“How to Become the Center of Influence Through Podcasting While Brunching” With Ameerah Saine of Brunch and Slay
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 Ameerah Saine, founder of Brunch and Slay a lifestyle media company and host of the Brunch and Slay Podcast. The Brunch and slay podcast focuses on innovative women, the brands they covet, and culture they crave.
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Can you tell us the “backstory” about why or how you got started as a podcaster?
Well, when I first launched my company I thought I had to have a blog, I mean everything you read about small business talks about content, and how blogging will help you connect with your audience. So I jumped in, I tried writing, which has never been my thing I even tried having other writers contribute to my site, which was an epic fail. I’ve been a podcast junkie for years, so I started to think about what would a BAS podcast look like, who would listen, and after some time, I decided to give it a try. I’m a natural talker, so I think it was something that just made more sense to me.
Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?
Since starting the show, I have connected with some AMAZING folks, people I would never have been able to meet on my own. I’ve learned that having an audience is a currency that opens doors and provides opportunity if you let it. I’ve been invited to conferences, private events, and workshops because of the show.
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?
Before I launched the podcast, I had a chance encounter with Ty Hunter (Beyonce’s Former Stylist) he was such a light that I was just drawn to him. I got my nerve up, and I asked him to be guest on this new podcast I would, and he agreed. I was absolutely over the moon until I realized OMG I have no clue what type of show I want, or how to interview. I was paralyzed with fear, but there was no turning back. I did my homework and wrote out my questions. I was new to podcasting and interviewing, so the interview was not my best work, I actually cringe when I hear now because I can hear the fear in my voice, but I’m still very proud of myself for seizing the moment and not allowing the opportunity to pass me by.
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?
I’ve been podcasting for almost 2 years and have aired 92 episodes
What are the main takeaways or lessons you want your listeners to walk away with?
I want them to be inspired by our guests one of the things I say in each episode is “If She Can I can We all Can” I say that because I believes if you connect with people just like you who are living their dreams you will be less afraid of pursuing your own.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Ameerah Saine!
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Podcaster Influencer, Ameerah Saine of the Brunch and Slay Podcast shares the best ways to:
1) Book Great Guests. You need to be consistent; listeners are tuning in because they want to hear what you have to say, they come to rely on you if you don’t consistently publish you will lose your audience. You’ll also need to decide how you will deliver your episodes. Will you have seasons or an ongoing show? There are some great podcast that only record a certain number of episodes each year that are incredibly successful.
2) Increase Listeners. In the beginning, I used IG to connect with guest, it’s such a cool platform, and I’d find tons of guest bio searching #empowement hashtags. I would look at the feeds that piqued my interest, and if there was an email address in the bio, I would reach out. I would also read tons of magazines if I found someone cool that I felt my listeners would appreciate I would Google them and find out how to contact them. I realized quickly that most people welcomed the opportunity to talk about their unique projects and viewed podcast as press. The more I yes’s I got, the more confident I became. Now, the bulk of the people you hear on my show are people who have reached out to me via their PR representative, DMs, and email me directly. It’s really night and day from where I started.
3) Produce In A Professional Way. To get my listenership up, I post on all my social media platforms, and create show art for guests and encourage them to post to their timelines the day the show airs as well. Creating the art for them takes the extra work out of the ask, and they are more prone to repost on all of their social media platforms. I also create ads on IG and FB in the top 5 cities my followers are located in. I look at my IG and FB insights and adapt my audience accordingly; this helps me to get the podcast in front of a larger audience weekly. I then use hashtags in my post that are podcast specific, but I am careful to audit them pretty often to be sure that I’m not using a hashtag with over 1 million users. I’ve found that hashtags with 25k-500k impressions have the best return.
4) Encourage Engagement. I encourage our listeners to subscribe, rate, and review the show on all our platforms and shout them out in our stories and read reviews on the show. It’s a great way to encourage others to support the show and engage with the listeners and supporters. I try to find at least one nugget of wisdom from each show to use as a quote that I turn into, a GIF, and social media post. I use them across all my platforms and tag our guests, and they typically repost, which attracts new listeners and repurposes the original show content.
5) Monetize Your Show. I have a media kit for the show and update it monthly, with all of our data and analytics. Having it on hand allows me to quickly respond when brands, reach out wanting to advertise on the show. I also use Dynamo, which is a platform that helps you to monetize your platform by inserting highly produced commercials into your show. The more impressions you have, the more they pay. It’s an excellent tool for 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 Ameerah Saine!
