Mental Health & Wellness for any and everyone.

I'm a 23 year old male out of Kansas City Missouri. My reasoning behind starting this podcast was at first an attempt to find a healthy way to express myself, something I've had issues being able to in the past. I've always had a passion for writing & helping others, so this fit quite well. My podcast is all about Mental Health & Wellness. From week to week we dive into a number of different subjects from story telling, personal reflections, struggle, heartbreak and everything in-between. As of May 23 I will have been podcasting for one year and I've seen more success in this year than I ever expected to. I'm very grateful for my listeners and the relationships I've developed amongst this process. My demographic is very balanced, according to my analytics page the majority of my listeners are between the ages of 21-35. While also having 7-10% being over 60. My words and stories are for the ears of anyone. I've designed this to be a safe place for any and everyone, a no judgement zone. My overall goal with this podcast is to unite people from different walks of life, through similar situations, experiences and feelings. To help people understand those things that make them feel they are "one in a million" aren't as rare as they may think. We all struggle, life is very difficult for everyone in their own ways. The goal of my podcast is to help one another see past those differences and understand the world is a much better place when we have the support of one another through those hardships rather than passing judgement or blame. Everyone has a story to tell, and the only way I felt I could get others to open up to my message is by first "exposing" myself, my hardships, mistakes and most vulnerable moments to gain the trust and respect of those who consume my content.

I was never really an avid podcast listener. I have always however been fascinated by social media and the way it operates. Throughout the early stages of the pandemic I spent a lot of time studying algorithms, CPM's and other media related tips and tricks to find out in what way I would like to grow a platform for myself. I've always seen myself in more of a managerial role in media more than an on camera personality which seems to be a necessity nowadays, so there was podcasting. As I said before my initial goal was to find a healthy release that allowed me to tap into my vulnerable side, express myself and release some of those "demons" that have been inside of me my entire life. I didn't expect to have any listeners, which is why I think I was so open to trying it. It took me about three weeks from the time I received my equipment to post my first episode. I did a few trial runs with friends to get comfortable behind the mic and figure out what approach I wanted to take. I ended up taking the route of scripting my shows & doing them all solo. To my surprise my first episode (May 23, 2020) received incredible feedback, in a way I did not expect. For the first season of my podcast I would use small musical artists music as an intro and outro to kind of show my respect towards them and their craft. The artist I used for my second episode actually reached out to me on instagram and sent me a message telling me he fully expected me to continue creating podcast episodes. He told me he had listened to the entire thing, which had no correlation to him aside from the 15 second introduction that included his song, and that broke me down to tears. From that point going forward I've treated this as if its my most valuable asset. From sound to editing to marketing, I've made significant progress over this first year and I know this is only the beginning of my journey in helping people all across the world.

My current format is one episode a week, ten weeks in a season. I post my episodes every Friday at midnight, leaving the night owls with an opportunity to start their weekend with a podcast as well as the early risers on Saturday. I've also had the most success marketing over the weekends when people are most active on social media. I do everything for my podcast at night, as I said before I've been engaged in media for a while. In media a lot of the work is a "night grind", and that entices me. I do my outlining on Sunday and Monday, revise Tuesday, record Wednesday, edit Thursday as well as creating clips and social media posts and Friday is more of my final revision day and I post that evening. I spend 3+ hours a day on the podcast with everything included, while not neccesary I find it to be worth it with the goals I have in place for myself in the near and distant future. I do everything for the show by myself, I like to have complete creative control at-least for the time being to enhance my skills on every level that goes into this process.

