► Tell us about you and your podcast
The podcast is an assortment of biographies and interviews with scholars regarding the personalities involved in the Napoleonic Era. We cover Napoleon's marshals, generals, opponents, peers, family/siblings, and ministers.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I enjoy the podcast format and was inspired by other Napoleonic podcasts. I also noticed there was plenty of information on Napoleon but a dearth of information on the men and women that supported and opposed him. I listen to several other history podcasts and I like the 20-30 minute episodes that provide info on aspects of history that I knew nothing about. So, I started my podcast in June 2022. It took me about a month to research, record, edit and publish my first episode.
Demystify the podcasting process
Get the weekly email where the podcasters share their creative experience of podcasting. Stay informed and inspired, for free.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
I release an episode every 9 days. It takes me about 2-3 days to produce one episode. I found time at night and on the weekends to produce these episodes. The podcast is totally funded by me, but we have added some donors and supporters as we've grown.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
Yes, we take sponsorships - any and all sizes. First sponsorship is an anonymous supporter who graciously gives us $5 per month. We weren't averaging many downloads because this is such a niche topic. But I guess we found an audience over time. Podcasting is fun and I get to engage with our awesome listeners who provide support and research to the show.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
We use Anchor, now known as Spotify podcasts. The only initial investment was a $40 Blue Snowball microphone and some sound-deadening foam in my office to keep it quiet during recording. Each episode involves a lot of book research, online research, and analysis. I usually invite guests via Zoom.
► How do you market your show?
I highly recommend starting your social media pages BEFORE starting your podcast. It gives you the opportunity to build a small audience before your first episode. Twitter has been surprisingly great for us. Instagram and Facebook are also solid.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Best advice would be to just keep going, even when you think nobody is listening. It's a slow grind to build your audience. But keep pumping out content. Helpful resources would be to listen to other podcasts to learn what you like (and don't like) in a podcast. Also, invite other podcasters to be a guest on your show. It helps you (and them) cross-pollinate your audiences.
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
Yes, please check us out on Twitter (@andnapoleon) where we post something almost daily. We also have a Patreon page: patreon.com/generalsandnapoleon. Thanks for listening!