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In 2007 Kacie Main published a book called I Gave Up Men For Lent and she was successful in getting on quite a few podcasts as a guest. She found that she really loved having deep, inspiring, thought-provoking conversations with people. So, she decided to start her own podcast so she could continue to talk to interesting people, learn from them, and learn more about myself. In our spotlight today is Kacie Main, host of The Better You podcast.
PBJ: When was your first show? Kacie Main: My first episode aired in late July of 2019. I interviewed a guy I knew from my childhood and we talked about his struggle of losing his mother and realizing he was gay at the same time, all while attending a Catholic school in a city not exactly known for being progressive at that time (or now!). It continues to be one of my most downloaded episodes.
PBJ: How are you coming up with topics and guests? Kacie Main: This is an area where I’m not struggling at all! My podcast focuses on helping listeners better understand their relationship with self (mind, body, spirit) so that leaves room for all kinds of topics and guests. I currently have interviews booked (and many already recorded) to take me through July. There are so many interesting people out there with incredible insight and work to share. I find them through social media, listening to other podcasts, and asking guests for recommendations within their network.
PBJ: How much time does each episode take? Kacie Main: Good question! Let’s see… let’s say an hour to identify and coordinate guests, half an hour of prep work, an hour for the actual interview, an hour to listen back through and pull out key points for the intro, half an hour to record the intro and outro, another hour to listen back through the final version (after being compiled and edited by audio engineer) and pull out clips for social media promos, and an hour to create and schedule social media promos.
So in total about 6 hours.
PBJ: How much editing are you doing? Kacie Main: I used to do my own editing but started using an audio engineer a couple months ago. Best decision ever! I instruct him to edit out an excessive use of filler words or any awkward pauses. Not everyone is super comfortable in interviews but that doesn’t take away from the knowledge they have to share. I want my guests to sound good and my listeners to not get annoyed by a bunch of ummms. The amount of editing needed totally varies per guest.
PBJ: What is your goal with the show? Kacie Main: My goal with the content is to help listeners better understand themselves so they can be happier within themselves and all their relationships. From a business perspective, my goal for the show is absolutely to grow it to a point where it is a sustainable career. I love doing it! I have ideas and visions for additional elements to help build a community around it.
PBJ: How are your downloads/listens? Kacie Main: Like the turtle in the turtle vs. the hare – slowly but steadily growing. I currently average between 200 – 300 downloads per episode. Sometimes I struggle with this and really want to be farther along than I am, but I constantly remind myself that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Slow and steady wins the race.
PBJ: How are you marketing/getting the word out? Kacie Main: Primarily through social media. My guests have been great about sharing on their socials and that seems to help tremendously with attracting new listeners. I now make an effort to plug previous episodes in my intros and during interviews (where relevant) to encourage new listeners to stick around and check out another episode.
PBJ: Are you making money? Kacie Main: Not yet. Yet being the operative (and hopeful!) word!
PBJ: Describe your equipment setup
Kacie Main: I use an Audio-Technica ATR2100 microphone with a Dragonpad filter. My computer is a PC and I record using Zencastr. My studio is my kitchen table! It’s small and not always quiet (thank you neighbors) but it works for now and has great natural light.
Reach out to Kacie by e-mail at thebetteryoupodcast@gmail.com
How to follow Kacie: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram How to listen to the show: Apple Podcast Spotify iHeart Radio Pandora Stitcher and she has a YouTube channel
If you’d like to be in the PBJ spotlight send an e-mail to edryantheeditor@gmail.com with a short description of your story.