“How to Create a Bingeable Podcast through a Chemistry and Connection” with Stephanie Spett & Eric Spett of the Divorce Done Well Podcast
As part of my series of interviews about “5 things you need to know to create a bingeable podcast”, I had the privilege to interview Stephanie Spett & Eric Spett.
By no means “experts,” Stephanie and Eric Spett, two Dallas-born 40-somethings, emerged from their divorce not just intact, but somehow friends. Let’s go with friendly. Their kiddos, Eli and Sadie, are dealing with it as well as t/weens will. Some might call it thriving. And the family is figuring out their new normal apart — while working on it together — as a family. While seemingly contradictory and confusing, it’s working. Kinda like crying so hard, you laugh. Incidentally, there was a lot of that, too.
The only podcast hosted by a formerly married couple, DIVORCE DONE WELL is Stephanie and Eric’s call-to-action to individuals and couples contemplating, undergoing, finalizing, and post-divorce. And frankly, it’s a good dose of “reality check” for those in otherwise happy marriages.
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Can you tell us a bit of your “personal backstory? What is your background, and what eventually brought you to this particular career path?
Eric and I were married for 17 years. We met in college. We got married after seven years of dating. In 2016, we realized that our marriage was not working so we decided collectively to get divorced. After we finalized our divorce, there seemed to be a weight that lifted for both of us. We were putting our kids first like we always said we would. We seemed to not be screwing up the co-parenting thing so we wanted to share our perspective of how divorce could look differently than what people have come to expect. Eric and I both have other jobs (he’s a lawyer, I’m a benefits analyst), but we thought what we were doing might help others so we decided to spend every waking hour of free time to this endeavor (well, maybe not every hour).
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 positive feedback we have received from people we know and don’t know. People have really come out of the woodwork — those who have gone through bad divorces and those who are contemplating divorce. We’ve been told that we’re providing a roadmap for how to do it right.
Can you share a story about the biggest or funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or takeaways you learned from that?
We learned early on that when you are doing a video podcast in front of a “green screen” and you decide to wear green that day, your face and hands seem to float in the air like a ghost. No one wants to take divorce advice from a ghost. We learned that day that it’s important to listen to your producer because they know a LOT more than you do.
How long have you been podcasting and how many shows have you aired?
We’ve been podcasting almost a year, since 4/22/19, when we aired our first episode. We have aired 22 episodes since the podcast’s inception.
What are the main takeaways, lessons, or messages that you want your listeners to walk away with after listening to your show?
We aren’t advocating for divorce. We aren’t professionals. We are, however, people who have been through a divorce and have been able to navigate it respectfully and succeed at co-parenting while still liking each other.
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Stephanie Spett & Eric Spett!
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Stephanie Spett & Eric Spett of the Divorce Done Well Podcast share the best ways to:
1) Book Great Guests. Put yourself out there. You will be surprised by what and who finds you. I reached out to a couple of “celebrities” (RHOD Cary Deuber for example) who responded right away. If you throw it out there and take a chance you may be surprised who actually responds. Don’t be afraid to be rejected.
2) Increase Listeners. Social media is everything. Ask everyone to share and post. Reviews on Apple Podcast are key as well. We try to work the podcast into conversations when out at social events, where appropriate, especially if we happen to be at the same event! We’ve recently started doing media interviews both locally and nationally. (Thank you Thrive Global and Authority Magazine for the opportunity!) We, of course, promote these clips in social media to increase our exposure.
3) Produce in a Professional Way. Reduce background noise. Viewers can tell if your sound or video quality is off. Have a run of show and different topics to discuss, but don’t sound over-rehearsed. People want to listen to a conversation (hopefully one that they’d want to be a part of) and not be lectured or read to. That can only happen if you’ve thought about the topics you’re going to talk about.
4) Encourage Engagement. We try to keep our feed upbeat and positive — but with relatable content that matters to couples contemplating or undergoing divorce. For all couples, really! In addition to serious subjects like finance, co-parenting and dating, we take polls on topics discussed on the show, or to inspire show content, do giveaways (pre-pandemic), and post a mix of original and user-generated content that’s intended to make people think… and hopefully, laugh… during an otherwise stressful time. Our kids tend to generate the most engagement.
5) Monetize. In approaching advertisers, we consider the businesses and brands that we ourselves — and our kids — relied upon during our own divorce. These are a mix of local and likeminded businesses and services — such as restaurants, gyms, spas, retailers, attorneys, financial consultants, etc. Friends and family tend to offer referrals and introductions to potential advertising partners. As we are still fairly young, and while we work to increase our listenership, we are open to doing barters and giveaways that support our local businesses while keeping our listeners engaged.
In your opinion, 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 your content?
Check out the full interview in Tracy Hazzard’s Authority Magazine article about Stephanie Spett & Eric Spett!
