INTRODUCTION:
Alex Sanfilippo is the host of the top-rated podcast called Podcasting Made Simple. He is also the founder of PodPros.com, a software company focused specifically on the podcasting industry. Alex and his team have created popular services like PodMatch, a service that matches podcast guests and hosts together for interviews, and PodcastSOP, a project management tool that helps podcasters keep up with their episode releases.
INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE (But not limited to):
· The Significance Of Making It To Episode #50 In Podcasting
· The Awesomeness of PODMATCH!!!
· Leaving Corporate America To Become An Entrepreneur
· Pitfalls To Avoid In The Podcasting Industry
· The Investor Has The Upper Hand Always
· Get A MACBOOK – Just Do It
· Apps That Make Podcasting Simple
· Start Small And Build From There
· Why Do You Do What You Do?
· The Value Of The Still Small Voice
CONNECT WITH ALEX:
Website: https://www.PodPros.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsanfilippo/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexJSanfilippo
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3smLjef
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/podpros/_created/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajsanfilippo/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Podpros.com
CONNECT WITH DE’VANNON:
Website: https://www.SexDrugsAndJesus.com
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3daTqCM
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SexDrugsAndJesus/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexdrugsandjesuspodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabooTopix
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devannon
Email: DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com
DE’VANNON’S RECOMMENDATIONS:
· Pray Away Documentary (NETFLIX)
o https://www.netflix.com/title/81040370
o TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs
· Upwork: https://www.upwork.com
· FreeUp: https://freeup.net
· Disabled American Veterans (DAV): https://www.dav.org
· American Legion: https://www.legion.org
INTERESTED IN PODCASTING OR BEING A GUEST?:
· PodMatch is awesome! This application streamlines the process of finding guests for your show and also helps you find shows to be a guest on. The PodMatch Community is a part of this and that is where you can ask questions and get help from an entire network of people so that you save both money and time on your podcasting journey.
https://podmatch.com/signup/devannon
TRANSCRIPT:
[00:00:00]
You’re listening to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast, where we discuss whatever the fuck we want to! And yes, we can put sex and drugs and Jesus all in the same bed and still be all right at the end of the day. My name is De’Vannon and I’ll be interviewing guests from every corner of this world as we dig into topics that are too risqué for the morning show, as we strive to help you understand what’s really going on in your life.
There is nothing off the table and we’ve got a lot to talk about. So let’s dive right into this episode.
De’Vannon: Hello? Hello. Hello everyone. I am a self fucking excited to be releasing my 50th episode today. Thank you all so much for being with me on this journey. Many blessings be upon you today. I have with me, Alex, Sanfilippo the creator of pod match pod pros.com podcast SOP. He’s the greatest, so many things, and he is largely responsible for me still being in podcasting today.
This man is gorgeous. He has a gourd does mine and I am pleased to [00:01:00] introduce him to you all. So in today’s episode, we’re going to be talking about the significance of making it to episode 50 and podcasting the awesomeness of pod match some pitfalls to avoid in the podcasting industry, as well as why it’s important to start small and not try to do everything all at once.
And then build from there. Please listen close to this episode, Alex has a huge heart for humanity, and he’s always coming up with ways to help others succeed in life. And I hope you succeed too. Yeah, well, I’ve got Alex Sanfilippo here with me today. I can’t express how phenomenal the day is and how special it is because this is going to be my 50th episode. And we’re going to talk about during this show, how big of a deal that is an Alex Sanfilippo is a huge reason why I’ve made it to episode 50 while I stayed in podcasting to begin with.
And [00:02:00] so I really, really wanted to have him for episode 50, because these milestones, like the 50th episode, that 100, that was so in all of those things like that are very, very special. And you can’t just have anybody on the show. Like it has to be somebody that means that something special insignificant.
And so that’s why I went with him, Alex, how are
Alex: you? I’m great. I am just so thankful that you’re having me for episode 50. Like I, I understand as a podcast for myself, like how big of a deal that is like, it’s you, you didn’t just wake up one day. You’re like, oh, I need someone for my 50th episode. Like, you’ve been thinking about it probably since like episode 30 or 40, like who’s going to be that 50 of episodes.
I am just honored that you chose me to be here. Thank you so much for.
De’Vannon: Oh, fuck. Yes. And so Alex created, okay. So his current website is pod pros.com. All of this information will go in the show notes. He’s on all the social media and everything like that. Podcasting made simple as his podcast. I met Alex sometime last year when he sent [00:03:00] me an email to my sex drugs and Jesus account, introducing himself as the creator of an app called pod match.
Pod matches like Tinder, but for podcast, guests and hosts. Now, usually I get bullshit in my inbox and I looked at his email and I was like, oh Lord, here we go. Another one of these motherfuckers trying to waste my time and shit. And I didn’t open it at first because I had more pressing matters and shit.
Then when I had time, I didn’t delete it because I don’t like to delete things until I at least purview purview them. And I looked at it and I was like, Hmm. This might be a little something here I might be able to work with. And then, so I messaged him back and then he had a very handsome photo in his email too.
He’s a very good lucky man, as you all can see. And and I was like, okay, he ain’t bad looking. And he seems like he has a brain of there between those good looking ears. So then I responded back to him. Yes, there’s more to, I need a man that I just looked good y’all he needs to have some common damn sense and some [00:04:00] sort of intelligence and some practical information I can work with, not just good looks.
And so so he responded back to me personally, not his team with people that everything like that. I can’t stand dealing with middlemen. And that comes back from my drug dealing days. But you know, he actually had useful information. His app is free, you know, you don’t, you know, I didn’t have to pay for it.
And I was just starting and everything like that. And so I needed that option. And you know, and the rest is history. I ended up signing up for pod. And I’m still on pod match today and I’m still in business. So we’re going to talk about pod match. Alex has a couple of different companies that he’s dealing with it all have to do with podcasting.
And we’re gonna talk about podcasts, SOP, his podcast, lottery Southern come, a pod.style and the pod pros community in this show. That’s the that’s what’s going to be coming up. [00:05:00] So tell us, Alex, what, what, what, what got you into this whole podcasting business?
Alex: Well, first off I have to say thank you. I appreciate the fact that the one you think I’m good looking and two that you responded to me.
Back back when I emailed you, I had just I’ll share this real quick. I’ll get into it, but I come from a background of, of corporates. I did 15 years in corporate. And if there’s one thing that it taught me, it’s how to write terrible emails. And thank you for the grace you had with me, because I look back at those emails now I’m like, what, why did I type that up?
Like, it looked like a computer typed it up and like, just pick the words for it. It was so bad, but I was conditioned after 15 years of writing emails in corporate that I just didn’t have to write a good email, but you had grace with me. You’re one of the first people that give me a shot. And I’ll say this Devon and writes the best testimonials for people.
Like maybe it’s just people you believe in. Like, but art, like if I’m having a down day, like when people were just being rude and mean to me, I’ll go back and like, I actually have like pictures with your [00:06:00] testimonial on it and I’ll go back and read that and be like, you know what, like we are doing something good here.
Like forget this person who just wants to cuss me out for no reason. Right. Like they just are being mean. And I’ll just remember people like Devon and that have helped me. So anyway, thank you for that. So to, to jump in, like I know I already mentioned the corporate thing, so I, I come from a background in corporate America.
I was in the aerospace industry and I, I just hit a day where I was like, I think I’m ready to move on. Like, I want to do something. But I didn’t know how to do anything else. So I was like, I don’t want a nine to five job anymore, but I don’t know how to do anything else. So I started a podcast to talk to people that had successfully left a nine to five job to become a full-time entrepreneur to kind of have like that financial time freedom.
