Find Your People, Then Create a Podcast with Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown

I'm a sucker for a good podcast journey story. And today's guest has an amazing one!

Not only is Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown a podcast host - who's been doing this longer than me, by the way - but she also runs a podcast production company and podcast network too. In other words, she's as obsessed with podcasting as I am! Which is why we became instant podcast geeks together!

Kerry-Anne and I sat down recently to discuss some of the things many podcasters struggle with behind closed doors and we unveiled pieces of our own stories. Like how we all think our voices are awful when we hear them played back to us for the first time!

So, if you're looking for some inspiration on how you can niche down your topic, what starting a podcast network looks like, and what having an authentically connected conversation with someone who's as passionate about podcasting as me...then you'll love this episode! 

Join me and my mentor, Amy Porterfield, as she teaches you LIVE how to create your first (or next) digital course to make real money. These trainings are world-class; you won't find anything else as impactful this year. Go to krystalproffitt.com/no-fuss to register. *affiliate link

Click the "Send Krystal a Text Message" link above to send us your questions, comments, and feedback on the show! (Pssst...we'll do giveaways in upcoming episodes so make sure you leave your name & podcast title.)

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Transcript

Intro: 3:05

One of my favorite things to do in the entire world is to geek out about podcasting. I know, you've probably knew that if you've been around here for a while you're like, well, Krystal, it's one of the reasons why we love you. And we also wonder, how can one person be so excited about podcasting? Well, today, I'm going to introduce you to someone who is just as excited about podcasting as me. And oh, my gosh, we had so much fun, and Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown. I told her, I was like, Can we please just have a conversation about podcasting? Because her energy and her light like about how much she just lights up? Oh, my gosh, I see her and she just lights up about podcasting. And I'm like, Yes, you get it. Like we are the same people. We get so excited about this stuff. So let's get right to it. Welcome to the profit Podcast, where we teach entrepreneurs how to start launch and market their podcast. I'm your host, Krystal Proffitt, and I'm so excited that you're here. Thanks for hanging out with me today. Because if you've been trying to figure out the world of podcasting, think of this show as the time saving shortcut you've been looking for. So let's get right to it, shall we?

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown Bio: 4:28

I cannot wait for you to meet my friend today, Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown. We had so much fun in our conversation about podcasting and exploring just each of our journeys. And like I said in the beginning, I just love that I have other people that are just as passionate about podcasting. So this is for all of you listening that like you're just getting started. And you're like, I just don't know if there's people out there that are passionate enough about what I do. I promise if you keep looking, you will find your people. Oh, I just I can't wait. I cannot wait for you to hear all the fantastic things that Cariann is working on all the incredible. Just that just her journey is so fun. And she's doing really big things in the podcast world too. So Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown is the founder and host of Carry on Friends, one of the first podcast dedicated to the Caribbean American experience. She is leading the way for Caribbean podcast with her company breadfruit media, a podcast production company, and with the Caribbean podcast directory, a repository of podcast by people of Caribbean heritage, y'all. Are you ready? Because this is just so much fun. It was so much fun. So here is my interview with carrion. Alright, Prophet podcast listeners. I'm so delighted that is like it's not just excited. I am delighted to have carry on carry and on the show today. So welcome to the show.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 6:14

Thanks for having me, Krystal.

Krystal Proffitt: 6:17

Oh my gosh, this is gonna be so much fun. Like it's all the things like we had, we have so much energy built up around this conversation because y'all have to understand. I have found other people who are just as obsessed with podcasting as I am. And it just makes me so excited.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 6:36

Yes, yes. It's it's good when you have people outside your family that don't look at you like, okay, yeah. head tilt, like, Okay, all right. Like, anyway,

Krystal Proffitt: 6:48

I don't know what you're talking about. But I'm glad you're excited about it. Right. Well, carry on. Can you tell us all how you got into podcasting? Like, what is your story? Is it something that, you know, we were kind of talking before we started recording, and I was like, you know, a lot of people just think that people who are in the podcasting space just kind of had all of these ideas that were served up to them on a silver platter, or they had like a lightning bolt that was like, This is what you should do. But that's usually not how it happened. So tell us your story. Wow.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 7:20

Um, if I'm being honest, I started listening to podcasts when I switched from a blackberry sometime around 2011 12 ish, right? And I remember the first podcast I listened to was Pat Flynn. And I remember the episode Exactly. He was talking with some guy who's like, just building apps. And then I started listening to other podcasts. And I was like, Oh, I want to do this. Right. So this was like, 2011 2012. But I didn't start a podcast right away. I was scared. I was scared. So my brother in law and I who are very similar, we are Virgo people. And we have a Virgo support group, you know, to get out of our heads and we decided That, huh? volunteer for the media, ministry at church and do voiceovers to get yourself kind of warmed up, you know, you can't really do it wrong at church is just like, here's an announcement read it, you know. And so it that turned out to be a good idea because for a very long time I hated the sound of my voice. I'd be sitting in church, The announcement comes on my son goes, Mommy, that's you. And I'm like, Oh my god, I don't like the way I sound. And, sure enough, most podcasters don't like the way they sound. But for me, that gave me practice. So that was around between 2011 and 2013. I launched the blog, didn't launch the podcast, because there was fear. Like, I don't know if I'm really ready for this. So I launched the podcast, and then launched the blog, sorry. And then around 2014, I had an audience survey. And they were like, well, we want to hear more from people like us at the time, the blog I started was more focused on being Caribbean American, the duality being an immigrant, and even if they're a first generation, just that duality, so I'm like, Alright, you know, I guess it's a podcast. And I said, All right, I'm gonna do this. So of course, I asked my friends who they know. And that's how I got guests. And I realized that that wasn't enough. So I joined an accountability group to make sure I launched that podcast in January, because I knew left to my devices, I'd be like, irks, I'm not ready. We're gonna put it back for another year or two. And that's how I launched it. I wouldn't, you know, it's not a very stepped boldly into your destiny type of thing. It's like, agonizing, crawling, like, Oh, this is like literally eating that frog to hit publish, you know? And yeah, that's how I ended up, you know, getting into actually launching, it took me literally three years to kind of work myself up to launching the podcast.

