Leaving A 6-Figures Career In Biotech To Start A Mental Health Podcast Network
Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?
I’m Gill (pronounced Jill) and I’m the founder of Sober Powered Media. I started my business in June 2022 after growing my podcast, Sober Powered, from no audience at all to a top 100 mental health podcast in 2 years. I started SPM to bring together some of the top mental health podcasts to help us monetize our shows with sponsorships, grow our shows, and work together as a team to share our expertise in a mastermind group.
The main part of my business is my podcast network, which at the moment includes 5 top mental health podcasts. As network owner, my responsibilities include negotiating sponsorships, running ad campaigns, organizing cross-promotion, helping my podcasters with marketing and PR, and organizing our mastermind group.
My other streams of income are from podcast and Instagram coaching, writing, and a membership I have for my listeners. I work with mental health podcasters in my network, podcasters in any category for my podcast coaching, and the members of my community are people who are sober or trying to get sober.
The most rewarding part of my work is the feedback that I get from my listeners. I feel so honored that my podcast can be a part of their sobriety journey.
Collaboration over competition is key. The people in your niche are not your competitors. Having strong connections has provided many opportunities. My network wouldn’t exist without my collaborative mindset.
What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?
Before SPM, I was a biochemist working in a lab. It had never felt like a good fit, but it paid well, I had excellent lab skills, and all my degrees are in science so it made sense. I got sober in 2019 and used my scientific background to begin learning about addiction and why this happened to me. Learning about science had been helping me so much that one day on June 25, 2020, I woke up and thought, “everyone needs to know this” and I launched my podcast that same day. I had no idea what I was doing. I even zoom-called myself to record my first 19 episodes because I didn’t know how to record audio.
Two years into my podcast I began feeling hopeful that I could transition this into a full-time career. I started to get speaking opportunities at podcasting conferences around the country, and that’s when everything changed. At the first conference I spoke at, Podcast Movement, I met someone who works for Megaphone and she encouraged me to start my podcast network. She told me that no one has tried to align podcasts in the sobriety space, and she would help me set it up. I thought, “no way, not me” and I completely ghosted her after the conference.
A couple of months later, I spoke at another conference and met someone in advertising. I told him about the crazy idea to start a network and he wanted to help too. When the universe sends you two strong connections like that, you can’t ignore it. I started working on my network as soon as I got home from the conference. I started it the same way I started my podcast, I just did it. I had faith that I would figure it out.
I left my career in biotech to start my network. It was a very tough decision because I made over 6 figures and received bonuses every 3 months. I took a significant pay cut to start working for myself and made very little income for the first 3-4 months while I set up my network infrastructure. Thankfully, my husband is a very successful scientist and has maxed out the scientist career ladder. I could get health insurance through his company and he supported the decision to start SPM even though he knew it would be a big pay cut. If I wasn’t married, then I would have just continued grinding 24/7 until I was at a better place financially where I could go off on my own.
I’m not sure if I will ever replace my previous income, and I definitely won’t be getting bonuses every 3 months. However, being a 6 figure entrepreneur is not my goal. Happiness and feeling fulfilled are more important to me.
Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.
When I started my network, it was important to me that it was focused on podcasters. Some networks take a portion of the podcaster’s IP, put their logo on the podcast cover art, or put their name as one of the hosts of the show. I knew I would never want to join a network that did that, so it was important to me that my podcasters retained full creative control over their show.
My goal is that my podcasters will feel so happy and proud to be a part of the network, that they will want to share about it without me inserting my business name everywhere.
My podcasters also have full control of how many ads run on their show, which advertisers they work with, and maintain the freedom to promote their services whenever they wish.
Startup costs:
- Forming an LLC in MA: $795
- 1-year commitment to hosting in Megaphone: expensive, changes every month based on downloads
- Domain and website hosting for SPM: $275
Describe the process of launching the business.
