What it takes to host a podcast and more on Did You Bring the Hummus?

I am winding down Season 7, only 3 episodes to go, so I thought I would write a little bit today about podcasting in general, my podcast in particular, like why I format It the way I do, and a little bit about why I think it matters.

First, I would like to acknowledge that I am winding down season 7 with 142 episodes out as this blog Is posted. 142! That is wild to me, I can't believe it. Per an article on Podnews, "Many Industry sources report that 90% of podcasts don't make It past three episodes. Of the 10% that do make it past 3 episodes, 90% of those podcasts don't make It past episode 20." Whoa, that Is staggering.

Why do so few podcasts keep going after 20 episodes?

• Burnout - also known as "podfade." Many people love talking about a specific subject and think a podcast might be a fun way to share their thoughts and it absolutely can be but there is a learning curve (as with anything new.) How I stuck with It at first was that It was a Toastmasters project and I needed to have a certain length of content available to the public before presenting the project to my club in a speech. What kept me going beyond the 3 episodes and beyond 20 was my why. My topic of veganism Is really important to me and I think it is meaningful to provide a resource that others may find helpful or Inspiring.

  • That's not to say that I've been consistently putting out episodes since DYBTH launched In September of 2020 or that I hadn't wondered at various points If I was going to stop doing It. There are gaps In releases and not just because there was a wrap up of one season or that I was busy producing episodes for a new season. It Is hard work and when you have a full-time job that Is unrelated to the podcast, It can be difficult to find the time. Add In being a mostly Interview-style podcast where I also need to schedule recordings and then fully produce the episodes myself, It can be hard to get it all done.

  • But, when you love it and it matters to you....you find a way.

• Frustration/Expecting a big audience fast or to monetize - with all of the podcasts out there falling off the map after only a few episodes, It has to be easy to stand out and bring In a large audience easily, right? Nope! There Is so much that goes Into building an audience and It's not just "Is my topic Interesting enough?" You can't be too broad, because then no one knows If your podcast Is for them and the more niche you get, the smaller the number of people Into that "thing." It's also Important to remember that as the voice of the podcast, sometimes, people just won't get you, even If they love the topic and so, they won't listen. On the flip side, you'll have people who you are 100% their dream host and they will be the people who share your stuff far and wide. More often than not, the podcast can serve to establish you as an expert making you a go-to person for things that might earn you money, but, making a salary off a podcast doesn't happen for everyone.

• The learning curve - Let me tell you, the first time I used editing/producing software I was editing my narration of a non-fiction book and I cried A LOT. AND, I had help! My husband used the program to produce music so he knew how to load, edit, and fully produce a track within the program. Despite that support, it was still hard for me! By the time I was editing the podcast it had been almost a year since I had edited the audiobook so It was like starting over. The tech bit can be overwhelming, especially when you consider yourself more of a creative, or the "talent."

It seems like there are a lot of reasons to stop podcasting...why keep going?

I'll speak here just for me. I truly love it. I get such joy out of chatting with other vegans, knowing their stories get shared with and inspire this ever growing world of DYBTH listeners.

The driving force behind Did You Bring the Hummus? Podcast:

The Did You Bring the Hummus mission is to inspire people to go vegan through powerful stories and meaningful conversation while lifting vegan voices and showcasing our movements' many talents.

If we've ever emailed, you may have noticed the above is part of my email signature, a constant reminder to me and anyone I email, I guess, of why I do this.

The format:

DYBTH Is first and foremost, conversational. I am a regular person so that's my approach, I don't have a "voice of god" or a strict list of questions for every guest. There are podcasts out there with those two things, but that just doesn't suit me, If I tried to incorporate either I think DYBTH would quickly become something none of us recognize and my listeners would not be impressed.

My first question to my guest is always that they share their vegan journey. We vegans wind up in a similar place with similar views and we all get there a different way. I love that about us! It also shows the non-vegans (or pre-vegans, as I like to call them) that vegans are real people who have all different kinds of life experiences and still found a way to make it work. We know storytelling inspires, so that's why I lead with that question.

The only other question I set out to ask my guest is the closing one. "How does hummus show up In your life?" I mean, I have to talk about hummus at least a little bit, right? If you're curious about why I named the podcast Did You Bring the Hummus, check out this blog: How It all began - the Did You Bring the Hummus Story

So, what do we chat about between those two questions? Anything! Well, within reason. Typically, this Is the guests' time to shine. They talk about their work, an aspect of veganism or animal rights that they want the listeners to learn about, we sometimes go off on tangents but I do my best to keep those to a minimum. (I do let them play out though If they're really Interesting!) Guests are very often are business owners but they don't have to be.

Who listens to DYBTH?

People. Helpful, right?! I have found my listeners to be a great mix of vegans, pre-vegans, and those who are trying to understand a vegan In their life. Some listeners are there for the guest and others will listen no matter who I'm chatting with because I'm the draw for them. I have created a space that my listeners trust, it's clear what my values are and I do not stray from them. They trust my guests because they trust me, which makes me selective In who sits opposite me.

What's next for the pod?

Season 8, of course! Which means I am looking for guests! So, to wrap this up, If you're a vegan and would like to be a guest on a future episode, please fill out the Be a Guest Quiz here. If you know a vegan who might like to join me, please send them that same quiz.

If you have questions about the podcast (or podcasting In general) let me know In the comments! I also occasionally do solo episodes, so If there's a topic you'd like to hear me talk about, I'd love for you to mention that below too.

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Hey, I'm Kimberly.

As a Vegan Educator and the creator behind this space, I spend my time covering all things vegan. My goal is to help you live your best vegan life.

• Tune In: Check out my podcast, Did You Bring the Hummus?, where you'll meet a different vegan and/or learn something new every Monday. Stay in the Loop: Don't miss a beet! (haha, see what I did there?...Vegan jokes...) Join the mailing list for weekly (for the most part) vegan topics and more.

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