Dirty John. Dr. Death. Dying for Sex.
These are just a few of the hit shows that make up Wondery's extensive library. And that library wouldn't be complete without the talent and knowledge of women. Known as one of the top players in the podcasting space, On the Mic with Ad Results Media is delighted to sit down with Wondery's Vice President of Brand Partnerships, Cristina Haro, and VP of New Series, Stephanie Jenz, as we continue on with Part 2 of our Women In Podcasting series.
Be sure to subscribe to the "On the Mic with Ad Results Media" podcast through iTunes. It's a podcast about the business of podcasting and audio advertising. We aim to educate, enlighten and push the industry forward.
Podcast Transcript
(0s):
At the time of this recording out of the top 100 podcasts, 19 are hosted solely by Women. An additional 14 shows are co-hosted by Women. Meaning only 33 of the top 100 shows include female hosts for additional context, women make up 51% of the us population. Obviously there is a disparity here in this episode of, On the Mic with Ad Results, Media, Lisa Jacobson, and I are joined by Cristina Haro and Stephanie Gen-Z of Wondery. As we continue our conversation surrounding Women In Podcasting, we discuss inspiring women advocating for yourself and taking a leap of faith. So let's get started. I think having grit is, is really important and be willing to fail.
(45s):
I was actually the first woman employee at Wondery I X so excited. No, the very beginning we were a very female forward network Guys for joining us so much on today's episode, discussing Women In Podcasting. I like to kind of start off the episodes with introductions. So if you wouldn't mind introducing yourselves to our audience, it would be awesome. First off, thank you so much, Lindsey and team for inviting me and asked to participate in this conversation. It's super excited to be a part of it.
(1m 27s):
I feel pretty special and VIP to have made it to the ed Results Podcast. Yeah. So my name is Cristina Haro. I'm VP of Brand Partnerships over at Wondery. I've been there for close to four and a half years now. And I'm in there since very early days since the very beginning, when it was about five of us actually, And funds in the, in the spirit of this conversation, I was actually the first woman employed at Wondery. So yeah, I always like to share that a little fact. And prior to that, I was on TV Ad cells are great at Univision was working there for quite some time. That's essentially where I got my start.
(2m 7s):
I was an intern moved up on the sales sales team. Loved it. And yeah, so that's a little bit about me. I just want to echo, I'm really excited to be here and talking about Women In Podcasting. So thank you for inviting us. My name is Stephanie Jens. I'm the VP of New shows at Wondery and I work in the division where we have always On, so the cadence where it airs every week. So I don't, and not the head of the mini series department. You've probably heard that a lot of our mini series I'm in the hallways. I'm the realm of shows. So I have been there, gosh, almost two and a half years now.
(2m 47s):
So not as long as Cristina, but long enough to see the company grow, which is pretty exciting. Yeah. I know there's been a lot of growth for lots of Podcasting companies just in the past a handful of years. So how did you guys Find yourselves in the Podcasting space? My commute at Univision that while I worked there, I had a pretty long commute. It was about at least an hour, each way, sometimes up to an hour and a half each way. So I'm just a very curious person by nature and I loved to learn. And so the best way to sit on the federal side I figured was to listen to a podcast. And so once I discovered them, I just wanted more and more and more. And so by the time I get to work every morning, I would have all of these stories and we'd be kicking out.
(3m 30s):
There were a couple of other people in the office like Podcast, but yeah, that's a really, when my interest for Podcast started and, and then I became kind of, or I got connected to her, a nun and I just fell in love with his vision and everything that you wanted to build for one to three. And so I took the leap and I joined him to kind of start the sales efforts out Wondery and kind of a funny story. During that time, I used to listen to Girlboss radio, a ton. I listened to all the interviews and everything, and I loved all the guests that she had on. So when I decided to leave this quote unquote corporate job, and I take the leap and joined this like four person startup at Wondery, I, I tweeted a girl boss radio because she would give shout outs every week on her weekly segment of girl boss moment.
