By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
I read a fascinating article in The New York Times recently that started me thinking about all the blogging I do. “Welcoming to the Post-Text Future” was about how the printed word (online or on paper) is becoming out of favor as the very tech-savvy younger generations enter adulthood. One quote in the article really stood out for me:
“The thing you’re doing now, reading prose on a screen, is going out of fashion.”
What IS on fire now, according to the article are great graphics, visuals, and all things audio and video. I know many doulas blog as part of their birth business, and steady blogging is a very effective way of increasing your SEO. And hey, many of us have a lot to say! But if you want to reach the people who are really having babies, you might consider mixing up the way you are choosing to present information.
This NYT article shared that “About 70 million Americans regularly listen to podcasts, according to Edison Media Research. People who listen weekly tend to spend five hours a week on them.” You know what? It might be time to consider starting a podcast about the topics that interest you the most.
I decided to reach out and interview two of the most successful, amazing and enduring podcasters I know. DONA International certified doulas Adriana Lozada and Denise Bolds have been creating podcasts geared for families and birth professionals for three and nine years respectively, and both of them have hundreds of archived podcasts available.
So, instead of interviewing them for a print article, I thought I would make a podcast. Please listen to our conversations here.
Adriana Lozada, Birthful
Adriana shared some very useful links and her favorite resources
- Libsyn — hosts the show files
- Loopback (from Rogue Amoeba) — software that lets me direct the audio from Skype to Garage Band
- Skype — for talking with guests
- Garage Band — audio editing software
- ID3Editor — software to correctly tag the mp3 file before uploading to Libsyn
- Adobe Illustrator – to create images for sharing on social media (Sharon loves Canva, free!)
- Webinar: 7 Deadly Sins of Podcast Recording (YouTube) Webinar I mentioned from the POD Network
About Adriana Lozada, AdvCD(DONA), CSC, CBP
Adriana Lozada’s background is multi-layered and multi-cultural. A former print and online editor from Venezuela, the birth of her daughter sparked her passion for being a birth advocate, leading her to open Birthful: a company that helps new and expectant parents take on whatever maternity sends their way.
She is a certified Advanced birth doula (DONA International), a postpartum educator, and a healthy sleep consultant. Adriana is also the host of the Birthful Podcast, where she talks to amazing, knowledgeable, and passionate birth professionals every week, to help new and expectant parents inform their intuition. This is part of her quest to help expectant parents everywhere have more rewarding pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences. Adriana lives in Rochester, NY with her husband and daughter.
Connect with her at birthful.com
email: adriana@birthful.com
FB: facebook.com/birthful
Twitter: @birthful
Instagram: @adrianika
Denise Bolds, Bold Doula
Click the button below to listen to Denise’s interview with me.
Some tips from this expert podcaster:
- Be comfortable in asking the challenging questions.
- Always have a Plan B in case of an emergency.
- Not every hot news makes for a great internet radio show.
- Be mindful of time zones!
- Make sure the information used in your shows come from a reliable source and is accurate!
- Have a quiet, clear space to host the show. Children & pets as background noise are distracting.
- Practice your public speaking – use your mirror at home.
- There’s no visual in internet radio – always speak with a smile.
About Denise Bolds, MSW, CD(DONA)
Denise comes from a heritage of matriarchal southern healers and leaders. She is a published writer, radio show host/producer, birth advocate, public speaker, empowerment workshop facilitator, a successful single mother of a 26-year-old son. Denise loves to read, hike, power walk, travel, Mexican food, music, algebra, Netflix and skydive. Denise embraces a collaborative practice of her southern heritage as part of her lifestyle, supported in the tradition of spirituality. Denise is DONA International certified birth doula, she holds an MSW degree in social work.
Conclusion and thanks
I want to thank both Denise and Adriana for taking the time to a) answer my questions and b) and handle the tech magic that created the podcasts for you to listen to today. I am very grateful for their wisdom and expertise. Do you think that you might be willing to create a podcast just to try it or even do it regularly? Do you already have a podcast? Please share the link in the comments below and let me know what you think of this topic. Doulas need to meet today’s parents where they are at, and if they want to listen rather than read, we should be aiming to give them information exactly how they like to receive it.