me more like, Where are you stuck?

Like, what it what are you researching further. And this is where it all goes downhill from there. So they will tell me Well, I created this survey, I spent hours creating this incredible survey that I'm going to send to my audience. But then I realized I only have about 20 people in my audience. And I got one response back. And it was my cousin who I know is not in my adult audience, I'm pretty sure that she just checked all the boxes and wrote like you're doing a great job like

that is not helpful. So I decided I really need to start building my audience. And then I'll send my survey to all of those people on my social media and my email list. And then they'll tell me what I need to talk about and who I really need to speak to, because I will have grown my audience and then I'll be ready to launch my podcast. You can already guess when to say this is not a great strategy. Well, I love that you're trying to survey your audience and you know, understand

exactly who you want to talk to. This is not the approach that I'm going to suggest you take. Okay, so this is number two. The next one is, well, I'm trying to choose my podcast name, but I just can't settle on just the right one. Just the one that I think oh my gosh, like a bolt of lightning struck the ground. It hit me and I'm like, Yes, this is the podcast name I should have. It came from heaven above. And I know that this is the name I was meant to have. And they said that hasn't

happened yet. Well, just just to let you know, it will probably never happen that way. Like, seriously, I don't know anyone that has named a podcast that said this was given to me by God Himself. He had delivered it on a sticky note and placed it gently in my lap one Tuesday morning whenever I was drinking my latte, no, that's never happened. What I do see happening, and we'll talk about this in a second. But what I do see is people get in the trenches of trying to find the

right name for their show. And then it's taken. And then they say, Well, I thought of this amazing idea. And Susie q from Georgia had that idea first. So my name is taken, I quit. And they seriously they give up they say, well, the name that I wanted to use is taken, I don't have any other good ideas. So I'm just it's podcasting isn't for me, and they just throw in the towel. Because the one spark of inspiration that they did have is gone. It's taken, and they can't use it.

So therefore, they're No, they're, they're not stuck in research mode. They just gave up on research mode. They're like, No, I'm just I, I searched for one term, one time it's gone. Why should I even podcast? This is not a good solution to your problem, either. Okay, I got two more to share with you. The next thing whenever I dig deeper and say, What does research mode look like for you? They say, Well, I'm working on the creative piece of my artwork. Should I hire a

designer? Should I just do this myself? And I'm like, Oh, yes, that means that they probably recorded some episodes, like they got stuff out there. Like they're ready. Like, this is one of the last things before they launched their podcast out into the world. And so whenever I start digging, and I say, Well, how many episodes have you recorded? Like, do you have a launch date? Are you are you ready to go? And they're like, Oh, no, I just know that I have to figure out my artwork

first. Because if I can't imagine my podcast in someone's hands, like them going to it and listening to it on their phone, then it's not really a real podcast, I need to have the artwork first. And I get to the point where I'm like, ready to pull my hair out. Because I'm just like, Oh my gosh, like, you could literally go into Canva. and type in. This is my podcast, whatever the name of it is, slap it up there and go for it, make it happen. But people just overthink this one

piece. And yes, a podcast artwork is a big deal. It is something that you should spend time on. But not six months, y'all, you do not need to spend six months creating your first piece of podcast artwork. Why can I say that with confidence? Because I know, probably 20 shows I'm not exaggerating, 20 shows that I've been following for the last probably six years that have changed their artwork, some of them multiple times,

multiple times. So if you're saying like, Oh, you know, like, it's just got to, it's not perfect, yet I got to, I don't have the right font or have the right picture. You got to go with something, okay, you got to go with something. And now I'm jumping ahead of myself, because I am going to give you some solutions to how you can get out of research mode. But this one just really frustrates me when people say, I've been creating my podcast artwork for months and months, and it's still not

perfect. And they haven't even started recording. They have not even started recording, all they've done is settled on a name, and maybe a topic, they haven't even started recording because they're like, I got to figure out my artwork before I do anything else. I'm just like, oh my god, she tried to kill me. This is not gonna work. This is not gonna work. Okay, the last response I get when I dig deeper on research mode, and I could keep going. But this is where I decided to cut it off.

