► Tell us about you and your podcast
My name is Mike Oliva and I am the host of the DolphinsTalk.com Podcast. We are the largest Miami Dolphins podcast on the internet. We do a daily podcast covering all the happenings in the world of the Miami Dolphins. We have on current and former players from the team as well as media types both local and national who cover the NFL and the Miami Dolphins.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I am a life-long fan of the Miami Dolphins and have been covering the team through a fan-site I started many years ago. Through the evolution of the website we began a podcast and it has taken off from there. We started the DolphinsTalk.com Podcast about two years ago. Our initial goal was to bring comprehensive, level headed, and interesting talk about the Miami Dolphins to die-hard fans of the team like myself and the other staff members on the website.
I have been a fan of podcasts and felt ours could fill a void in the market place. As a Dolphins fan you can listen to sports radio but might have to sit through a lot of MLB, NBA, NCAA, and NHL talk before you get to the Miami Dolphins segment of the show which might only be a couple minutes. With our podcast we bring the top notch guests that Miami Dolphins fans want to hear and do nothing but Miami Dolphins Talk and give that fan base what they need. No comedy, no agenda's being driven, just information based Miami Dolphins talk.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
During the NFL season we do a podcast each day. There is always something to talk about during the NFL season regarding the Miami Dolphins and a daily show brings it to our fan-base. During the off-season when news is slower we do 3-4 shows a week on average. Finding the time can be challenging at times but I usually have anywhere from 40 min to an hour each day to sit down, record, and edit the podcast; so it isn't too bad. Our podcast might not drop at the same time each day but I can produce a high quality episode each day without any issue.
We are a self funded podcast and we pay for all expenses ourselves. While we will take on advertisers who want to advertise on our show we don't seek them out.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
When we started this podcast we had zero financial goals and that hasn't changed to this day. For us it is a true passion for the subject matter (Miami Dolphins football) and a fun hobby we enjoy. The day we don't enjoy doing this podcast is the day this podcast goes away.
We have one sponsor for our podcast and we do not seek out sponsors or advertisers. We have had companies reach out to us willing to buy advertising time on our podcast and for the most part have turned them down. Once money comes into play then more problems start to arise and we try to avoid the headaches. If its the right sponsor we will bring them on board and have in the past but it is not something we openly seek. Through the first 4 months of 2018 we have surpassed half a million downloads and listens and this is our biggest year by far for our Podcast.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
In preparing for our podcast I will sit down and put together a format/layout of the topics I want to discuss on that day's show. When it comes to booking guests I use connections I have made with agents, players, and media types over the past 15 years to reach out to them to get them on the show. We interview the majority of our guests via phone but have done a couple in person interviews in the past.
► How do you market your show?
We market the show via the normal social media outlets as well as on SiriusXM radio with a regular spot I have on one of the radio shows there. And I also interact with a lot of the sports personalities on the local sports talk stations in South Florida and plug our podcast on those outlets as well.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
The biggest thing I have learned through podcasting that I would pass on to aspiring podcasters is to get as much time behind the microphone as possible. Do lots and lots of shows and get many hours under your belt. Just like with anything in life the more you do something the better you get at it. Doing a podcast is not easy and to be good at it takes a lot of time and practice. Do practice shows, do real shows, just get behind that microphone and put in the hours and you will see the improvement in your podcast.