And because I wanted to learn and I couldn’t afford the coaching necessarily. So I was like, it’s like free coaching when you have a podcast, as you know, right. Like you get some of the best people, smart people in the world. You’ve had that tons of times on your show, haven’t you,
De’Vannon: you really do though.
You learn, you learn so much of the huddles.
Alex: Yeah. You really, I mean, you’re like the number one student and all the listeners are the bonus. So [00:07:00] but anyway, so I started a show and just really started learning a lot about entrepreneurship. And while I was doing that, I knew I wanted to start a company of some sort, and I just fell in love with the podcasting space.
Like in general, it’s a real. Optimistic space full of like abundance mindset people, which is my tribe, right? Like we can all be kind and all have like a piece of the pie if you will. Right. And I just really respected that about the industry. So I decided I was like, you know what, I’m going to jump into this industry.
And my show at that time did really well. So I started speaking on podcasting stages and doing some educational stuff, and I just started asking other podcasters what they’re struggling with. And I defended, I can tenuously heard I’m struggling to find the right guests for my show, like the ideal guests for my show.
And I just realized, you know what, there’s probably a need to connect guests and hosts together. And to keep the story short, I just decided to build something that was really similar to a dating app, but for podcast guests and hosts. Now, granted, I’ll say this I’ve been married longer than dating apps have been around.
So I had no firsthand experience with it, but the one time I decided that’s what I wanted to do. I went to a friend’s house to hang out. [00:08:00] And I knew he was like being in the dating apps. Like he was recently single and just had all of them. So I’m like, Hey, can I just watch you for the next 30 minutes while we eat, play on your dating apps?
And so he started like doing all these things and then you start getting concerned. Cause I started asking question, he goes, what’s wrong, dude. Like, are you okay? Like you and Alicia good. I’m like, yeah, we’re great. I’m like, I think I want to build one of these, but for something else. Anyway, long story short, we were able to develop just that.
And it’s worked really well to serve the industry.
De’Vannon: Alicia is his beautiful wife and she helps them out there. She’s a season like, you know, a really big part of you know, of, of all of that Alex does.
Alex: Oh yeah. She’s like the brain behind the operation in many ways. So
De’Vannon: she, she definitely is. Now concerning.
Those people who you say was cussing you out and everything. If you ever have that problem again, you let me know. I’ve got people who take care of them.
Alex: Yes. I like it.
De’Vannon: And then they won’t ever bother you again. Trust me. [00:09:00]
Alex: Yep. You know, you, you mentioned that if you don’t mind the guy riff on that for a minute.
So, so here’s the thing. Like I I’ve trained me and my team. We’re a small team, but I’ve trained people to remember one thing. Like, I mean, this is the sex drug and Jesus podcast. I’m gonna mention Jesus real quick. And like, for me as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus, I’ve always known that my job is to love people that aren’t always lovable.
And so I’ve just trained the team to think this way that Hey, hurting people, hurt people. So if somebody is hurting us is because they’re hurting themselves and we might be the only love they get. So we’re never going to retaliate in a menial. I might take you up on your offer, but you know, we were always going to respond in a loving way.
Like we’re not gonna go over the top of someone’s just overall rude, like said something terrible. We’re just gonna ignore it and let it go. But in general, if someone’s like just being harsh rubric and responding in a really loving way, not necessarily to win them over, to make them a customer the other day, that might be the only nice person to interact with.
So for us, we always remember that hurting people hurt people. And our job as a company is to love people. Like first and foremost, we are a [00:10:00] human to human business. So we’re not like B2B or B to C. We call ourselves human to human. So H to H and our job is just to be the light for some people in the world, whether they become customers of ours are members of ours or not.
Right. And that day that’s, what’s important for us to do that. Mentality is not always easy to keep. That’s why we actually have on our slack channel, a little channel called happy news, and people will just go back through and post nice things people have said about us and your name comes up a lot. So I’m always just thankful to see your name come from.
Like, that’s somebody who actually like, if I need to jump on a call and I need them to take care of. If I needed somebody to take care of this, this mean guy, right? Like demanding is my, my, my contact. So I’m good to go, but I appreciate you. Thank you.
De’Vannon: Yeah, I’ll say the, yeah. Or as, as the everything that’s stated in the Hebrew Bible each and every time we do to D though, to do good, that there’s evil presence.
And so these are the heart of what you’re doing is to help, to elevate people. So if we’re going to get spiritual about it and look at it, even metaphysically, you know, you’re driving positive energy, negative negativity, doesn’t want to see you prevail. [00:11:00] And so people who have been hurt when you say hurting people, hurt people, they are vulnerable more vulnerable to negativity than people who abide in a, at a more constant state of positivity.
And so therefore negativity wants to attack you. It can do so through people who are catering to their pain rather than to their positive. And so you’re doing the right thing by overcoming that with more positivity as the Hebrew Bible also says, we overcome that evil with good. And so so speaking of foolishness though, this sort of show here that, that, that I’m doing, it’s kind of like a step away from the main, my main, you know, my main vein in a way, but I don’t care because I wanted to do it because of the signal.
Of the, you know, of who you are and why the show was here. So I want to talk about the issues that I had when I started podcasting and [00:12:00] everything like that. And that’s going to get down into more of the the dark side, the taboo side of things, which is the main vein of the show. So this isn’t really like a businessy podcast.
We’re still gonna talk some shit y’all
Alex: please. I hope so. By the way, this is the first time in like probably almost a year that I’ve come on a podcast. It’s not specifically about podcasting. So I am down for anything which I know your show is all about. So I am here to get into whatever we want to, but honored to go whatever direction you want.
But thanks again for having me.
De’Vannon: Absolutely. Thank you for, for coming. I would like when I met you, I was like, I gotta help you. He wants to come on my show. I know this is really, really wild and not conservative.
So I was writing my book, sex drugs, and Jesus, my memoir, and then someone told me, Hey, it’s a good idea to start a podcast. You know, to have basically a cross promotion thing and already built an audience and everything. And I’m like, oh, that’s a good idea. The same person also went about the business of introducing me to their podcasting team that was helping them.
[00:13:00] And so, so I hired them and everything for a ridiculous amount of money. When I, when I met you, I think I was paying about like 1500 a month. Okay. So they were charging me like say $150 or $200 per person just to have someone come on my show. Now these are just recycled people that this other guy who already knew who had already been on his show.
So all they were doing were sending an email and saying, Hey, will you come on this new podcast that we are starting? And we have something to do with, so that’s, what’s called hustling. This is the danger of dealing with middlemen and stuff like that, because they’re going to charge you a lot of money and stuff like that.
And so now I’m paying $150 a week for show notes. You know, and, and things like that. And so basically 450 to $600 per episode, just to get it created. And this is a large reason why people don’t either get into podcasting or stay in it because it looks more expensive than it has to be. I fell into the same trap myself.
[00:14:00] So I had pause the creation of it because I was like, this is incredibly expensive. I don’t really like the energy of dealing with these people. I feel like I’m being used and hustled and taken advantage of, there’s got to be a simpler way. I didn’t know what way when I searched the Google and everything like that, I would find these companies doing similar things as them, Hey, come pay us this exorbitant amount of money.
And we’re going to get you on these big shows and everything like that. No guarantees the one who’s going to benefit you or not. But you know, it was that same thing. And then you messaged me and I was like, okay, I can do it for free or this like $39 a month. If you want the upgraded version of hot and match, which I went with because that’s a hell of $39 a month is a lot cheaper than 1500.
