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Niall Cooper is fascinated by assassinations. So, he does mountains of research about them, plugs in his Blue Snowball, and hammers out a 30- or 40-minute podcast about assassinations every week. He’s done shows about spies killing spies, umbrella assassinations, Kings and Queens who have been killed, and Princess Diana. Niall is now into his second season of shows. Here’s our interview with the host of Assassinations Podcast, Niall Cooper.
PBJ: How long have you been podcasting? Niall Cooper: Assassinations Podcast is my first podcast, and it launched in April 2018.
PBJ: Why are you podcasting? Niall Cooper: For someone like me who loves researching, writing, and performing, podcasting is a great way to create original content and release it out into the world. Once you learn the basics of recording and editing, it’s an easy and inexpensive way to get your content in the hands of interested listeners.
PBJ: What is your podcast about and how did you pick this topic? Niall Cooper: I’ve always been fascinated by the darker side of history, and podcasting is a great way to share this interest with the world. In each episode, I pick one — sometimes two — assassination(s) and delve into the surrounding facts, scandals, and conspiracies. My first season featured Franz Ferdinand, Rasputin, Leon Trotsky, and Princess Diana, among others.
PBJ: Do you have a website and or an app to host your podcast? Niall Cooper: I host my podcast on my website, www.assassinationspodcast.com. I designed the site using Squarespace and I’ve found their built-in podcast support very helpful and easy to use.
PBJ: How are you marketing your podcast? Niall Cooper: I’m currently marketing primarily on social media. My goal was to complete the first season (which wrapped in August 2018) before focusing too much on marketing; I wanted to hone my skills and publish at least a dozen episodes before focusing too much on audience growth. Now that I’m about to launch my second season, I’m looking more seriously at cross-promotion, advertising, and marketing.
PBJ: How many downloads/listens are you getting? Niall Cooper: Assassinations Podcast has around 50,000 total downloads so far.
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Niall Cooper[/caption]
PBJ: What are your biggest challenges? Niall Cooper: I often find myself “pulled down the rabbit hole” when I’m researching something really interesting. It can be a challenge to make sure that I’m striking a balance between reading for research and reading for fun. Given the amount of research required for each episode, it’s important that I stay on track!
PBJ: Are you making any money? If so, how? If not, do you care/want to make money and what is your plan? Niall Cooper: I am not yet making money off of my podcast, but I would eventually like to monetize the show. My current plan is to continue producing quality content and to grow my audience. If/when my audience grows to a size large enough to attract advertisers, I’ll try and find advertiser-partners that are a good fit for my brand.
PBJ: What advice do you have for other podcasters considering launching one of their own? Niall Cooper: I think it’s important to have a clear concept for your show and to really refine your idea before jumping in. Whether you’re talking about history, wrestling, or Dungeons & Dragons, know what your show will be about and try not to veer too far off course. It’s also important to set up a release schedule and stick to it. Listeners can get frustrated if new episodes are released late or inconsistently. Lastly, I’d recommend familiarizing yourself with editing software and doing some research into post-production techniques and strategies. Podcast listeners will forgive a show that doesn’t sound perfectly professional, but editing shouldn’t be an afterthought. It’s much nicer to listen to a show with a little polish!
PBJ: What equipment are you using? Niall Cooper: I record my show using a Blue Snowball microphone and edit primarily using Audacity.
How to find the show: Website Twitter Patreon iTunes TuneIn Stitcher