The Pit and Pod is the weekly blog of the Archaeology Podcast Network full of updates, news and opinion. Written by co-founder Tristan Boyle and special guest writers

It's quiet, too quiet - in fact, you are starting to feel very alone. You are shouting into the void and nothing is coming back. You have put so much work in and yet, you have no response to speak of.

It's a common issue in content creation, that the audience seems to not exist and yet the listener numbers are going up and up. For many starting out, the question is 'why is no one listening'? You don't get very much interactions on Twitter, you get barely any emails and you find yourself wondering if anyone is gaining anything valuable at all.

Well fear not, dear producer, creator, and listener, we are listening. One of the key takeaways from modern content consumption is that often, it is occurring parallel to other tasks. For example, podcasts are the soundtrack for my commute to work or during my time at the gym. They are there to help support me and I am definitely listening. I think it is all too easy to listen to a lot of podcasts at once and taking the time to respond to them all can feel like a task and almost a chore. However as a content creator myself, I recognize and value even the smallest bit of feedback where I can. A DM on Twitter, a short email, being tagged on Instagram; these all add to a feeling of being responded to.

Let's not get too tied up in how much praise we think we ought to receive, a little humility will serve you well. Especially when you find it is long term listeners who will notice if you aren't releasing content and will miss it. Being a content creator can be extremely validating and also very depressing but you have to remember that the drive to do this must come from more than wanting praise. You should think about what you want to achieve with your projects and how that can be done over months and years, not days and weeks, never be afraid to take a planned hiatus and come back stronger.

Even if you feel as if you are shouting into the void, know that sometimes it will shout back.

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