For Those Who Need Spiritual Encouragement In The Arts & Entertainment Industry

► Tell us about you and your podcast

I'm Allen C. Paul, musician, author and coach. My podcast, The God and Gigs Show, is for musicians, artists and freelancers with a faith / Christian background who need practical tools and spiritual encouragement as they work in the mainstream arts and entertainment industry.

► Why & how did you start this podcast?

I've always been a fan of podcasts, even in the early days of Apple iPods when I tried to get my young kids (who I was homeschooling at the time) to do a podcast with me. I've always loved talk radio and learning, so podcasts were a natural fit for my lifestyle.

When I began the God and Gigs platform in 2015 as a blog and then a book in 2016, I never thought that I'd then become the 'face' of the platform. But I quickly realized that podcasting was the best way for me to continue the conversations I began in my book. On a hot afternoon in September of 2017, I began The God and Gigs Show on the pool table in my parents' garage.

My goal was always to share the conversations and issues that musicians deal with as they attempt to maintain their principles in a world that doesn't always mirror what they believe.

It took me about a month or so to launch the first episode, starting bi-weekly, but I finally started doing weekly episodes this year.

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

I do weekly episodes, and it takes me about 4-5 hours per episode between recording, editing, putting together promotions and show notes.

I'm basically a full-time creative, so time isn't as much a factor when it comes to balancing with a day -job, but I still struggle to avoid being overwhelmed with the amount of work it takes to put out quality episodes every week.

I spend around $100 monthly when considering all of my subscriptions. I've tried Patreon before, but right now my podcast is funded by my other creative projects.

► What do you gain from podcasting?

At this time, my revenue from my podcast is minimal. I'm working to build affiliate partnerships with companies and products that would benefit my audience.

While monetization would be great, what I love most is the fact that I get to talk to amazing creatives and share what matters most in their lives. Often times I've been told that they don't get asked the questions I ask, and because of that I feel I'm doing a service for both my guests and the listeners. It's a small podcast with a big vision, you might say.

I'm still interested in sponsors, but I'm committed to continuing this podcast whether I'm supported or not.

► How does your podcasting process look like?

I've developed a lot of workflows for my podcast...it looks a little like this.

I find guests through speaking and interacting with the music and arts community, especially those who are working in the background of major artists. Often times they have small projects of their own that aren't noticed. I have an email template on Google Drive that I'll use to reach out, and also sometimes on social media. Other times I've been blessed with referrals.
Every Monday, I've started doing videos to my Facebook, Instagram and Youtube audiences. I pull the audio from that for quick/tip episodes to break up the interview episodes (alternating the content)
I use Zoom for recording my interviews, Calendly for scheduling, Adobe Audition to edit, and Buzzsprout (godandgigs.com/buzzsprout) to host and provide mastering. I used to use Fiverr freelancers for editing but I've decided I can handle it for the time being.
For show notes, I have Google Docs templates that I edit for each episode, with the majority of links already done. I'll make sure to format for my podcast app notes as well as the blog post page where I'll host the episode on my Wordpress site.
I do my show graphics on Canva (godandgigs.com/canva) where I make sure to use templates. I also build promo videos using Headliner and I have a master template for that video as well built on Canva, which I then edit and post.
(I'm tired just typing all this!)

► How do you market your show?

I have about 60% of my traffic from Apple Podcasts, another 15% from my webpage, and the rest split among the other apps. My listeners tend to find me on Facebook through organic posts, as well as a few from Twitter and of course, my email list which is about 600 at this time.

I find Facebook, especially Facebook groups tailored to creatives, gospel musicians and podcasters to be my most effective tool right now to find listeners, but I anticipate moving more to YouTube since more of my musical audience lives and hangs out there.

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

Wow. I'd say that the number one thing I wish I knew about podcasting before I started is that it's more than just a one-way conversation. As the audience has grown more and more connected, I would have made sure to ask and survey my potential listeners to find out what they need and how I can serve them best. Although I do feel I've given them the content they want, I could have done much better. Also, batching and making sure you organize your time for production is extremely important. Finally, don't be afraid to reuse / repurpose / reexplain things! Every new listener deserves to get the same journey that your longest listener has been on. I've learned that it's ok to go back to topics I've discussed over and over, because my core audience understands how important a good foundation is to the community I'm building.

I've learned a TON from listening to other podcasts and borrowing (I.E. stealing) their ideas. Pat Flynn, Chris Ducker, Matt McWilliams, and other entrepreneurial leaders all set examples that I followed.