Why Your Weird Niche Is A Secret Weapon

Behind the Mic: Building a Purpose-Driven Podcast from Scratch

Download free Speke resources: https://www.spekepodcasting.com/freeresources [https://www.spekepodcasting.com/freeresources] Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-mic/id1777171203 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-mic/id1777171203] Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1PQNHuqxIVhkLfjGYuWcxl [https://open.spotify.com/show/1PQNHuqxIVhkLfjGYuWcxl] In this episode, Freddy Cruz interviews Dr. Beata Lerman, founder of Sinless Treats and host of Heal Me With Chocolate. Dr. Beata recounts her journey from repeated health consultations to podcasting as an educational platform. She highlights the surprising, underreported issues in the food supply chain, the storytelling power of podcasting to give voice to the voiceless, and the broader mission to heal communities with science, advocacy, and real-life stories—all while demystifying functional foods for everyday listeners.

Podcast Burnout: How to Keep Going When Growth Is Slow

Free resources: https://www.spekepodcasting.com/freeresources [https://www.spekepodcasting.com/freeresources] Work with us: https://www.spekepodcasting.com/ [https://www.spekepodcasting.com/] Never compare your first mile to somebody else’s 19th—especially in podcasting. In this episode of Your Mic, I share a story about my neighbor Marcel, a former 150‑pounds‑overweight runner turned marathon machine, and what his mile 19 struggle can teach you about sticking with your show when you’re still on episode one. You’ll learn why comparing your brand‑new podcast to giants like Joe Rogan, Steven Bartlett, or Mel Robbins is kryptonite for your confidence, and how to flip that energy into steady, sustainable growth instead. We dig into the mindset of playing the long game, plus the actual analytics that matter—Apple Podcasts engaged listeners, retention rates, and how to read drop‑off points so you know what to double down on and what to ditch. If you’re riding the struggle bus on episode 1, 9, or 19 and wondering if it’s worth it, this one’s for you. Lace up, hit play, and let’s make sure you’re still in the race at episode 20, 200, or 20,000. 🔎 Inside this episode: - The “first mile vs. 19th mile” mindset for podcasters - Why copying big‑name shows kills your momentum - How to use Apple Podcasts analytics (engaged listeners, retention, and more) - What to repeat, what to retire, and how to stay in the game.

The Bad Podcast Ideas That Refuse to Die

Work with us: https://www.spekepodcasting.com/ [https://www.spekepodcasting.com/] Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-mic/id1777171203 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-mic/id1777171203] Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1PQNHuqxIVhkLfjGYuWcxl [https://open.spotify.com/show/1PQNHuqxIVhkLfjGYuWcxl] Subcribe to Podcast the Newsletter: https://podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/ [https://podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/] Subscribe to Earbuds Collective: https://arielle-nissenblatt-4cfp.squarespace.com/ [https://arielle-nissenblatt-4cfp.squarespace.com/] Arielle Nissenblatt and Lauren Passell sit down with Freddy for a no BS round of hot takes about the podcast industry. From fake innovation to recycled failures and hype over listeners, they dig into what actually builds shows that last. If you make or market podcasts, this conversation might hurt and help.

Put Your Money Where Your Mic Is

Cristiano Ronaldo bets on curiosity and Perplexity AI. Your favorite podcasts already own your time. This episode dares you to stop lurking in the audience and build your industry’s next favorite show in 2026.Key takeaways • Curiosity is capital. When someone worth over a billion bucks backs a tool they actually use, it is a signal to stop treating your own curiosity like a hobby. • Every week you are clocking serious hours with your favorite hosts. Over years, that adds up to days of your life invested in someone else’s show. • That relentless listening habit is not random entertainment. It is proof you care enough about the medium to step behind the mic yourself. • The world does not need another polished cardboard expert. It needs your warts, your bad decisions, your “I almost quit” stories laid bare. • 2026 is a clean slate. You can keep donating your time to everyone else’s feed or you can invest time, budget and courage into your own industry-defining podcast. Subscribe to Your Mic on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@SpekePodcasting [https://www.youtube.com/@SpekePodcasting]) , Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-mic/id1777171203 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-mic/id1777171203]) , Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1PQNHuqxIVhkLfjGYuWcxl [https://open.spotify.com/show/1PQNHuqxIVhkLfjGYuWcxl]) or wherever you get your podcasts (https://omny.fm/shows/spekepodcasting/playlists/your-mic [https://omny.fm/shows/spekepodcasting/playlists/your-mic]) . Grab your free Speke Podcasting Roadmap here (https://www.spekepodcasting.com/freeresources [https://www.spekepodcasting.com/freeresources]) . Shoot Freddy an email: freddy@spekepodcasting.com (mailto:freddy@spekepodcasting.com) .

