Side-Hustle, Small Business Guest User Side-Hustle, Small Business Guest User

How This Company Is Turning Downloads to Dollars and Making Podcasters Bank

It’s all about growing your listenership and building an engaged audience.

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It’s safe to say podcasts are here to stay. As of November 2020, there are over 1 million active podcasts and more than 30 million podcast episodes available in more than 100 different languages across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. But despite the stiff competition, when done right, podcasting can become a very lucrative side hustle that allows you to pursue your passion while making a profit.

So what’s the secret to turning podcast downloads into dollars and cents? According to Lizzy Pollott, the Global VP of Brand at Acast and the host of the TV and film podcast, “After School Culture Club,” it’s all about growing your listenership and building an engaged audience. “The creators who flourish the fastest are those who enter podcasting with the right attitude and a real love of their subject area,” she tells Create & Cultivate. “If you’re looking to create a passion project, or find and share your voice around something you really care about, or simply want a creative outlet, then you’re in the right place. If you build it, they will come!”

Ahead, Pollott fills us in on what it takes to stand out from the competition, why 25 minutes is the ideal episode length for newcomers to the medium, and how to turn a podcast into a revenue stream by leveraging Acast and the platform’s new partnership with Patreon.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: Why did you choose to launch a podcast side-hustle in addition to your career as Global VP of Brand at ACAST?

LIZZY POLLOTT: As a complete podcast addict (and fan of talking), I had always had ideas for podcasts I’d like to make but until I joined Acast nearly three years ago, I didn’t really know where to start. As soon as my eyes were opened to all the behind-the-scenes magic that Acast puts into podcasting, I decided I’d jump in feet first. The origin story sounds like something from a Kate Hudson rom-com from the 2000s. I had been struggling to map out an idea for my podcast and it came to me like a vision during the “find yourself” track in a candle-lit spin class… who do I think I am?

What are the first steps people should take when mapping out a podcast strategy and what are the most common things people often overlook?

It might sound obvious, but the very first thing to nail is your idea. “Shooting the breeze with my friends” simply won’t cut it unless you actually are, say, Chrissy Teigen. Reports show that there are more than 1.5 million podcasts out there in the world today. You need a hook, a reason why people should listen to yours above all others, and therefore an easy one-line way to sell it and draw people in. 

For example, the hit show “Forever 35” talks about being “a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. We’re not experts but we are two friends who like to talk about serums.” Or the brilliant “90 Day Gays:” “Jake Anthony and Matt Marr are two Southern Queens who absolutely love TLC's 90 Day Fiancé. If you've been looking for your gay BFFs to dish this show… well, you're welcome.” 

The second is, then, thinking hard about—and testing—a format. Each episode needs a regular and familiar shape. Podcast listeners are creatures of habit and look forward to a regular format each week. So again, rather than thinking, “OK we’ll just talk for half an hour each week and see how it goes,” think about how you might put features, or a structure into it; the same three questions you address each week, or listener feedback, and so on.

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Can you share some mistakes you made in those early stages that our audience can learn from today?

Building an engaged audience for your podcast takes time and dedication. There is no silver bullet to grow your listenership, and more often than not, it’s a mix of many different strategies that will help build up those numbers. I certainly had the opposite attitude when I started, “Well, I’ve done all the hard work and this thing is live so come listen everyone!” But it takes regular grinding, thinking about promotion on social, doing your own PR, networking with other like-minded podcasts for guest swaps, and so on.

What advice can you share for newcomers to the podcast medium who want to stand out from the competition? Are there any holes in the marketplace? What content is the podcast space missing? Where can you fit in?

The good news is that podcast listening is booming. More and more people are turning to podcasts (especially during the pandemic) as a source of education, entertainment, or distraction. And with that comes even more opportunity for new podcasts to find their voice, and create shows which speak to an even broader section of society. 

What’s even more exciting is we’re seeing new formats being born and becoming really popular. Scripted audio is one, essentially an audio drama, comedy, or similar in podcast form. And there’s no doubt that as the pressures of 2020 have hit home, people are turning more and more to wellness shows with things like guided meditation becoming a rich vein of content. But the best advice we can give is: find a genre that you really care about, and it will be far easier to create a show you’re proud of.

What’s your advice on podcast length? Is there a magic number that works best?

