This Podcast Examines The Underbelly Of Society

Hello, my name is Cyndi. I am a writer, book reviewer, librarian, podcaster, history and true crime buff, and an avid researcher.

My co-host Kelly and I met in college while earning our BAs in English Literature. In order to get through all the reading and writing, we took every class together. It was nice to have someone in the trenches with you the whole way who understood how hard writing a 25 page paper on Romeo and Juliette could be.

We launched our podcast Demiworld in March of 2019. Demiworld examines the underbelly of society. Each season covers a theme and runs eight episodes. So far we've covered true crime, urban legends, and cults.

I am in love with podcasts and really wanted to start one of my own. Kelly has a robust career but wanted something fun to do on the side. We started chatting in December of 2018 and by March of 2019, Demiworld was born.

We wanted our topics to be fluid and everchanging, so we went with the idea of a demiworld which is French for a world between worlds. The term is usually reserved for dark alleys where sex workers find clients and gambling dens. You know the fun places in town.

While a season is going, we try to release an episode every Monday (the Wednesday before for Patreon). There tends to a two-month break between seasons while we record and try to get ahead.

Recording can be tricky. I am a stay-at-home mom so my days are free while Kelly works during regular business hours. Thankfully, Kelly works from home, so if she has a break, we can record then.

Typically, recording happens over skype because we live in different states. However, that is changing as Kelly is moving to Portland in a week. Now we'll have more flexibility to record.

As far as costs go, we host Demiworld on Archive.org which is free. We don't get the perk of getting in-depth analytics, but hay, free is free. Our website is hosted through WordPress which is also free. We own the domain, demiworld.net, but that didn't set us back too much. I edit each episode myself, as well as post to social media, code the webpage, and search for potential funding along the way. All expenses are covered by Kelly and myself, so far. We are hoping to expand further in 2020.

We are too small to have any revenue streams yet (We have one Patreon subscriber so far. Bless you Gerry. We love you!). So far, the only gain we've had from podcasting is community. We have met some amazing independent podcasters like #ladypodsquad. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Overall, we have around 700 downloads per month. Most come from our first season on true crime. We are still looking for our first sponsorship. We are open to offers ;)

We record using Audacity and snowball mics. I then take the separate recordings and sync them up. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of Audacity, which is fairly user-friendly.

Each episode has a theme, such as Historic True Crime, or Teen Urban Legends. Kelly and I will research a different story each and then present our findings on air to one another. A natural conversation takes places and that's the cast. Super simple. It's like having a conversation with a friend about a topic that intrigues you both.

I spend a lot of time on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram promoting the podcast. I have discovered a tight network of other independent podcasters who support one another. I also reached out to podcasting platforms to have Demiworld featured as well as recording guest spots on other podcasts and doing midroll adverts for independent casts who return the favor. It's been a lot of fun.

In order to track where listeners come from, I use Charatble which has fantastic analytics. Coupled with listens tracked from archive.org, it's pretty comprehensive.

The biggest issue Kelly and I have had to tackle is communication around recording and our expectations and needs. Being honest, practical, and employing your listening skills is key when working with others, especially a friend.

You can learn more about Demiworld at our website, demiworld.net. We have a comprehensive write-up about each episode and a little about ourselves.

If you'd like to reach out to us personally, our email is demiworldpodcast@gmail.com

To support us on Patreon head over to https://www.patreon.com/join/demiworldpodcast

If you're into social media, you can reach us at the following:
twitter: https://twitter.com/DemiworldCast
Insta: https://instagram.com/demiworld_podcast/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/DemiworldPodcast