The little podcast that could has grown beyond our imaginations.
When Erin Davis and I launched Gracefully & Frankly 80+ episodes ago, we did it to gather a community of people kind of like us. There are a squillion podcasts. They’re niche programming at its finest. Universal acceptance isn’t only impossible, it would be unrealistic to expect it. If you’re lucky, your special little brand finds its audience and keeps you going.
We got very lucky. And we’re having a blast doing it. What a wonderful discovery we have made: that a couple of decades into our friendship, it turns out that we make a heck of a team! (Erin’s Rob and my Derek are also on that team, but Erin and I are its core.)
We do everything ourselves when it comes to producing the episodes. Recording, editing (Erin!), marketing, social media, you name it. We make decisions together and sometimes respectfully agree to disagree. We kind of love it when we disagree because it doesn’t happen very often!
Our Second Live Appearance
We are currently running a Tell A Friend contest. Ten winners will receive two pendants like the ones in our logo – one for themselves and one for their friend.
This is all part of our second Facebook Live event on August 8, 8PM EST. Our fifth Beatle – Anita MacArthur – will once again be behind the scenes, helping us appear live from Erin’s new home in Sidney, BC. We are also looking for ideas on what we should talk about. Anything goes! Whether we should expand on a podcast topic, or tell travel tales or … we are open to suggestions.
The Prize Budget
A podcast listener once asked us to give away trips like “you did on CHFI.” Yes CHFI, with the power of the Rogers radio organization behind it, spent weeks negotiating for trips that they got in trade for airtime on Toronto’s #1 radio station, with millions of potential listeners. Trust us, we’d love that too. But this little cottage industry doesn’t have THAT kind of negotiating power or budget! 😊
We do have the great fortune of being sponsored by the incredible women at enVy Pillow, and the equally ethical man behind Sierra Sil joint formula. Erin and I believe in both products wholeheartedly, we use them (or our loved ones do) and we’re grateful for their support.
Just Joining Us?
I’m probably supposed to suggest that you start at the very beginning, episode 1. But it’s my belief that new G & F listeners ought to begin with our “best of” episodes of 2023. (Beginning at #40) We put these together to run during my three weeks away last fall. I think this approach saves you time and gives a better flavour of what we’re about after getting some episodes under our belt.
And if we’re not for you, that’s okay too! My fave podcast (apart from our own) is Blocks with Neal Brennan. He talks to friends and colleagues in comedy and other areas of entertainment about the things that they have, or need to, overcome and how these things get in their way. That could be loneliness, imposter syndrome, a history of abuse in the family – whatever. It’s a very human-level discussion and Neal is simply fall-down funny. He’s the cocreator of Chappelle’s Show, a screewriter, comedy writer and now a stand-up comedy star.
The beauty of having a squillion podcasts out there is that there is, literally, something for everybody.
Congratulations on your success!
Amanda and I like to binge your episodes — whenever we take a trip to see her family in the GTA, we listen to the latest three or four pods.
I’m wondering if you have ever done any kind of dive into your viewership — does it skew female, what age, et cetera.
Maybe you have anecdotal evidence?
I would just be curious to know who is listening along with me and Amanda!
Hey Dan, thank you to both of you for listening! The analytics only go so far – which is good, I think. We don’t want to be intrusive! We know that most listeners are in Canada but we have some in the US, Australia and Europe. (I’m thinking ex-pats?) We also know that most are women from our Facebook page. And that the men who listen are generally part of a couple. (But we have solo men too!) But I also know from my radio days that there’s a wonderful, unknowable silent (possibly) majority that we’ll never know about. People who don’t comment on Facebook, send emails, enter contests etc. This is why we choose topics that resonate with US. Because if we start trying to just people-please, we could go horribly wrong! 🙂