Because this kind of groups in most of people's reasons of research mode. They're trying to figure out podcasting by dedicating hours and hours on Google and YouTube. And they find themselves circling around in circles, like just going, like, Oh, you know, this video went here and this and most of it has to do with recording, like, let's just be really honest. They're trying to figure out, how do I record a show? That sounds like an

award winning production? How can I make it where I do this and do that, but then they get in there and they're like, Wait, do I need to record in stereo or mono? How does this work? I don't even know what that's mean. Like, let me go back. Let me go back to YouTube. Let me go to Google. Do I need to have both of these lines moving at the same time and do like do they need to align totally together? Does it need to be what's the decimal? What does that even mean? Why Are these

numbers negative? What's the Hertz? Like? There's all this information. And so you're dedicating hours and hours and hours trying to figure out audacity or Hindenburg or audition or GarageBand, wherever you're recording, and you're stuck, you are stuck, whether you want to call it research mode, or whatever it is, you say, Oh, well, you know, three weeks ago, I tried to record something, but it didn't work. So yeah, I really haven't done much else to figure it out. So I'm

just gonna, I don't know, we'll see. Those are the people I run into. This is where I get so frustrated, so fresh, and I get it, y'all I get it. I have done almost all of these things to it's actually one of the strategies that I use to launch my very first podcast, and 2018 I, I didn't buy a course, I watched a ton of YouTube videos for about two months straight. I remember, I it's really cool that I did the journaling. And I look at the day where I said, I think I want to start a

podcast, too. I just launched my podcast, and it was 59 days, it was 59 days that it took me to figure out how all this podcasting stuff work, like what's the title, what's the name how I want it to be. But for me, research mode becomes a very big concern, especially as your podcast coach, when I run into you, you the same people that said, I want to start a podcast and then six to 12 months later, I asked, Well, how is your show going? And your response is, I'm still in research

mode. That That right there is the cringe worthy response that I'm just like, Oh, my gosh, you're just stuck. You're stuck. You're stuck, and you don't know how to get unstuck. It's totally different. If your life is chaotic, and you're like, I just can't do this. I have a lot of family things. I have personal things. I have professional things. Like it's not the right time for my business. Like all of those are legitimate

reasons. I'm not talking to those people. I'm talking to those of you that say, I'm in research mode, this is what you tell me, I am in research mode with my podcast. And I'm like, What does that even mean? What does that even mean?

you're gonna do is plan, right? This is something we all have to do you have to plan out what does this look like? And honestly, I'm such a big, like proponent of journaling. I'm just going to recommend it to everybody. But I would just journal like pretend that I am asking you what are the goals and the dreams of your podcast, use that as your writing prompt, and just start writing.

You can talk about the topic you want to speak about the audience, you want to talk to the content you think that your people would love, like just start brain dumping all of these ideas, but you got to start planning somewhere. Okay, this typically is easy for everyone. They're like, Oh, I got this. But the second part is where people get stuck. The second part is research. This is part of the process you should be

researching. You should be looking at other people's titles to make sure you're not taking someone else's name, you should be asking your audience you know, what kind of content do you want? like is this really the person that I want to speak to? And like all these things, research is a good thing. But it turns into that four letter word when you don't take action. Okay? You cannot be stuck in research mode and actually have

a podcast. Those two are not the same. Okay? So you have to plan you have to research and then number three is you have to just make a decision. You have to make a decision and it doesn't have to be the end all be all perfect decision that's like oh, you know, the Lord will for this to happen. No. But you do have to make some decisions to get started. It is literally why our motto around here is Keep it up. We all have to start somewhere.