It’s
Alex: good math
De’Vannon: right there. So right. And so. I want you to speak to me, Alex, about some of the bullshit that people have come to you, crying, groveling and crying. Just like I did licking their [00:15:00]wounds saying, please help me. I don’t want to quit podcasting. What helped me? What, what, what sort of shit have you seen people been going through
Alex: all kinds of things.
I mean, that’s a perfect example of something that’s very common and what happens. I just called the people that are those hustlers lever. We want to call them. They’re like the gurus of the industry and maybe guru shouldn’t be a bad word, but my head, if someone tells me they’re podcasting guru, I’m going to be like, that’s a red flag.
Like, what does that mean? You know, like, why are you a guru? And like, what are you teaching other people to do? It’s, it’s just, it’s so common. And it all starts from taking advantage of somebody who has a passion and interest, something they’re trying to do. Like your show is extremely purposeful. Okay.
Sex drugs. And Jesus is like a purpose-driven show. Like you have a plan for it, you know where it’s going. Maybe it started as a hobby and maybe it still is a hobby, whatever you want to call it. But the, of the day it is, it’s something that actually adds value to people’s lives. And you have a specific focus on it.
And those are the people that get taken advantage of because somebody knows, you know what? This person’s passionate. They want to do [00:16:00] this. They’re willing to invest. I’m going to charge them way too much. And I don’t like to ever talk bad about anybody, but it, it doesn’t have to be that way in podcasting.
It’s just people taking advantage of somebody who wants to, who wants to explore that passion. And that it’s, it’s something that’s very common. If you use Google to this day, you’re still most likely going to find those types of people, but there are alternatives. Thankfully, there, there are other ways around it.
You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to do it at the end of the day. Maybe if you’re in a place financially where makes sense and you just don’t want to touch anything, right? You want to wash your hands up at salmon record. I’m not gonna touch anything else ever. You could go for it. That would be fun if it keeps the main thing, the main thing while for, but then the day, most of us are not in.
I’m not in that boat. Most people aren’t right. They just doesn’t make sense. So, I mean, I’ve seen all kinds of things like this happen and people fall into the trap of this is the only route. So I think the first thing I really want to get in people’s heads that are listening is that if you have a passion or something you want to do with the podcast, you do not have to go that route of spending a ton of money.
There are alternatives, and you can work your way up to things. If you’re saying eventually I want to outsource this or do [00:17:00] that, but you can start everything on your own with just, I don’t know the exact dollar amount, but probably less than $50 a month. You could have, you could be doing really well at that dollar amount
De’Vannon: right now.
And I stayed with podcasting because along I started. Because of the reasons that they told me like, Hey, this would be a good compliment of being an author, but I stayed with it because in the process of doing it, I realized that this is basically like a every show is like a message preached. Every show is a testimony, if you will, but this is better than just standing up and testifying on a Sunday morning and charity hallelujah, or preaching a message because it’s recorded and it’ll outlive me.
So even if somebody stops the podcast, though, that those shows are main, you know, out there and they can always be accessed until the end of time. And so have, have, after having gone through everything, I went through being homeless and, you know, getting HIV and everything like that. And living on the streets and being a drug dealer.
And I started kind of tip telling in and out of churches. Again, it never really [00:18:00] felt right or came to me to like stand up and speak about the deliverance that God had given me. The words never came. I considered maybe was there something wrong with me or something like that, but it just. God is preferred platform for me, I think podcasting was because I get to tell it again and again and again, from different angles all the time.
And then people can access it at their leisure, which is better than just speaking to one congregation. And so I want to remind people though, that when you have the money to spend on things and stuff like that, and these people are trying to corral you that you, the investor, you have the upper hand always.
And it’s very, very interesting how, when those of us who have some expendable income to spend on something are spending it, but the, the team, the assistance, or whatever, try to, there’s almost like they have a way of seizing this control over us, even though we’re the ones with the money. So have you, have you ever seen that sort of mindfuck before?
Alex: Yeah. You know, before [00:19:00] I answer that I got to go back to something cause your mom, this show being like, it’s an extension of you. This is how you can leave a legacy. I’m about halfway through episode 39 with branch and he talked about guilt combination. Like being so hard on yourself, like, and how to stop doing that.
It’s easily. One of the most profound, powerful podcast episodes I’ve ever heard, and I’m not even finished with it yet. I encourage everybody. Who’s hearing this. It has not listened episode number 30, nine of sex, drugs, and sex drugs, and Jesus go back and listen to that episode. It is again profound. So what you’re doing here is going to leave a legacy.
Like I believe people will be listening to that episode alone for forever, right? Like that’s going to be something can always go back and really help people a lot. And going back into what you’re talking about now, like, yeah, even if you have, if you have the money, like you’re saying, it’s good wisdom, you do have control.
When I got started, I didn’t necessarily have a lot of money, but I thought that I had to use, I start off with somebody to edit. Everything I read was the editing is almost impossible, which isn’t the case, but everyone thing was like, Hey, you’re not gonna be able to edit yourself to me too much. And I [00:20:00] went with the most recommended one I could find they were charging me, like shot, just shy of $200 per episode.
I didn’t have that money back then. And I felt like I was trapped because they were like, Hey, you need to buy this in sets of 10, because you’re going to save X amount instead of just buying one a time. And then the next time they’re like, Hey, you should buy 30 because your show is doing well, you need to keep it going.
And I felt like I was, I was like, okay, this is a money pit, but I know it’s helping people, but I’m not making any money yet. Like, what do I do? Do I just outpace it until eventually I can pay for it? Like, what do I have to do here? And that was the first time I started talking to other podcasters. This was early in my journey.
This is like around the time of the launch of my show. And when I started talking to their podcasters, I felt empowered because they’re people like, oh, well, no, you could do it yourself here. I’ll, I’ll teach you. Like, let’s do like a quick zoom and I’ll show you like how I edit really. And it wasn’t until I got around the community of people that I started feeling like I could get freedom from the people trying to charge me a lot of money to do podcasting.
And again, if you do have the money and you just say, I don’t want to touch it fine, you can. But then the day, I think [00:21:00] there’s something to be said for someone who learns how it works. Anyway, for me, like I don’t do all of podcasting anymore. Like I’m not the only guy in my team. There’s multiple people now that I’ve actually hired that I’m getting a good deal on, but I know how every piece of the puzzle works.
So when one of them says, I’m struggling to keep up. I’m not like, wow, you lose our cable. If you’re not keeping up, like, what’s wrong with you? I’m not saying that because I can go back and be like, you know what? I remember how much work that was. So I can say, how can I support that? Do you want me to come in and help edit a little bit more?
Do we need another team member? Like what do we need to do to improve that? So I think there’s something to be said for us, sitting back, taking a little bit extra time and learning all the elements of podcasting, just like anything else in life. When you know it all, you don’t necessarily need to do it, but you have at least empathy towards someone else who might be doing something that you previously didn’t under.
De’Vannon: You better preach it on a Tuesday afternoon. And so like that for a second, you’re going to use it. I use my Mac book, which I tried this doing this on like on a windows computer. Don’t you need to get a Mac book once you go Mac it’s true. I was reluctant, oh my God. This thing is like an electrical [00:22:00] orgasm.
Every is perfect about this fucking thing. Fuck PC. You need an Mac baby, honey. And they
Alex: better be paying you. That’s all going to say they better be paying.
De’Vannon: They will, when they damn it, they will.
Alex: I believe it.
De’Vannon: And so. That’s it just that I use an app called transistor to distribute it. So if you’re wondering, how do you get your show on all of these 50 million? Really literally about 20 different podcasting platforms is just put on one place and it’s distributed automatically is really just that simple.
