► Tell us about you and your podcast
My name is Steven Elonich. I'm from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and went to college at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. My podcast guests/cohosts are my friends, who have always been very outgoing.
My podcast's name is "Fantasy Friendship." It is a collection of our friend group's stories, which includes getting lost and surviving while backpacking in the Rocky Mountains, having a 64-person best friend tournament, spending an evening drinking under a bridge with homeless gentlemen and so on.
My listeners are surprisingly diverse. We just wrapped up season one. The first episode was just family and close friends, but it's expanded to friends of friends and then we even got a handful of international listeners.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
My friends and I were sharing some of our favorite stories and I thought "Huh, these are objectively pretty interesting. We ought to share these with people, while also chronicling them for ourselves." We're also getting older and more forgetful, so some of the details are getting lost. In 20 years when we're arguing about who should be at fault for getting us lost in the Rockies, we can go back and "check the tape!"
My initial goals were simply to chronicle the stories, but now I'd like to expand the show to folks outside my circle. I think it can be a nice hub for bizarre stories experienced by everyday people.
The first episode was launched in August of 2020, and it took me a few months to get rolling.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
The first season was twice a week (Monday and Thursday). I recorded about five episodes ahead of time to get a head start. The episodes range in time from about 10 minutes to an hour, so the extent I edit definitely varies. I work a M-F, 8-5 job, which occasionally requires me to work some time on the weekends.Recording, editing, getting guests lined up and promoting is definitely time consuming, but I enjoy it so that certainly helps.
I fund the podcast myself. I bought a decent microphone and some business cards that I haven't used yet, so it hasn't been crazy expensive, but hopefully someday we can make a little bit of funds off of the show to put back into it.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I do not have a sponsor right now, but I'm working on something small with a local bar. For small podcasts, I'd suggest networking. My friend manages the bar and I said I'd buy him coasters with our logos on them to use for the bar -- he doesn't have to spend money (especially during COVID) and I get really cheap and consistent promotion in my target demographic.
Podcasting is a decent stress reliever. If it wasn't fun for me, I wouldn't be doing it.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I use Anchor to host, Audacity to edit and social media to promote.
Right now my guests have all been people I know. I'm hoping to expand my listeners to help find future guests.
I want me episodes to sound as natural as they can, so I talk about it very briefly with the people coming on so we have our talking points, but it's otherwise just a typical conversation. I think that makes folks feel like they're part of the group.
I've done both in-person interviews and Zoom (due to COVID).
► How do you market your show?
I use Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Reddit. I think Snapchat has been the most useful (surprisingly enough) because it's more personable (I'm sending one particular person a message to listen, at least from their end).
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
I would just say to make sure you're either making a career out of it or having fun. Don't put extra stress on yourself. That's much easier said than done. Reach out to other podcasters and give each other a listen. Even if it's not a show necessarily up your alley, it's nice to get little pieces of feedback from so many different brains.