I publicly launched the network 10 weeks after creating it. During those 10 weeks, I set up my new website, had conversations with podcasters that I hoped would want to join, and set up all the podcasts inside Megaphone. The most challenging and time-consuming part of this process was placing midroll markers.
A midroll marker is like a commercial break. When I build campaigns for my podcasts I target preroll and midroll spots for each ad to run in. Midroll spots (in red in the picture above) need to be manually placed. I had to listen to each episode and find a natural transition point where an ad break would make sense.
All of my podcasts are well-established and have been around for years. This means they have a lot of episodes. I placed 856 midroll markers manually to prepare the podcasts for campaigns. You can probably imagine how time-consuming that must have been. Now, I’m a midroll pro and am prepared for any new shows that join the network because I will need to place midrolls for their entire back catalog of episodes too. Currently, I only have to place midrolls on new episodes, so that comes out to about 5 a week.
I’m pretty happy with the way my launch went. In my mind, launches aren’t super critical. It’s what you do afterward that matters more. Having some initial buzz about your business is great, but it’s not going to make or break your business. If I had to do anything differently, I probably would have asked my podcasters to help create some buzz for the launch too.
It’s important to have loads of free content to get your name out there, learn what people want from you, and build trust. Over time, your audience will grow and you can back off on the free content and begin introducing paid content.
Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?
Launching my podcast network created a lot of interest in my podcast coaching. I had a huge influx of clients right around the launch. My network legitimized my podcasting expertise, but the main reason I believe I have been successful is that I genuinely care about my friends and my clients. I think other people can feel that. They can pick up on the fact that I’m not out to use them or make a bunch of money.
Here are the most successful ways I have marketed my podcast and business:
Instagram: carousel posts
I create carousels based on my most recent episodes. I call it the Sneak Attack. The most important aspect of the sneak attack method is not to let anyone know it’s a podcast episode until they are already invested in the post. I recently stopped creating carousels though because my content was constantly being stolen by other creators. People crop out the “Sober Powered” on the bottom and repost, take the content word for word and make their post with their branding, or cover up my second watermark with their own. The content stealing was becoming too much and it wasn’t worth it for me to continue with this strategy.
This has been the most successful way I have grown my Instagram following. As you can see from the insights below, my carousel posts attract thousands of new followers to my account.
If you are going to use my Sneak Attack Method, then make sure to add a lot of watermarks to your content. Once you figure out the right way to do it, these posts are very shareable and get stolen easily. Add multiple watermarks to protect your content.
Podcast Guesting:
Guesting helps me get exposure to new audiences that are already podcast listeners. Plus, it allows me to build a relationship with the host. Most of the shows in my network are friends that I met through podcasting. Building relationships is key.
Free Content:
The enormous amount of free content that I have for people builds trust. In the business world, whenever I am asked to speak at a conference or guest on a business podcast I make sure to explain the “how”. Most people explain what you need to do and why it’s important, and if you want to learn how to do it you need to pay them. I explain how to do it, and if you don’t have the time to iterate and implement this yourself, then you can take a major shortcut by working with me. My generosity is valued in the business space and I get more and more invitations to speak or guest because of it.
I try to speak at a few podcasting conferences a year, so if you go to conferences like PodFest or Podcast Movement, then look out for me there and say hello.
How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
My network is profitable and will continue to become more profitable as time goes on. I have not spent any money on paid advertising at this point and have no plans to do that anytime soon. My monthly operating costs are about $1,400-1,500 and include:
- Hosting all podcasts in the network: ~$650 (varies month to month)
- Intern who edits my podcast and videos: ~$600
- Membership community on Circle: $99
- Email list: $19
- Adobe Audition and Premiere Pro: $40
- Various apps, like Canva: $30
Here is a breakdown of how much each revenue stream contributes to my monthly income:
- Podcast Network: ~30%
- Monetizing my podcast: ~30%
- Membership for sober people: ~20%
- Podcast coaching, writing for WebMD, Buy Me a Coffee: ~20%
I have a few plans for the future. As I mentioned above I won’t be posting carousels anymore, and I’m changing up my content strategy to prioritize other channels for exposure. My current following is:
- Instagram: 44.5k
- Email list: 2.5k
- Website traffic: 3k unique visitors/month
- YouTube: 2k
Moving forward, I am switching Instagram to maintenance mode and focusing my efforts on growing my email list, increasing website traffic, improving SEO, and growing my YouTube channel.