(4m 20s):
So I was excited and, and hoping for a shout out. I didn't get it, but it's all good. And so, yeah, I was very excited to jump into podcasts and it's been so much fun ever since. So I actually come in, you guys buy the way of television. I worked in unscripted documentary and reality for gosh, like 15 years. And I really loved it. I worked across a lot of different networks and genres. There were a history channel, TLC, PBS New network, NatGeo, a Sundance, and a lot of different types of shows. And what brought me into Podcasting is, is two things. Really, what I saw over time in television is, is recently younger viewers who basically, as you guys probably know, or the, the target demo of advertising dollars in television started peeling away and unplugging.
(5m 15s):
And what I noticed is a network started to get scared. They started reducing budgets and sort of micromanaging quite a lot. And that sort of felt like to me, and I think sort of, they were scared, you know, they were scared of what to do. And I think you don't take risks when you're afraid. Understandably, because they could lose their jobs if they took her risk and it didn't pay off. Meanwhile, I'm watching the world of storytelling grow in places like Netflix and Amazon and Hulu are opening up new markets, taking risks, digital content was having a resurgence. And then there was a little thing called Podcasting, which to me felt like the wild West of storytelling though.
(5m 58s):
You know, folks have been creating podcasts and it's like, what? The early two thousands or something. But, but what was exciting to me is that like, unlike television, you could, you can make something of yourself. You can have an idea, learn how to operate a recorder, you know, get a Mic and teach yourself editing on a simple platform like I can member and you could have something cool at the end. So for me, when I decided to make the leap, I just started teaching myself. But I also started educating myself on the Business and the bigger companies in the market. And when I saw a Wondery and what Wondery was doing, I started checking their jobs for all of the time. And here I am a two and a half years later on in the world of Podcasting.
(6m 41s):
And I love it. Yeah. I love that. You both of them from a, a T V background, I'm sure it's a common On, on the network side. And so you Cristina and you mentioned the, that girl boss radio, I was wondering for both of you, what women have inspired you most, both professionally and personally, whether they have Podcast or not. Yeah. So I'll start with the personal side. I, I've been very fortunate to be surrounded by a group of amazing women. I have two older sisters who are eight to nine years older than me, who I was lucky enough to, or I am lucky enough to have a very close relationship with.
(7m 22s):
I'm also a very close to my brothers, but just having them as kind of like a guidance throughout my life has really helped. And also my mom, like I, you know, she's just like this pillar of just positivity and she's funny and light hearted and her and my dad came to this country of a very young age as immigrants with hardly anything. And, you know, they've been able to build a very successful business in a strong foundation for our family and they're constantly learning and, and despite it all, even through the tough times, my mom has always had this ability to be funny and light hearted and positive, very solutions oriented.
(8m 3s):
I, as I imagine, most moms are. So she's, she's really been kind of this little voice in my head every day, even though they're not going through tough times that they went through, it's just kind of a reminder that they did it. And so it's kind of like in a way, paying back, just kind of doing it for them. So, yeah. Well, I mean, of course the Michelle Obama who knows now has a Podcast is probably inspirational to us, to all of us, but you know, it's really interesting. One of the podcasts that I worked on is called imagine life. And it's told entirely in a second person and it's stories about real people.
(8m 44s):
We only reveal who you are at the end, right? And I've had the opportunity to research and work on some really cool stories around Women and things that I didn't know about them that I've now come to really, I find inspiring for different reasons. And one of them believe it or not is Yoko Ono who was incredibly brave. Not only did she have a really tough life growing up, which I think a lot of people don't know about growing up in Japan, but the vision that she had to to break away from that culture and be your own person with all the negative feedback that she got in to be this really kind of trailblazing artist. I find her really inspiring from that far away of people that I don't know, we did a story on my Angelou who like just touched, it really touched my heart.
