► Tell us about you and your podcast
I'm an ardent writer and story-teller. In school, I'd always be chosen as the narrator of plays - no matter how bad I'd want to give acting a try!
My podcast is a merger of both of these skills along with my love for travel.
It is for listeners who have a penchant for exploring the unexplored because in all of my vacations I've realized that there is always something new to be discovered - even in the most familiar regions.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
I started this podcast a few months after the pandemic set in. Over the years, I'd write about my travel experiences. But as I listened to podcasts - while travelling or chilling at home, I came to the realization the power of voice. Not everyone in today's age has the patience to read through pages of written material - they want information quick and in an entertaining fashion. So I went through all of my old material and converted it into well, podcast-worthy material! I put out a trailer first that got accepted by Spotify within an hour - so that definitely was a good motivation to continue creating more episodes.
► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
I enjoyed the whole process so much - I'd make time for it. Something that worked in favor of sticking to the timelines was that at the end of each episode, I'd announce the release date of my next episode. So I had no choice but to stick to those release dates because I'd already announced it to the world!
► What do you gain from podcasting?
Monetary - none. But I'd love to accept any sponsors if out there, I'm just not too sure of how to navigate through the procedure.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
The process starts with creating a draft of the write-up. I read it a couple times, to hear how it sounds. But often when I'm recording, in the flow of speech I do add in impromptu lines that were not originally part of the script. And after the audio editing, I use Anchor to release my episodes.
► How do you market your show?
Instagram and Twitter. I don't have a public Instagram account so that doesn't really work in the favor of me or the show.
The majority of my audience is from India (71%), followed by the United States (18%). Most of my listeners play the podcast on Spotify (43%), followed by Apple Podcasts (20%).
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
The most important element according to me is your raw recording. In the first few episodes, I didn't exactly pay attention to the way in which I recorded or the audio editing, so the feedback I received from listeners was that they were having trouble hearing me right! So even if you have great content, it might get lost in the noise.
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4eptv6MBb4V2bSQHCjH4a1
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-virtual-transport/id1516849770?uo=4
Google Podcasts - https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yM2UwMDExNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==
Personal Blog - https://shraavyaajila.blogspot.com/
E-mail me at shraavyaajila@yahoo.co.in
My PayPal donate link if you found this interview helpful or if you enjoyed listening to the podcast:
https://www.paypal.me/shraavyaajila