For a new podcast, we would always recommend that shorter is better. If people are going to invest time in trying out a new show, you want to give them something manageable they can easily get into. Generally, around 25 minutes would be a great starting point. It’s long enough to make something fully fleshed out for people to get into but not so long that you risk losing them too early in your podcast journey. This will also of course depend on the format of your podcast which might actually dictate that you need to start at a bit of a shorter (or longer) length. Editing is your friend. Podcasts should be as long as they need to be, and no longer, so be self-critical when editing and be mindful of making the best use of your listeners' valuable time.

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What are some tools that both newcomers and podcasting pros alike can use to generate income?

There are two core ways that people make money from podcasts. One is becoming part of an ad monetization marketplace, just like the one we have at Acast which is now open to creators of all sizes. Here, you’ll have audio ads placed in and around your show, which in turn translate into revenue for you. It sounds obvious, but the bigger your listenership, the more money your show will be likely to generate. Then, once your podcast becomes really established, you might start working with sponsors too, who will pay for live read-style endorsements from you as hosts.

Another way is through membership-led platforms. Podcasts are, of course, free to listen to, but loyal listeners will want to pay for exclusive and additional content, not least because they recognize the time and care that goes into creating it. Patreon is the leading light in this area, giving you the ability to offer exclusive content (and much more) to paying subscribers (“patrons”). We have just launched a brilliant partnership with Patreon which makes it easier than ever to create and share both private and public podcasts with your fans—across every podcast player and app.

What tips and tricks can you share on how to monetize a podcast?

The most valuable advice we can give is to focus first on building up your audience. Once you have loyal listeners, ready to become paid-up members of your show, you can look at starting, say, a Patreon. And then once you reach a significant size of listenership, that can eventually lead to ad revenue.

How did you find brand partners to come on board and advertise on the podcast?

If you join Acast, you will be given the option to join our Marketplace, and this pretty much does all the work for you. We have teams dedicated to bringing advertisers into the Marketplace, and connecting them with suitable shows to run campaigns across. Bear in mind, though, that it might take time to start to see ad revenue come through for your show, again, the more listeners you build up, the more likely that will be.

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Be honest, how much work is it to plan, produce, and launch a podcast every week? Tell us about the hustle behind the scenes.

I won’t lie: it takes real dedication and commitment! Putting the effort into firstly getting your show ready for launch, then producing it each week, recording it, editing it, publishing it, and then marketing it can turn into a real full-time side-hustle. Everyone will be slightly different, and the actual time spent making it will also depend on the format of your show. 

For example, my TV and film podcast, “After School Culture Club,” relies on watching a film or show first, to talk about. Then the research might be another hour, actual recording another hour, editing nearer 90 minutes, and then marketing can be as much effort as you’re willing to put in. Like any passion project or side hustle, you have to put the hours in to see a return. But if you’ve chosen something you truly love then that won’t matter.

What tools and resources do you rely on to streamline the process? Are there any automated solutions that make your life easier?

I use the free editing software Audacity to edit; it’s simple to use and does the job. My favorite find to make life easy is Levelator, a free program that instantly evens out the volume of your audio which is massively helpful if, say, one person on your show tends to be louder than the other. (Don’t tell my current co-host, my sister, but it’s her.)

On the promotion front, tools like Headliner and our own Snipper tool allow you to quickly and easily make “audiograms,” short videos for social which clip up and make pretty videos from your episodes to encourage people to listen.

Can a podcast’s success helped your brand in other ways? Can you share what and why?

We work with thousands of podcasters at Acast who are creators in other areas at the same time, and often their podcasts really help strengthen their other endeavors, and vice versa. We find, for example, that podcasts make great marketing tools for authors when launching new books. Other examples include people like Nike running coach (and my running coach!) Cory Wharton-Malcolm who launched his podcast “The Tub Hub” on Acast during lockdown, which offers him the chance to connect with his audience on a different level to just exercise each week, as he goes deep into topics including mental health and race with a whole range of inspiring guests.

Anything else to add?

At Acast, we tend to find the creators who flourish the fastest are those who enter podcasting with the right attitude and a real love of their subject area. Birthing a podcast takes time and effort; growing an engaged audience even more so. If you’re thinking of starting simply as a way of generating cash, then you might wind up being disappointed. But if you’re looking to create a passion project, or find and share your voice around something you really care about, or simply want a creative outlet, then you’re in the right place. If you build it, they will come!