And then Alex told me about the script, which is how I learned how to edit it myself, edit each show myself rather than paying. I think it was $200 per show for editing. I think the script might be like $10 a month. I do the annual thing and I think transistor might be like 10 or 20 a month. So like you said, it’s true.
You need less than $50 to [00:23:00] have all the, all the, all the things to do a show. You get yourself a good mic. That camera. Or you could start with just the Mac book, Mike and camera is, you know, not necessarily the best, but it’s better than than nothing. And I don’t want people to get obsessed with feeling like you have to have the top of the line, everything and all of these sound mixing boards.
I know, I know, I know people who Who feel the need to do that? Like, like when they start, they go, okay, let me go on Amazon or somewhere and get this whole podcast production, kit and everything like that. And I know so many people who do that. What do you have to say about like starting equipment?
Alex: You know, start with what you have.
You’re talking about a Mac. If you have like a brand new Mac book, the built-in camera and Mike is actually pretty good. Like, no one’s ever gonna be like, oh, what’s that terrible sound? Now don’t like, use your, your cell phone. You know, like don’t even, even an iPhone, isn’t gonna be near as good as the actual Mac book, like start with what you have.
And here’s like, my I’ll dive in a little bit more, but here’s what I’ll say [00:24:00] overall about this. People will forgive you for the quality of like the sound and the production. They won’t give, forgive you for the lack of quality of content. So again, the sound and all the production doesn’t have to be the best, but the content itself.
Isn’t good. And then one can forgive you. Now, what I mean by that is you could have the most expensive mic on the planet. You could spend 50 grand on your setup. If what you’re saying, isn’t good. No one cares about the other side of it, right? So at the end of the day, you need to try like putting a little bit effort, of course, like do your best to, to soundproof a little bit or whatever you do, but don’t go over the top with it, focus on having really good content and over time things can improve.
I’ve got a shirt M V seven. I’m not great with the tech stuff. MV seven is what it’s called. I think I paid $220 for this mic. And this is like my forever mic. I’ll use this one for as long as I podcasts before this, I had a mic that was about $80. Wasn’t great. But here’s the thing that got me through my first, like 80 or 90 episodes.
No problem. And, and it was great. It worked, worked really good. So at the end of the day, really focus again on the quality of the [00:25:00] content. And don’t go over the top on the production. I think that a lot of us defendant, we get nervous about the idea of starting a show. So we just fully engrave ourselves in all the things, right?
Like, oh, I need to like learn the best sound I need to buy this mic. I need to test out of. What I challenge you to do is just press the record button and get started. I’ll tell you who really, really spoke this to me in a big way with Jack, actually, Seth Goden. He and I had a conversation at one point, and he’s like a marketing, like genius.
The guy’s brilliant. And he told me, he’s like, Hey Alex, all right, let’s imagine that you’re a lifeguard. You’re brand new. It’s your first day on the job. You’re out there by the water. And you see somebody on the ocean. Who’s drowning now because you’re new and not experienced. You see that person drowning is your reaction to go find a really experienced lifeguard and say, hold on.
I know someone would be really good at saving this person. Let me go run back to the lifeguard station and find them, or you just going to jump in the water, not think about it as sloppy as it is, do your best to save that person. Every single time. Everybody who is in that scenario is going to jump in the water and do their best to save that person no matter how pretty or ugly it ends up looking.
That’s just our [00:26:00] instinct. And I think that with content creation, we have to remember that what we’re doing is serving the world, but it doesn’t serve the world. If you don’t hit the record button again, you might not have all the best gear. You might not have everything that you feel that you need to be super successful with it.
When you don’t hit publish when you don’t hit record, it’s not serving anybody. So start off by serving people and then focus on continuous improvement over time. And eventually you might sound really good and get really great at it. But today, do your best to serve people where you’re at. That’s my little rant right there, rant
De’Vannon: on.
And so it just like with all things, we get better over time, you don’t start anything as an expert or as a fully proficient that would Rob us of the of the fulfillment that comes when we grow. If we just, we’re just perfect at everything from day one, you know, it doesn’t work like that. And yeah, I did that on the PC, but like Alex was saying, we had to start somewhere.
Look, you can do it if you have a PC, but just what mine’s, the bitch was slow. And it took like 50 minutes to do shit on my Mac book. It takes like two [00:27:00] minutes. So it just really pressured me to create it more stress. But if you have a PC, then baby, you start with the PC, just like I did. And when you can afford to.
Upgrade to the Mac, or you can get you an apple card and then you can get just finance the ship interest free on your apple card. And in terms of like the sound quality and yeah, I’m almost like my third mic too. You know, I think we all do that, you know, got that fucking mic, fallen out the closet, you know, from when we upgrade and shit.
So the script that, that, that app that you recommended to me, they have two features on there that will really take away. Most of your worries. They’re really all of your worries when it comes to how you’re going to sound. There is a button that you can click to enhance your recordings. And so it’ll take your voice and pull it forward.
Like the voice of yours and your guests, and really clean it up. It eliminates background noise. Is it like the damn dogs that get out when you just knew you had them put up and shit like that? And the, in my [00:28:00] case, the birds and the pages and shit that fly by the window. Cause I live next to a nature Oasis, basically in my backyard.
And then there’s another button on there. You can click, that’ll get rid of filler words. And by filler words, I mean like oohs and OMS and stuff like that, which annoys, some people doesn’t really bother me. But just with like with one flip of the switch, you can just get rid of them all. So this shit is not complicated to do.
We record these meetings and zoom. Some people use other apps. I like zoom. They’re simple. They’ve been around a long time. They’re quick, concise until. And then once you press the record button, once it’s, once it’s over, it will convert it to an MP3 MP4 or whatever the damn audio file is. And then that’s what you put into the script.
And in the script, we’ll transcribe, it it’ll create a transcript for you, which you can in turn use for your show notes for your search engine optimization and all of it later on. So it’s a bit of a learning curve. It’s not as hard as you might think. But it’s worth, it was worth [00:29:00] me learning to save four or $500 a month to do so don’t let people hustle.
You try to act like this shit is complicated because they’re using the same damn programs that we’re telling you right now and charging you an arm and a Dick for it. And then try to act like they’re doing something special. No, but they do in the same damn thing.
Alex: You know, w one more piece of advice I like to give to people is if you’re listening to this show, like you’re, you’re hearing, you’ve been.
The sex drugs and Jesus for a long time. Right. And Devon, and speaking like your language, like I want to start a podcast, email demand and say, I’ve got a hundred dollars with your name on it. If you’ll just give me 30 minutes of your time. Cause that would be so valuable. I think that if someone spent 30 minutes with you now, knowing what you know about podcasting, you could probably save them thousands of dollars just by the little bit of knowledge that you’re sharing here, but going a little bit more in depth, showing somebody how to record for 30 minutes.
I bet spend that a hundred dollars would again, save somebody hundreds of hours and probably thousands of dollars. I mean, you’d probably agree, right? If day [00:30:00] one, you’re getting ready to start. If someone could have been like, Hey, hold on, let me show you this. That would have saved you a lot. I’m imagining, right.
De’Vannon: Oh sure. I mean, I have a personal guide to go. Here’s transistor. Here’s the script and everything like that. I mean, knowledge is power. Yeah. And as they say it isn’t said as the Hebrew Bible, you know, my people perish for a lack of knowledge, you know, we, we literally discharge ourselves for not doing research.
So it’s a good thing to be passionate, but then the Hebrew Bible also tells us that knowledge zeal without knowledge is destructive to, or it’s not good. I don’t know if it’s destructive, but it’s not good to have zeal without knowledge. It’s basically, I want to get up and go do shit, but I don’t want to take time to study about what the fuck I want to go do.
Sometimes
Alex: that’s the problem with the world in it.
