Lady prepper in a big city helping single moms/solo women with practical emergency preparedness.

I'm Lynn Jordan, a single, twice-widowed lady from New York. I've been a published writer and music reviewer since 1996. In May 2024, I wanted to combine my years of writing and live entertainment experience with my private passion—emergency preparedness, aka "prepping." Urban Lady Prepper is the result.

Along with my podcast, I write a twice-weekly blog on my website, urbanladyprepper.com, and a weekly newsletter. All aim to assist single moms and solo females (SMSFs) in being more prepared for any situation, from losing a job to a Doomsday event. Of course, everyone is welcome to get aboard the preparedness train so we can all be ready for whatever comes next!

In the seven months I've been live, I've found that my audience is incredibly diverse in background and age. I attribute this to the fact that good advice is good advice, and everyone can benefit from the information I provide. I also share personal experiences that show preparedness in action and how I've been able to do it with limited space.
 

During the pandemic, three of my best friends and I were going to do a podcast together. Podcasting was still pretty young, and we had worked out most of what we would do, but life got in the way. In 2024, after losing a job, I decided to go for it and do it on my own, with prepping as the focus. I had heard a few podcasts and realized that this was something that I could do, especially since I've always been told that I had a good speaking voice. Along with my writing, recording, and audio editing experience, the learning curve was something I could handle.

When I talked to women about preparedness, I was stunned that so many did not have the basics and did not have an emergency plan. I knew there was a lot of "prepper" media out there, but I felt that single moms and solo women in urban areas were an underserved niche, and I could help them become more prepared and independent. I'm happy that my message is resonating but is also appreciated by listeners outside of that demographic.

My first episode was uploaded on May 30, 2024. I released two more in the following three days so listeners could get a feel for my show and its format and be interested in hearing more instead of a "one-and-done." Plus, I read somewhere that most podcasts don't make it past three episodes, so I wanted to get past that as soon as possible!

It didn't take me long to finish the first episode, as I had everything in place and was comfortable speaking on a microphone. Thanks to honest early feedback, the sound quality immediately improved from the earliest episodes. Writing and recording weren't the hard part; getting the right equipment and producing a great-sounding podcast was more challenging.
 

I had two jobs, and the loss of one of them gave me the time and the impetus to either "do it or don't." The loss of income was not fun, and I had to do creative financial hustling to cobble the equipment together. But I was excited about doing the podcast, and seeing how fast it was growing kept me motivated even though I was struggling financially. I looked at what "good numbers" for a podcast meant AFTER I launched, so I had no basis for comparison and no expectations. When I read that most podcasts take about a year to get 1000 downloads, and I achieved that in just under three months, I knew I had made the right decision even if I knew it would be a grind to earn money from it.

It isn't easy to make time, but if you want to do something, you will find ways to make it happen. In every spare moment, I work on the podcast, thinking about topics, making notes and drafts, maintaining my social media, updating the website, writing blogs, and providing a weekly prepping newsletter to my subscribers. I usually record the episodes on Saturday night or early Sunday morning. I release an episode every week and have been consistent with that. I believe my consistency is one of the reasons I'm doing alright.

I paid for many of my services upfront for the year, as many companies offer discounts for doing so. Plus, it's great not to have monthly charges. But if broken down monthly, it is roughly $60/month just for podcasting; website hosting, marketing, and a graphics program add another $100+ a month. So far, I pay for everything.
 

I do take sponsorships, and I would love to have one! However, the competition to get a good-paying sponsor is tough, and I don't believe I have the numbers yet to obtain one who feels I'm worth the expense. Some podcasters make a lot of money on ads and sponsorships, but it took them years to reach that point. My podcast is only halfway to a year old, and I understand this was not a "get rich quick" type of thing. I know I'll get there!

I can't monetize with my YouTube channel yet; I don't have 1000 followers yet on Facebook, so I can't monetize with them either. I have a couple of affiliates, but I've only made any money off of one, and all I'll say is it doesn't cover my podcast expenses. I make a few cents off the ads that run on my episodes, but after four months, I've made about $5. I just don't have the volume of listeners yet, so I'm not considering any of those as an income stream. No one donates, and I haven't sold one piece of merchandise. At this point, I'm not making any revenue, but as my listener and follower base grows, I hope to break even by the time I hit my first anniversary. I have been concentrating on acquiring listeners rather than selling. Still, I'm reaching the point where I can shift my focus a bit to pitching my affiliates and gear more and see about providing exclusive podcast content via subscription. I'm just not sure what that will be yet, and I want to be sure I'll have the audience to make it worth the extra time that will be required.

