Rise of the pod people
Podcasters give voice to Houstonians’ passions as hosts seek to connect with audiences, advertisers
THE three men leaned into their microphones and began their favorite pastime: talking nerdy to fellow comic book, board game and movie lovers. This week’s topic was the blockbuster “Logan” and the death of its claw-wielding main character.
“For me and you as avid comic book readers, we understood why
Wolverine was dying,” Joey Kay said to his co-hosts during an April episode of their year-old “Nerd Thug Radio” podcast. “They could have explained it, I guess, a little better for the average viewer.”
Then they launched into a detailed explanation for their “Nerd Thug” listeners. The banter later veered to their favorite non-comic book movie characters and the game Cardfight Vanguard, wrapping up their 51st episode in as many weeks.
As podcasts become increasingly popular, local entrepreneurs like Kay, 33, and his cousins Cory De la Guardia, 33, and Nico De la Guardia, 18, are polishing their radio voices with hopes of turning passions into salaries.
But making full-time money isn’t easy, especially compared with the early days, a decade or so ago, when people could build successful podcasts around virtually any topic, said Beau York, founder and CEO of Satchel, a location-based
A Provide content that’s very specific to your audience. What are their interests? Why did they seek out your podcast? A Know what companies are trying to reach that audience. They could become advertisers. A Know the competition. Find other podcasts reaching out to your audience, and then find ways to make your show different. A Be patient. It takes time to grow an audience and build your brand. A Pick a topic you’re curious about. That curiosity will come through in the content you provide, research you do and the quality of the podcast.