Azeem Digital Asks - The All-Round Digital Marketing Podcast

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► Tell us about you and your podcast

I am Azeem Ahmad, also known as Azeem Digital. I’m a Digital Marketer with over 7 years experience in multichannel marketing, from strategy to execution across various disciplines including PPC, SEO, Programmatic, and Social Media marketing to name a few.

I’m also an international conference speaker, a global marketing awards judge, and I host my own podcast too.

*Digital is not my actual last name – it’s commonly misspelled so I use digital, to make it easier to find me.

The podcast is called "Azeem Digital Asks" - it's a digital marketing podcast where I interview some of the top names in the marketing industry, find out all about how they got into the industry, and share some really useful marketing tips from them to help people become better at their jobs.

The listeners of this show are people who work in the marketing industry who are keen to learn more.

► Why & how did you start this podcast? 

I could have spent my free time in UK lockdown aimlessly falling down a YouTube wormhole, or playing computer games. Instead, I decided to catch up with some of the top names in the industry and record it for you all to hear, as well as writing the odd blog post too.

I wanted to make sure that I kept developing professionally and also, keep my mental health in check. I spent weeks researching the best way to start and promote a podcast, launched my own website and the show, and here we are!

I started the show in July 2020, and have released (at least) one episode a week since then. On occasion, I have released two episodes a week, as the content is just TOO good to make the listeners wait for it.

It took me around a month to release my first episode, as I took a while to edit the audio and make it easily listenable. Since then, my skills have improved and my turnaround time has shortened.

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

I release episodes weekly, sometimes twice a week. I research my guests in advance, and I have people pitch to get on the show. I'm particularly keen to hear from under-represented groups in the industry and give them a platform. When recording, I ensure I thoroughly research guests so that the conversation is more natural. For example, I have had two published authors on the podcast, and both times I've ensured that I have read their books thoroughly so we can discuss it.

The Azeem Digital Asks podcast is built, recorded, and promoted entirely outside of my day job. As I previously mentioned, I was keen to develop professionally and understand what and how it takes to promote a podcast and audio marketing. I find it a welcome change of thought after working days, and am able to immerse myself in the stories of my guests and their careers, to learn from them.

This podcast is entirely self funded, and currently does not have a sponsor, nor do I do any form of paid marketing for the show.

► What do you gain from podcasting?        

I currently do not have a sponsor, though in future I may be open to the idea. I've had over 1,000 listeners since the podcast started and that number continues to grow as the show grows.

Podcasting benefits me as it helps me develop professionally, but also I view it as a form of networking. Since most conferences are virtual now, one of the in person elements I enjoyed was the networking aspect. This is a way for me to meet new people and learn more about their careers, with the added bonus of being able to share this with others.

► How does your podcasting process look like? 

I find guests to interview either via my pitch, or contact form on my website. My current setup is a Blue Yeti microphone in my home office which I've edited slightly to reduce background noise as much as possible.

Other (more well known guests) I have reached out to myself and found times to record with them. In some cases, I've recorded episodes after 9-10pm to accommodate different time zones.

The podcast is entirely audio only, but recently, I have met guests via video call before hand to have a quick chat and inform them of the process.

► How do you market your show?

Listeners can find my show on most good platforms such as Spotify, Google, or Apple Podcasts, or any others, just by searching "Azeem Digital Asks". My listeners are split between embedded players on my website, Apple, and Spotify, with a smaller percentage coming from Google.

I promote this podcast via Twitter and my Instagram, which has been working really well for me so far. Some guests have shared their episodes via other platforms which has increased the reach.

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

If you're an aspiring podcaster, I would suggest you spend a large amount of time researching the best equipment, setup, and software required to produce and launch a podcast. There is an initial cost involved, and often - if you buy cheaper microphones, the audio quality really shows through. Take your time, and ensure that first episode is as good as it possibly can be. Most of all, relax, be comfortable, and go with the flow.

You can find out more about the podcast by searching "Azeem Digital Asks" on most podcast platforms, or via my website at iamazeemdigital.com

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

Twitter: @AzeemDigital (me)
Twitter: @AzeemDigiAsks (the podcast)
Instagram: @AzeemDigital
Website: iamazeemdigital.com