(9m 34s):
Like this woman is so incredibly a cop with so incredibly accomplished and so graceful in which she did. I think Cheryl, I think Sheryl Sandberg's really brave. I mean the brave women who handle their strength with this grace like always inspire me, you know, closer to home. I've had some interesting showrunners that I've worked with on television show. Runners are predominantly male and television, but I've had a couple that I worked with that I, that I really, that really inspired me through the way they lead. And, and then at Wondery John, Jen, sergeant's our COO and she's got a really strong vision and an ability to articulate goals in the lorry.
(10m 18s):
Patcher head of sales is such a go getter, but my mom too, I mean, I think we don't, we all admire our moms. It's like, my mom always encouraged me to be who I wanted. I was lucky I didn't have my parents telling me who I should be, but trying to find out who I was encouraging me to be more of that. And then I have a whole host of Women podcasters that I can't wait to talk about. That I'm crazy about who inspired me, But often it's a really great to hear both of your perspectives on that. And you, you both touched on something how you're inspired by women who have really overcome difficulties with grace and strength.
(11m 0s):
So I'm curious to hear from each of your perspectives, have either of you hit any roadblocks in your career, whether it's because you're a woman or not, that you kind of leveraged your, your inspiration for It could have been a big roadblock. And I think it is a big roadblock for many, many women, but I think very early on, I had to learn how to advocate for myself and not only that, but to be okay with it because that's like a two part skill that women need to learn, especially growing up in a culture where humility is valued, where, you know, talking about your strengths and what you bring to the table and being proud about it is kind of looked at as showing off in a way at a very age.
(11m 54s):
I had a mentor actually, when I just started at Univision, I had a mentor who, you know, she explained to me and taught me that you have to clap for yourself. You have to advocate for yourself. You have to find your voice otherwise, no one else's. So if you don't learn how to hone in on your skills, what you bring to the table, your value and your worth, no one else is going to is going to bring it up. So it's during those moments that I learned how to do that. And I think that's an ongoing process because you find yourself to New and in different situations is all the time you find yourself with new teams, new bosses, that you're constantly learning how to navigate that conversation with, you know, depending on the scenario.
(12m 39s):
So that's something that I've, you know, thankfully have been able to, to, to learn and to hone in on, in, and be able to execute. That's really a cool Christina. And I didn't know that about to, I want to ask you to my list of women who inspire me. That's cool. It is definitely a way to kind of keep your cool, but internally you kind of have to give yourself that pep talk that you need in those situations when you're stepping into that room and you, you were building your case on why you want that raise and why you want that promotion, all of that. And all of that is valid. I think that's what a lot of, of women can sometimes struggle to find.
(13m 19s):
Like it's kind of hard to, to have those conversations. So that, that's kind of one of the things that I've, I've overcome. And I think in general, just the fear of failure. I think that's the one that we hear a lot. It's, you know, it sounds a little cliche, but that's, that's usually a big roadblock for a lot of Women and a lot of people in general, of being able to take that next step and take risks. So again, constantly trying to work on that. Well, as I told you guys, like the bulk of my career up until this point was spent in television and F and I freelanced my, my whole life. So you're always the new kids in school. Every time you come to a new job and a new job can last anywhere from, you know, three months to eight months.
(14m 8s):
And so you, you have to establish relationships quickly in the size of the situation and adapt to the organization that you're working for. And I think that that can be challenging figuring out what is the fit for me as a human, what feels good for me versus wanting to do a good job and fit into the environment to be able to do what they need to be done. And sometimes there's a dichotomy there. Like, I think what's what what's a fit for one person isn't a fit for me for all necessarily. But I, I do think, I do think it was challenging to make the leap from step to step. I started as a production assistant and I ended as a coach VP, which is a kosher, a runner, and every step of the way I had to fight for it.
(14m 57s):
And I think, although, you know, in talking about the sort of, what I, what I learned is, is, is truly owning your strength. Like you, you, you can't be afraid to talk about money or what you deserve, or your title and showing how you did it, having, having reasons for, for why it's time to New About for you. And I think, I think having grit is, is really important and be willing to fail. You know, like I worked even on a television, I do a lot of pilots and in first seasons, that's what I like doing best. Like once the season was up and running and like, what's next, but there's also a risk there, and that is scary.
