One of the great privileges of working on this project is learning about the joy people gain from having an outlet with which share their personal passion with a community of listeners. I want to highlight a few stories we have heard about WHY hosts started their podcasts and, more importantly, what drives them to continue to create great content.
“I love podcasting because it’s an intimate and authentic connection between me and my podcast listeners. It’s incredible when I receive emails and tweets about how my episodes have positively impacted their lives. I got into podcasting for a few reasons, but I’ll share two – One, I’m absolutely passionate about moderating quality business panels and I felt through podcasting I could scale my reach to beyond a physical venue. Two, with podcasting the whole production process is in my control with a low learning curve so I can record, edit, and distribute all on my own.” –Espree Devora, Host of WeAreLATech
“I’ve been a heavy podcast listener for a few years. First were comedy podcasts. Then business. When I tried to find travel podcasts, I was disappointed in what I found. Everything was stuffy, boring, and destination specific. Finally, I found a few that I enjoyed. After being a guest on one and becoming friends with the hosts of both, we started one as an extension of our business and blog. Power Trip is another outlet for us to help travelers and discuss what we love.” –Fred, Host of Power Trip & Founder of Tortuga Backpacks
“We are three guys from Manchester and we each have segments in the podcast. Our podcast involves everything from current affairs and tacky jingles to new unsigned bands from around the globe. What keeps us motivated? One word. Love. A love of podcasting. A love of entertaining. A love of creating something.” –Jay, Host of The Verbal Shotgun
“Semi-Random Walks is a personal project. The theme is the random things that affect the course of people’s lives. StaunchCast is business focused. We interview various experts about managing company growth. In terms of personal inspiration, I started thinking about doing my own show after listening to Marc Maron, Adam Carolla and watching Louis CK’s standup. I liked how personal they all are, albeit in different ways. A few years ago I considered getting into filmmaking. Ultimately I decided film wasn’t for me, but I enjoyed the process of learning about it through interviewing, and it occurred to me I could do something similar with podcasting.” –Derek, Host of Semi-Random Walks and StaunchCast
Each of these sentiments is an honest reflection about the love these hosts have for using podcasting as a medium to personally connect with a large audience. Podcasters are storytellers, teachers, and creators, who simply must share what they care about with the world. To curate a show, and dedicate yourself to consistent episodes with new content is no easy feat, especially for those who are receiving little to no compensation for the hours they are putting in. I want to thank all the podcasters out there who are putting in the time and the heart to continually make this medium an engaging experience for the ever-growing community of listeners. What drives you?