► Tell us about you and your podcast
My name is Andrew and I have had a deep fascination with history for as long as I can remember. I studied history at Clemson University, focusing on 21st Century American history. I decided to start my podcast when I saw that there was a gap between the “entertaining” history and the actual primary sourced, data heavy history. My goal was to combine the two so that a newbie and history buff could get the same level of learning and entertainment out of an episode. I like to say we put the “story” back in history.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I chose the Podcast medium because I already listened to several and I knew it was something that would always be available to get to from a consumer standpoint. That is to say that someone 100 years from now would be able to listen like it was today. I started the podcast in February of 2017, it took much longer than I’d like to admit to release my first episode! But with any podcast you can listen to the growth of the show and host throughout the life of the show and I love that Podcasts are about the only medium you find that in.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
It takes an extremely long time for me to put together an episode because I have such a research heavy show. That said, studying it in school gave me an advantage that I already knew how to do that research. I already had some audio recording knowledge (as a drummer, so VERY limited knowledge) which helped me to be able to manage my time. I fund this show entirely out of pocket myself and with the generous donations of fans who have sent donations through the show’s website.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I gain the pure joy of knowing that people who didn’t have an interest in history before listening, are building an interest upon listening to a series or episode. I absolutely love to talk about history with people and help them see what I see about it. I chose to decline ad sponsors for now because I don’t want the ads to get in the way of the story.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I use Logic Pro X, an MXL 990 Mic and it goes into a Focusrite Scarlett interface and my Mac laptop. I use Libsyn as a host and have been very happy with them!
► How do you market your show?
I use social media and friends to help spread the word. More importantly though, I find the communities that are engaged with the topics I choose and contribute as well as learn from them. That said I rely heavily on their ability to spread the word. One of the best resources is the network I joined, The Podcast Advocate Network. The ability to get advice and promotion help from the other hosts and the network has been invaluable!
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
When starting out, do your very best to focus on the content of the show rather than anything else, it’ll all build up in time!