(15m 42s):
And I think, you know, not every pilot's going to be a hit. So sometimes that can be a roadblock. I've also had a couple of shows that were, that were challenging, frankly, you know, that tended to be all men and, and trying to fit into that. It didn't feel like a fit. It felt like what I said earlier, like the having to adapt, like that was challenging for me, it didn't feel like me, you know, Yellow hit on so many points that really hit home for me, especially just the overall idea of risk. I know, you know, as a woman, I have been told not to rock the boat, or I need to be the more stable part of the relationship, you know, whether that be like professionally or at home.
(16m 27s):
So you're, you kind of hold back in and asking for what you want, because what if you're punished for that? Or, you know, now yeah, just overall just not rocking the boat. So that, that really hits home. That's something that I've personally also had to kind of come to grips with over the years. That's a really good way of wording it. Lindsay, not rock the boat or being afraid. You will be punished somehow. And if you do, and you know, To kind of piggyback off of this, do y'all feel that women in the space have added pressure to perform or to meet certain expectations that maybe aren't placed on men in the Podcasting space?
(17m 9s):
Yeah. I mean, I can take the, you know, kind of like taking a step back and this goes across a lot of different industries. I think as I, as I think about this questions, topic, I, I think that there is pressure, especially during those formative years of deciding whether or not to have children, you know, with your partner, I have several very, very close friends who are new moms. I have, like I mentioned, I have two older sisters who are moms and one of the biggest factors have that conversation and have that decision is directly tied to their career. And so I think it's great to see that more men are taking time off during those, those times as well, to be at home, to help as much as possible, especially right now with everything going on with the virtual learning.
(18m 2s):
It's great to, to hear those stories, but I think there's definitely room to grow because one of the things that women that I've seen have to contemplate is will my career be there when I'm ready to jump back in? You know, do I have the opportunity to even take some time off to try and raise my children and, you know, advanced the human race, which is kind of like an important thing. So, you know, it's, it's kind of grappling with that. And, and, you know, while men don't necessarily need to think about taking a pause in their career, I mean, their trajectory is up in the onward and keep it going. I mean, they don't, they don't need to factor that in a lot of times.
(18m 46s):
So I think there is this pressure and I also questioned whether they, you know, can also be a part of a personality trait, two women put that pressure on themselves. Where does that come from? Is that pressure coming from external factors that are socially constructed? And that's why we placed the pressure on ourselves, because we don't want any reason at all for people to be able to point the finger and say, Oh, well, the quality of the work is diminished or performance is lower. Right. And so I feel like there's that that's pressure that we get both internally and externally. I think that this is a really, I think it's a really interesting question overall.
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I don't know if I can speak particularly to the podcast space you guys, cause I've only my only experiences that Wondery, and I've had a good experience here to be perfectly authentic and candid, but in general, I think what I've noticed with me and my female friends and, you know, even in the creative realms, again, predominantly on television, I don't know if there's added pressure to perform per se, meaning like, I don't know if women are expected to do more than their male colleagues or do a better, but I do think there's added pressure to behave a certain way that can sometimes feel inauthentic. Like if women are strong and direct, I think sometimes they are seen or they worry about being seen as bitchy, like where if men are strong interacts, it's just expected and accepted.
(20m 14s):
And I think that's a tough balancing act as if you're a woman and a position where you are managing people or you're expecting to drive a project and trying to figure out the balance for how to get the best out of your teams. And who are you and how do you move the project forward? I guess I feel like, you know, this doesn't mean it's true, but I, I kinda think men are naturally accorded respect when they come into a job and it's theirs to lose, or women can sometimes come into an organization and they have to earn it and prove that that they're worthy of the respect. And I think that of whether it's self perceived or real can create a pressure on that Results and having tried to over-perform or overachiever over approved.
