“How to Become the Center of Influence Through Collaborative Podcasting” with Brianna Peters of the Bit Different Pod
As part of my series of interviews about “How podcasters can become a center of influence,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Brianna Peters of the Bit Different Pod. She is also the owner and founder of Gotham Podcast Studio, a recording space in New York City.
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Can you tell us the “backstory” about why or how you got started as a podcaster?
In 2014, my now husband Matt, told me he wanted to start a podcast. He bought the mixer, microphones, cables, everything he needed, and set up our first little studio in our living room. Every Sunday, he would record his show, host his show, and then afterward, edit and publish the episodes. When we moved to NYC in 2016, he had to stop that show but in 2017, he started a new one with a co-host. Later that year, we started renting an office space and created our first studio in NYC where he and others started recording their podcasts. All of this to say that the studio wound up taking off and Matt and I run it full time now. We service over 300 clients a month and we now have a suite with 5 studios. We spent the past two years building Gotham Podcast Studio, so it took me a while before I created my own show, but I started Bit Different Pod this year!
Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?
It’s so incredibly strange how much I’ve learned about something I thought I already knew so much about since starting my podcast. For the past two years, I have helped podcasters start their own shows or have helped grow the shows they had started outside of the studio. Then, when I started my own podcast, I experienced a whole new side of the business as a client. From finding guests, pitching them my show, locking down a day and time, dealing with cancellations, getting my social media up for each episode, the list goes on and on. When I meet with potential clients now, I can truly sympathize with the process of handling a podcast all on your own.
Can you share a story about the biggest or funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
My first time on a podcast was back in 2014 with Matt and a couple of friends of ours. It was a show where we played a sex-themed trivia game with the owner of an online store that sold sex games. I had no idea how podcasting really worked at the time so when Matt published the new episode, I didn’t realize that anybody could find and listen to it (I don’t know how I thought this even back then) but yes, I had to make the rounds to my brothers, mother, mother-in-law, etc. to tell them not to listen to that one. Lesson learned is, when podcasting, instead of altering yourself to make people close to you feel more comfortable, just tell them not to listen to that episode. That way you get to be your authentic self and that always comes across better in episodes.
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?
I have been podcasting since October of 2019 and I have 6 episodes and a trailer out.
What are the main takeaways or lessons you want your listeners to walk away with?
My show is called Bit Different because I wanted to speak with individuals who were in common industries but doing things differently. From a lawyer who wrote a self-help book using lessons from the courtroom to help everyday people, to a blogger who turned her love for fashion into an app that is helping reduce the waste online shopping produces, my guests are people who have gone about their respective industries differently. I always end my show the same way every time. I ask my guest if there is an affirmation or mantra that has stuck with them, and we talk a little bit about why that has stuck with them. Chinae Alexander said hers was, “you both can’t quit on the same day” and mine is “you didn’t come this far, to only come this far.” All I hope for is that someone who is taking the time to listen to my show could possibly have an “ah-ha” moment by hearing one of these.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Brianna Peters!
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Podcaster Influencer, Brianna Peters of the Bit Different Pod shares the best ways to:
1) Book Great Guests. Make the ask is something we always say. If you really want a guest you may have to reach out several times, in different ways, before you get a response. You don’t have to try too hard to get someone to come on your show if your elevator pitch is unique and you can show how it is beneficial for guests to be on your show.
2) Increase Listeners. Regularly release content, tap into your guests level of influence by having them share their episode with their followers, have a strong social media presence, and tap into your fan base to find out what they like and what they want more of.
3) Produce in a Professional Way. You don’t have to do it on your own. Unless you have all the resources, expertise, time, and know-how to record/produce your show in a sound-treated space, you should seek a studio to record in. If you are serious about having a show and growing it, frankly it needs to sound good.
4) Encourage Engagement. Ask your fanbase questions and give them a way to get in contact with you via email/social media. Remember the ultimate goal of social media is to be social, to engage with people, and when used for that you will see how successful it can be to get engagement on your posts, episodes, etc.
5) Monetize Your Show. Make sure you can offer a company something of substance before pitching yourself. Understand your show, your brand and what it is that you can bring to a business. Be aware of the analytics of your show and your engagement numbers on social media.
Whatever you do, do not buy likes, comments, listens, followers, etc. Not only will your engagement numbers signify that something is off but there are ways that brands can figure out if people have bought these things and have content creators blacklisted from future monetization.
What makes your podcast binge-listenable? What do you think makes your podcast unique from the others in your category? What do you think is special about you as a host, your guests, or the content itself?
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Brianna Peters!