Learn more about Acast at Acast.com, and use the code "C&C" for six months free.


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Slow Stories: Industry Interview: Brandy Pham of PLANOLY

“If you want to build a conscious business, it needs to connect with people, and you have to take the time to craft a mindful strategy before even bringing it to market.”

Since extending CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL's Slow Stories Podcast into a column, I've loved connecting with the Create & Cultivate community around the conversation of slow content. I’m also thrilled to announce that season two of the podcast has recently launched on iTunes, and with that in mind, I'm even more excited to share an exclusive portion of our first episode with Brandy Pham of PLANOLY right here on the C&C blog!

For those of you who aren't familiar with her story, Brandy is the co-founder and chief creative officer of PLANOLY, the leading visual management and scheduling tool for Instagram. In our podcast interview, Brandy and I discussed her transition from jewelry designer to technology entrepreneur, and today she follows up on our discussion with some tactical advice on how to implement slow content and planning into your social media strategy.

Check out the full episode here and enjoy musings from Brandy below.

Why is it important to slow down as a digitally-minded founder? Can you share an instance of when slowing down inspired innovation at work?

I don’t remember ever getting inspired by staring at a screen or working tirelessly. So inspiration really comes when your mind is clear and you’re well-rested. When I took a mental break from work, that meant saying no to meetings, no to coffee dates, and not even going into the office for a while — and that's when PLANOLY's new product StoriesEdit came into fruition. I took a step back and really evaluated our roadmap and brought everything back to the perspective on why we first started PLANOLY, and that was to give power to small business owners like me. With that said, I wanted to go back to focusing on how we can further help our users build and grow their businesses. What type of products can we build (in addition to PLANOLY) to give them this power? In this day and age, it’s so vital to have an online presence and a digital strategy, and content is actually the most challenging part for businesses to create. Digital marketing is generally part of our everyday life now, and we can’t hide from it because that’s how consumers are learning what’s new, what they should buy, and so on.

StoriesEdit came to mind because we wanted something that was very easy and would be on web, but also give users the power on mobile to create more content and share products or stories that they may be sharing on their blog, and then easily post it all to social media. We started by launching with Instagram Stories templates, but we’re actually adding more canvas sizes for your grid and Pinterest too. We’re adding more templates that will help anyone who wants to share their products and their content easily on social media — With StoriesEdit, it’s like you have your own graphic designer on your team and no one knows it. That’s the beauty of this new product that we’ve launched!

How would you advise women who want to create a thoughtful content strategy, and what are some ways to utilize PLANOLY in this process?

I think that everyone should narrow down their goals and list out what is their purpose, what value they are bringing to their audience, and then work back from that. What are you really good at and what are people coming to you for specifically? And with PLANOLY, you’re able to actually create all that content, lay it out, and thoughtfully craft out your story so that you can work more seamlessly and efficiently. I think that using our grid and drafts features are great ways to strategize content because with drafts you can plan out by topic and then add content back to your grid whenever you are ready. I believe that people should decide on their content buckets and then use drafts first — you can do it the same way for Instagram Stories content too. You can use drafts for Stories and then really carefully plan out what type of stories you want to share. For example, on Mondays you share “A Day at the Office” or Tuesdays can be “Behind the Scenes at a Shoot," and so on. There are so many ways that you can use PLANOLY for your content strategy.

A big theme that’s always come up in these conversations includes how the fast- paced business landscape coupled with our content consumption habits can affect our productivity, and more importantly, our mental health. How have you learned to strike a balance or understanding when and what to post?

It's different between my personal account and the PLANOLY account. For PLANOLY, we always follow our content calendar, but we try to be very thoughtful about what type of content we're sharing on there. We really do ask what value the content is going to give to our audience and how it will spark inspiration or motivation. Our tone and brand voice are always positive (we never want to be negative!) even if it's something like having enough sleep, we turn it into something you can find funny or laugh about in a positive way, and in turn, that makes our audience smile.

