Leveling Up

Photo by Mikael Blomkvist

 

I had one of those moments a few weeks ago when I became paralyzed by choices. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good thing, but it did force me into some decision making. I had a potential sponsor for my podcast reach out to me, but they asked for listener demographics, which I did not have. I took a webinar on “finding a sponsor for your podcast” about a year ago and had a wealth of information at my fingertips but still I’d chosen not to do anything. 

The e-mail from the sponsor’s marketing agency spurred me into action. I put together a quick survey and included a call to action in the podcast script I was working on. I shared the survey link with my e-mail subscribers and social media followers. I had already had a call with a website and branding consultant about creating a new website for the podcast, and I got her proposal back. 

Then I had to make some decisions. I thought the new website quote and photography session for new images sounded reasonable. I got excited thinking about listeners finally having a fun place to go to interact with the podcast. But then I got discouraged. I have a full-time editing job, do the podcast in my spare time, and have been trying to revise a suspense/thriller novel I wrote last fall. Something had to give. 

I talked with my husband about it, since he’s worked in marketing and experience design for years. He asked me what I thought was most important. 

“The website,” I said. “If I do this right, it has the potential to attract more listeners and potential sponsors. Plus, I can add a true crime blog right into the platform and people will stay longer when they go to it. Once I finish writing the suspense novel, I can add a tab for it right on the website, because it ties in with the genre.” I knew I could also add an easy way to capture e-mails on the site, something I’ve been struggling with. 

“Then I think you know what you need to do,” he said. “You have to keep the day job to pay the bills right now. Focus on creating the website, and once that is completed and launched, you can get back to the novel revisions.” 

At first, I felt discouraged, because I have a lot of ideas on how to improve the novel, but if I’m ever going to monetize my podcast that I’ve worked so hard on for two years, and put all the content I’ve created to good use, the website has to go up first. I think a lot of us get to the point where it’s time to “level up” on a project or piece of writing, and it can be scary. It might be signing up for a writing course or conference, hiring a professional editor, or taking a research trip. It scares me to invest the money into the website, but I believe in the designer’s work and a colleague I admire connected us. I’ve seen samples of her work in action. I know what a good website can do for a podcast, especially one in the growing niche of true crime. 

I’d love to hear examples of how you’ve invested in your own writing!

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and magazine editor who also hosts the true crime podcast, "Missing in the Carolinas."