Fun Facts Daily

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► Tell us about you and your podcast

Fun Facts Daily is about anything that is awesome. I try to cover interesting places around the world like the Eiffel Tower, famous people like Abraham Lincoln, and everyday items that are often more fascinating. Each episode focuses on a different topic with a word of the day, fun facts and practical tips helping listeners get some different insights into the core topic. As a teacher, I know it is important to keep things brief, so I make every episode just about 10-15 minutes so it can easily fit into anyone's daily routine. I keep it positive and appropriate for listeners of all ages so whether you're looking for something to spark your kids curiousity or you are focused on your own lifelong learning, Fun Facts Daily is a part of a healthy media diet.
 

► Why & how did you start this podcast? 

I started Fun Facts Daily after I noticed that all the stuff popping up in my daily newsfeed just left me anxious and frustrated. As an elementary school teacher, I think it is important to always look to learn and grow so I decided to make the kind of show I wanted to listen to focusing on fun facts and stories that are just nice to know. I decided to go with a daily format to hold myself accountable to make it a habit to look for good things and learn something new every day and it seems like a fair number of people are enjoying learning along with me.
 

► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?

I release episodes daily Monday through Friday. Finding time can be a bit challenging, but I can usually find enough time on the weekends to record all the episodes for the week and then edit at night throughout the week. During the summer, I am working to build up a collection of episodes to have ready for those days/weeks when I am busy at work or with my family. Part of the reason I like a broad format educational show is that my content doesn't need to be fresh or tied to the news of the day. I can make episodes about all sorts of evergreen topics when I have more free time to give myself a cushion for when I need a little break.
 

► What do you gain from podcasting?        

There isn't much revenue to speak of. It is just enough to cover the costs of my mic, my software etc. For me the biggest thing is I am learning a lot of things I would not have taken the time to think about before. For example, when I made an episode about gold, I came across an article saying that pretty much all the gold that has been mined on Earth came from asteroid impacts. Basically, they explained that because gold is a heavy metal, the gold that was present when the Earth formed sank to the molten core and the only deposits of gold we have on the crust came from impacts millions or even billions of years ago. That kind of information isn't really necessary to know, but it is nice to know. It makes the world a bit more amazing and wondrous as I stumble across these little nuggets and making the podcast helps me learn more daily. I also think it will be a cool record for my family. Decades from now my kids and grandkids will be able to hear me (and sometimes my children) talking about all sorts of different topics.
 

► How does your podcasting process look like? 

I keep my workflow pretty simple. With a daily podcast, it is important to streamline things. I have a standard template for each episode. I start with a "fact or fake" to get listeners thinking. Then I have a word of the day, five fun facts, a practical tip and the reveal of the question from the beginning of the episode. I research to find what I need and script it out. I record using a Shure SM7B through a Focusrite interface into my MacBook. I use Audition to record/edit using a template I created, which has all the music (I made using GarageBand) preloaded into the file.
 

► How do you market your show?

Honestly, I'm not the best at marketing. I keep meaning to make short clips to post on social media, but when I have done that, I haven't noticed much boost in listeners. I have been a guest on some other podcasts and did a few feed drops at launch which really helped. Mostly though, it has just been organic growth from word of mouth and trying to keep things easily searchable. I don't get clever with titles -I keep everything as direct as possible so people will know exactly what to expect before they click on a link to my show.
 

► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?

I suppose I have two bits of contradictory advice: dive right in and take your time planning. I would say the best learning experience is just doing a thing, so dive right in and get started. You will make some mistakes, but most likely very few people will be listening so it doesn't really matter. Then, after trying some things out, move on from your starter project podcast. To make a really good podcast, I recommend taking a good amount of time thinking over all the things you learned from your first venture. Think about what works on your favorite shows from other podcasters. Consider different formats. Take a good month or two really thinking and working out everything so when you launch your "good" podcast, it will be more fully formed and not have to go through the growing pains.
 

► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?

My podcast website is www.FunFactsDailyPod.com and anyone who wants to support me on Patreon can get ad-free versions of all my podcasts (Fun Facts Daily, Who ARTed and Art Smart) ⁠https://www.patreon.com/cw/FunFactsDailyPod