It could have been you

Lawrence Francis
Sep 4, 2018 · 3 min read

Last Saturday I received what I hope will be the first major UK press coverage of my podcast. The Guardian’s wine writer Fiona Beckett, not only included Interpreting Wine in her article of top wine podcasts, but also mentioned Larry McKenna’s (ep 136) pinot noir as ‘wine to sip' while listening.

This turn of events demonstrates what I have been saying for some time about the hospitality industry taking control of its information food chain and putting out more content. Had I not been putting out my podcasts regularly all year there is little to no chance that it would have been picked up. And my level of output has not been based on the amount of feedback I get from listeners or the industry, other than from guests regarding their own episodes, I get very little. No my level of motivation is linked to my long term goal of producing podcast content for other businesses, allowing them to access the fantastic opportunity that I see to reach listeners in a meaningful way in a noisy 2018 social media landscape.

Interpreting Wine was mentioned alongside a wealth of top notch podcasts, including Levi Dalton’s I’ll drink to that!, Olly Smith’s a glass with and Heritage Radio’s In the Drink. The majority of podcasts included were based in the States, perhaps unsurprising given that podcasting’s second coming has largely been driven by US listeners.

Now I know that my rate of broadcasting on an almost daily basis is not practical for most. I’ve become increasingly efficient at podcast production and know that the more content I put out now the quicker I’ll reach my objectives. But I would encourage you to think about whether you could be putting out a podcast per month. If you were to start this month and continue until the end of the year you’d have 4 episodes published. Which is 4 more than if you don’t start. And if your niche is appealing enough it could be enough to get you noticed.

It’s perfectly plausible that the next time Fiona updates her list, or another publication compiles a similar one they’ll be looking for new names. So why not take my challenge to set up a podcast on a subject you’re passionate about. It doesn’t have to be wine. But if it is, then I think now is the perfect time for you to get started before everyone else does. Especially if you’re in London, my home base, where I see loads of white space for restaurants, bars, importers, wine fairs or any number of industry niches to create a podcast.

And while I’m at it, it doesn’t need to be a podcast. If you’re a writer, or a videographer/photographer with persistence and great content you can also stand out. My view is that these media formats are already more saturated than voice, so your chances of getting noticed are lower.

In any case, why not throw your hat into the ring and if you need a hand or a word of advice you know where to find me! And if you want a list of all the equipment I use to create Interpreting Wine then check out my Instagram Story highlights for all the info.

Fiona Beckett’s Guardian article:

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2018/aug/31/fiona-beckett-wine-podcasts

Subscribe to Interpreting Wine here:

iPhone: www.interpretingwine.com/itunes
Android: www.interpretingwine.com/android

Interpreting Wine on social media:

www.instagram.com/interpretingwine
www.facebook.com/interpretingwine
www.twitter.com/winepodcast

Email: hello@interpretingwine.com

Lawrence Francis

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