Explore The Dark & Dangerous World Of Cults

My name is Josh Schell. I am a Website Developer/Designer by day and podcast host by night. In my free time, I like to go hiking, play with my dog, and go down YouTube conspiracy rabbit holes.

My podcast is Let's Start A Cult. My podcast explores the dark and dangerous world of cults. Every episode I have on some amazing guests and I teach them about a different terrible cult. We have great and usually funny conversations about how terrible cults are and how we would start our own cult.

My listeners are usually passionate true crime fans who love to learn about the dark reaches of society. They also enjoy jumping in and clowning on cults with me. I asked my listeners on Twitter what they would like me to call them as a whole and they chose Fred...So now my audience's name is Fred

I love listening to podcasts especially True Crime podcasts. My issue though was a lot of ones I found had one person talking in a monotone voice just delivering the facts. For me, that wasn't engaging enough. I enjoyed podcasts that had people discussing the topic at hand and joking around about it because True Crime podcasts can be dark so I enjoy podcasters who can make the topic a little more approachable.

My initial goal for the podcast was to have a more open conversation about cults. Cults are way more prominent than we might think but no one really talks about them. I wanted to bring to light the horrors of cults and point to ones that still operate today in hopes that people become more aware.

I released the trailer for my podcast in late September 2020 and my first episode in October 2020. It took me a few months to work out exactly what I wanted my podcast to be about, come up with some topics, a release schedule, and guests willing to be on the show.

I release bi-weekly which is a release schedule I knew I could handle with my day-to-day life. I put a lot of time and effort into each episode and a single episode can take anywhere from 5-10 hours to produce with the script, shooting, and editing. I told myself when I was starting that bi-weekly might not result in the download numbers I want but I knew it was more important to deliver episodes consistently and that if I ever started making money off of it I could transition to a weekly release schedule.

I spend a decent amount on my podcast. I now have external researchers put together the content of the episode and then I go through it to add the intro and build out talking points for me and my guests. I use Buzzsprout to host my episodes and I use Podpage as the website for my podcast. As a website developer I probably should build my own but Podpage was just a simple setup and I do it every day so I don't want to do it in my free time lol. For marketing the main ones I use are Facebook and Google. They seem to provide the best bang for your buck. I'll add a rough breakdown below of how much I spend.

Hosting (Buzzsprout & Website): $20/month
Script: $60-80/episode
Marketing (Facebook/Google Ads): $50-100/month
Total: ~$200/month

I am open to sponsorships but I have not committed to reaching out to a sponsor yet. I feel once I start gaining a more dedicated following and have more episodes out with concrete data, then I can start reaching out to sponsors.

My podcast benefits me because I see the potential for sponsorships, especially with the growth I have seen over the last month. I am hoping to start getting sponsors within the next few months to build a steady stream of revenue and create more great content.

I love the people I get to meet with my podcast. There are so many great podcasters I have reached out to and will be working with in the future. For myself I enjoy the conversation I get to have around these topics and hopefully create meaningful relationships with other podcasters to help boost all of our podcasts up.

Currently, I am using the Rodecaster Pro and the Rodecaster Podmic to record my end of the conversation. I have used Zoom but after a recording mishap, I am looking to record with Squadcast for my guests. Once done recording I pop the files into Hindenburg Pro, it's the best editing software I have used and makes everything so easy.

I find guests on Twitter mostly. Any podcaster I interact with consistently I will shoot them a DM and ask if they would be willing to come on. I've found it to be the most reliable way to find guests and at that point, you already know who they are and what they do.

I feel most of my listeners come from either my marketing on Facebook or Google right now. I feel in the future once I build a social media base on Twitter and Facebook it will come from word of mouth. That being said Twitter has been very effective for spreading the word. I have been lucky enough to connect with a bunch of great podcasts on Twitter who are always willing to help promote each other. My best advice for any future podcasters would be to be willing to promote others on Twitter. They will return the favour and promote you back which will help you build a solid following.

I learned a lot with my previous podcast (3 years running) and the biggest thing as I said is to be willing to promote others and help other podcasters out when you can.

My other big advice would be not to miss deadlines. Your listeners expect an episode every Friday morning, then you need to have an episode every Friday morning. It's a grind and it can be tough but you have to stick to a schedule otherwise people will stop following you.

If you want to learn more you can check out my website it has links to Apple Podcast, Spotify, etc: letsstartacultpodcast.com

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram: @lets_cult

Email me at: startacultpodcast@gmail.com

Or donate to help my podcast grow at: buymeacoffee.com/LetsStartACult