June 25, 2021

Pod Hack  

What We're Into 

• Our beloved show Latina to Latina has surpassed 1 million lifetime downloads, and we couldn't be more grateful to our incredible audience for their support. We're celebrating this milestone with a new logo and 12 days of giveaways with Latina authors and Latina-owned brands on our Instagram page. Read more here and join us in celebrating! 
• Sign up for the unveiling of the second annual U.S. Latino Podcast Listener Report from Edison Research. LWC is proud to be a sponsor along with Adonde Media, Libsyn, PRX, Simplecast, Sonoro, and SXM Media. Findings and key stats will be presented virtually on July 13 at 1pm ET in English and 2pm ET in Spanish.
• With the launch of Apple Podcasts in-app subscriptions, listeners can subscribe and support different shows and networks for unlimited access to ad-free listening, bonus content, and subscriber-only shows. For creators, here is a video that breaks down how set up channels and subscriptions in Apple Podcasts Connect.
• This article from Tom Webster on everything you need to know about listener surveys. We've spoken about the importance of listener surveys and why your show really benefits from one. Whether you're just starting out or have been making your show for some time, asking your audience for feedback is necessary. Not only can it help you learn more about your listener, but it can also help shape your podcast content.

What We're Listening To 

• From Us: Feeling My Flo is back on Apple Podcasts. Created by Mia Warren and hosted by Kamilah Kashanie, Feeling My Flo brings us the stories of individuals and how they’ve been shaped by menstruation. How they feel about their bodies. How others treat them based on social norms. What access they have to information and to power, and so much more. Get access to ad-free episodes here.
• From Other Folks: Who Was Prince?, an eight-episode series from DCP Official gives us an intimate look at the life of legendary music icon Prince. The show features interviews with people who were close to him — people who played in his bands, managed his career, engineered his music, and even some who dated him. Hosted by music journalist Touré.

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Overheard on Clubhouse 

This week on Clubhouse... we welcomed the one and only Alvin Hall to discuss the art of the interview. He dropped so many gems that we're just sad we couldn't include the whole transcript. An award-winning broadcaster and educator, Alvin is the creator and host of Driving The Green Book, from Macmillan Podcasts, produced by LWC. It won an Ambie Award from the The Podcast Academy for Best History Podcast. Alvin began by talking about his inspiration for creating the documentary series. It started from doing an episode on The Negro Motorist's Green Book and a visit to the MoMA. It then evolved into a personal mission to amplify the voices and stories of the people who lived through the segregation era. Alvin talked about the need to show interest in your subject's story when approaching any interview. To form a connection so your interviewee feels comfortable sharing details, he first makes sure the conversation feels organic by memorizing the questions he plans to ask. "I don't want them to see me looking down at my paper and not paying attention to them," he said. Second, keep up the eye contact. And make sure any follow-up questions come naturally from what your guest is talking about. Finally, at the right time, show that you're connected to the story by sharing something personal. Doing so adds texture to the conversation and often leads to your guest revealing additional details that enhance the interview. A technique Alvin uses to draw that connection is repeating a phrase or word to the guest, as a way to mirror or let them know he understood they said. Before conducting an interview, Alvin identifies what he expects the guest to contribute to the show, what he thinks they might contribute, and the basic elements of their autobiography. To clarify to himself, producers, and editors the key elements of the interview he wants to capture in the final piece, Alvin jots notes in the form of words or short phrases to construct a narrative as soon as he wraps up the interview. An important note he shared is to always ensure you have a story arc in mind; this will lead to almost always having an engaged audience.

Join Our Next Conversation! 

Coming up Next Wednesday: We'll be discussing character development with Lisandra Ramos. She is a playwright, co-founder and co-director of Fulana, a Latina video and satire collective. Join us here.

Join Our Community: On Mondays we talk shop, help each other with production, editorial, marketing, publicity, advertising, and everything we're dealing with as we make our shows every week. A great space for any and all questions. On Wednesdays we host an informative session, where we invite experts working in all facets of podcasting to offer their expertise on all things we care about as creators.

Stop by our Clubhouse sessions Mondays at 1pm and Wednesdays at 4pm EST. Download the Clubhouse App. Search "Podcasting, Seriously" or  "@podcastjuleyka" and follow our club.

Community Offers 

• Use promo code "seriously" at checkout to receive $40 (or one month) off on SquadCast.
• Receive 50% off your first two months on Simplecast by following this link and entering code ONSIMPLECAST.

Creator Spotlight 

Thanks for the Love 

• Thank you Podnews for highlighting Latina to Latina hitting 1 million downloads. Read the full article here.
• Huge thanks to Oprah Daily for including Latina to Latina in this curated playlist of the best Latino podcasts.
• Thanks Podnews for mentioning our newest shows, Mamá Preparada and Birthful+, available now on Apple Podcasts.