► Tell us about you and your podcast
I am an Actress, Communications Coach, and Host. I have credits in TV, Film, Theater, and Commercials, including roles in “Blue Bloods,” “Homeland,” “Winter’s Tale,” and a lead in an episode of MTV’s scripted series “One Bad Choice.” I love using my acting background and training to teach clients professional development and communication skills, with a specialty in public speaking and on-camera media training.
My audience or community of "Mentees" are those who wish to enter or move up in Entertainment. These stories and experiences of these Mentors inspire and motivate us to keep going. My listeneres connect with each other, and the Mentors themselves, to grow within the industry.
My audience or community of "Mentees" are those who wish to enter or move up in Entertainment. These stories and experiences of these Mentors inspire and motivate us to keep going. My listeneres connect with each other, and the Mentors themselves, to grow within the industry.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
At the start of the pandemic, I wanted to explore doing things I "never had time for." One of which was host a podcast. As an actor, I had experience hosting and moderating panels. After hosting and moderating a virtual panel for my alma mater, I wanted to keep doing it. I was so curious about these people in Entertainment who were willing to give me an hour of their time to ask any question about their journey. It didn't feel fair that it would only be for the alumni of this university, so I decided to create a podcast with the ability to reach a larger audience, for free. I started it in July 2020 and it took me 2-3 months to feel comfortable to release my first episode.
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► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
I release an episode a week and I am about to start my third season in January 2022. Between reaching out, booking a guest, prep work, interviewing, editing, marketing, and more, it takes at least a month to produce an episode. I put a lot of work into it and like to batch episodes a month in advance. I have started to integrate additional mini bonus episodes which can take me a week if it's just me or clips from previous episodes. I spend 10-20 hours a week on my podcast between hosting, editing, marketing, etc. It's longer as I head into the last couple weeks before my launch. I fund the podcast myself but keep my expenses at a minimum.
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I have affiliate marketing on the podcast and plan to make more this upcoming season. I have only done this on one episode prior to now. This particular sponsor came to me with an affiliate code and I only had about 500 downloads a month at the time. I am in the market for corporate sponsors and affiliate sponsors.
Podcasting has been the most exceptional networking tool, connecting me and my listeners with the most incredible industry Mentors. I text and email with my Mentors somewhat frequently and am in touch with many of my listeners on how it's benefited them. People write to me saying they reached out to someone on my podcast and got a script read by a Hollywood Producer or a Mentor in development.
Podcasting has been the most exceptional networking tool, connecting me and my listeners with the most incredible industry Mentors. I text and email with my Mentors somewhat frequently and am in touch with many of my listeners on how it's benefited them. People write to me saying they reached out to someone on my podcast and got a script read by a Hollywood Producer or a Mentor in development.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I use Audacity for editing, Anchor for hosting, and Canva for marketing. I interview remotely on Zoom. I have many ways that I get my amazing guests. I reach out through my existing community (alumni networks), PR people on IMDB pro, and directly on social media. I have a whole presentation on this that I've done for podcasting summits. Happy to share.
► How do you market your show?
iTunes, Google, Spotify, goodpods, castbox, pandora, all of the podcasting platforms. 70% are from Apple podcasts, 10% are from spotify. I use mostly social media (twitter, linkedin , and instagram).
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
I recommend So you want to start a podcast by Kristen Meinzer and joining podcast groups on facebook like Podcast Movement Community for Podcasters, Podcast Success community, and She Podcasts.
I would recommend batching tasks and creating systems. Planning out in advance helps a lot. I use a trello board to create checklists for each episode. From scheduling a guest to putting it in anchor to scheduling social media posts. I also recommend launching with 2-3 episodes at once. People like to binge a series. It's the same way the new Sex and the City reboot launched with 2 episodes. They want people to connect with it as much as possible so they're more excited to wait for the next week. One episode might not be enough time to make someone a fan.
Get on all of the smaller podcasting platforms and try to grow within those communities. Chartable is a great resource to see how you're doing. Choose a subcategory on Apple Podcasts as you're more likely to chart on those.
I would recommend batching tasks and creating systems. Planning out in advance helps a lot. I use a trello board to create checklists for each episode. From scheduling a guest to putting it in anchor to scheduling social media posts. I also recommend launching with 2-3 episodes at once. People like to binge a series. It's the same way the new Sex and the City reboot launched with 2 episodes. They want people to connect with it as much as possible so they're more excited to wait for the next week. One episode might not be enough time to make someone a fan.
Get on all of the smaller podcasting platforms and try to grow within those communities. Chartable is a great resource to see how you're doing. Choose a subcategory on Apple Podcasts as you're more likely to chart on those.