For my personal account, it was very hard for me at first to share really personal stories, but I feel like it's my responsibility given my platform to share experiences with my son having autism by being an advocate for him, and also letting parents know that they're not alone. So, even when I'm drafting out those captions on PLANOLY, I take my time because I really like to sit on it before I post it. I would even tear up and cry before posting! I think it's ok to be vulnerable on your personal page and I always try to be mindful of not coming off to negatively, even if I'm sharing some type of struggle. For me, those are the two ways of posting on a personal and business account.

Slow content in many ways is all about the idea of “quality vs. quantity.” With that said, as an expert in the space, what would you say are the top pillars of slow, quality content?

I think for me, the top pillars are the following:

- Quality Images

As a marketer, branding professional, and consumer, it's important to share really clear, beautiful images. For example, say you're a photographer, and you've posted something really blurry — I automatically think that's the quality of your work and that can be a really bad look! So it's essential to have high-resolution photography.

- Messaging & Brand Voice

Your brand has to have clear messaging. Whether it's the graphic on your content itself or your caption, you should be really clear with your audience, and they should know exactly what you're talking about. The content also has to be on-brand.

- Value

The value of content is so important. I think everyone should always ask themselves before posting or even creating content, "What type of value is this bringing to my audience?" or "How does it make them feel?" And I would even ask myself, "What values does it bring to me and how does it make ME feel?" As the content creator, you should put yourself in your audience's shoes and really have that empathetic view, and if it makes you feel good/brings you value then your audience will receive it well too.

Are there any last words of wisdom that you’d like to share regarding slowing down, creating enduring content strategies, or building a conscious business?

I think too often that people want to launch a brand or business without really thinking it through, and don't really think about what it takes to build a successful company. If your brand is relying on just your product, there's no way it's going to stand out in the crowd. And if you want to build a conscious business, it needs to connect with people, and you have to take the time to craft a mindful strategy before even bringing it to market.

There's room for everyone, and everyone has a story, and you have to remember that people hold on to those stories. That alone is really intimate and powerful. So when you're starting off ask yourself, "What's the story I want to tell? What is my purpose? How is my product bringing value to potential customers?" You also have to ask yourself how you're going to make a living from this because you can't fund your business or pay your bills at the end of the day if you don't have a business strategy and think about these details before starting.

Rachel Schwartzmann is the Founder and CEO of The Style Line LLC. She created The Style Line in late January 2011 via Tumblr and has fostered The Style Line’s brand in its growth since then. Rachel has been featured in esteemed sources including Forbes, Refinery29, and MyDomaine and has also spoken at Create & Cultivate and Columbia University on establishing a unique brand point of view and entrepreneurship. On October 1, 2015, Rachel took The Style Line in a new direction as a boutique content company with the introduction of its slow content agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL.



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The Most Inspirational Thing You'll Read All Day

Mel Robbins is breaking down everything.

Mel Robbins used to work all day long. She never set a stop time and so, she never stopped. But the renowned motivational speaker, creator of The 5 Second Rule, and a best-selling author and Audible Original host, is on a new track-- one that took her many years and 5 seconds to figure out. 

At 41 her life was a mess. (Self-admittedly.) She couldn't get out of bed. She was unemployed. And then she changed her life with the 5 Second Rule. Laying in bed Mel counted backward from 5 to zero. 

In that blip of time she activated her prefrontal cortex, which, according to Mel (and science) "is the part of the brain in charge of decision making, strategic thinking, acting with courage, learning new behavior, and working towards goals."

She's now the host of the Audible Original, "Kick Ass with Mel Robbins," where she talks to real people with real problems. Sound like you?  

Read on. 

You've said that dreams deserve 5 minutes in the morning before you let the world in. Can this kind of thinking be applied to any point during the day and have the same effect?

Most of us live our day-to-day in a reactionary mindset. We’re rolling through our to-dos, firing out emails, doing the daily chores and tasks, and getting what needs to be done finished.

And, as long as you’re putting out fires, you aren’t moving the ball down the field on what matters most to you. We knock things off of our to-do lists because that feels productive, but because we never actually make any real progress on the things that matter, we often still feel a void in our lives.

Your dreams will never come to life if you’re checking boxes off your to-do list. Instead, you need to take deliberate time each day to make meaningful progress on your goals.

I do this by carving out 30 minutes each morning of protected time to work on my goals.

There’s a reason the morning is the best time to work on your goals–and it lies in neuroscience.

According to Duke University professor and researcher Dan Ariely, we all have a two or three hour window of peak productivity every single day–and it starts an hour after you wake up.

