We asked our columnist and Content is Queen Founder, Imriel Morgan, to tell us more.

Hi Imriel! Pod Bible readers will know you from your Overheard in the Studio series, but can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and Content is Queen?

Sure, I’m Imriel Morgan, a podcast marketing expert, and the Founder of Content is Queen, a podcast agency that supports ambitious podcasters reach their goals through production, studios and promotions. Our goal is to help creators of all backgrounds share their humanity and grow their value in the world using audio.

The micro-grant scheme seems like a great way of opening up access to resources for new podcasters. How did you realise it was needed?

I’ve worked with many podcasters over the years, and I’ve heard tons of pitches, and I’ve been involved and even facilitated programmes to support podcasters get their foot in the door. However, while all of that work has been great and well-received, nothing beats cold, hard, cash in your pocket, a training workshop, a webinar or programme will help you gain skills and knowledge, but cash is what makes the podcast materialise.

I wanted to give out micro-grants because I believe that lots of people have great ideas that they’re burning to make but just can’t afford to do it in the way they’d like. This is ultimately about trusting creatives to do creative work in a way that makes the most sense to them. The pitches so far are a reflection of that. I was lucky that last year, the Audible team had heard about my work (on building affordable studios) and asked if I needed any support and I knew micro-grants would be vital to fulfilling our mission.

Thinking back to when you first started your podcast, what would you have used this grant for if you had that opportunity?

That was so long ago, but I’m fairly consistent with what I spend money on. I’ll invest in professional artwork, studio time, and editing. If I had any money left, it would go on social media advertising. Six years into being a podcaster and I haven’t changed where my money goes.

Content is Queen is also offering up to 6 hours of production support to grantees. Are there any areas where you often see knowledge gaps or where the industry is failing to provide support for entry level?

It’s a great question. The additional support we’re offering is to be that trusted voice and mentor on this journey for podcasters. It’ll be a knowledge or skill support for others, or it might mean getting access to the studio for a day. We’re keen to flex and adapt based on what people need.

Everything you want to know about podcasting is available on Google and Youtube. So I don’t think a lack of information is the problem. I believe many podcasters know what kit they’d like to try or what software they’ll spend time on. It’s the business of podcasting that seems to confuse folx. Part of our broader support effort is building trust and authority for these audiences in an easy-to-understand language that’s relevant and relatable.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?

Yes! Apply if you’re new or an existing podcaster no idea is too small, silly, or weird. You’ve got to be in it to win it as they say. Apply now at contentisqueen.org/micro-grants applications close at 23:59 GMT 21st February 2021.

Imriel Morgan is Founder and CEO of Podcast Agency Content is Queen. Imriel is a Marketing Maven and cultural innovator in the podcasting industry. Her mission is to make podcasts inclusive, affordable and accessible. Read Imriel’s column, Overheard in the Studio and listen to Imriel’s podcast, Wanna Be, on Acast, Spotify and your favourite podcast app.

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Mainstream advertisers HATE wrestling. The King of Sports is a murky world full of death, drug abuse, sexual rivalry, dishonesty and men pretending to be undertakers. Ironically, a podcast about any one of those topics would immediately find sponsorship, but as soon as you introduce spandex to the mix, advertisers look the other way. That’s something you only discover when you’ve spent two years of your life doing a podcast about wrestling.

Wrestle Me! has always done decent numbers – we topped the iTunes Sports chart, GQ celebrated us, our live shows always sell out and our merchandise flies out the door. But Pete and I have never made any money from the podcast, largely because sophisticated advertisers place us in a similar category to podcasts about cock-fighting or dogging. They don’t want their precious products placed in our foul and disgusting wrestling-loving mouths.

After two years of producing weekly shows for a dedicated following and zero requests to voice anything for a bank, we decided the time was right to start a Patreon. Of course, the timing couldn’t have been any more wrong – it launched in the first week of an international pandemic, so people understandably had more on their minds than listening to us laughing at obscure wrestling from 30 years ago.

We made the decision to keep the regular weekly podcast free. We didn’t want to force people’s hands and wallets: if you didn’t sign up, you still got the usual show. I know, it’s basically like something Jesus would do if he had a podcast. But if you wanted another full-length show every week, then you could become one of our Pat Pattreonsons (it’s a pathetic pun on the long-retired grappler Pat Patterson, who happens to be one of the openly gay wrestlers in American history.)

Starting a Patreon is the ultimate test of whether people actually like your podcast enough to pay for it (let’s face it, Twitter praise is the equivalent of smiling sadly when you walk past a homeless man). Like stage-diving at a concert, Patreons end in one of two ways – either (a) people stretch their hands out, catch you and you ride a wave of communal enjoyment and love and joy, or (b) you jump, everyone quickly takes two steps back, and you land face-first on a hard floor, breaking your jaw in two, before the bouncers drag you out because you won’t stop screaming.

Happily, we didn’t break our jaws. On the first day, people signed up in their hundreds. By the second month, the number of Pat Patreonssons was even bigger than the month before and it grows day by day. While people enjoyed the extra shows, a lot of our listeners just wanted to show their support for a show they’d enjoyed since it started. And for us, it means the show’s future is now secure.

One of the reasons it’s succeeded is because Pete and I wanted our subscribers to feel they get more than we’d promised. We regularly chuck out surprise episodes, have a monthly newsletter (which is an actual magazine full of all-new stuff), and build proper relationships with our listeners. Everyone with a Patreon reels this line out, but we wanted to make it feel like a club. Our upcoming Patreon shows cover an event requested by the Patreonsons – the future of Wrestle Me! is being dictated by them as much as us.

The success of the Patreon means Wrestle Me! isn’t going to suddenly die any time soon. In that respect, we couldn’t be less like most of the wrestlers we love. Wrestle Me, Pod Bible!

This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com.

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