As part of our series on podcaster communities, we spoke to 11 different people who help run active communities both online and offline in different parts of the world. Our goal was to both better understand the motivations and challenges of the organizers, as well as highlight the great work these organizers did, share their travels and celebrate their achievements. In these interviews, we’ve deepened our insights into some incredible communities and their knowledge that we’d love to share.
The organizers who participated in this study were:
Mark Deal – Podcast Atlanta
Bernie J Mitchell – London Podcasting Community
Pato Lopardo – Union Podcastera
Colin Gray – The Scottish Podcaster’s Meeting
Jeremy Enns – Cut the BS Podcasting
Aaron Weinbaum – Podcasting made easy
Victoria Turnbull – Mic
Tracy Tsang – HK Podcaster Society Meeting
Chris Holifield – Geographic Podcasts
Joe Lewis – Brisbane Podcasters
Jillian Beytin – Berlin Podcasting
The two dominant platforms: Meetup and Facebook
When choosing the platform for their communities, all but one respondent used either Facebook or Meetup (or a mixture of both) as the primary residence for their community. The only exceptions were Pato Lopardo and Union Podcastera, who prefer Telegram as a communication channel, a platform that has gained in importance in recent years, especially in Spanish-speaking countries.
Overall, organizers generally agreed that Meetup was outstanding at participants’ discovery of events, but Facebook was better suited for group discussions.
Joe Lewis of Brisbane Podcasters uses both platforms for event listing:
“I feel like we get a lot of RSVPs from meetups, but these people are not as likely to show up as those who found out about our event on Facebook. Meetup attendees are notoriously fluffy. “
Why organizers run these groups: a mix of business and pleasure
When asked why they took part in organizing these communities, mostly altruistic and professional reasons were given.
In Jeremy Enns’ case, he started his group with professional incentives at first, but it quickly grew into something he does for the larger podcaster community:
“When I started the group, I initially hoped to get people into my production business at some point. However, I quickly realized that the people most likely to get involved in the group would never become customers, but at this point I was having so much fun with it that I decided it was worth doing it myself. “
Jeremy Enns – Cut the BS Podcasting
There are a wide range of demographics and interests
Because of the variety of topics podcasts address, all respondents responded that their groups cover a wide range of niches.
“We have members who have podcasts on everything. There is no coherent topic ”.
(Joe Lewis – Brisbane Podcasters)
In terms of gender, all but two of the groups targeted a male audience. Mark Deal, who leads the podcast meetup in Atlanta, is working hard to ensure that the meetups are as diverse as possible. He searches for multiple speakers using his access at the national podcast level to look for opportunities for speakers from less well-represented backgrounds.
Jeremy Enns describes his Facebook group as:
“Less about business podcasts than about other groups. It’s a hobby, a fun thing for the people who are most active. The focus is less on monetizing and using podcasts to build your own business than on other groups. I think it’s partly the vibe I’ve established that has drawn in a lot more creative guys. I was more interested in just community building than tactical advice and the same topics discussed elsewhere related to monetization. To talk about topics outside of these naturally engaged people who were in the background in other groups. “
Tracy Tsang, on the other hand, says her meetup group in Hong Kong:
“One of the few who is predominantly female and has a tendency towards art and cultural content.”
Communities attract podcasters of all levels
The general consensus was that the communities attracted a wide range of podcasters at different stages, from podcurious to experts. In several instances where groups met in person, the organizers described an 80/20 split between podcasters who were there for the first time and regulars who were at a more advanced stage. This sometimes posed a challenge to provide relevant target groups for both target groups.
Communities work well with sponsors
All organizers described the commitment to sponsors as a positive experience overall. There were a few minor exceptions, however.
“Dealing with companies that are relatively new to podcasting and want an immediate impact in the marketplace can be challenging. Some of these sponsors don’t last long.”
Mark Deal – Podcast Atlanta
Organizers have challenges
We asked the organizers to rate six potential challenges, which on average were rated in the order of magnitude:
Activation and engagement of the community
Time spent as an organizer
Long-term sustainability of the group
Event logistics
Overfunding by members
moderation
Bernie Mitchell, who leads the London podcast community, added that “figuring out if people have come to speak to a small group without wanting to sell anything can be difficult. There are so many people teaching podcasting. “
Communities are full of success stories
The organizers described how offline communities made it easier for people to find work, to make a living from podcasting, to find their co-hosts, and to share their voice with others. Union Podcastera’s Pato describes how his group helped a new, younger member by giving them real-time support and help getting their podcast off to a successful start. This made the other members feel like proud parents.
Final advice
Many organizers emphasized that making personal meetups participative works well, especially for small to medium-sized groups.
“Having a structure made a difference – we would have a catch-up process (social networks), but that also includes a 5-minute portion – which is included in the description of the meetup. That gave it a lot more direction – it also seemed to increase the number of visitors – the feedback was that the attendees really enjoyed it. “
Colin Gray – Meeting of Scottish Podcasters
“At the end of our meetups we usually have 3 speakers where I always give people the opportunity to talk about a project – at the end of the event they can do matchmaking and so on. It is a really good idea to give people the platform ”.
Jillian Beytin – Berlin Podcasting
This concludes our two-part series on podcaster communities. If you’ve participated in any great meetups or online communities that stood out, let us know in the comments below!
