Creative podcasts you need to listen to
Podcasts are popular, with a capital p. I read that at one point during lockdown, equipment for podcasting was sold out! Isn’t that mad?!
It’s not much of a surprise because it’s a great way to reach and build an audience with longform spoken content, an alternative to video and blogposts. It’s perfect for promoting your business, making connections and establishing your role in your industry.
Of course they’re popular, because in a world where we want to be productive and #getstuffdone, they can be listened to while we do other tasks. I listened to an episode every day in the gym on my lunch break or on my commute. Nowadays, I have a huge backlog of episodes to catch up on as now I only play them once a week when I’m cleaning the bathroom... I clearly need to do that more often!
Anyway, I’m not here to convince you to make your own podcast, but to share some of my favourites. These all come under the creative/business niche, and while I do have a few others I listen to, these make up the majority of my feed. I love finding and hearing about other people’s business journeys, learning new methods, discovering practical advice and listening to interviews with inspiring creatives.
The best way to promote and share podcasts you enjoy is through word of mouth, so here I am sharing my top five.
1. Hashtag Authentic, by Sara tasker
I know a lot of my audience might know this one already, or you’ll certainly know the host. Sara Tasker from Me & Orla started the podcast in 2017 and has shared almost 90 episodes for instagrammers, bloggers and online creatives. I love Sara’s dulcet tones and the way she speaks about her work and in-depth knowledge of Instagram. Beginning her online world while as a speech and language therapist working for the NHS to now having an audience of 221k as well as her own book, Sara has a huge amount of knowledge to share, fascinating Q&As and a heap of guests she’s interviewed and who provide their own insights to their businesses.
Some of my favourite episodes are:
Episode 80: Why you need more than Instagram
Episode 49: Building a creative business from the ashes of your old life
(This one is an interview with Syreeta and Rob, and as a word of warning - may make you cry! It certainly made me really emotional, but their strength and optimism is a real inspiration)
2. Grow with Soul, by Kayte Ferris
I first found Kayte’s work after seeing her speak at the Blogtacular conference back in 2017. Kayte really laid the foundation work of finding my ‘Why’ in my business, and both her blog and podcast holds a mountain of knowledge for building a business with purpose. Similar to Sara’s, I find Kayte’s podcast a really lovely listen, very calm and full of useful nuggets of information. I particularly enjoy her solo shows but also like her down to earth, chilled interviews with other creatives. With no adverts or over-the-top promotion, just simple statements and self promotions that tie in with the content, this is a firm favourite and one I come back to time and again. Dubbed as a simple marketing podcast, it’s an inspiring listen to make marketing work for you in a simple and sustainable way.
Some of my favourite episodes are:
3. In Good Company, by Otegha Uwagba
I’ve listened to Otegha’s podcast for years now, after discovering her Sunday Times best seller, The Little Black Book. Otegha is a powerhouse in the online community and founded ‘Women Who’, which is an online community that connects and supports working women, providing useful knowledge and corporate secrets online. Despite only 27 episodes, each one of them is inspiring in their own right, with interesting stories and interviews with successful women. In Otegha’s words, she wanted it to feel ‘modern and relevant, not corporate and stuffy’ and it’s absolutely what she’s achieved.
Otegha clearly has so much knowledge and expertise and this comes across in her fabulous ‘Ask Otegha’ segment, as well as her interviewing skills with her guests. I definitely recommend listening for some down-to-earth, kick-up-the-arse motivation.
Some of my favourite episodes are:
017: Dolly Alderton. Promoting A Book. Private School Privilege
4. Indie Roller, by Leona Thriftola
I think this may be the newest podcast on the list having started in January 2020, but Leona’s still managed to pack 33 episodes with inspiring interviews and deep dives into her business history.
Leona is the brains and expertise behind Indie Roller, which uses her industry knowledge and history running businesses (in person and online) to connect and inspire indie business owners. You may know of Lucky Dip Club, her subscription business she closed before she followed her heart and took the plunge to and pivoted to being service based, with The Rollercoaster of Running an Indie Biz. I was signed up to this in 2018, and this year I resubbed again through her Kickstarter. Her podcast shares so much of her knowledge and wisdom for free and I really recommend checking it out.
The Indie Roller podcast includes many inspiring interviews with other online creatives, diving into their ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ and sharing the ups and downs along the way. Leona also shares her personal insights into running an online business and isn’t shy in sharing the hard parts either. Her honesty is one of the reasons I love her content and is clearly why so many other small business owners trust and resonate with her brand. I’ve recently been enjoying the episodes that talk so openly with business owners about running their businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some of my favourite episodes are:
Growing an Indie biz with Instagram Stories with Cat Food Cakes
5. Side Hustle Pro by Nicaila Matthews Okome
A new podcast for me but one I’ve fallen head over heels with! I discovered this podcast after wanting to expand my library to include more POC. Side Hustle Pro is run by entrepreneur Nicaila, founder of a podcasting and marketing agency based in the US. Her most recent episodes are part of her ‘Rewind’ series where she recaps on her entrepreneurship journey and is a perfect place to start. Nicaila talks about how, when and why she quit her job and turned her side hustle into her main hustle. She talks candidly about her investments, fears and trial and error for pushing Side Hustle Pro into a viable business with multiple revenue streams. As well as those solo shows, she interviews inspiring creators and business owners who are just as engaging as the host herself. Super inspirational and very relatable in terms of business; a must listen.
As this is a new one for me, I’ve only listened to five or so episodes, but here are a couple I’ve loved so far:
190: How to Create A Business As A Content Creator and Influencer (w/ Mattie James)
If you have any other similar creative business podasts you love to listen to, please leave them in the comments down below! I’m sure as the world starts to get back to normal, with commuting and other routines coming back into play, we’ll need some more recommendations. I love discovering new podcasts and hearing so many people starting their own is music to my ears. The more the merrier!