Podcasting has empowered me personally, and I’ve been welcomed by supportive community members. I’ve gained new friends with different kinds of shows and perspectives from which to learn, and in turn, they have let me know they have learned from me as well. We promote each other and interview each other. It’s been enriching and has let me know that I’ve found my purpose…ot something close to it
 

My process all starts with a topic. My show is scripted, so once I have decided what to talk about, I use the microphone tool in Google Docs to do a stream-of-consciousness ramble. I then review, edit, and format. Once I'm happy with it, I record it using my budget brand-knockoff microphone into Adobe Podcast. Once completed, I download it and the transcription in TXT format for YouTube closed-captioning. I uploaded the episode into Lexis Audio Editor, which was inexpensive and does the job. I add my intro music clip and outro, edit out any long pauses, and enhance with Lexis' compression and EQ to warm the tone. I then upload it into TurboScribe, which transcribes the audio into an SRT file Podbean uses for its close captioning. Then, I upload the audio and the transcription into Podbean and add an episode description and then - finally - I publish it. I also create a thumbnail for YouTube, make a catchier title, and upload the Podbean audio-only video.

When I have guests on the show, I usually record using Zoom. I don't use the video, just the audio, which is generally good and doesn't need much work. However, I do edit out pauses and if there are too many 'ums' and whatnot because while I want it to sound natural, too much of that negatively impacts the listening experience. I like things to flow. There is software now that removes these, but I can't pay for another thing!

I found my guests by starting with fellow podcasters, such as the hosts from Eye Opener Society and the Old Man's Podcast. I also look to friends, acquaintances, and colleagues who have relevant experience with the topic I'm presenting and through social media networking. I couldn't do an interview every week because chasing down guests, scheduling interviews, and putting it all together would have burned me out. I do it every few episodes or so and break it up into two parts so the episodes aren't over-long.
 

Marketing is crucial to promoting my podcast. Podbean, my podcasting platform, auto-uploads an audio-only version of the episode and the description to my social media platforms, and I share it through my secondary account. I encourage folks to share, and a few consistently do. I'll follow up with additional postings and maybe a reel. I also link to it in my newsletter, and there is a page on my website where I use the Podbean embedded player, which updates itself with the latest episode and all the prior ones. I use my graphics programs Canva and Adobe (part of the Podcast bundle), to create and schedule postings reminding people to check it out. Finally, I pay $15-30 a week for Facebook ads.

Facebook has garnered me the most results regarding adding followers and listeners, so it has been worth the money spent since I'm getting followers and listeners. I would probably have more success if I featured myself in some videos, but I'm not ready to do that yet because I just don't have the time, and trying to force that will lessen the quality of the podcast. I plan to do some video clips and live shows in Spring 2025, and I'm sure all of my metrics will improve, but I want to do it right and have some anticipation for it, or even better, be in the position to make it something people would pay a subscription for.
 

The advice I would give an aspiring podcaster would be:

1. Prepare to spend more money than you think you will.
2. It's more work than you think it is.
3. Be clear on what your show is about. If you are covering a popular topic, find what makes your show different and market that.
4. BE CONSISTENT. If listeners can count on your show to be available when you say it will be, they will keep coming back.
5. Bank episodes! It's good to have some episodes in the can in case of an emergency, or you need a break (easier said than done, though).
6. Make the best-sounding pod you can. Listen to yourself and decide what you can improve. Ask for honest critiques about your voice and overall sound.
7. If you want to make big money quickly, this is not it.
8. If you want to make money at it, get your LLC and an official website - it adds legitimacy, opportunity and you'll avoid money issues later.
9. Be realistic about the time you have to devote to it. It's not just the pod; it's the marketing, the emails, searching for topics, interviewees...it's a lot.
10. Be authentic! You will find your audience, and they will be loyal because they can count on you being you.

My podcast, Urban Lady Prepper, is on all the popular streaming platforms but of course on Listen NotesI

My official website/blog is at www.urbanladyprepper.com. I post a new blog every Wednesday and Friday.

I'm on these social media platforms under Urban Lady Prepper - FB, IG, Twitter, Threads, LinkedIn, TikTok

My YouTube channel is http://www.youtube.com/@UrbanLadyPrepper

You can donate/Buy Me a Coffee at: https://ko-fi.com/urbanladyprepper