Chris Land – Podcastreporter.com

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter show, we discuss the topic of imposter syndrome — not only what it is (according to Chris Land), but also how to detect it in your own self and publications, and how to avoid it. This is explained in a post published earlier this year at this URL:

improvepodcast.com/imposter-syndrome

For many podcasters, this is a common fear. And although we did have a prior episode that started to scratch the surface of this theme, we now deliver a bit more from this newer post in 2022 to help you decide about imposter syndrome and perhaps your feelings about it as either a newer or aspiring podcaster.

The topics in this post cover the following areas:

So what is this syndrome?

“Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes coined the term in 1978. It is not an actual mental ailment, but a dominating feeling that makes you downplay your own achievements.

Initially, it was thought to be experienced only by women, as their professional achievements were often attributed to luck or other factors rather than their capabilities. Additionally, women who were outspoken about their success were considered cocky. Over time, researchers observed that men also experienced imposter syndrome.”

Now, the topic brought to you by this post is: Imposter syndrome in podcasting is quite common: “While entry into the podcasting world is easy, many podcasters question your self-worth in the light of positive feedback and success.”

Because of this syndrome and the fear that it causes, one of the symptoms is that some podcasters suffer from the deterrent emphasized by sales expert Charlie “tremendous” Jones — the production-to-perfection model. As you may know, this is the model where a perfectionist wants to tweak the offering or the product just “a bit more” — but he never finishes the tweaking and never releases the product, thus being outflanked by competitors and he loses the opportunity for success.

So the post then goes on to list the five types of imposter syndrome and a few details to briefly try to explain them — you may want to consume this article to see what these types of the syndrome (according to the author) seem to be, and if you yourself may be guilty of succumbing to them:

“The perfectionist (which leads to a great deal of anxiety);
The superhero;
The natural genius;
The soloist who wants to do all by himself and does not want to outsource almost anything;
The Expert: Such podcasters are highly skilled and experienced in their niche, yet they have doubts about their expertise. They are always trying to learn more.”

Now, the discussion then tends to reveal some of the reasons why podcasters may be more vulnerable to this syndrome:

“There is no entry barrier in podcasting” (so you do not have to provide proof of credentials, etc)
The requirement for multiple technical skills — “When they find all work – researching and writing a script, recording interviews, editing sound, writing transcripts, marketing, etc. way too much to handle, they believe that the fault lies in them. “
It takes time to gain momentum and to grow and to become popular;
There is disappointment with the podcast statistics: “they are not happy with numbers”;
“It’s a side hustle” — because they do not know how to monetize;
“It’s not related to their work experience / education;”

Some seven tips on how to overcome Podcaster Imposter Syndrome

The article then gives you these seven suggestions (what is called a “formula”) for overcoming this syndrome:

“Recognize your feelings;
Accept that you cannot be a master of all;
Share your thoughts;
Don’t compare;
Consider the circumstances (i.e., don’t have unrealistic expectations if you don’t get the results you demand or plan for);
Don’t be scared to fail;
Enjoy the process: Such podcasters are highly skilled and experienced in their niche, yet they have doubts about their expertise.”

The article ends with a summary and point of view from the author as he tries to give you a positive, uplifting and generous result for your own self-doubt.

For this podcaster, I have sometimes felt the imposter syndrome about the technical aspects. But I had enough experience as a systems engineer for over 30 years in the high tech industry to overcome this. I did get the skills I needed right away, and I kept my continuing education ON MY OWN in the tech area, as well as the interviewing environment and I did keep up with information and events in podcasting — from subscribing and consuming the podcast shows about podcasting, as well as attending and participating in the events that were held where podcasters got together and shared training, experiences and new announcements.

And I did feel comfortable in overcoming this syndrome very quickly, as I did have 16 different podcast shows running at the same time in 2011 — just five years after entering the podosphere. Since that time, I have podfaded most, but I have started four new shows since then.

So I would strongly suggest that you consume this article. Then I would recommend that you create a matrix of the syndrome and its symptoms, and then see how you have either addressed it now with your shows, or how you have overcome this in the past. This will give you a better perspective of dealing with the “tiger” in a factual way and then I suggest that this will give you more STRENGTH, more CONFIDENCE, and it will make you less vulnerable to the imposter syndrome in podcasting.

Thank you for your attention.