Lessons from Cal Ripken, the Iron Man

Thirty years ago this month, Cal Ripken Jr. made baseball history.

He played 2,131 consecutive games for the Baltimore Orioles, breaking the record set by Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees.

Ripken would go on to play 2,632 consecutive games, a milestone we may never see broken in our lifetime. All told, he would play 21 seasons, all with the Orioles.

As a lover of baseball and podcasts, I came up with five things podcasters can learn from Ripken’s stamina, persistence and professional drive.

Put in the Time - Hone your skills. Hone your style. Hone your content. Practice your craft. Just like Ripken practiced taking ground ball, after ground ball, after ground ball, you too should get your reps in with writing, editing, hosting or voicing your lines. In order to succeed in such a crowded space, you need to commit to your craft and stick with it.

Worship Consistency - In baseball, you have to do the same routine, day in, day out. Whether in the batting cage or in the field, you have to develop muscle memory. For podcasters, publish episodes consistently, on the same day of the week, at the same time. You are developing a bond with your audience, so maintain a regular cadence in what you do and when you do it. Maybe that’s why I love baseball and podcasting so much. Both require maximum consistency to succeed.

Adjust When Necessary - Ripken played shortstop, then moved to third base, then moved back to shortstop. He was flexible and adapted to what his team needed. In doing so he became more valuable because he knew how to play two key positions on the field. Podcasters, learn to adjust. Experiment with your format, your opening monologue, or where you put your ad breaks. Check your audience data. What are listeners saying with completion rates? Or what are the skip rates for host read ads? Or what’s your average view duration on YouTube? Learn from your data and adjust accordingly.

Play Through Aches and Pains - I cannot imagine how Ripken’s body felt playing 162 games each season for years. (As a kid, I dreamt of playing left field for the Red Sox. Just like Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice. But that’s the closest I ever came to stepping onto the diamond at Fenway Park.) Podcasters, you will face disappointment. You will have episodes that draw modest numbers. Your heart will get broken along the way by negative reviews, or trolls on social media, or former colleagues who hate seeing you succeed. So grow an extra layer of skin, pop an Advil, and fight on.

Welcome the Grind - Like Major League Baseball with its grueling season, podcasting is very much a nonstop campaign. Day after day. Episode after episode. Guest after guest. If you cannot tolerate taking the field daily, in the wind, in the rain, in 40 degree weather, then maybe you’re not meant to play the game.