One of my strengths is getting PR and I have some exciting features that will be coming out in early 2023. I have been featured as an expert in many big publications and have been invited on many podcasts as a guest. I am going to continue to heavily prioritize PR and guesting. It is time-consuming to get PR and most pitches won’t work out, but it’s worth the effort. I was featured in an article published in NPR in June 2021, and when it was released it doubled my monthly podcast listens. I retained most of these listeners too.
I’m launching a business podcast in early January 2023. The Grind: A Business Podcast is all about learning real strategies that work from people who had success before they started giving business advice. We will cover marketing, social media strategy, business negotiation, networking, and how to create a product or service that people want.
Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?
I’ve learned so many lessons the hard way. Besides reading what I’m sharing below, I strongly recommend building relationships with business owners in your space so you can ask them for feedback. Now that I have friends in the business world, I don’t make as many mistakes. Google can only get you so far (not far at all really). Here are 2 lessons I learned the hard way that you don’t have to.
Read your contracts thoroughly and then ask a trusted friend in business (or a lawyer) to look over them thoroughly.
Sometimes a contract will be intentionally vague. If you’re partnering with someone, then the contract should contain details of your commitment to them and their commitment to you. If the contract is vague, then request that details are added before you sign anything. Details could be things like percentages or minimums, and this is especially important if the contract has an exclusivity clause. Do your research and avoid phrases like, “in perpetuity”, “irrevocable rights”, or “royalty-free”.
Someone has a bad reputation for a good reason.
If someone has a bad reputation, then it’s best to avoid working with them, even if you have always had a good relationship with them. People have bad reputations in the business for a reason, and that reason may eventually come out in your partnership with them.
Although I have had to learn some things the hard way, I have made a lot of good decisions, including:
Focusing on my strengths.
I have a master’s in biology and have spent years learning about addiction science. I have built up a deep understanding of what is going on in the brain when someone struggles with alcohol, and this background along with my sobriety makes me a unique member of the sober community. I am frequently asked guest on shows because of my expertise and it also allows me to get media features.
Building connections.
Collaboration over competition is key. The people in your niche are not your competitors. If you view them that way, then you limit your growth. It doesn’t mean you have to teach them everything you know, but it does mean if you befriend them you can help each other grow. Having strong connections in the sober community and business space has provided many opportunities. My network wouldn’t exist without my collaborative mindset.
Aligning my business with my values.
It took me over 2 years to make an income from my work and that is because I stayed focused on my values. I wanted to monetize by providing low-ticket offers to a very large audience. Because my audience is struggling with drinking and desperate to make a change, I didn’t feel right creating high-ticket services or offers. This was my own decision, and I think there are many highly qualified, excellent coaches that help people with their drinking, but that is why it took me so long to make an income. However, aligning my business with my values builds trust with my audience, and it makes me feel fulfilled, happy, and at peace with the services, I do offer.
I do recognize though that I have some advantages that others don’t. The most obvious is my husband because without his support I never would have gone all in on my business.
What platform/tools do you use for your business?
Here are all the tools I use for my business:
Megaphone: podcast hosting for my network, and campaign building and management. Megaphone has excellent analytics and allows us access to the Spotify Audience Network (SPAN) to monetize our shows through programmatic ads as well as with sponsors.
Circle: for my membership community. Circle feels like a cooler version of Facebook, and it has no learning curve. My membership is a supportive community to help people stop drinking, and Circle allows me to have my meeting calendar, posts, chats, and live streams all in one place. They have courses too now, which I plan to try out.
Supercast: hosting my premium podcast for my membership.