De’Vannon: And so, oh, I hear a Republican echo what you just said. And
Alex: I, oh, no, I like it. I like to sit in the middle instead of politics. So I hope I didn’t sound too much like that. [00:31:00]
De’Vannon: Oh, this is how this is just me because of the things going on inside of me and how I feel about them.
So whenever somebody says something about like people who are extreme for seemingly no logical reason at all, they’re the first things that come to my mind because Alice is not political. I became political a couple of years ago, so I always say, fuck Republicans. And I always say, I wish Democrats would grow a pair of balls and do more with the power that they have.
So it sounds like
Alex: you’re right in the middle with me then. Sounds exactly like where I sit.
De’Vannon: Oh, well that’s the middle then there was this Malcolm in the middle of this shit. That’s an old show. Y’all.
You mentioned earlier about people like being passionate about starting their podcast, you made the analogy of the lifeguard and everything. And so, so y’all when you’re thinking about starting a podcast, let’s not get caught up in what seems like the glitz and the glam of it all. Hey, I’ve got to show, [00:32:00] you know, it looks like people are making a whole lot of money.
You’re going to be the next fucking, I guess if you would want to be someone like Joe Rogan or, or, you know, whoever hell is on serious or whatever the case may be, you know, making good bajillions of dollars and everything like that. Okay. So the way you got to go about this is like you, you got to pray about it, meditate, whoever, whatever deity you worship, or if you don’t do any of that, get in your head, why you want to do it for reasons other than fame.
And then if one day you have. To reach the level of, you know, how a shore, you know, or someone like huge, huge, huge, huge, huge, all the better. But if that doesn’t happen, then you’re totally happy and satisfied anyway. So why, and this is a big thing with you, Alex, you always challenged, you know, people, you know, why, what’s the, why?
What’s the why? Why are you here? Why are you doing this? I always say, I need you to not even know why I feel the way I feel, why I believe what I believe, why am I doing what I’m doing? So if you’re going to start a [00:33:00] podcast and there’s all kinds of podcasts from people talking about gossip, the clothes, the shoes, the titties, the sex to music, to business, so much business.
There’s a good variety, but why do you want to do it? And what, what unique thing do you have to say? Are you just trying to, and like, and there’s nothing wrong with looking into it, some stuff we start and we don’t finish it. And there’s no shame in that because we’re all on a journey. So anything more you would care to say about.
About purpose.
Alex: Yeah. I think that this is, like you said, this is where I always tell people to start, because what I find is people burn out too quick because they didn’t sit back and think about their why. And like you’re saying, people go to the, the, the wanderings of the world, like, that’s one of the big networks.
The MPRs is the cereal that the Joe Rogan’s right? Like these, these big names and podcasts and say, I want to do that, but you and I know this, like no one ever got famous because they wanted to be famous. Right? Like there has to be something that you do. And it wasn’t usually [00:34:00] most of the time I’d say it wasn’t their initial tent.
They started something because they cared. They had a why behind why they were doing it the first place. And I find that people start instead was saying, I’m gonna get rich. I’m gonna get famous. I’m gonna quit my job. When that doesn’t happen, they quit really. Like, they just stopped way too soon. But if, instead you say, you know what I really care about, there’s always dogs walking by my window.
I don’t know why, but I have like a busy street and there’s like people with their dogs, like all the time, I care about dog walking. So we use that as an example. Right. And how to get help your dog be more appropriate when you’re walking them. So they don’t go off to every squirrel and bark at every other dog.
Right. Like if you’re passionate about that and you have like a real, why behind that matter to you about how, like you used to be embarrassed about taking your dog out for a walk. Cause it was so misbehaved, right? Like if you had that, why behind it? And that’s why you decided to do this, you might do really well in that niche, but you’ve got to sit down and decide, okay, why am I going to do this?
I want to help educate other people, but they don’t have to be embarrassed about their dog. Right. And I, I don’t have a dog. So this is probably a terrible example. But you get the idea. I’m saying you pick that little focus and say, this is who I’m going to speak to. [00:35:00] I’m doing it because I care because I want to help someone else not struggle.
The way that I did when you start with that, it makes it a lot easier for you to keep on going when things get. Cause defendant, you talking about like doing the editing and stuff like that. And yeah, we found some, like, you have found a really simple way to do this and your show sounds really good. So anyone could duplicate that, right?
Like you could teach someone to do that. And like I said, probably 30 minutes, someone would be set up to win in podcasting, but in the day you still have to sit and do the work at some point when those times get tough and you have that strong, why you can say, you know what, I’m doing this for my neighbor.
They really need to hear this episode. I’ve got to get this out. But if you’re saying I’m not getting any richer, I’m not getting more famous. Why am I even wasting my time? You’re going to stop too soon. And now the flip side is something that you mentioned as well, which is some people they, they just are trying it out there.
Their friend does it. And they’re like, oh, I’m gonna try doing. There is no harm in that. If you do three episodes inside, it’s your least favorite thing on the planet. At least you can say you tried it so you don’t need to go through all this, unless you feel that there’s a real reason for it. If you’re just exploring a passion or a potential passion or hobby, go for it.
There’s no reason to stay in it. If it’s just not right for you, don’t feel like you have to. There’s [00:36:00] plenty of other mediums. But if you are getting into this for a specific reason and you know that there is some power behind it, start with that. Why really determine it. Sit down. I even talk about writing it out, write it out.
Think about who is me listening, and then start going for it from there.
De’Vannon: Child. See, that’s why I had to have you on my show. You have a clear mind, you have, you’re just teaming and overflowing with posse own. Then all the things that makes people want to get up and do shit. You’re like a natural born leader.
Like, like, like Barack Obama, you know, the main reason why white people, not all white people, but like a lot of them, a lot of Republicans really hate him is because he has that essence, that flare, that thing, you can’t go to school for. Nothing wrong with going to leadership schools and all of that. You know, people got their different ways of some people are just born with that thing that makes people want to get behind them and their delivery when [00:37:00] they’re talking.
And speaking is as though they’ve done it ever since eternity was spawn into motion that you have that same spirit about
Alex: you. Thank you. That totally just made my day. I could go ahead and we can hang up now and I’m good to go, actually, you know, I always say this, I, when, when Obama was leaving office after a second term, I always so president Obama was like on his way out.
I always say no matter who’s president for the rest of my life, they’re never going to be that polished. Like, there’s just no way, like, we’re all gonna have to get used to a lower standard of like just the ability to speak. Cause everyone else talks. And I’m like, what are they trying to say? Like spit it out, man.
You know? Like, but so yeah, I mean, president Obama set a standard from that regard. I, I appreciate you even putting me in that category. Like I said, just made my day. Thank you for that.
De’Vannon: You know, only speaks the truth.
Alex: I know it, you know, actually that’s one thing that I just, I have to say this, I actually reminded myself, I put it down on a piece of paper cause earlier.
So for me being a Christian, like I don’t mean over spiritualize things, but I was going to, I prayed about this interview today, knowing it was coming up, prayed for you as well. And I felt like God reminded me of like [00:38:00] your, your genius, if you will, you’ve got a sense of boldness and realness that is just so rare in the world.
And I believe that that’s why you’re going to succeed so much in the world. Like you’re already succeeding, but I just believe that it’s just gonna continue to multiply and God’s going to bless the fact that you’re again bold and you’re real. Those just aren’t things anymore. Like in today’s world, unfortunately not like it used to be at least.
And you have that rare gift and I just really respect that from you. And, and so I just wanted to say thank you for that. I had to say some time during this interview.
De’Vannon: Thank you. I appreciate your kind words. I want you to remind me though, cause I seem to remember my research. If you like in the beginnings of pod match, Like maybe you were doing yard work or something like that.