(20m 58s):
But again, those are just my experiences. Yeah. I personally ever received a lot of feedback in my career that I'm direct and I need to soften my language and whatnot, and I have over the years, but I still, I still default to the direct method. And I am curious if a male in my position would have received similar feedback when you were talking about women, having to kind of prove themselves. But that really resonates. I done a lot of reading on the subject as a women in business.
(21m 38s):
And I I've seen that studies have proven that men will always, you know, go for jobs that are way over qualified for, and women will only apply for one that they're overqualified for and then have to, and then feel that same pressure to continue to prove themselves. And I'm curious if that extends into Podcast, if you guys have seen that women based shows are overlooked more often, or maybe they don't come in with this theme, I deserve this attitude. Yeah. I mean, I think at Wondery again, just to kind of echo Stephanie's point earlier, like I've had a very positive experience at Wondery and I've been there since the early days.
(22m 25s):
And so I can kind of speak to that chapter of Wondery and, you know, we were very fortunate to be in a position where we got some of the biggest to crunch shows very early on. And as we all know, true crime shows, skew heavily female. So we became this destination hub for female listeners who are looking for that great content. And so from the very beginning, we were a very female forward network. Of course, over the years, we've diversified our programming. And then we have shows that 80% male are more than we have across all genres Business, personal Rose news, of course. So we've, we've expanded our slate, but I think being able to, you know, kind of have our phone in the foundation is the most forward is really set the rest of our, of our slate and our listenership.
(23m 17s):
But we, you know, we have some great shows that are female forward, like Dying for Sex. I don't know if y'all listen to it, but that's like one of my favorite, you know, we were launching Carla hall in mid September, which is all about, you know, encouraging women to say yes, and be more open to opportunities and taking risks. We have shows our partner shows like bachelor happy hour, Jillian, Michael. So, I mean, just speaking perspective from Wondery and again, I've only been at Wondery, you know, we haven't had to overcome that as an issue that hasn't been a challenge for us. It's been on the contrary, which has been really, really great and stuff that you could probably talk more about that.
(24m 1s):
Yeah, I would, I think that's a really well worded and true, like in new shows. I do hear a lot of pitches and I think, yeah, I don't, I think at least a Wondery where we're always interested in female hosts and I get excited about an opportunity to work with women in a different way. Like one of our newest ones is even the rich with the, to Skidmore Williamson Brooks, different who are improv comics and to be able to work with women who are funny and a storytelling medium, because they're essentially telling stories about like crazy family dynasties, like that's cool. And like, and then Cristina mentioned, say, yes, that's an Interview show.
(24m 44s):
So there are like different genres outside of true crime, you know? Cause you, you know, even though women, for whatever reason gravitate toward that, there's a lot of other shows that I like to write. But like in general, when I think about it and I look at like the Apple charts and, and again, I'm not an expert. Like it does seem like there's more of a preponderance of male chat shows then, you know, Joe Rogan, Mark Marin, Dax, Shepard, bill Simmons, that kind of stuff. And of course we can always point to exceptions, you know, like Rachel Maddow or Kara Swisher or the gals from color daddy. But I wonder if it's also like a listening thing. I wonder if men like shot shows more and then in the, in the chat shows are, are different, you know, they feel different.
(25m 28s):
So yeah. It's a really great question. You guys said, I don't know that I know the answer though. Yeah. Those are all things that, that Lindsay and I have chatted about and pondered over like where, what came first was at the audience or the shows that you'd mail. So we can get into a very circular conversation about it. Yeah. You know, I'm curious, maybe you guys know like how cereal broke out in terms of listenership, if it was more female, male or evenly divided, you know, cause obviously that was such a moment for Podcasting, you know, and if the female host a podcast yeah. That was such a breakout moment. Yeah, exactly. So it's Stephanie to your favorite part.
