“How to Become the Center of Influence Through Personal Podcasting” with Karim Kanji of the Welcome! Podcast
As part of my series of interviews about “How to Become the Center of Influence Through Podcasting”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Karim Kanji.
Karim is a founding member and former co-chair of IAB Canada’s Digital Audio Committee and host of the Welcome with Karim Kanji podcast. In just under three years, Mr. Kanji has already been nominated numerous times in the Canadian Podcast Awards. Mr. Kanji is also the Director of Emerging Media with Active International’s Canadian offices in Toronto. In his role, Mr. Kanji helps Fortune 500 corporations navigate the growing podcast and streaming landscape.
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Can you tell us the “backstory” about why or how you got started as a podcaster?
My two original loves are radio and late-night talk shows, specifically David Letterman. So I’ve always had a fascination with larger than life hosts interviewing interesting people. Fast forward a few decades and I see a couple of my friends chatting on Twitter about an online radio station in the city called Girth Radio. Obviously, I had to be a part of this. A few weeks later my show debuted!
Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?
A radio producer at Toronto’s largest news and talk stations heard my show and had me on as a round table panelist a few times. But the most interesting story is how my podcast played a role in helping a movement here in Canada called #NoFlyListKids. Long story short, there are hundreds of innocent Canadian children on Canada’s No Fly List. I’d had a couple of the founders on my podcast during the early days of the movement. And because #NoFlyListKids were in discussions with the government to rectify the situation, several Cabinet ministers and senior government bureaucrats ended up listening to my podcast to better understand the concerns these parents had.
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?
In the early days I had to do learn how to produce my own podcast. From soup to nuts. And I was on my own after episode #1. I had no clue how to plug in mics, how to ensure the sound wasn’t too loud or that the gain was perfect. I’m still learning all this stuff to be honest. I learned early on, through trial and error and the kind help of other local podcasters, that how I sound in someone’s earbuds matter. If I didn’t sound good, no matter how interesting my guests were, no one would listen.
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?
I’ve been at this for three years and have recorded 180 episodes.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Karim Kanji!
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Podcaster Influencer, Karim Kanji of the Welcome! Podcast shares the best ways to:
1) Book Great Guests. Booking guests is simple. Not easy. But simple. I use Twitter, Instagram and email to simply ask people if they’d like to join me in studio for a podcast taping for a conversation about their career or specific issue. Many people have said no or ignored me. But almost 200 people have said yes.
2) Increase Listeners. There are a few ways to increase listeners.
- Produce a good quality sounding podcast. It took me a while to figure out how to make my podcast sound good and not hurt my listener’s ears.
- Release episodes often. At least once per week. If you can afford to publish episodes more often you’ll likely gain traction faster.
- Have guests or speak about topics that people find interesting and compelling. Appeal to your listeners’ emotions.
3) Produce in a Professional Way. I produce an independent podcast. I don’t have a team or people to make my podcast sound professional. But there are courses (online and in-person) and people that are willing to help. All you have to do is ask.
4) Encourage Engagement. I encourage engagement by posting before and after episodes. I’ll usually ask people through Facebook and Twitter if they have any questions. I post all episodes on social media and even publish my podcast on as many platforms as I can find.
5) Monetize. The best way to begin monetizing is to start small. Ask for help before asking for cash. For example, the first 150 episodes of my podcast were hosted in a local bar which happened to have a studio. I paid nothing for the space and equipment. I even received free drinks and food for me and my guests. In return I published my episodes on the host’s website. Now that I’ve sorted out a long-term location sponsor I’m beginning work on approaching local business for partnership opportunities. The best part of my situation is that I don’t have to make money from my podcast. It’s a labour of love.
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 Karim Kanji!
