“How to Become the Center of Influence Through Podcasting About Sex” with Amy Baldwin and April Lampert of the Shameless Sex Podcast
As part of my series of interviews about “How podcasters can become a center of influence,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Baldwin, a co-host of the top-rated Shameless Sex Podcast, inspiring radical self-love, sexual empowerment, and shame-free intimacy. Amy Baldwin is a Sex and Relationship Coach, Certified Sex Educator, and lead educator for Uberlube. April Lampert is the VP of Hot Octopuss and sex toy mogul.
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Can you tell us a story about why you got started as a podcaster?
April and I have been best friends for over 12 years. I went to school for psychology and human sexuality and was already on track to become a sex educator and open a sex-positive pleasure boutique called Pure Pleasure Shop with my mom. Despite the fact that April had yet to own a vibrator, I recognized that she had a skill for speaking to all audiences in a way that was both loving and accepting, so I hired her as our store manager (and gifted her a vibrator). We continued to grow close and eventually went on to become educators and brand ambassadors for various high-end sex toy companies, allowing us to travel all over the world side by side. In early 2017 we were invited to guest on the Sex With Emily podcast, and our episode — titled Orgasms, Squirting and the Year of Anal Licking — was one of the top downloaded episodes that year. We loved every minute of it and were told that we had a knack for podcasting. We were both singles at the time and felt the creative juices flowing with a desire to offer something that promoted sexual empowerment. Enter the birth of the Shameless Sex podcast.
Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?
The most interesting thing that has happened is the abundance of fan mail with testimonials saying, “your podcast has changed my life.” From women who had lost their desire or connection to their bodies to folks trapped in toxic relationships to trauma victims and shame-ridden sons and daughters of pastors — we’ve received countless emails thanking us for inspiring these people to reclaim their sexuality. The positive response has been both shocking and rewarding.
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?
April and I share all about our lives including stories about past lovers and partners. We never use their names, but we often share intimate details as an example of how to speak openly and shamelessly about sexuality. Last year out of the blue I received a text message from an ex-partner saying, “Congratulations on the podcast. I listened to an episode and heard you speak about a past relationship where you felt that your partner was not intellectually and/or emotionally intelligent enough for you, and I’m wondering if that was me.” I panicked as I was not entirely sure which episode it was or what I had shared on the air. But in respect to honoring the truth about my sexual past, I owned it and responded with, “Yes, that was about you.” He then asked, “You also said you met someone who was intellectually and/or emotionally intelligent and had a 6-month email love affair with them before leaving the relationship. I’m wondering if that was with me as well.” I felt my heart racing, but again owned it: “Yes, that happened during our relationship.” He then followed with another question: “You also said that right before you ended the relationship with the person who was not intellectually and/or emotionally intelligent enough for you that you actually cheated on them towards the end of the relationship, and I’m wondering if that was with me.” Again, I owned it: “Yes, I did that right before ending our relationship.” I stayed calm and clear and followed — not with excuses or justifications — but with complete accountability. I said that I know this was out of integrity with what we had committed to, and I take full responsibility for not acting as my highest self. My higher self would have spoken to my partner about my fears and needs before carelessly acting on them, but instead, I did what I wanted when I wanted, and someone got hurt in the process. He thanked me for being honest, and actually said that this was helpful for him to hear as he is currently working on being more emotionally available in his marriage. The conversation could have been a complete disaster, and yet my choice to take complete ownership allowed us to navigate it lovingly. It hasn’t made me more fearful of sharing myself. Instead, I learned about the power of accountability and the importance of staying in integrity with my word — especially when much of what I say is on the air for the entire world to hear.
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired? What advice do you have for someone who wants to start a podcast or is just starting out podcasting?
We have been podcasting for two years now. We release an episode every Tuesday with the occasional ad-free bonus episode on Fridays. We just released our 106th episode (not including the bonus episodes). Our best advice to new podcasters is to relate to the listeners by being completely real while sharing personal stories of your own trials and tribulations (but don’t make the entire podcast about you). Be 80% informative and 20% playful. Help the listener laugh while they learn. Our podcast is playful and informative and it allows the listeners to feel like they are sitting in the room drinking a glass of wine with us while joining in on the conversation. They feel like they really know us.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine Article about Amy Baldwin and April Lampert!
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Podcaster Influencer, Amy Baldwin and April Lampert of the Shameless Sex Podcast shares the best ways to:
1) Book Great Guests. We have a wonderful intern who handles most guest bookings. She reaches out to various authors, educators, therapists, researchers and coaches to book them on our show. We also receive many requests from folks who want to guest on our show. Potential guests must send us links to previous podcasts or other audio/video presentations so that we can listen to make sure they are a skilled public speaker. If they sound like a great asset to our show but do not have prior public speaking experience then our intern is required to have a phone conversation with them to get a feel for how they speak. April and I are not perfect public speakers, but we still have standards for intellectual offerings and decent speech practices that do not involve a lot of filler words.
2) Increase Listeners. The best way to grow our listenership is to guest on other large-scale podcasts, as well as promote thought-provoking and sometimes controversial social media campaigns such as our recent 30 day self-pleasure challenge on Instagram. This campaigns get people talking, including the press.
3) Produce In A Professional Way. We read ALL listener reviews in emails and in iTunes, and we often adjust our production according to feedback. This helps us to see whatever we may be missing. Grammatical errors, inaccurate information, overuse of specific ads, too much chit chat and playful banter — we consider it all and then shift our approach as we believe our listeners are our guides and teachers, helping us to be the best podcasters that we can be.
4) Encourage Engagement. Again, the social media campaigns are big in encouraging engagement as they get people talking while helping to funnel listeners into multiple mediums. We also read reviews and testimonials on-air, inspiring folks to send in more reviews. And we answer sex questions on air as well.
5) Monetize Your Show. We personally hand pick our sponsors as it’s important for us to love the products we represent. We are sex educators who have high standards for sex toys and adult products, so while we are often approached by an array of sex toy companies, we only represent products that we both use and love. Listeners pick up on this. They trust our opinions and know that we are not selling them a product that we don’t believe in. We also don’t do cheesy pre-recorded ads. Our advertising is an organic mention and praise of a product with an account of our own experience with it. Everyone wins — our listeners purchase top-of-the-line products as per our recommendations, our sponsors stay happy and get sales, and our podcast stays grows and remains supported.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine Article about Amy Baldwin and April Lampert!