And you had like an epiphany or like something, some sort of knowledge came to you in a, in a it’s like you went back inside and you started writing.
Alex: Oh yeah, I definitely wasn’t doing yard work. I live in a condo because I hate yard work so much. So you
De’Vannon: were doing something else that you stopped
Alex: it?
[00:39:00] Yeah, I was actually working out, so it was right at the beginning of COVID and I was doing like a kettlebell workout. Cause I only had a few things at home at that point. Like I had to buy equipment, but I had like a kettlebell. So I was like swinging a kettlebell, like thinking about this idea and literally, I can’t even explain it the van and like, it just like, it hit me at one.
I’ve got not the weight, but I mean like the the idea hit me. I put down the weight, I ran inside to some whiteboards and I have three whiteboards behind, like where I’m at right now behind like this screen here. And I just mapped the whole thing out. Like it just hit me in an, in a moment. Can’t really.
It just came out of nowhere. Like again, when I’m working out, I’m not usually thinking of business, but it just, it really hit me in that moment. And you talking about pod match? Oh, so sorry. Yeah. Pod match specifically. Cause I came back from a conference I spoke at right before the world shut down like a week before the world shut down, which a 2000 person conference.
It was the first week of March, 2020. And that’s where people continuously were telling me I’m having trouble finding guests for my show. And it was interesting that same conference there’s people there that were like, Hey, I just released this book. Do you know any podcasts about this? I [00:40:00] could talk to you.
And I was actually saying, oh, I just talked to that person, come over here. Let me introduce you real quick. So it’s making those connections there and I’m not always the smartest guy in the world. I came home, not knowing what to do with that idea. And then when I was working, I was when that, when that came forth.
So yeah, the idea for pod match came from during that workout is when it just really was like, this is what I’ve got to do. And it came to like a moment, you
De’Vannon: know, that that was a moment of divinity. And this is the sort of thing that comes to people who call upon the Lord who call up on Who call upon the, you know, power is greater than a power greater than themselves, because there’s been several times in my life in the Hebrew Bible and always referred to the Bible as the Hebrew Bible, because I always like to pay tribute and homage to the middle east from where the Bible really
Alex: comes from.
And I, but my mom is Hebrew. So I appreciate that. Do you speak
De’Vannon: the language?
Alex: No, I take fully after my dad. Who’s Italian. Sorry. [00:41:00]
De’Vannon: He ruined Italian. Ain’t a bad mix.
Alex: Oh, no, not at all. I’m
De’Vannon: happy. Pretty good. You know, the Hebrew Bible speaks to us about a still small voice. There was a prophet in, something was going on and it was like, you know, there was a fire and a wind, but God wasn’t in the fire and the wind, but then they know here it comes a still a still small voice when I Gosh, I have so many examples.
Let me see. What’s a good one. And epiphany like that came when I was trying to get the name for my massage business, I was at a wine party and I didn’t know what to name it. A friend looked up like in a moment, it’s like, it just hit her from nowhere. And she was like, you need to find something has to do with your third eye.
And then that’s how I found the Swahili word for vision, which means my own. Oh. And my massage business was my own a massage and wellness. When I was coming off of being homeless and I was a janitor, I had walked off of the [00:42:00] gym to job as they pissed me off. And I was trying to figure out what to do. I was setting steals.
And when it came to me to look up food delivery jobs, and I had like three felonies, I still have those felonies on my record and I couldn’t get a job anywhere. And I thought about that and I ended up being able to get hired that way. It’s it’s, didn’t like these quiet moments in a workout is a quiet time and meditation as a form of active meditation to me.
Yes. You know, I feel like the Lord can speak to us because our minds are not as busy as they usually are. And so the Lord can slip an idea into our conscious, you know, and then we can immediately go and do something about it. So I was very intrigued when I read that, wherever it is that I’ve, that I saw that ad.
And I was like, Hmm, it looks like the spirit spoke to Alex in this moment. And then re energized his soul to neatly go and do it because when God puts something in you, he also gives you the [00:43:00]energy to go about the business of getting it done. And then when other people are looking at you thinking, well, how is he doing that?
And how is he keeping it all together? It looks exhausting because it’s not their calling, you know what, you’re yours. And so this work that you’re doing is not just a natural work, but it’s a spiritual. And you see not all forms of ministry have to do with preaching from a pulpit or be, or have to do with a church.
When I was going to go be a recruiter in the air force, my spiritual leader, evangelists, Nelson who was a prophetess and her own, you know, in a, in a highly clever woman, you know, a true prophet is I don’t, it’s very hard to find people like that anymore, you know, and she was like, you know, that’s ministry that you’re going to go do.
And I was like, recruiting, you know, what does that have to do with ministry and everything like that. But anything that you’re doing to enhance somebody’s livelihood is true religion. That is mission work that is outreach, and it can come in any kind of form. I don’t give a shit if it’s a Tik TOK channel, you know, so you don’t have to go to church to do the lowers the work.[00:44:00]
And so I just want it to really drive home the divinity that surrounds the brands that you’ve created and how divine the nature is of what you’re doing at its core.
Alex: Yeah, thank you for that. You know, you talking about this, like that still small voice. That’s always been so true for me. And whenever someone in my life who I know who happens to also be a believer in Jesus when like, oh, I keep on asking God about this.
He’s just not answering. I always say, have you taken any time to listen? And the answer is always, no, not really. I’m like, well, if it’s a still small voice and you’re just, God help God, God, God, God, God. Like, you’re not really given any time to hear anything. And in my life, that was not, that was not a normal moment for me to have like, yes, like you’re saying like for me, I wasn’t like listening to loud music.
I usually don’t listen to music while I work out. So it was quiet. So it is like somewhat therapeutic, but I didn’t expect God to speak to me in that moment. I think he just needed my attention and you’re right. And since then, I’ve learned to make intentional time just to sit down and be [00:45:00] quiet. Some people call it meditation.
It’s just like, you’re, you’re not letting your mind actively just run, just sitting down and like being present in that moment, being still. And any other idea of had is coming those moments. And people who maybe aren’t spiritual at all right. Aren’t into that stuff. This might sound totally crazy, but I can not really take full credit for any of my ideas now execution.
I can, because at the end of the day, an idea, no matter where it comes from, it doesn’t really matter if you’ll don’t do anything with it. So I’ve always been able to, to perform and execute at a high level, but I really give God the credit for the ideas that I’ve had. And that, that is my ministry. Like church, the churches here, where, where I live, they all shut down.
When COVID happened, there was a year and a half where that wasn’t even an option anymore. And so this just became my ministry. I was used to serving at church, like I was used to greeting at the door and picking up the trash. Like, those are the things I love to help do or parked cars, whatever it is. But then it just became, you know what, this is my ministry.
This is what I have. And I felt like God spoke it to me. And I just have done my best to steward it really well. And I’m glad that you brought it [00:46:00] up that way. I’ve never gotten to share it quite like that before.
De’Vannon: Hallelujah, tabernacle and praise it’s it’s. It’s a good thing to always take the time to invite God into whatever it is that you’re doing and to get quiet and listen.
And just because you don’t feel like you hear anything. And when we were talking about God speaking, y’all, we’re not necessarily talking about an audible voice, although it’s not like he can’t do that as like you just kind of know, and you also understand that it’s it comes with a zest of energy and inspiration.
That is a part from how you usually are. And so when we say God is speaking or something like that, that’s really generally what we mean. And so, so you create a pod match to bridge people, hosts and guests. How many people are on pod match now
Alex: there at time of recording this there’s about 27,000 people using it,
De’Vannon: 27,000 [00:47:00] people.