The Power of Niche Podcasting (National Funeral History Museum Case Study)

Free resources: https://www.spekepodcasting.com/freeresources [https://www.spekepodcasting.com/freeresources] Work with us: https://www.spekepodcasting.com/pricing-plans [https://www.spekepodcasting.com/pricing-plans] Listen to NMFH’s podcast The Final Curtain Never Closes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHfgXCJQCyIEiJCuTQl-HyZBR-V3hdxEz&si=DmG9s-QrnItfJ_RL [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHfgXCJQCyIEiJCuTQl-HyZBR-V3hdxEz&si=DmG9s-QrnItfJ_RL] This episode goes deep into the power of niche podcasting with Genevieve Keeney‑Vazquez, president and CEO of the National Museum of Funeral History and host of The Final Curtain Never Closes. You hear how a museum that used to get lumped in with beer can collections and “oddities” used podcasting to step out of the sideshow tent and into its real role as a serious, educational institution. You get the story of a hyper‑specific niche, death care, and how talking openly about the thing everyone avoids turned into authority, awareness, and a steady flow of guests who now pitch themselves. If you have ever wondered whether your niche is too weird, too dark, or too narrow for a podcast, this conversation hands you proof that your niche is exactly where the power is. Key Takeaways Niche podcasting lets you take control of your narrative instead of letting random visitors and lazy writers decide whether you are an oddity or a respected institution. When your topic is taboo or avoided, like death and funerals, a podcast becomes a safe, long‑form way to unpack fear, denial, and curiosity without the cheap shock value. 1. The best niche shows start in the trenches, tying episodes directly to exhibits, artifacts, or specific angles that only your corner of the world can cover. 2. If you do your job as a host and build something real, the game flips: guests start finding you because they see how their own “little niche” fits your niche and serves your audience. 3. Being a great guest first makes you a sharper host, because you understand what it feels like on the other side of the mic and you respect the conversation instead of winging it. 4. A niche podcast is not about chasing mass appeal, it is about educating the right people, in the right way, on a topic they will actually face in real life even if they pretend they will not. 5. Long, winding stories, like Genevieve’s ride‑along with her cop sister or her curiosity‑driven path into funeral work, are not tangents in a niche show; they are the connective tissue that makes your “weird” topic human and bingeable. Timestamped Overview Chapters Chapters Chapters Chapters Chapters Chapters Chapters Chapters Chapters Chapters CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Why a funeral museum is the perfect niche case study * 00:02:10 From “oddity” listing to respected educational institution * 00:05:00 Realizing the neighborhood did not even know the museum existed * 00:08:30 Using podcasting to escape the quirky museum stereotype * 00:11:45 How death denial and avoidance shape audience behavior * 00:15:20 Why Americans struggle to talk about their own mortality * 00:18:40 Genevieve’s favorite part of hosting The Final Curtain Never Closes * 00:21:05 Starting with episodes tied to specific museum exhibits * 00:24:10 When niche listeners begin pitching themselves as guests * 00:27:30 The education mission behind a funeral history podcast * 00:30:15 How being a great guest trains you to be a better host * 00:33:20 Ride‑along with a cop: bravery, perspective, and storytelling * 00:38:10 Curiosity‑born funeral directing and a lifetime of death questions * 00:42:00 Early death curiosity, coroners, and a cremation speech in school * 00:46:15 Podcasting as a way to learn things you never knew about people you thought you knew * 00:49:30 Why niche podcasters need organic, unscripted conversations * 00:52:10 How a funeral museum podcast helps regular people face the inevitable * 00:55:30 A thank‑you to indie media and the power of choosing your own narrative