The Twenty Something podcast has been my experience taking an idea at its infancy to a flourishing
brand and community.
What I’ve Learnt From this Passion Project
1. How to Work in a Team
By partnering with a friend turned colleague, working in a team has been something I’ve increasingly learnt about in producing this podcast. In an effort to grow our reach and community, my co-host Eman Osman and I have experienced first hand how to combat conflicting perspectives on what routes to take in a collaborative environment when set on achieving our goals. My biggest takeaway from this learning opportunity in experiencing conflict has been to seek a third party, or take a break in content production in order to evaluate pain points, needs, and pivot efforts to eventually become more in sync with whom you are working with.
2. The Value in Community
In having a podcast with a premise of the shared experience of being in your twenties, my co-founder and I knew that our networks had incredible value in helping our podcast grow, as word of mouth is perhaps the strongest motivator to seek out a brand. Because of this, one of our marketing strategies has been hosting events. For example, by throwing a launch party and inviting close friends, as well as other Communication professionals in our network, once Twenty Something dropped on all podcast platforms and Instagram, we were supported by many from day one with the followers we had gained, and listener community we grew.
3. How to Research the Interests of Your Audience, and Capitalize on Them
In developing a brand, you must ensure that your message and content is relevant to your community. For each episode of the Twenty Something podcast, incredible research is done to ensure that our message is on target with what one wants to hear. By addressing the pain points in the twentysomething experience, as well as perceiving themes in life that those in their twenties may resonate with such as the housing crisis, relationships, college culture, career pursuits, and more, our specifically tailored episodes and content ensure that our communication garners reach and interest with our network of followers. Collaborating with our own audience is a key component in creating a good listening experience. Thus, taking time to listen to their interests and frustrations is integral to our podcast.
4. How to Recruit Guests and Interview
From the beginning, we wanted to use the Twenty Something podcast platform to showcase the perspectives of others in addition to ourselves in order to ensure a variety of voices is being heard. In this, our podcast has been able to cover various fields I myself do not have the education to address. Through developing skills in pitching, I have been able to secure guests through tailoring an episode specifically to them, as well as articulating the benefits in reaching our audience of twentysomethings in Vancouver, and beyond. To date, we have been able to work with an incredible repertoire of people in order to create episodes of value and education.
5. Coordinating Collaborations
An important part of creating a brand is seeking out organizations with like-minded missions. For our launch event, I was keen on acquiring a drink and food sponsor in order to make ourselves known to the community, as well as provide a more memorable experience for our attendees. By crafting a convincing pitch as to why partnering with the Twenty Something podcast would have incredible benefits in increasing brand awareness, we were able to partner with local companies such as WIZE Vodka Spirits, a fellow Vancouver start-up. Additionally, the Twenty Something podcast received support from Red Bull who provided speaker equipment for us to set an ambiance for the event. Through strategic pitching, securing sponsors has been integral to the collaborative efforts of the Twenty Something podcast.
PRESS
“This Vancouver-based podcast hosted by Eman Osman and Angela Vannatter focuses on empowering local people in their uncertain 20s—and no matter our age, we’re all feeling a little anxious about the future right now.”
— Alyssa Hirose, Vancouver Magazine
“These Podcast Co-Hosts are On a Mission to Empower 20Somethings”
— Maansi Pandya, Coffee and Smiles
Please note that the Twenty Something Podcast was retired in November 2020, but it’s content and community remains!
Follow our journey
