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Written by JJ Barnes
I am delighted to share my first podcaster interview. I talked to Segilola Salami about her podcast, The Segilola Salami Show. She explains how the idea to interview authors and review books came about, what it’s like to podcast with her daughter, and how her podcast has grown and changed since it began.
Tell me a bit about who you are:
I’m Segilola Salami and I wear multiple hats. I’m an author, a blogger, a content writer, online marketer and podcaster.
How and why did you start podcasting?
After publishing my first children’s book, I realised that I knew next to nothing about promoting books online. I did a lot of reading and one recurring advice was to either appear as a guest on lots of different podcasts or start your own podcast.
I opted to start my own podcast as I wanted to learn from other authors. I also hoped that my podcast content would be beneficial to more people than myself.
To see if anyone would be interested in appearing as a guest on my podcast, I put a post on Goodreads asking if any of the authors there would be interested in being interviewed and I was inundated with requests. This was January 2016. The first episode of my podcast was aired in February 2016.
What is your current podcast called, and how did you come up with the name?
My podcast has been running since February 2016 is known as The Segilola Salami Show. I found it hard to think of a catchy name, so I opted to use my name as the podcast name.
What platforms can we find your podcast on?
The Segilola Salami Show is widely distributed and can be found on most podcast apps including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If you visit my website, you will see a list of the most popular podcast directories where the show is listed on.
What is your podcast about?
The Segilola Salami Show is a once weekly podcast show about books and publishing. The aim of the show is to be both entertaining and educative. Listeners are guaranteed to discover a new book on the show and either be motivated or inspired by any guests on the show.
Do you host alone, or have guest hosts/partners?
Guests on the show have been authors and non-authors. Authors on the show share their journey to publishing their book and how they got to where they are now. Non-authors on the show share their professional expertise and recommend books that the listeners can read to learn more about the topic.
Since the 2nd quarter of 2021, my 6-year-old daughter has been co-host of the show. She started off reading children’s books on the show and has interviewed some authors. In the coming weeks, she is going to be reviewing books too.
Do you edit your own podcast or have someone who does it for you?
I’ve mostly done all the editing myself but I hope to get someone onboard to help me with that side of the show
Do you script your podcasts, or just chat as you go?
I normally just chat with my guests, it’s pretty informal. However, my daughter does write down the questions she wants to ask each guest. She’s only 6-years-old. It helps her remember everything she wants to ask and also helps her to focus.
How has your podcast changed or developed since you began?
The Segilola Salami Show has evolved in different ways since the show first started and it is still evolving.
When the show first started, I wanted to learn exclusively from self-published authors like myself. However, I found it increasingly hard to distinguish between self-published authors, authors using a hybrid model and authors that have been traditionally published. I also felt that the listeners of the show would benefit from learning from authors who got traditional publishing contracts. So the show is now not exclusively for self-published authors.
As time went by, I got approached by experts in their field that I felt had a lot to offer the listeners. For instance, I want had a sleep consultant come on the show who shared tips on how first time parents can get their children to sleep through out the night and recommended books for further reading.
The show has had a number of singer song writers who shared how writing songs are similar to writing books.
So now, the show is not exclusively for authors but is open to guests who can recommend books for further reading. I have found that chatting with such a diverse range of guests has helped me develop my knowledge immensely. I look at my podcast as my way of continuing my personal development. I get a lot out of it, as much as the listeners.
What are you biggest challenges with your podcast?
When I first started The Segilola Salami Show, I knew nothing about podcasts, so that was a big learning curve for me in itself. I recorded the first episodes of my show directly from my laptop without any specialist equipment. My daughter was a little over one year old at the time, so people could always hear her in the background.
However, my initial followers were the most supportive. Feedback I got from them was that they loved hearing my daughter in the background. If they had criticised me, I probably would not have continued the show. So, I am ever so grateful to each and every one of them for all their words of encouragement.
I once had someone write that the audio quality of my podcast was not very great and went on to pick out all the things that were wrong with the show’s quality. But guess what? The people who enjoyed what I did told me that it did not matter that I did not have specialist equipment for my podcast. I was told that as long as people could hear me and understand what I said, that was all that mattered.
Since the start of the pandemic, I have struggled to just do a lot of things. So that led to big gaps in the production of new podcast episodes. I needed to help my daughter with her reading and I know how she loved playing with my podcast mic, so we decided to give it a go. I shared a test episode with some of my followers and the feedback was amazing. That’s how my daughter got a regular schedule.
With the school holidays, it’s been a tad difficult to keep on a schedule. But now that school is back in session for the autumn term, I think we have got lots of recording to do. My daughter is interested in trying to review books on the show instead of simply reading them.
What are your favourite podcasts to listen to?
OMG I am so embarrassed just thinking about the answer to this question. I don’t normally listen to podcasts, I prefer reading.
That said, every now and then, I do listen to the CockTales: Dirty Discussions podcast
How and where do you promote your podcast?
After over 5 years, The Segilola Salami Show does have a small following. So each time a new podcast episode is aired, the followers get notified via their podcast app. I do have a small mailing list, so I send a weekly email to my subscribers. Outside of these, I promote my show on the usual social media channels – Twitter, Facebook etc
Do you earn money from podcasting, or is it a hobby?
When the show first started and for several years, I did not earn anything from the show.
The I got contacted by a multinational corporation about sponsoring the show but my audience size did not meet their needs. After that, I was poached by another firm who offered me free podcast hosting as well as advertising revenue for sharing adverts on the show.
After a short while, I felt that going with the advertising model was not really my cup of tea, so I stopped working with them.
I moved on to a model where my podcast guest were sponsors of the show. I promoted their businesses extensively across social media and ran giveaways for them. This was quite successful for the show and the guests. And no, I did not earn a significant amount from doing so. The show earned enough to cover its running costs.
With this model, I was very selective of the guests on the show and made such that they could offer value to listeners of the show.
However, since 2019 and as the pandemic progressed, I have had some personal demons to deal with. So, I have not been able to grow the show and promote the show as much as I would have liked.
Until I get back on track, the show is not earning any income right now.
I sent an email to my followers asking them to bear with me. Sometimes, we all need to take time out from everything that we are doing and I have not felt ready to do some simple things.
What’s something you never expected about podcasting? What have you learned that surprised you?
When I started my podcast, I never imagined that I would or could ever earn a penny from it. I also never imagined that it could be a legacy that I could hand over to my daughter. I was surprised to find that my daughter wanted to be a podcaster like her mother. I am equally surprised that if I get a business model straightened out, The Segilola Salami Show is an asset that I could leave to my daughter and it would be her first start into running her own business.
What is the first piece of advice you would give to anyone inspired to start podcasting?
JUST START! It does not matter if you do not have fancy equipment, it does not matter if the recording quality is perfect. As long as people can hear you and understand you, that is the most important thing. That said, do make sure you know what you hope to achieve by starting a podcast. Don’t start a podcast because you want to earn money from it. Lots of podcasters do not.
And, finally, are your proud of what you’re accomplishing with your podcast? Is it worth the effort?
I am still in shock over what I have achieved with my podcast. I still can’t believe it sometimes.
Yes, starting and growing my podcast has been worth it – both the good, the bad and the ugly. I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:
Please see my signature for all the links to my social media and podcast booking pages.
Here’s the link to see the full list of books I have written so far https://www.segilolasalami.co.uk/my-books/
More From Segilola Salami:
AUTHOR | BLOGGER AND CONTENT WRITER | PODCASTER
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