(26m 8s):
So beyond the ones that you guys have already mentioned, what are some of your favorite female centered Podcast? I am somebody I'm so excited about this and I want to hear what you guys are too. Okay. I know we were supposed to be talking to us, but I'm really super curious. I love and a sale does Sex and money. I think I love her voice. I love her casual interview style. She knows how to make a guest feel comfortable. She's not afraid to show vulnerability. I think kind of Joffey waltz is an amazing, excellent, excellent. I was blown away by her takeover of this American life to do five women. Like the, the incredible kind of me too story about five women are affected by encounters with one male boss, but told from the perspective of their own history and how that shaped their reaction to this one single person.
(26m 60s):
And I thought it was such a great opportunity to, to give voice to unique perspectives of different women and, and, and, and make it and it's okay. You know, I think there's so many creative things being done out there. I don't know if you go to listen to Michelle Presents alone in a love story was just CBC. It's her personal journey through a divorce and trying to find love again. And it's so raw and honest and vulnerable and creative and different. I kind of think like we have a towel paved away for kind of vulnerability And for strangers Podcast, Kaitlin, Prest is amazing on the heart. I don't know, honor easily is doing really creative stuff in the sound decided to go on third ghost last year or one, a bigger world.
(27m 41s):
And third coast of believed Lindsey Smith, Kate Wells, and believed they just brought, I thought a different voice to it. Like they were, there are a really professional reporters, but they also brought something else. And I think like what I really like is authenticity and Podcasting and I feel, you know, Marlo Mac, how to be a girl, like, you know, women are bringing something to the space that's so unique and cool and exciting and different. And even like with sound design, like a lot of these women are taking risks with sound design and that's really inspiring too, because that's the medium where it is. You know, how do you tell a story with audio instead of pictures? So, And in the dark, those producers are missing.
(28m 23s):
Sorry, if that's the terminology, you just blew my mind with all of those lines you rattled off in our listening. Yeah, same. I mean, I don't know if I can top that Stephanie, like jotting down on these podcasts you just called out. So, I mean, I think you, you mentioned earlier stuff to be and the Michelle Obama podcast, I think that obviously could not have come at a better time. And I know that's probably strategically how the, the mapped it out to the launch and everything, but she is just so great. And she is so raw and vulnerable and I think is really refreshing to see how she's opening up and being able to peel back that curtain.
(29m 10s):
We actually did it in her book. She did it in the documentary, but just getting to the seat and even deeper side to her is really, really helpful. You know, just a minute what we're going through as a country And, you know, just over on the world with the pandemic. Right? So I've been listening to that also. I mentioned before Dying for Sex, that is a limited series and is over, but that really just, it took you through so many different emotions in that one, you know, meats makes you laugh, makes you cry. It's very sad and light hearted. And just the way that you know, of course, you know, it's a, it's a Wondery show that, so the S the sound design is always really, really strong, but I really enjoy listening to that end.
(29m 59s):
It's one that I feel like I can listen to again. And then just kind of like on a day, like I mentioned before, I'm a very curious person. I love to learn things. I'm always trying to gain knowledge. And so secrets of wealthy women, Stephanie, to your point, we got to be less afraid of talking about money, and this is the wall street journal, and it's, it's so good. It's just, you know, she interviews the, the host, Veronica Dagher, she interviews a bunch of different women and their career challenges that they had to face from founders to doctors to journalists to, I mean, she just had like Minnesota Williams on it. And I had no idea that like, she had written books and all of these things.
(30m 40s):
So it's a very, I like that Podcast because it's inspirational along the way. So those are, those are kind of the, the three that I'm, I'm listening to right now, but I will start to listen to all of those that you mentioned. Stephanie, what about you guys, Lindsey on Lisa? Are you allowed to talk about what you like? I do have too, that I go back to weekly and that's crime junkie. Of course, I'm, I'm on the true crime kick. I listened to them every week. And I also listened to that. So retro grade, which they talk a lot about lifestyle and just kind of overall wellness, but they also throw in some kind of new agey, like they talk about funkshway and using crystals and, you know, its a lot of the fun stuff that I'm also a kind of into in my life.