So. And then we said that the average to speak to us about the averages of about how many episodes, someone records before they quit the average in the
Alex: industry. Yeah. So people who quit, unfortunately, it’s called pod fade. It’s like been used forever. You’ve heard pod fade. It’s seven episodes is like the magic number that people would just like, I’m done forget this.
Like that’s where that people just tend to stop. But I decided to look past that. So let’s imagine you get past the seven episodes, where do people stop the amount of people that make it to one year after passing the seven year mark? So I think it’s something like 90% or 95% of people stop at seven episodes.
So the 5% that keep on going 90% of them stop that before the end of one year. So, you know, granted one episode per week, let’s just say 50. Like only a very small fraction are making it to that. Like, I don’t know the exact number, cause I haven’t been able to drill down to the data that much. Cause it’s hard to really get access to, but it’s, it’s almost, nobody makes it to 50 episodes.
Like that [00:48:00] is an extremely rare thing. And it’s a huge achievement because it basically means if, Hey, if you’re doing one episode a year or a day or a week after one year, you’ve got about 50, 52 episodes. Right. And so yeah, that’s where people are really stopping it. It goes back to them and we said they don’t have a strong wide and maybe they just want to test it and that’s fine.
Or they spent all their money trying to get those first few episodes produce and other out of, out of money. Cause they thought they had to go spend it all. Those are some of the most, those are the main reasons that was really hard. That’s why people stop it at that really low number.
De’Vannon: So. I want to dig deeper into pod match.
So pod match, it’s very, it’s a very organized website. Another issue that I had when I had my team of assistant or whatever, my production team, fucking
fucking everything up and call it, creating stress on my life where they didn’t need to be. So they booked this person. Now they got a. If I want to ask this person something, I have to let the assistant know, then they’ve got [00:49:00] an email them. Then I’ve got to wait for them to email me back. I got to request pictures to use for promotions that they had to request their bio.
Then I got to talk about whether or not they’re going to send me their book. You know, anything they might want to talk about it. It could take like weeks pod match with what Alex has done is combined everything into an electronic media kit on your profile page. So we’re like on a dating app. If you’re going to say that you’re a five foot, two green eyes, brunette hair, 10 inch Dick, triple Z, boobs, whatever the fuck you want to say, you know, you like long walks and kayaking.
Doing the bioluminescence and shit and all of that, you know, we’re going to have on there, your biography about you, you’re already approved photos. Your call to action, your links, your social media, everything is all on one side. And page 10, if you’re a guest and 10 questions, you’re ready to answer. So that way, when you evaluating somebody, these 50 questions that you [00:50:00] were going to ask them is already there before you, this is saving you time, energy, and effort.
It’s the problem is one of the greatest things that I appreciate about it. Cause I’m like this entire media kit is right here. It’s already done. And there are other websites out there that are trying to do with pod matches doing, but they’re failing miserably. Because I’ve been on some of those y’all were acquired.
Who were those people, pod being, and that you acquired, then you gobbled them up and hopefully get the gobble more. Because as I meet people, say like, sometimes when I’m on, I have a standing profile on matchmaker.fm. I don’t actively use it. I just leave it there. And if somebody messages to me then grapes, and then I tell them about pod match and they never heard of it.
Then they go sign up on pod.
Alex: I love you.
De’Vannon: I’m all like, you need to do better than matchmaker because matchmaking there’s other websites out there now. And I haven’t seen any of the others, but I’m like, I haven’t found one [00:51:00] that is easy to use as pot match. They have everything there. Then, then Alex has like systems there to encourage.
You to do things. There’s like a rating system systems. We’ve been making it like the top 10. And then there’s your affiliate program where bitches can get paid too. So tell us about these intricacies.
Alex: Yeah, I mean, go back to the media kit. That was like really early on that we decided to do that because of the same problem.
That’s one of your listeners. So everyone listening to sex, drugs and Jesus, right now, you don’t care how long it took Devon. And to get me booked or how long it took them, like how long it took to find a picture of like all these things, right? You don’t, that doesn’t matter. Like the back and forth of that, what matters is the content getting out there?
And so in my mind, I was like, Hey, we need to get all this on pod match so people can just make it really simple. So it’s like, okay, yeah. I want this guy as a guest, or I want this lady as a guest. Like I want this person to be on my. Cool. Here’s their images. Here’s their bio. Here’s some questions ready to answer.
In [00:52:00] case we get stuck. All these things, like the idea was just to have a one-stop shop to make the whole process seamless. You can book straight through the platform. So if you want to basically schedule the interview, you can use our built-in messaging platform. You don’t ever have to exchange an email unless you want to.
And I, some people would like to, and that’s great. That’s fine. I actually prefer people to actually make a, build a relationship as well. But if you don’t want to, you don’t have to do any of that. And yet, so we built this thing in just basically say, this is a one-stop shop for finding your guests or being a guest.
That’s the idea and everything you need is right here in the platform. And then for me personally, going back to just like the purpose side of things, I love this industry and I want to help creators be able to make some extra money. Cause I get it. Like even if you’re spending 50 bucks on. That’s that’s a lot of money to some people that’s like eating for a day for some people like they, they might not have that.
So if they’re saying I’m going to start this, I want to way they can make that back. So we really did the affiliate program. We have some we’re calling pod value initiative, which basically means if you’re completing interviews, using our platform, we’re going to give you a piece of it. [00:53:00] Like we actually split our revenue in half.
So 50% of our revenue we’re giving back to creators that are using the platform. And it just kind of, there’s a whole mathematical equation. I’m not going to get into, but basically the point is we just want to say, Hey, you know what creator? So the podcast host side of things here is a little cut of what we’re making.
Just our way of saying thanks and stay in the industry, keep it up. Because end of the day, that 10% of people that make it past their first year, I would love to help make that 11% of people making it. Like that would be a dream for me to just help increase it by 1%. Now that might be a really ambitious goal or not ambitious enough, but right now that’s my.
And I know if we could put a little bit money in people’s pockets, make the whole process more seamless than maybe, maybe just, maybe we’d be able to do that. And that’s really, my big focus is to help those creators because ultimately when they share an episode, that’s what serves the world. This episode going out is what helps people, not all the administration that went behind it
De’Vannon: and keeping in this same spirit, the pie, the pie upon pros community is a big deal.
And so, and this is one thing [00:54:00] that, that I, that I really appreciate and got so much out of, especially at the beginning. So as a podcast, And especially during these times that we’re like still kind of reeling with this pandemic, the feeling of isolation can be quite poignant and you can feel alone, especially if you live in a very rural area, you just don’t really fuck with a lot of people that you may have something you want to say through a podcast and you can feel very isolated.
So Alex has the pot tests, like, like this whole community, which is which is like a branch of pot match. So you can go on there. Alex has all these like classes and lessons. There’s the zoom meetings that we do, where you can get more information. And you can post questions to the whole pod pod match community and ask them about things that you’re going through, that you have questions about.
And people will respond. There is no charge to be a part of the podcast, this community. And and then Alex is active on there himself. He responds to everything I post. [00:55:00]
Alex: Well, you’re one of my favorites, so maybe not everybody else, but at least Davanon’s getting response from me. So
De’Vannon: I’ll take that. Is there anything you’d like to say about the community?
Alex: Yeah. You know, all of my success has been built on community. Anything I’ve ever done to be successful has been built with a tribe, not me alone. I think of Helen Keller, she had a quote that says alone, we can do so little, but together we can do so much. And I’ve just built everything I’ve ever done that way somehow some way having a community element of it.