So, if you pop out of bed at 6 a.m., your peak thinking and productivity window is 7 a.m. – 9 a.m.

I do whatever it takes to find 30 minutes before 7:30 a.m. to plan out my day and spend some time on a project that matters to me.

Why else is it important to plan and do the most important stuff first thing? Because it’s the best time for the brain to focus on the tasks or goals that advance your own personal or professional goals.

Answering emails, taking phone calls, sitting in meetings have a way of taking over your schedule and rarely lead to making major improvements in your life.

The concept of “30 before 7:30” cannot be done once you walk into the office. You must do this at home, at your favorite coffee shop, on the train, or sitting in your car in the parking lot.

Do not try to do this at work. The moment you walk into your office, answer that first email, or take that first call–your day is gone. Your attention is no longer being focused on your own goals and dreams.

For your own happiness and to protect the time necessary to focus on the deep work, the first two hours of your day must be grabbed by you. Now, if every once and a while you’ve a morning in which it’s impossible to take 30, you can leave it until the evening. But I’ve found that most of the time “later” becomes “not today.” At night, you’re tired–and you’re about 12 hours past your peak thinking window.

If you are making progress on projects that matter, even if for just a few minutes a day, you are winning the long game.

For our readers who have a hard time setting professional boundaries-- they're burnt out, they're replying to emails constantly, they never say no, they work weekends-- what's your advice?

When I find myself working around the clock, I remember Parkinson's Law.

Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the amount of time given to it, which means that if you never set your own boundaries, you'll literally ALWAYS be working.

And that not only wears you down–it wears other people in your life down, too. A recent study found 33% of people answer messages in the middle of the night. And you don’t need me to tell you that checking your emails at 3 AM puts you at risk for burnout and emotional exhaustion.

Instead of endlessly working and being addicted to your phone from sunrise to sunset, try this: Set a time today that you will absolutely stop working.

As someone who used to work all day long, I was amazed what happened when I started setting a quitting time, something I now do every single day.

Instead of becoming less productive, I actually got more done. With my quitting time in mind, I was more focused, concentrated, and made even more progress.

A quitting time is the difference between an unfocused 12 hours of work or a productive, distraction-free 8 hours–in which you get the same amount of work done.

If you can get serious about managing distractions and removing them, you will find your productivity is off the charts. Every interruption takes 25 minutes to fully recover from and get back into focus mode.

If signing off at 5 PM makes you nervous, try this method for just one day. Before you get to work, take your 30 before 7:30 and plan out your day. Once you get into the office, write your quitting time down and start on your #1 project of the day before you check your email. Keep your phone on silent and your computer’s notifications off. If you find yourself getting tired, get up and walk for 5 minutes.

By 5PM, you will have most likely accomplished as much as you would working even longer.

Try this one day at a time and you’ll find that the extra time to recharge at night actually makes you even more productive the next day!

On a related note, the art of managing distractions is one of the superpowers of the 21st century. If you can tune out the notifications, the noise, and the chatter, you will get twice as much work done in half the time–allowing you to have quality time with your family and loved ones at night.

For young working women there are fear-based thoughts that if they don't do all of the above (are the last one the leave the office, say no to answering emails on the weekend, etc.) there will be someone behind them happy to take their place. What do you say to that?

The key word here is “value.” There’s a major difference between showing up at work (no matter how many hours you are online) and providing real value.

If you make your boss’ life easier and you further your boss’ strategic objectives, you are providing an incredible amount of value–and your boss will not think about firing you, even if you set clear boundaries around your time.

The secret to providing value is to ask yourself one question every day.

It’s to put yourself in your boss’ shoes and ask: What is the most valuable thing that I can do for him/her?

When you choose which projects to work on, you should actively seek to align your workload and your priorities with your boss’ objectives. While it may be more fun for you to work on projects that are not as important, when you become a proactive strategic contributor, you become an invaluable asset to your team.

If you’re currently not a huge value-add to your company, you can change that starting now. Tomorrow, ask your boss to talk and find out his or her strategic objectives–and start to align your work in this direction.

This question also gives you a formula for how you will answer other people who ask for your time and energy at work.

Many of us, especially women, want to please everyone in our lives, and it’s no easier to say no to a colleague or your boss as it is to say no to a friend or family member.