(31m 32s):
So I like listening to a few other successful women, talk about how they also collect crystals around their house. One of our sellers, Julia, Julia Kelley, she's really big into the crystals and everything too. And I remember her and I were a child, like why don't we get a podcast on like, you know, meditation and crystals and energy and all of that. So there's definitely a market for that. Definitely a change week to week, month on month right now that I'm listening to the most is I just absolutely loved her voice. And the story from, you know, about Wolf packs, whales to different types of love it.
(32m 18s):
And then recently I've been really into the lady gang as well. I think what you were talking about earlier that raw authentic don't hold anything back. There are a good week, bad week. Every episode is just very relatable. So those are, those were the two that I'm listening to the most right now. Yes. I Love learning about new things that I can listen to. What else can I add to the rotation? So we've talked about what we're listening to currently. Are there any stories or representation that you would like to see moving forward? Yeah, I think on my end I would love to, to see more stories and podcasts around, you know, women of color, specifically Latinos.
(33m 8s):
I think that that's an area where we can definitely grow, especially with how the Spanish community and across the country is just such a huge force. There's so many stories out there that we can really bring it to the podcast space. So I think typically what we see is the adoption comes in to the waves. And so as we continue to see a higher propensity of Hispanics consuming podcasts as a medium, but we need to invite them in and for that, there needs to be a lot more content. So that, that's what I would love to see. And then just from the perspective of, you know, kind of the stories that I pursued, like to listen to About triumph Sans women in business, you know, being bad-ass is, Oh, I don't know if I can see that, but, and you know, just kind of founding their own companies, but also hearing about their stories of failure.
(34m 2s):
'cause we don't hear about that too often and just kind of understanding their journey in that again, they were able to take risks, but they did fail along the way and, and, you know, understanding the dynamics of that to, to then leverage that, to keep going and, and growing. And so that's what I would like to see. Yeah. Just to, just to piggyback on that. Yeah. I totally agree with you Cristina. I would just like to see more representation of the world as a whole like diverse voices and unique points of view. I, I like storytelling podcasts. I'm that's what I was into more than Interview Podcast. And to me it just seems like there's so many rich, incredible unique stories out there.
(34m 45s):
And I think bringing in points of view that are in the mainstream only make the space better and create connection between people, you know, IX stories from women in China and India and you know, a pedagogy like wherever I want to hear, what is life like there? Yeah, I think I, I'm not sure if, if you all watch queer eye, but I am a big, big, big, I feel like what that show did for TV. We need that in Podcast. Like we, we need to Stephanie's point more content that connect people from around the world from different backgrounds, from different struggles that they've gone through and bring that human experience to just to show that we're all human, but we all go some of the very same things, even when we don't speak the same language when we don't, you know, we come from very diverse backgrounds.
(35m 45s):
So yeah, just to echo on Stephanie's point, I, I would love to see something like that Podcast, Something interesting or that you might find interesting. Cristina, I know that you had mentioned wanting more Latina voices and Latina stories, which I'm, I'm totally on board. I definitely think that we need more representation for people of color, but we recorded an episode of on the mic about the history of Podcasting. And during my research for that, I learned that I believe it was Argentina, Chile and Mexico are like the fastest growing areas for Podcast listenership.
(36m 27s):
So like there are people out there who want these stories, like I'd love to encourage people that the listeners are there. Like Yeah, no, absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, I have my list of Spanish podcast that I listened to and he got on as well. And you know, history of podcasts that are based in Mexico is one of those represent the dollar that they actually went out there. They're showing Mexico and is called the Gullah is taking off as well. And of course Wondery international strategy has been really strong and growing specifically. So yeah, I think it's just a matter of time, but we kinda, we got to speed up on that timeline and get more people in and, and you know, more hosts and top podcasts have that background.
