► Tell us about you and your podcast
I am Allison Hare, the host of the Culture Changers Podcast interviewing the convention-breakers changing our world and and The Podcasters Journey, the real-time experiment to launch and grow a podcast. I am also the creator of Press Play Podcasts, designed to launch your podcast in 6 weeks or less!
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
Podcasting is the coolest medium. It's your own personal broadcasting channel, brand builder, and an unmatched way of building a true community and connection with your listeners. Fun fact: my first podcast I ever discovered was Finding Richard Simmons...and I was hooked! Even though my podcast(s) are not political, Culture Changers was born of frustration from the political climate. Feeling like I wanted to make a bigger impact and share bigger ideas, I launched in early 2019. And in 2021, launching The Podcasters Journey because I have fallen in love with helping others find their voices, I wanted to serve the podcasting community in a bigger way.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
I release weekly. I am an early riser (4:30am!) so finding the time was more about reallocating short bursts of time to get it done - until I got into a rhythm. I work full time and have 2 small kids so it was important to be diligent about my time. I used to edit and produce all of my episodes myself (I got it down to about 1 hour to record and 1 hour to edit and product) but started outsourcing it. I spend about $750/month on production and social media graphics and it's worth it to focus on the content and engagement. I am self-funded but looking for sponsors and ways to generate revenue streams.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I hadn't focused on sponsorships - but I did use the podcast as a platform to sell my podcasting course. Now that I am launching my 2nd podcast, I'm going all in on sponsorships/affiliates and ways to grow and fund the brand. It's exciting! Especially because I teach podcasting, I want to try everything and share what works and what doesn't.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I use the Shure SM58 mic (love this so much), Squadcast for remote recording (although I'm going to try out Riverside.fm), and love editing on Audacity for free. I find a lot of my guests on social media or based on my interests. I got to interview the great Seth Godin and Jesse Itzler and many other well-known culture changers. I love the process of preparing for interviews. I find that listening to their other interviews or reading their books/work generates so many questions in my mind. I usually think of 10 very thoughtful questions based on my research but never use notes during the conversation. I want the interview to flow. I prefer to interview my guests in-person but with COVID, it's Squadcast or Zoom.
► How do you market your show?
Social media, YouTube videos, Email marketing, writing articles, being a guest on other podcasts, or being a guest in other coaching communities. To some extent, providing as much value as I can in FB podcast communities and Reddit, and through my own coaching programs.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
There is no place for perfection in podcasting. I used to obsess over every single millisecond being perfect and airtight - but really, people want the broken bits, too. It's more natural. And if one episode is not a homerun, the next one usually is. So keep going! I highly recommend some of the FB podcast communities like The Podcasters Journey, Podfest, She Podcasts, and many more. Reddit subreddits on Podcasting is a great place to workshop your ideas, too. I hope you'll connect with me at allisonhare.com or on IG at instagram.com/allison__hare and instagram.com/thepodcastersjourney. You can get a free download of how to find the perfect name for your podcast at allisonhare.com/name. Good luck! I'm excited for your ideas!