At work, you need to get clear on your priorities. And then, when someone asks you to do something that you don’t have time for or that would hurt your work on your most important projects, here is how to say no without feeling guilty:

First: understand that you are not saying NO to the person. You are saying it to the task. You are also saying YES to prioritizing your own time. If a colleague asks you, acknowledge the request and thank the person for thinking of you, explain why you don’t have the time due to your other projects, and then offer a lifeline by helping them brainstorm another person or offer guidance if they need help.

Second: if your boss is the one to ask for a request, use it as a strategic, high visibility moment. Listen to the request and then say that you are aiming to help them with strategic priorities and ask what is most important for you to focus on: this new project or your current work.

Remember: if you don’t prioritize your time and learn to say no, someone else will be the one to dictate your priorities, which is not the key to making progress at work.

It’s not just important to “say no” to projects that don’t align with your strategic goals. It’s also important to “say no” to being available all the time. If you don’t take care of yourself, it’s impossible show up as your best self. Research shows that today’s pressure to always be accessible has left more than half of workers feeling burned out and in desperate need of a reset button. In the United States alone, 200 million days are lost from work each year due to mental health issues, which is costing employers over $100 billion.

Researchers believe that one reason women are not promoted at the same levels men are is because of burnout. Women face high expectations in the home and at work (especially be having to be “always on” even after work hours).

Being “always on” is impossible. Make sure to prioritize things like sleep, getting time outdoors, exercising, not sitting all day, and spending time with friends.

And, if you’re actively aligning your workload with your company’s top priorities and getting more done in less time by managing distractions, you will become an invaluable employees who can set boundaries–and not have to worry about being replaced by someone else.

Sign up for Audible today! And listen to Kick Ass with Mel Robbins. Change your life already. 

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7 Reasons to Start a Podcast for Professional Gain

Pod save us all. 

Written by: Ahyiana Angel

This year, the share of Americans who report being familiar with the term “podcasting” is now 60 percent (or 168 million) and the share of American women listening has increased year-over-year: coming in at 24 percent this year, which is up from 21 percent the year before (2017).

Go women, go! 

U.S. podcast listeners earn on average $10,000 more than the average American and podcast consumers tend to be more tech savvy as well as more likely to use social media than the average American, but if you’re still on the fence about creating a podcast, I'll give you a few more practical reasons to podcast.

Establish a Brand or Industry Presence

There are plenty of digital marketing options available now when looking to make your mark online. However, entering a space where the cost of entry is low and the competition for attention is not at its peak can serve you well when you’re just getting started. Podcasting allows you to begin establishing your brand without even launching a website because initially you can drive all of your traffic to the page created for you by your podcast host.

Further An Existing Business or Brand

A podcast can help provide direction and offer a way to streamline content for an existing business or brand. If you already have a brand established, a podcast is a strategic way to make an extension for your brand, blog, product or website. When I started podcasting the bulk of my audience engaged with my brand via Instagram. When I launched the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast it offered a way for me to provide more content and create ways for the audience to stay engaged off of social media. You can crate audio content via your podcast that compliments the messaging you are publishing through other mediums. Think about the way that your current audience consumes your content. Can you capture their attention in a more effortless way with a podcast by meeting them where they already are, perhaps on their phone? A podcast is another way for you to speak to your audience and potentially provide more depth and a stronger connection.

Connections are key to professional expansion and your podcast can be the through-line. 

Become An Expert

If you are looking for ways to expand your presence within your industry, it is quite reasonable for someone to develop into an expert in their space by being the host of a podcast. By consistently talking about a specific topic, reporting on it and interviewing people regarding said topic, you can become engrained in the conversation by default. Your name will become more searchable with relation to the subject matter as well. You may then find yourself being invited to be a guest on other podcasts, participating in other media interviews as well as speaking engagements. Maybe you'll even get a book deal from it like the ladies of Being Boss podcast.

Develop a Community

Since podcasting is known to be a medium of media that creates an intimate environment for you and your listener, you can create a strong connection between you and your audience. You have the opportunity to speak directly to your audience using a voice that is just as authentic as when you engage with your friends. For this reason, among others, your listener begins to really feel like they know you as a person. They like you as a host, which then turns into a feeling like you're a friend in their head. This creates an affinity and when enough listeners feel this way you naturally begin to see a community of like-minded people forming. To take it a step further you can establish routine ways to engage online via social media as well as offline via live podcast meet-ups. By exploring relatable personal journals the You Had Me at Black podcast has done a fantastic job of creating a loyal community of listeners which has resulted in sold out live shows and even a podcast tour to meet the listening communities demands.