(37m 13s):
What advice would you give to be the people that you're, you're talking About? So people of color are from different Nationalities, et cetera. If they do want to break into the Podcast based on what kind of advice would you give them? I think like I was talking about earlier. What's so cool about Podcasting is it is a, you know, you, you can do it yourself. You don't need super expensive equipment. You don't, you know, there are, there are trials for editing equipment, you know, for editing software programs. I think, I mean, I have a glass, this is all the time. Just do it and be willing to fail. No that the first piece you do, it's not going to be perfect.
(37m 57s):
You know, like, you know, you're not gonna sit down at the piano and be a Mozart at the very first Dr. You know, like, and I also think just immersing yourself and the type of Podcast that you love can help you break down what works and what you like in a format and then figure out how to turn it on. It's head in place a new trial, but like, seriously. I mean, I D if I can do it by myself, I'm not a technically inclined to, you know, like, I just feel like I know that like, perhaps people think like if they, you know, if they don't have money, well, I don't know if I can do it, but I think there's a pretty cheap entry points, you know? Like it doesn't have to be expensive equipment. That still sounds pretty good.
(38m 37s):
As long as you go in your closet, don't go in a big echoey room with hardwood, floors and windows. But yeah, I would love it. We actually gave that as a word of advice for folks who, you know, maybe looking to start Podcast, this was several episodes back. We mentioned, like, if you are Podcasting from home, use your closet full of clothes to dampen some of the same. I think that works even I work class. Does it? I think also knowing your audience in addition to what, everything that Stephanie said, I think it's really important to have that clear vision of, you know, what, you know, crafting your story and what do you want that to be?
(39m 20s):
Is it just for personal or is it just like a side project? Is it fun or is your goal ultimately to monetize it and break into the market and a big way. So having that clear vision and also understanding what I said, understanding your audience, what makes it special? You know, of course, through those trial and errors in the beginning, when you start to learn who your core audience is, why they come back over and over what they like, what they don't like, and then understanding all the data points behind them, what, you know, what gender do they skew age income, like all of that. So trying to understand that and continue that. But again, I think starting from the place of what is your ultimate goal with, with storytelling and starting from there About, for podcasters who are looking to monetize their show, do you have any advice for them?
(40m 10s):
Yeah, absolutely. Just to kind of continue what I was previously saying, knowing your audience. Once you get your show to a certain size where you want to start, you know, reaching out to advertisers and understand your audience the same way that an entrepreneur who's looking to grow their business and who was a About to pitch to investors, needs to know their core consumer, a podcast, or needs to know their audience, where do they shop? What brands do they buy? Do they care about the environment? Why do they love your show on what keeps them coming back? And even something like how many ads is the threshold before they start complaining, understanding all those dynamics is to be able to craft your story.
(40m 59s):
And you're going to be able to explain to the advertisers why you're audience is so special, what is your competitive advantage? And being able to bring that to them and say, look, we did all the research. Here's all these data points from my community. Who's loyal, who comes back every single week, and this is why I can connect to a rant to them. And they will become consumers of your product. So really honing in on that aspect and like looking at it as a business, we'll go a very long way for, for podcasters, for looking to, to generate revenue. That's a really, that's, that's it? That's a really good point, Cristina, I think to now that I'm thinking it content wise, don't just go, well, I want to make a Podcast. What should I make a podcast about what are you passionate about?
(41m 39s):
Because that's where you can bring something to the space. Guys. Thank you all so much for joining I've, I've really enjoyed this conversation. And I think that this is a, I think that this is a great conversation we having at the time that we're in right now and I just really appreciate y'all's insights. Yeah. Thank you. It was just really fun. Thank you so much for having us. I mean, it's been so much fun. I feel like we can keep talking about the conversation and there's so much, so many elements to it, but just thank you so much for reaching out and for inviting us to be a part of it, because it's definitely an important one to, to continue to keep having. So we're excited about, you know, everything that Ad Results is doing and as always, thank you so much for being amazing partners.
(42m 22s):
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe for updates on future episodes and leave us a comment with your feedback, questions, or ideas for future segments. If you would like more info in Ad Results Media, and what we do, please visit us online at Ad Results. Media dot com. This podcast is an Ad Results, Media production.
