“How to Become the Center of Influence Through Podcasting with Love” with Sarah Headley and Dana Boone of the P.S. I Love This Podcast
As part of my series of interviews about “How to Become a Center of Influence Through Podcasting”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Headley and Dana Boone, lifelong followers and fans of romance in any medium: books, movies, TV and the occasional fan fiction. Their show, P.S. I Love This Podcast, is a hilarious deep-dive into what makes the genre so addicting including the unattainable heartthrobs, the inevitable fallouts and everyone’s favorite happy endings.
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Can you tell us the “backstory” about why or how you got started as a podcaster?
Like most great stories, ours started on Twitter. We connected over a mutual love of our city and hate-tweeting #TheBachelor. I wanted to start a romance genre podcast, so I put a cold call out on Twitter where Sarah responded and the rest is our own happily ever after.
Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?
We both work in the ad agency world where P.S. I Love This Podcast has opened the door for us as the “podcast experts” in our respective offices. Dana got the opportunity to write and produce a podcast with Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Food Network’s Gina Neely and local chefs to help raise awareness for diversity issues in the culinary industry, and Sarah has worked with some amazing local organizations to share their stories in the podcast world. We’ve also had the chance to preview work from some of our favorite authors — every romcom fan’s dream.
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?
We recorded our first episode nine times. That’s right, nine separate tries. We were so focused on making things perfect that we had a hard time letting go and releasing our baby into the audio universe. When we listen back now, our first eight times were all fabulous in their own way. We work hard to make our podcast feel like 30 minutes (okay, usually more like 45, but we aim for 30) of uninhibited fan-girling with your friends. Just like a romcom, the best parts usually aren’t the ones you plan for. Now, we go in with a loose outline, but cut ourselves some slack if we forget a character name or make a weird noise. It’s all part of our charm.
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?
P.S. I Love This Podcast premiered on Galentine’s Day (Feb. 13) of 2018. We have two seasons (sometimes a creative hiatus is necessary) and 25 episodes. A nice amount to binge, but not so many that you can never catch up.
What are the main takeaways or lessons you want your listeners to walk away with
We aren’t an educational or investigative podcast (although we love to binge both). We want our listeners to walk away bursting with their own hot takes on romantic favorites, new and old. We’ve tried to create a shame-free environment for them to let their Hallmark flag fly.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Sarah Headley and Dana Boone!
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Podcaster Influencers, Sarah Headley and Dana Boone of the P.S. I Love This Podcast shares the best ways to:
1) Book Great Guests. Ask. Ask. Ask. Just like in the dating world, what’s the worst they can say? Go to events, meet new people and tell them about your podcast. You never know who might be a good fit. Our first guest was Kimmery Martin, an ER doctor turned novelist, who wrote “The Queen of Hearts” (one of Real Simple’s Best Books of 2018). We met her at a panel presented by our local library where she talked about her then upcoming novel.
2) Increase Listeners. In the beginning, a lot of our listener base came from word of mouth, and we’re still working on this goal. Acknowledge your listeners and thank them. We’ve gained some loyal listeners over the past year and a half. We love hearing their feedback and talking with them about all things romance. It’s important to create content that not only appeals to you, but more importantly, to them. We’ve also seen success in crossover podcast appearances. Try joint episodes and on-off co-hosting duties to spread the word about P.S. to other audiences.
3) Produce in a Professional Way. We started P.S. I Love This Podcast by recording in a podcast studio at Hygge (a local coworking space) where we could rent time with top equipment by the hour. Doing it this way provided technical support while we learned to use the equipment, a professional space to bring guests, and access to a board, mic and soundproofing we couldn’t afford on our own. It allowed us to dip our toes in and make sure we were serious before investing in our own equipment and we still use Hygge if we’re going to have guests live in studio or via phone. Beyond a dedicated space and equipment, take the time to plan your season from the start. It will save you the anxiety and stress later.
4) Encourage Engagement. Just like booking guests — ask. We constantly plug feedback opportunities throughout the show and in our closer. We’ve even rewarded frequent commenters with guest appearances on relevant episodes.
5) Monetize. There are a lot of great podcasters out there who we are still learning about this from. The main thing to remember is, don’t lose sight of why you started your podcast. If you don’t truly love it, your listeners will be able to tell. With that in mind, make a target list of brands that you love and align with your audience. That’s the best place to start with personalized pitches + your pricing. As podcast networks become more formalized, there are more pricing decks available to learn from. Take a look at how others are scaling, pricing and the placement their offering.
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 Sarah Headley and Dana Boone!