And that’s why when I talk about. Pod pros, pod match podcasts. Any of the things that I do, right? I never talk about customers, clients, anything like that. I talk about members because I believe we’re all in a community together. And everyone deserves to be maybe a bit more than just a consumer, right? Or like one of my clients, no, we’re all members run this together.
And honestly, without each and every one of us, this thing wouldn’t work, I’ve not done paid ads or anything like that. It’s good. People like Devon and say, you know what, this is a great program. You should use this too. And that’s because we’re a member of the same community or families. I like to even call it.
[00:56:00] And that’s, what’s really helped. So for me, it’s always gonna be full of free resources, free stuff, and just, Hey, let’s talk about what we’re struggling with together, because like you said, Yeah, not just in podcasting in general, like if you’re a YouTube channel person, like a blogger, anything like being a creator is a fairly lonely space, especially in today’s world that we’re in now like a post ish pandemic world, right?
It’s, it’s, it’s lonely. Like we’re, we’re all virtual and you don’t get a lot of immediate feedback. So having that community, your tribe, I find helps us all to go a lot further, a lot faster.
De’Vannon: Right. There’s too much danger and feeling alone. You know, when we talk about that, then my mind goes like in my, in my LGBTQ plus community, how, and then also being a military veteran, how we get alone in our mind that it results in so much suicide and so much other hurting and stuff like that.
Just the deception of isolation leads to so much pain and loss. And there’s no reason to not fulfill your dream of reaching [00:57:00] the world through media, just because you don’t feel like you have someone to lean on. Alex has solved that problem. So before we run out of time here, just give us a quick rundown.
On what podcast SOP is your podcasts lottery in the pod style?
Alex: Sure. Yeah. Pod style is like, literally just, I just call it gear for podcasters. It’s like shirts and stuff like that. People started asking for like pod mat shirts specifically when we launched them. Like, let’s just do like a, a drop ship thing on, on Shopify.
I always get Spotify and Shopify mixed up on Shopify, the one with the clothes. Right. So we basically built something in. I have added a handful of different shirts and stuff like that, stuff that podcasters are into. So we’ve not, we’ve purposely not made it like a profit thing. Like we tried to just keep our costs, like, or our profits really low, just so we can kind of get some stuff out there because anything makes you feel part of a community, right?
Like the shirt I’m wearing right now is one of them that we have on there. And I like it. Like, I like to also support my brand and show that, Hey, I’m a podcast or I’m a proud podcast here. If I go out, people see [00:58:00] this, they’re like, Hey, what’s that? I’m like, I’m a podcaster. You know? Like I like to share that.
And then, so that’s just like a fun thing, but a podcast SOP is something we built because people were struggling with the production side of podcasts. The whole thing is like, find a guest, pick a topic, or pick a topic, find a guest, edit, you know, record, or I’m saying to the wrong order. This is why I have one of these things.
Basically we built like a glorified checklist, if you will, for a podcast host to use and they get to customize it every time they have a new episode hit, add new episode, it’ll populate their list of things they need to do. They can assign team members on there. If they want to, they can upload stuff.
They can add comments, add due dates, all these things. The idea is, Hey, can we take the stress out of it? Because one thing we found is that many podcasters, they keep it all in their head. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned to be true, it’s that your head is for having ideas, not for stories. And when you’re getting in the moment of like getting ready to recorders and you’re like, oh, what am I supposed to say, Moses to do or afterwards, okay.
I need to edit what else I need to do. Like those things cause stress. So ideas, can we alleviate some of the stress? So once again, people can stay in podcasting, but not having to keep it on their [00:59:00]mind all the time. And that’s what podcast SOP was built for. The SOP stands for standard operating procedures as you a military person definitely understand very well, probably too well.
And the last thing mentioned is podcasts lottery, which we actually did an alpha test of. And now that is currently inactive, cause we’re getting it to beta. So we basically like got feedback from at 150, some odd people. And now we’re moving into like, we want to actually build an app for this. And the idea is, can we help podcast hosts get more reviews that are integrity based.
So if someone listens to an episode, then leaves a review and that’s the idea behind it. Because again, podcasting being a lonely space, singing an apple. Is a really nice feeling. Like anytime I get a review on apple, I’m like, this is sweet. Like I love this, right. Someone listen to my podcasts and left me a review.
So we just wanna make a way for that to happen. And hopefully in the next few months that we’ll be out, I’ve not had the chance to talk about it anywhere. So thank you for asking me about that. But I’m, I’m really excited about that. Cause I think it’ll really just help once again, help people that are these creators feel better about what they’re doing and feel like they’re making a real impact.[01:00:00]
De’Vannon: Indeed. And so. I just want to throw out there too. So we talked pretty much about this from the hosting side, people out there with your books, with your music, with different ideas you want to share, and maybe you don’t have the personality or the style that tends towards the interrogating people for a significant length of time where you can go on people’s shows and things like that in order to promote what you are doing, which is something that pod and matches also good for, they call it a podcast tour.
So, you know, like when you write your book, you can go on all these shows and things like that. And you know, it’s a good way to get some, get your name out there without having to pay a whole lot. I actually don’t have to build anything at all, you know, view.
Alex: Yeah, you don’t, you know, there’s, there’s two benefits to it.
One people are talking about your book, right. Or course, or a company, whatever it is that you’re launching, but to the backlinks from an SEO perspective, because think about. If you mention me in your show notes, those notes are getting mentioned from Spotify, from apple, from [01:01:00] Google, from YouTube, from like all these big top 50 websites.
Like the biggest websites on the planet are linking to you. I think in the day, that’s not going to hurt your reputation online. That’s actually going to help really elevate the fact that, oh, Google and Bing and all these other websites, they think Alex Sanfilippo is somebody because he’s been on podcasts because they’re all linking to them.
So there’s a few different benefits to it. And it’s a long game, but I always tell people, Hey, if you’ve got something coming out, that’s newsworthy, get on a tour, like be the guests, get on the tour, share what you’ve learned and share just transparently. And people really respond well to that.
De’Vannon: Okay. Any last words you have for the world?
You can say whatever you
Alex: want. Yeah. I wasn’t worried about what I can and can’t say here, he know that the last thing I’ll say is this, that what we do for ourselves dies with us, but what we do for others echoes into eternity. And I believe that if you’re any form of creator on either side of the mic or whether you’re never going to do anything with podcasting, whatever you’re doing to get out there and serve other people is ultimately what gets [01:02:00] remembered, not necessarily what you did for yourself and what you made for yourself.
So I encourage everybody listen and get out there and whatever it is that you’re doing, find a way to leverage it, to serve others. And I just find that you’ll live a more happy, fulfilled life and ultimately leave a legacy that others will be inspired to follow. And Dana, I just really am so appreciative of you sharing your platform with me.
Like I know that your 50th episodes huge, like I cannot wait to share this, talk about it. Like this was an honor to be here today and we covered some topics. I’ve just like, not gotten to talk about all this before. So I’m just so appreciative of you and just the platform that you’ve shared with me today,
De’Vannon: may God bless you.
May many blessings be upon you. May you see successes that extend far beyond all you’ve ever reached. Now his website is pod pros, not calm. All this information will be in the show notes as always. Thank you. My lovely listeners, may God’s blessings be upon you too. And may you see successes that you’ve never set your sights on before in Jesus name?
Peace out.[01:03:00]
Thank you all so much for taking time to listen to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast. It really means everything to me. Look, if you love the show, you can find more information and resources at sex, drugs, and jesus.com or wherever you listen to your podcast. Feel free to reach out to me directly at DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJeus.com and on Twitter and Facebook as well.
My name is De’Vannon and it’s been wonderful being your host today and just remember that everything is going to be all right.
