► Tell us about you and your podcast
Hey, I'm Ben, and I host the Nevermind the Shitcoins podcast. I've been in crypto community management for the past 4, nearly 5, years now, and people have always told me I have a face for radio. So, it was a natural progression to start casting. The show itself is a mix of British panel quiz comedy, and international cryptocurrency and blockchain news and stories. The show should appeal to anyone with an interest in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and all other cryptos, whether they are just starting out on their journey down the crypto rabbit hole, or have been here longer than me. I try to keep the games fun and light-hearted, so even if you're not into magical internet money, there are a lot of laughs to be had.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
Podcasts are such a great new medium for education and fun, and the number of people listening to them is growing every day. I'm a huge fan of shows like Joe Rogan, Doug Stanhope and Bill Burr in the comedy genre, and when it comes to crypto I could talk podcasts all day. It's still early days, but my main (and pretty much only goal) with the show is to entertain and hopefully educate a little. We've had great early numbers in my humble opinion, so it would be fantastic to keep growing and building a head of steam. Episode 6 came out last week, and I've committed to a strict weekly schedule with 8 episodes per series. The first episode took a long, long time to edit in all honesty, but it was worth every mistake along the way.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
As I say, weekly episodes are a big commitment, but I'm a 'go big or go home' kinda dude. I'm fortunate enough to have a career in the wacky world of magical internet money already, and the community I work with (Free TON), are amazingly free spirited in name and nature, so I've been able to flex my work life around learning the podcasting ropes and really getting the show off the ground. There are some small expenses, hosting, a little bit of google advertising and other bits which come out of my own pocket, but it's no more than any other hobby might cost, and it's a lot more fun than fishing.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I have no plans to accept sponsors, and although I have a day job, the show is anarchistic and importantly, impartial. Taking sponsorship would contradict what we're trying to do. There are plans to hold an airdrop event and monetize the show for our listeners going forward, but this is a project of passion for me, so earning from this is not a priority.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
This part is a major work in progress! Currently, we record the show live on a Thursday evening using Zoom and Youtube. The format is a two v two quiz, with myself hosting and my glamourous other half keeping scores. This, as you can imagine, can get a little bit crazy. Split-track recording is both a blessing and a curse! Once the show is recorded though, it's mostly Audacity all the way at this stage. That said, it isn't the most efficient process, so perhaps there is better software out there for this! Reach out with recommendations!
► How do you market your show?
Another work in progress, but I'm lucky enough to have a penchant for the pen, and a platform over on Hackernoon to let my words flow. I recently wrote a post about my favourite 5 crypto and blockchain podcasts which is worth a read if you're looking for content to aspire to! Social media is such an important avenue of course, making soundbites, short clips, utilising YouTube and Twitter and Redditt and Instagram. The marketing cycle is pretty non-stop on a weekly schedule. Again though, with the angle of the show it's very gratifying. I'm not saying I get to be a full blown troll, but there is a certain amount of trolling involved at this stage!
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
It's all about sticktoittiveness they say. I'm only on series one of my show, but already I can tell you it's no walk in the park. The market is crowded, no matter how niche you think you're being (I mean, a British comedy panel quiz show podcast with an international ensemble of guests connected by crypto, it's pretty niche!) there is always competition. And most likely they're working just as hard as you to get there. So make sure you really want this at the end of the day. And do your homework on which set up and mic suits your needs best. Ten minutes spent researching is an hour saved cursing at a piece of s**t plastic mic which makes you sound like C3p0.