Because we do. I was the one that needed to hear this whenever I first came up with the slogan whenever first started saying this is my tagline keep it up, we all have to start somewhere because I needed to hear that I needed to hear, you know, everyone starts at zero, everyone starts with not knowing exactly what they're doing. Everyone starts with kind of being clumsy and having a clunky process. And you know, just getting going, everyone has that. But you won't have that unless

you make a decision. So get out of research mode, and just make a decision. And then the fourth thing is evaluate, evaluate, this is really important, especially for you perfectionist out there, I'm talking to you, I'm talking to you, that are stuck in research mode, because you want everything to be quote, perfect. Just know that if you've made a decision with your podcast, and you

don't love it, it's not the end of the world's. I mean, if you've listened to this show, you've been around here for a while, you know that this podcast did not start off in the very beginning, and just transformed overnight into what it is today. There was a process there were many I mean, there was how many 40 episodes of an entirely different podcast before this show became the Proffitt Podcast. 40. Yeah, it's not like I launched one episodes that Oh, my gosh, this is

wrong. I need to just switch to podcasting. No, no, I did that podcast for a while. But then I was sat down, I evaluated which is step four, right? We're planning we're researching. We're making a decision, then we're evaluating our decisions. And we're saying, Is this still the way that I want to run this podcast? Is this still the topic I want to speak about? Is this still the audience I want to speak to? So I want you to evaluate and see, should you make changes? Should you make

improvements? Or should you pivot altogether, and I'm going to recommend if you are listening to this, and you've been in research mode, and you're just getting started, maybe you're about to launch, give yourself three months before you make any changes. So launch your show with the pre determined content you already had, and maybe put out 12 to 15 episodes and then ask yourself, do I still love this topic? Do I feel comfortable speaking to this audience? Am I energized with my

podcast? Because if you're not, then it's time to evaluate. But y'all, you just got to get started. Stop saying I'm in research mode. Like it's a cute little like home, you know, I'm just practicing. I'm just trying this thing out. If you're going to do it, do it. And I mean, y'all know if, if you have been around here, I'm like, should I say this should not say it. I'll say the clean version. In

case you have littles listening. for y'all, my dad was a plumber, like for like all of my life, and he would always use the term poop or get off the pot. You know what I'm talking about? It's the other four letter word that I'm not gonna say her really want to because it would have a lot more emphasis but poop or get off the pot. What are you even doing? If I asked you and I'm I will do this. If I see you. And I say, how is your podcast

going? If we're in the DMS, if you send me an email if we run into each other at a conference, and I say how's your podcast going? And you say, I'm in research mode. I will literally say the other phrase to you poop or get off the pot. Okay. Whoo, y'all, huh? We needed this today. This all needed to come out. Because y'all tell on me. I'm still in research mode is not gonna fly anymore. I feel like I have spoken light on the wall. And I don't really say that there's rules around here.

But this is one of them. If I talk to you, please do not tell me that you're in research mode because I will I will forward this podcast to you and say you need to go listen to this. Okay, this is no we can't even have we can't even continue our conversation. I will walk away from my latte at the table and say, you need to go listen to this podcast episode more than we need to finish our conversation. Okay, this is very, very serious because I want to see you get your podcast out

into the world. Oh, okay. I'm gonna step off the soapbox. I'm gonna step off. Okay, I'm stepping down because I do need to be a little bit more light and cheery and fun for the next thing and I'm about to tell you because If you're listening to this in real time, we are about to start our five day podcast challenge. It is actually starting on Monday, August 23. It goes through August 27 2021. So if you're listening to this later, the challenge is over probably, and maybe

you won't have the option to join us. But if you're listening to this, and you're like, I really need some of Krystal's coaching in my life, or you just want to ask questions, you want to do some q&a, you want to have some motivation from other podcasters you want to finally you're like, Okay, wrestle, I'm gonna pull up and get off the pot. This is me. I don't want to be stuck in research mode. Again, you need to join us in the

challenge. So you'll go to KrystalProffitt.com/challenge to sign up, there's gonna be a link in the show notes of this episode. But I want to see you there. I want to see you. And maybe you can even say Krystal, I listened to your episode about being in research mode. I have been here, maybe you can tell me how long I promise. Oh, if you're in the challenge, I won't yell at you. I won't yell at you for being in research mode. Okay, because you have, you have

come to the right place. you've realized I need help with my podcast. So you will be welcomed with open arms. Okay. But I want you to sign up. So there will be a link in the show notes. Again, the Show Notes for this episode are KrystalProffitt.com/episode282.

podcast. But that's all I have for you today. So make sure that you are following the show wherever you're listening. And I cannot wait to chat with you again about podcasting next week. So remember, keep it up. We all have to start somewhere.