She Podcast Live 2019: Attendee Insights
Author: Dayana Preval
Whether you’re new to podcasting or have been doing it for many years, you probably have the desire to attend a podcast conference. Why wouldn’t you? It’s the perfect place to connect with other like-minded content creators and hopefully learn something new.
Then there’s the sticker shock; many conferences are $200 or more. Hence, if you’ve yet to monetize your platform, you’re left with these questions, “Is it worth the cost, and will I feel welcomed in this space?”
We interviewed two podcasters that recently attended the inaugural She Podcast Live conference that took place on October 11- October 13 in Atlanta, GA. We will note that Blk Pod Collective was not in attendance and the thoughts shared are the sole experiences of our interviewees.
Interviewees Assessment
Our first interviewee is Aatara Johnson host of Tarascope Podcast. Aatara won free tickets to attend the conference last minute.
Question: What attracted you to attend She Podcast Live?
Answer: I was invited to attend the Thursday night mixer, and I came with the mindset that if I had a good experience, I would attend the full conference. The mixer started a little rocky as some of the attendees were a bit standoffish, so I mostly stayed to myself. Later in the night, a few African-American podcasters migrated together and had some good conversations, which piqued my interest in staying to see what the conference had to offer.
Question: Was the information shared during the conference beneficial?
Answer: What I walked away with was valuable. I learned about how to monetize and grow my podcast and different tools and strategies to make the process easier. Now some of the speakers could’ve shared more details as they didn’t provide actionable items.
Question: What was your overall experience with the event, and would you attend if you had to pay?
Answer: My overall experience went well because the knowledge was so rich, despite the lack of diversity. As for attending the conference, if I had to pay, that would be a maybe. I think if there were more inclusion, I would be open to it. Overall, I do think black women should attend despite the lack of representation because the information was still present.
While our second interviewee, Dalanah, one half of the Mental Health in Color podcast, had a very similar experience to Tara, she provided little more insight in regards to the diversity of the conference.
When asked about her overall experience, she had this to say.
The session dedicated to black women was a little shorter than expected, and the moderator didn't do a great job including the audience in the conversation. I felt that this session did not dive into the topics that genuinely impact black women in podcasting.
Overall, I did walk away with valuable resources, but I would urge black women that are looking to participate in conferences to ensure they hold space. Whether we’re hosting sessions or making decisions for the event, we have to ensure that we help make our voices and challenges heard.
Our assessment
It sounds like She Podcast Live did a great job sharing the knowledge as each podcaster walked away with so much information. As this is their first year, we are sure they will continue to find new avenues to ensure that each attendee feels included, and each session provides a space for everyone to see themselves.
Our overall rating for this inaugural conference would be a 13 out of 25 points. To understanding our rating scale refer to our story on how we review events. We at Blk Pod Collective are sure that as this conference grows that we will see so much more from them, so keep an eye out and be sure to apply to be a speaker at the next She Podcast Live.