As businesses in Chester County and greater Philadelphia continue to pivot to online marketing and sales, many owners and leaders are exploring starting a podcast. We spoke with Kyle Rheiner to talk about how he started his own podcast, Beer Mighty Things, which is focused on the craft beverage industry.
Links
- ArthurHall.com
- craftbrewinginsurance.com
- instagram.com/beermightythingspodcast
- facebook.com/kylerheinerinsurance
- Anchor podcast hosting
- Libsyn podcast hosting
- Pat Flynn
Notes
What drove you to start your own podcast?
- Kyle has worked in the insurance industry since college and has developed a niche in the craft beverage sector.
- Kyle launched a podcast for a number of reasons:
- While attending brewers’ guild meetings in PA in January 2020, Kyle realized that the presentations were sharing really great content – but none of the talks were being recorded.
- As COVID-19 lockdowns began, Kyle had a webcam and microphone for Zoom meetings, and he realized that he had the tools he needed to start a podcast.
- On April 7, he launched the show.
- As of mid July (when we recorded this show), Kyle had 44 episodes and 2300 downloads.
- Kyle turned to his business industry for guests
How did you get the podcast off the ground?
- Start with “Why?” – Why are we even starting a podcast?
- Kyle is a firm believer in “niching” – do one thing and do it well
- Podcasting goals:
- Be a better speaker
- Become a better listener
- Get better at asking questions, i.e., to be a better interview
- Kyle had to learn the basics of podcasting:
- Where are podcast episodes hosted?
- What sort of equipment is needed?
- How should an episode be structured?
- How should a show open?
- How should a show close?
- Kyle researched average commute-to-work times, and made sure that his show would be either that time or twice as long as that (to cover the commute home.)
- Kyle made sure that he recorded a number of episodes before launching the podcast to make running it smoother.
Has there been a payoff with clients since starting a podcast?
- Kyle has grown a personal and professional network in new areas of the country.
- The podcast has given him a non-sales reason to reach out to different craft beverage makers.
- Through the podcast, Kyle has developed a better understanding of his clients needs, and those of the industry that he serves.
- Becoming a better listener who asks better questions has helped both in the office and at home.
How do you promote the show?
- A podcast library does not expire, so if listeners catch episodes well after those shows are published, the content is still valuable.
- Kyle has relied on his show’s guests to promote and share each episodes.
- He promotes the show on Instagram.
- The show’s audience has grown to about 50 downloads per episode.
- It’s important to make sure that episodes are properly feeding into the different podcast listening apps: iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more.
What other goals have you achieved through the podcast?
- Kyle is garnering positive feedback about his podcasting style, which reflects Kyle’s goals for starting the show.
What challenges have you faced with podcast?
- It’s tough to find the time to make the show on a regular basis as he doesn’t work on it during business hours, and does not want to take away from family time.
- Editing shows in Garage Band (for Apple) is laborious for Kyle.
- Kyle is considering outsourcing the editing of his shows.