“How to Become the Center of Influence Through Smart Tech Podcasting” with Sam Brake Guia of the Brains Byte Back Podcast

 

As part of my series of interviews about “How podcasters can become a center of influence,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Sam Brake Guia of Brains Byte Back Podcast. Sam is a British presenter, writer, and documentary filmmaker based in Colombia. He produces content on behalf of the media incubator ESPACIO, based in Medellin. He is the creator, producer, and host of the podcast “Brains Byte Back” (by The Sociable), a weekly podcast looking at how our brains and psychology are impacted by the ever-evolving technology that surrounds us. Sam has been joined by major guests from MIT, McAfee, UFC, and The New York Times, to name a few. Outside of the podcast, he also produces documentaries filmed in Colombia, sharing stories of what is happening in the country today.

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Can you tell us the “backstory” about why or how you got started as a podcaster?

Working at ESPACIO, my job has always been to produce interesting content, traditionally in the form of articles or videos. However, I was really drawn to podcasts, something our company had never focused on. Coming from an academic background in psychology and a professional background in technology, I am passionate about these topics. But I couldn’t find podcasts in this space to help inspire my writing, so I decided to create one. I put forward a plan to create “The Sociable Podcast,” a podcast for The Sociable, one of our largest publications.

By the third episode, we had the Vice President of McAfee on to discuss AI. Having such a high profile guest so early on was really encouraging. A few episodes later and we changed the name to Brains Byte Back. We now release episodes every week, and the number of requests we receive of people who want to be on our show has skyrocketed. Moreover, we have now started the production of podcasts across other parts of the company as a result of Brains Byte Back.

Can you share a story about the most interesting thing that has happened to you since you started podcasting?

On one of our earlier episodes, I was inspired by a BBC documentary I saw. I reached out to one of the main companies featured in the documentary asking if someone would like to come on the podcasts as a guest. The CEO came back to me and said they were familiar with the show and would love to come on. He came on and we had a great time, it is still one of my favorite episodes to date. Considering we were still a relatively small podcast at the time, it was incredible to see that we already made an impact, especially in the tech community.

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?

It sounds simple, and it is, but always double-checking your audio equipment. Usually, my audio technician and I are very good at making sure our equipment is properly set up. Still, sometimes if the mic is not correctly adjusted, you can hear it in the audio. I always kick myself for that when it comes to the editing process. Measure twice, cut once is an old saying in the carpentry industry. The same can be said for audio — check twice, record once.

How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?

We started in November 2018, but it was a slow start with roughly one episode every month or two with no strict schedule. Everything was very experimental, the music, the topics, and the design. It wasn’t until seven or eight episodes in, when the show changed from The Sociable podcast to Brains Byte Back that we really began to find our feet. By then end of 2019, we will have 26 published episodes. We will look to continue publishing every Monday in 2020. There are still many more episodes to come.

I would advise new podcasters to publish frequently and consistently. Perhaps start out once a month, then, twice a month, then once a week. Go at the pace you can do but be consistent. Also, always stay ahead, so before producing and releasing your first episode, stockpile a few so you can release 2 or 3 on the first day and then have a couple more ready for the following weeks. Nothing sounds or looks good when it is clearly rushed. Staying ahead, being consistent, and putting out good content is not always easy. Make sure you are serious about what you are doing, and stay committed.

Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Sam Brake Guia!

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Podcaster Influencer, Sam Brake Guia of the Brains Byte Back Podcast shares the best ways to:

1) Book Great Guests. I use HARO. It is an incredibly useful resource for seeking guests and these requests really do reach a wide range of people. I also reach out directly to an interesting person or company. Finally, I work closely with a PR company that has a very good understanding of the type of guests I am looking for. I have featured Nicolas Casey from The New York Times, Vice President of McAfee Candace Worley, and UFC fighter Urijah Faber through a mixture of these methods.

2) Increase Listeners. Be consistent and strong with your social media presence. Prove to your listeners that you are a professional show with content that is constantly being updated. Also, it takes time for listeners to warm up to your show, who you are as a host/hosts and what your show is about.

Be a smart social media user with entertaining posts, along with pictures and videos which grab the attention of users. From advertising clips of our show on social media, we now have moved over to text videos using a transcription feature. These videos should always be no longer than 45 seconds.

3) Produce in a Professional Way.Audacity as a free option or Adobe Audition as a paid option makes it easier to produce a professional sound when it comes to editing. The tricky part is the recording. Do it in a quiet space or time, and with a decent mic. Thanks to the many detailed Youtube reviews available, choosing a mic is easy. Your only limitation here is your budget.

4) Encourage Engagement. Social media is incredibly useful for this. I have found Reddit to be a great place to engage with certain communities that relate to the topics on our show. For example, when we have a topic on AI we will post the episode in /r/artificial/, or a topic which is really heavy on psychology we will post in /r/psychology/. These communities are great at fostering engagement when it comes to these specific topics.

5) Monetize Your Show. Monetization has not been a goal of our so far. We aim to build up a listenership before deciding what is best for them and our show. However, there are many ways podcasters monetize their shows, whether it is through carefully selected sponsors or a Patreon membership model.

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 Sam Brake Guia!