I have yet to accept ads although I have had a couple offers. I would love to accept that and make a profit for the time and effort I'm putting into the podcast but I think I'm far from the point. I want to build my listenership up to a much higher level before interrupting my episode with promos and ads. On the same note its really important to me to find the right ads or sponsorships to tie to something as valuable to me as this podcast. I'm not in the market of making quick cash, I'm here to try and help people, influence them in a positive way. I would rather have no ads for the duration of my podcasting experience if I can't promote things that provide value to me and my listeners. Sponsors can come from a number of places. I believe that niche has more of a role than downloads, if you're marketing yourself correctly anyone can find you with the way the internet works nowadays. From there its really up to the quality of your content. Similar to CPM's on YouTube, if you make videos designed for the entertainment of children, or finances you're going to have a higher CPM than those who make partying vlogs (Supply & Demand). Podcasting has offered me relief in a way I never thought was possible. While my original idea was to give myself an opportunity to express myself I've gained a level of confidence I didn't think I'd be able to obtain. I'm very secure with my past and where its led me, I'm secure in my mistakes and shortcomings as I know I'm working hard to create a wonderful future for not only myself but my people. Podcasting is something I'll never take for granted and I'm extremely thankful I was led down this path.

I use GarageBand for all of my recording and editing. Up to this point I still role as a solo podcaster, I have hefty goals for myself & if I ever were to have guests I have very specific names in mind I would like to come on with me. To me theres a time and place for everything, for now I want my listeners to tune in for me & get to know me before I'm asking them to get to know another being week after week. Once I feel that relationship is strong between host and listener maybe I'll open that door. I prepare each week by mapping out an outline. My topics vary depending on several factors, I try to take something going on personally in my life and combine it with someone relevant enough going on in the world that my people will also be able to latch onto. Finding that middle ground is very important to me because this podcast isn't all about me. Its about growth, acceptance and self discovery, & we should all be able to relate to the subject at hand. From there its about revising a draft or two, recording, editing and creating all of the posts and clips needed for promotion once I get the episode up.

I host my podcast through Anchor, which distributes to 5-7 platforms for me. I create a video version of my podcast manually to post onto YouTube and I also run an Instagram account for my podcast. I have a couple sources that offer analytical pages showing me data from age ranges, gender and geographical locations of my listeners broken down to a percentage. As well as my retention rate throughout the duration of each episode so I'm able to see what my people are responding well to and what they aren't the biggest fan of, allowing me to make the proper adjustments. My biggest success in terms of marketing has been the Instagram page I created back in December. Today I surpassed 1,200 followers and have seen a lot of natural growth over the last two months. It offers me a way to get more personable with those who desire it, as well as offering bonus content, sneak peaks and teasers as to what's to come on the podcast. Along with that a few months ago I created an "Anonymous Suggestion Box" for the podcast. In the bio to my Instagram as well as in the description of my podcasts I offer a link that takes you to a website that is one page with a text box in it. The box is a 100% anonymous way to submit topic ideas, feedback or something you're struggling with or seeking a second opinion on. When I first put my foot in the door into this world of media by becoming a podcaster in a way I hid my true identity by talking into a mic rather than posting on instagram a ton or starting a YouTube channel. I understand that while people may want to contribute or submit, find a way to communicate with me not everyone is comfortable with that. This was a way I came up with that allows my listeners to retain their privacy and also contribute and be apart of the podcast, a series called "Anonymous Responses". I'll take what was sent in and create an episode that is a response to what was submitted, something I've had a ton of enjoyment in doing thus far and I've also had great responses from those I've shared the idea with.

Definitely take some time to determine a niche you can stick with long term, random episodes with random topics can be successful but its much more difficult unless you're transitioning a big following already developed from a different platform. Don't overwhelm yourself with crazy deadlines and allow your content to be compromised because of it, be transparent with your audience and they'll be understanding if a break or extension is needed. The best way to learn is by doing, I'm only a year in and I've made huge strides in every way possible, yet I feel I have so much to learn still. Authenticity is huge, people know when you aren't being genuine with them by the tone in your voice. Put your entire heart into this process and you'll be rewarded. Lastly don't let the numbers control your feelings towards this hobby, we aren't in the market of making quick money or seeking millions of downloads. If I can help even one person with the words I have to share and the stories I tell I consider that the biggest success possible, be patient.

https://solo.to/tylerpickert
Here is a link to everything related to the podcast. If for some reason it does not work I can be found @_therealtalkpodcast_ on Instagram and that same link is in my bio. Thank you!