How Athletico Mince makes podcasting their playground

In Issue #022 of the Pod Bible magazine, Andy Dawson, co-host of Athletico Mince, spoke to Apple Podcasts about subscription flexibility, and the freedom and fun of podcasting. This is ‘The Creator’, in association with Apple Podcasts.

Apple Podcasts and Pod Bible partnered up for a series of interviews with creators to share how they use Apple Podcast Subscriptions to connect with their fans. Andy Dawson and Bob Mortimer make up the comedy podcast Athletico Mince. We spoke with Andy to find out how they went from talking football to covering everything from blue drink to nonsense pottery — all while earning more for themselves with subscriptions. You can listen to Athletico Mince on Apple Podcasts.

Apple: Tell us a bit about your show and how you came to podcasting.

We fancied doing a football podcast in 2016 because we’re both from the same part of the world and are both ardent fans of the game. Sadly, we quickly realised our footballing opinions were a total waste of breath. The pod morphed into the two of us talking rubbish and doing silly characters, some of which have a vague link to football.

What made you decide to launch a subscription on Apple Podcasts?

We set up a Patreon about three years ago after asking our listeners if there was any demand for an ad-free version of Mince, with early access and bonus stuff chucked in — and thankfully, there was! It made sense to add Club Parsnips (as it’s called) to Apple Podcasts recently because it’s an easy signup for anyone who wants to subscribe.

How has your business model changed as a result of Apple Podcasts Subscriptions?

Subscriptions keep the podcast going. Everyone wants to be paid for their work, and having subscribers means we know there’s a guarantee of some payment each month.

What has surprised you about Apple Podcasts Subscriptions?

The nicest surprise has been on a couple of occasions when we’ve wanted to put an episode out for free at the same time for subscribers and free listeners — we asked the subscribers if they were okay with that, and they overwhelmingly were. They’re a truly lovely bunch!

Where do you see Athletico Mince in a year’s time?

We’ve got no idea where we’ll be in a year, to be honest. We’ll keep bumbling along for as long as it’s fun, and we feel the quality is as high as we want it to be.

Tell us about an episode you’ve worked on that you are most proud of and why?

I always think the turning point was episode 15, My Jambon Hell, where I visited Bob in his French hotel room — the room was full of ham, and he didn’t have a clue what to do with it. That was when the podcast hit a glorious new level, and we never looked back after that. Viva tomatoes!

What kind of advice would you give someone trying to break into the industry?

Try to make the most of the freedom that podcasting allows you. There are no commissioners to please, and you can literally do anything you like, so try to play with that as much as you can. If anyone listens to it, that’s a lovely bonus!

Apple Podcast Subscriptions is the global marketplace for premium podcast subscriptions. Join the Apple Podcasts Subscriptions community alongside Athletico Mince. Learn more at apple.co/podbible.