#247 Rules of Engagement: Stop Checking My Analytics

Chapters

• 3:01 Letting Go Of Metrics
• 4:15 Reframing The Podcast As Art
• 6:26 Quantity Over Perfection

Transcript

Speaker 1: 2:02

Welcome to the Scott Townsend Show, brought to you by Beats OMAN Productions.

Speaker: 2:06

Hey everybody, welcome back to the Scott Townsend Show. Today, I want to talk about something that's been shifting in my mind lately. Something I think a lot of creators, podcasters, and anyone putting anything out into the world needs to hear. I'm officially stepping away from obsessing over likes, follows, subscribers, downloads, views, all of it. I'm not saying those things don't matter at some level. They're helpful. They tell you what's resonating, but I've realized they can get in the way. They can distract you from the actual work. They can make you chase the wrong things. And I'll be honest, I've become too distracted with the metrics lately, refreshing analytics, checking follower counts, you know, wondering why one episode took off and another didn't. It's exhausting. And honestly, it's not the point. The point is the work, the conversations, the practice. So I'm shifting gears. My new North Star is simple. Make more episodes, tell more stories, put out more work. And here's something I've been thinking a lot about lately. My podcast is my art. This is the medium I use to express myself. Some people paint, some people write songs, some people sculpt. I make conversations, I create moments, I explore people's stories and share them with anyone who wants to listen. That's art to me. And because of that, I want to pause and thank all of you who check in, listen in, and form an opinion about what you've heard. Whether you like it, love it, disagree with it, or argue with it in your car, thank you. Because I'm of the opinion that art doesn't actually happen until someone forms an opinion about the creation. I think Seth Godin said something along those lines once. That art isn't finished until it meets an audience. I really believe that. Every shot was a rep. Meanwhile, the quality group spent the whole semester theorizing about perfection instead of actually creating anything. And that hits home for me. Because if my podcast is my art, then I need to treat it like an artist treats their craft. You gotta show up, create constantly, create consistently, let the work evolve, let mistakes teach me, let repetition sharpen the voice. So instead of chasing the perfect episode, the perfect guess, the perfect hook, or the perfect metrics, I'm choosing quantity. Not careless quantity, but intentional, steady, keep going, keep growing, quantity. Because every episode teaches me something. How to ask better questions, how to listen, how to shape a conversation, how to uncover something real. And when you focus on quantity, quality eventually sneaks up on you. One day you compare episode 300 with episode three, and you realize, yep, that's growth. So that's where I'm headed. Less worrying, less refreshing analytics, more creating. I'm gonna do more learning and more art. My podcast is my art. And from here on out, I'm going to keep making it. Not for the algorithms and not for the scoreboard, but for the joy of creating it. And for those of you who choose to complete it by listening. And with that, I want to thank you for listening. This is Scott Townsend. Thanks for listening to the Scott Townsend Show. Have a great day. Everything's going to be alright. And we'll talk to you later.

Speaker 1: 7:35

The Scott Townsend Show is a D So Man production. For more episodes, visit the Scott Townsend Show YouTube channel. Listen on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.