Become An Early Adapter

Although podcasting has been around for years, it is still a rapidly growing space. In the current climate of advanced technology at your fingertips, creating a podcast just feels more accessible to the masses at this point. There is a very low barrier to entry. Most of us can create a successful podcast if we just put our mind to it and add a little effort and work.

I like to think that podcasting will operate similar to the growth and popularity of YouTube. There was a time when the world looked at people creating video to upload to YouTube as a silly hobby, but now some of the early creators have audiences in the millions and they are generating just as much in revenue. The early adapters and early creators will see a large amount of success as more and more people start to become podcast listeners. Currently, only a fraction of the possible listening population is tuned in so there is tremendous room for growth.

Let Your Ideas and Voice Be Heard

Many people just want to be heard, they have something to say and they are just waiting for an audience to listen, that is why we create. Developing a podcast where you can speak about topics of interest to you can be a great way to flex your knowledge, understanding and voice with regard to a specific industry or social topic. Your podcast will allow you the opportunity to become a part of the conversation. You can establish your content as a go-to source for those interested in your industry or topic.

Your podcast is now a form of media, media that can serve as a platform for guests to gain publicity.

 Build Professional Relationships

Creating a podcast with a show format that incorporates guests will allow you the opportunity to reach out to peers and industry professionals that you admire in an effort to invite them to be a guest on your podcast. In thinking strategically, you can reach out to people that you would like to build a relationship with. Your podcast is now a form of media, media that can serve as a platform for guests to gain publicity. Most people love publicity for their work or cause. Now you are in a position to offer something of value, which can result in the making of a valuable connection with industry colleagues. Connections are key to professional expansion and your podcast can be the through-line. 

Just like starting anything new, podcasting can seem intimidating at first. In an effort to make your entry into podcasting as smooth as possible, you can check out an in-depth course via Mediabistro called “Tools, Tips and Tactics for Creating a Killer Podcast” and I created the “Beginner's Guide to Creating, Launching + Marketing a Podcast” in which you can learn everything you need to know to enter the world of podcasting in 60 minutes or less!


Ahyiana Angel is traditionally published author and host of the Switch, Pivot or Quit podcast, who is affectionately known as the Chief Encourager. She is a seasoned executor who eventually blocked out the world’s ideas of success, quit her highly coveted position at the NBA, moved to London and traveled the world for a stint, then followed her passion in writing to find her purpose in encouragement. Mastering the art of note-worthy ideation, Ahyiana taps into her more than 12 years of professional business marketing experience to lend her thoughts on professional development, digital marketing, contemporary brand styling and more. However, Ahyiana enters her zone of genius when speaking to audiences about her 4 Ps: publicity, publishing, personal development and podcasting.

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Our Six Dream Podcasts & Their Hosts

Can someone make these? 

It's been a hell of a Monday. We mean, the sun straight disappeared and people got emotional. So we dreamed up a few things that we want to listen to this week. 

Can someone make these, thanks. 

1. Sit Down Tony Robbins: Women explain that willpower is a privilege and it’s time for TR to sit TF down. 

Ideal hosts: Issa Rae & Yvonne Orji 

2. Momsplaining: Where moms explain new tech to people. Mom does it anyway, might as well put her on the podcast. 

Hosts: Your mom, sometimes your dad, additional commentary from Amy Poehler

3. Blue Crush hosted by Blue Ivy. 

No explanation need. Maybe she just dances. 

4. Secret Service Secrets: Where secret service staff reveal everything you've ever wanted to know. They've got the best hiding spots, they know where the Pres is at all times, and they have secret offices where there are no trash cans outside. So many questions. Sidebar: where are all the female Secret Service agents? 

Ideal host: Marjorie Palmiotti from Veep. 

5. 2 Dope Queens

Oh, wait. That already exists. 

6.  Leave It to Beavers: Women take care of everything. All the time. This is where we talk about it and take over men's jobs. 

Ideal hosts: All women. Any women. 

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