Squarespace: website building. I initially started with a WordPress website, but nothing fills me with rage quite as WordPress does. It was so difficult for me to figure out, it took weeks of work but still looked ugly, and it ran slowly no matter what I did. When I moved to Squarespace I was able to build my website in 4 days. You can get a free 2-week trial and build your entire site before you pay.
Campsite: link in bio tool. I like Campsite because I can schedule links and it pulls my YouTube videos automatically without me having to add the links there. Plus, when you pay for 1 account you can have 3 different links in bios.
Flodesk: email list. I joined Flodesk when it was still in beta and I locked in 50% off forever. It’s very intuitive and there was nothing to learn or feel frustrated about. It’s easy to create nice emails and you can build different workflows. I have a 50% off code if you need it.
Capsho: AI-generated blogs, emails, and show notes for my podcast. This is a new investment, but one I am very happy with. I haven’t had any time to create blogs for my website, but with Capsho I can create blogs from my podcast episodes. This helps me with my goal of building website traffic and SEO.
Riverside: remote recording for podcast interviews. I was in Riverside back when they had issues with the magic editor and left, but I came back because of all the changes they made. Now you can edit clips to post on YouTube and Instagram reels. The reels that you can create are automatically in the correct orientation. It saves so much time!
Canva: content creation. I think everyone is on Canva!
Melio: B2B payments for the podcasters in my network. Melio doesn’t charge a fee for ACH transfer, so this is an easy way for me to pay my podcasters for their sponsorships.
Calendly: calendar management.
What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?
Pat Flynn. He is so generous with his expertise and has more free content than most. Plus, his free content is helpful, it isn’t just directing people to make a purchase. I recommend checking out his YouTube Channel, his podcast Smart Passive Income, and one of his books Superfans.
Other resources that have been helpful for me are:
Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?
Here are 3 mistakes I see others making that you should avoid:
Buying fake followers, likes, views, and comments.
It’s so obvious when people do this. I understand they want to create the illusion of being popular to encourage more people to follow and engage. However, if you don’t learn how to create content that is helpful for people, then fake followers aren’t going to help.
Trying to make a sale too quickly.
If you’re telling people to buy your product or sign up for a discovery call the second they reach out to you, then they won’t reach out to you again. You need to nurture your audience and let them trust that you know what you’re talking about first.
Pitch yourself as a guest and make it painfully clear that you only want the exposure.
A good pitch requires researching the podcast, knowing the host’s name, listening to some episodes, and expressing why you would be a good fit for that show.
My top 3 tips if you are just getting started:
Don’t rush.
Despite what some people say (usually people who are trying to sell you something), you can’t just create a course with no audience and make a ton of money. People need to believe you can help them before they invest in your paid offers. This is accomplished through free content and showing up consistently.
If you are just starting out, then I would say hold off on doing anything paid for a year. Sounds crazy, but focus on audience building, nurturing, and becoming known as an expert before you try to monetize. Your expertise is going to grow and develop so much during that first year. You can have things like Buy Me a Coffee to make some money while you do that. I see too many entrepreneurs show up, immediately launch a course, market it constantly, then burn out and quit when no one buys it.
Balance free and paid content over time.
In the beginning, it’s important to have loads of free content to get your name out there, learn what people want from you, and build trust. Over time, your audience will grow and you can back off on the free content and begin introducing paid content. There is no need to be making free content that is specific to each platform. Repurpose long-form content, like YouTube videos or podcast episodes, into short reels for Instagram. Use a tool like Capsho to create blogs and include that in your newsletter.
Just start.
Resist the urge to be perfect all the time. Make your website live when it’s still ugly and slow. Post reels on Instagram that are super boring and awkward. Put out your podcast when you have no idea how to edit. Just start. The way we learn best is by doing, not planning. Try something, analyze it, learn from it, and make some changes. Over time you will learn what type of content people like from you, but you’ll never learn if you don’t put anything out in the world!
Where can we go to learn more?
If you have any questions or comments, drop a comment below!
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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