“How to Become the Center of Influence Through Podcasting Healthy Living” With Cameron Rogers of The Freckled Foodie Podcast
As 
part of my series of interviews about “5 things you need to know to create a “binge-able” podcast”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Cameron Rogers, a very freckled 27-year-old living in NYC also known as Freckled Foodie, is on a mission to make healthy living approachable. After working on Wall Street for 5 years, she had a life altering moment that led her to wave goodbye to the corporate world and pursue Freckled Foodie full-time focusing on developing recipes, blogging, hosting her podcast, Freckled Foodie & Friends, and growing her health coaching practice. Cameron makes a conscious effort to show you the truth of her journey, without a filtered lens, and encourages you all to not let intimidation or comparison get in the way of you reaching your goal of a healthy lifestyle!
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Can you tell us the “backstory” about why or how you got started as a podcaster?
Thank you for including me! I originally began my podcast because I noticed I had a lot more to say than I was able to fit on an Instagram post and/or story, which is the main platform I use to reach my community. Although I originally began my account focusing solely on food, I slowly began opening up in a raw and honest way about the struggles I was facing, and, the more I did, the more engaged my audience became and the more connected I felt with all of them. Seeking a way to reach my audience through a more powerful platform, and a podcast binger myself, it became obvious that this was the best tool to reach them in a more impactful way. I always joked that if you gave me a mic I wouldn’t shut up, so, I went out and bought two!
Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?
This is not a tangible experience per say, but I feel I have found my voice. I was never one that was afraid of speaking in public, in fact, I sort of enjoyed it, but I never had an audience to reach or the opportunity to discuss topics that I cared about. Now that I have those two things, I feel I have really come into my own. I have discovered what I am passionate about, found a way to help others, and have found a comfort in my own skin that I did not know I was seeking.
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?
The biggest mistake I made was with one of my first episodes and one that I am still continuously learning from. I recorded, what I thought to be, an incredible episode with my guest, Justin Kamine, on how to minimize food waste and what small changes you can make to do so. Unfortunately, when I went back to edit the episode later that day, I found the entire thing to be missing. Yep, a whole episode gone. Safe to say, I now implemented some new back-up techniques! Since I taught myself how to record, edit, and produce my podcast and am doing so all on my own, it is still all a learning experience. I am continuously finding ways to improve and learning from my mistakes.
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?
At this point in time, I have only been podcasting for just over two months and have released 11 episodes, but I have many more on the way! A new episode releases every Friday morning at 6:00AM EST.
What are the main takeaways or lessons you want your listeners to walk away with?
Each episode focuses on a different topic, so the takeaways I want my listeners to walk away with are unique to every conversation. However, I want to provide an environment that makes healthy living approachable and helps some of these “wellness” topics seem less intimidating. My goal is to produce relatable content that allows my listeners to feel like they are in a room with two friends enjoying a coffee, matcha, or cocktail and, in the end, feel less alone about a struggle they may be facing.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Cameron Rogers!
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Podcaster Influencer, Cameron Rogers of the Freckled Foodie Podcast shares the best ways to:
1) Book Great Guests. Network! It is so important to build your tribe and spider web of connections. I am fortunate to already be surrounded by some incredibly successful and knowledgeable people that I call friends, but I also heavily rely on their relationships to continue to grow my outreach. I am always asking for introductions to be made, if there is a mutual connection, and am personally reaching out to those I admire from afar. You can’t be afraid of denial! Handle the conversations and relationships professionally and put yourself out there; you have nothing to lose.
2) Increase Listeners. First things first, you must promote. Use the channels you have to promote the podcast you have created and also ask the guests, if they feel comfortable, to promote their episode as well. It is not something you can demand of them, but it is a great way to potentially benefit from their outreach. Secondly, figure out your audience demographic and speak to them. If you are starting a podcast, you ideally have an audience in mind that you are trying to reach. Talk about topics that they are able to relate to and spark their interest, this will keep them coming back for more and passing along your podcast to friends.
3) Produce In A Professional Way. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and do your research! Find podcasts you enjoy and do some research on how they are produced; whether a production company is listed on the podcast’s page or it is someone you are able to directly contact and ask, find a way to seek some advice. I reached out to a ton of different podcast hosts and freelance producers and asked a lot of questions regarding their procedures. After the research is done, decide on what you are willing to spend money on versus what you are willing to spend time on learning. Currently, I record, edit, and produce all of my episodes on my own because it was something I felt I wanted to learn. It has been an incredible learning experience and extremely difficult at times, but it was the decision I made at the beginning of this adventure and I am proud of myself for doing so. With that being said, if you embark on this journey alone, I also recommend figuring out how many episodes per week you are able to produce while still maintaining content that you are proud to release.
4) Encourage Engagement. Ask for feedback! I am big on constructive criticism and am always seeking the opinions and views of my listeners. By making them feel like they are a part of this process, which they obviously are, it encourages them to continue to come back for more. I also recommend doing this by speaking to the listeners as if they are a part of the conversation, not an outsider looking in. You can do this by speaking to them directly during the episode or using a platform to have listeners submit questions for your guest, which I do from time to time on Instagram. That way, they are almost interviewing the guest with you.
5) Monetize Your Show. Sponsored advertisements are the obvious way of monetizing a podcast, but I would recommend only working with brands that truly fit your platform, voice, and core values. It wouldn’t make sense for me to promote or advertise a product targeted at men over the age of 50, because I’m pretty sure my dad is the only one in that category listening to my podcast. Other than sponsored advertisements, you can use your podcast to promote affiliate programs that you are a part of and that offer percentages of sales. Similarly, if you have products or programs available for sale as part of your company, promote those as well!
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 Cameron Rogers!
