It is not mandatory to launch a podcast Why does everyone put themselves in the position to speak if they have nothing to say?

There are many things we should do for our mental, physical, and emotional well-being. We should, for example, cultivate a digital garden, ignore content creators who annoy us or don’t interest us. We should take a color walk or walk backwards, stop stressing about bikini body season, embrace our solitude, stay informed about what’s happening in the world. We should educate ourselves emotionally and financially, and maybe even start therapy. There are a lot of things we should do. But one thing we’re absolutely not required to do is launch a podcast. That’s right, no one will fine us if we don’t. Crazy, huh?

Everyone has a podcast

It used to be books. The early internet creators, those who made their names on blogs and YouTube, once stormed the Italian publishing scene, writing (or co-signing) an avalanche of books. Diaries, photobooks, thought journals, and curated social posts, all wrapped in a neat bow and sold at high prices. There were also novels and autobiographies of varying style and quality. Now, the go-to move to diversify your portfolio is launching a podcast. Alone, as a duo, with guests or without: if you’re on the platforms and you don’t have a podcast, are you even real? So the obvious follow-up question is: do we really need another one?

The downsides of a podcast

The beauty of a podcast is that it’s a format, not a content in itself. It’s a blank slate: you can shape it however you want. It can be generalist or hyper-specific, funny or serious, fiction or nonfiction. It can even be political. But here’s the twist: this flexibility is also its biggest weakness. It made sense for early internet stars, who had a following thanks to long-form videos or blog posts, to transition to audio storytelling. But it’s much harder for short-form content creators, who are used to visual-first content and quick dopamine hits. The hard truth? A podcast needs substance. It needs structure. It needs you to have something to say, and to know how to say it, with consistency. Just having a writer isn’t enough. You need spark, intelligence, at least a dash of critical thinking. That’s not guaranteed. And more importantly, it’s not mandatory. At the contrary, it could underline problems and gaps that we wouldn't even notice normally. The solution? Just don't launch a podcast.