Krystal Proffitt: 10:11

So what year was that when you launched your show?

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 10:14

January 2015.

Krystal Proffitt: 10:16

Oh, my goodness. Oh, my gosh. So I love hearing the behind the scenes of it. And I know our listeners do too, because so many people do like the struggle, everything that you just explained. I had the same thing. It was like you record yourself for the first time. And it's not the first time you've ever heard your voice. You've heard yourself on a voicemail or somewhere else. But you're just I can't imagine sitting in like an auditorium in a chapel. Like hear yourself talking. You're like, Oh my gosh, like I just I can't No, no, like you want to close your ears and hide. You're like, is that really what I

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 10:51

exactly what I did, and my husband's like, Why are you like, why are you closing your eyes and like covering your ears and slinking in the chair. I'm like, Oh, my God, this is horrible. This is like, it was just so bad. But he understood because the beauty of having a wife as a podcaster when, you know, when it was time for a male's voice to record announcement, I'm like, buddy Europe. And when he did when he heard it the first time he was like, oh, my goodness, this is. So it's that everyone goes through that experience of like hearing their voice at at the first time. And it made sense for me. Because I remember years ago, there was an interview with Halle Berry. And she's like, she hated going to premieres. She didn't like watching herself. And I'm like, why don't you want to be an actress then? But now as a podcaster? I understand like, it's because you're critiquing yourself, you're doing all these other things. It's this vulnerability that we just don't like, you know, somehow we think we're gonna sound like, insert your favorite celebrity voice, you know, and that's the Do you think you're gonna sound like, and it doesn't sound like that you take a lot of breaths. You do a lot of stuff. And you're like, wait a minute. So it's natural to critique yourself. But I think what I, what I'm glad I was able to do was through my Virgo support group with my brother in law. You know, we kind of get in our heads a little bit and never actually launch. We were like, yeah, we have to do something else. And it was just like, Alright, just got to do it. You just got to do it. You can only get better, you can't get better. If you're still in the testing phase, you just have to launch.

Krystal Proffitt: 12:23

Oh, that's so good. And that's exactly what we preach around here. Especially just, you know, and this is the reason why I want to have this conversation is to normalize the fact that everyone feels this way. Like if you were listening to this and you felt like well, I listen to myself and I think I kind of sound weird, or I sound stupid, or I sound this or that. Like everyone has that feeling. It's just you have to push past that like, Yeah, you got to go through the mud, like to get to the other side. And so I just I love having these conversations with podcasters especially because you've been doing it longer than I have. And so I think that I'm going to learn so much from you in today's episode because everyone wants to know the practice. Step. So I wanted to ask you just some really basic questions that maybe you haven't even thought about in a while. And maybe you're like, oh, that was a big decision back when I made it. But now you're like, oh, that was easy. But there's a lot of people listening, who are trying to make decisions, whether they're just getting started with content, or creating, like, what title do I pick? So let's start there. How did you decide on the topic that you wanted to cover on your podcast? And how did you pick your title? Okay. Okay.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 13:45

Okay, the title of the podcast came from the blog carry on friends, how did I get there? I don't know. I just know that there was a very long list and true to form with my approach. Everything is a case study, and everything is a survey of multiple people, including my husband, who says, I don't know why you asked me because you never listened to what I say anyway. It's almost like, okay, you sure you don't like this option? So, you know, it's a very long drawn out process. It is not like, light bulb goes off. I've had it Aha, you know, it's nothing like that. And the other thing that I realized people think it's like, oh, it's my name. I'm like, ooh, I just realized that almost four years later.

Krystal Proffitt: 14:34

That was one of the things I was going to ask to like, oh, carry on. Your name is Kerry-Anne.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 14:40

no, no, no, it was like, years after people are like, Oh, it's your name. I'm like, just a coincidence, I didn't realize it until they brought it up. But I liked you know, for me, it was like going in the dictionary finding something that had meaning. And the idea for the blog was I had a lot of friends, and we would chat. And we just carry on about a lot of stuff. So it was just like, carry on with friends. The width kind of made it sound long. So I just said, carry on friends. And that was it. That's really what it is nothing fancy. Just a lot of writing and figuring out I wanted it to have meaning. And that's how I ended up with the name. In terms of topic. Now, this is going to be interesting. So I knew my niche. And I remember, people were like, the topics you're talking about apply to anyone. It's not necessarily to your niche. But I was born in Jamaica, I have a lot of Caribbean friends. So I knew these are the people I was going to talk to because I wanted to be able to code switch go between the Jamaican and the American. So I knew the niche that I wanted to serve what the topic not so much easy, because when you have a group of people, you could talk about business, you could talk about children you could talk about, so I decided, Okay, let me do a little bit of all these topics. And then I realized that I can't do parenting because my style of parenting is very different. And I'm like, let's go business entrepreneurship, because that was the hot thing at the time. And that was the majority of the show business and career. And then after that, I was like, I feel like I'm typecasting myself, you know, cuz it just felt like, it wasn't really what the audience wanted only. And I and that's the other thing is, if you start a podcast, and you're not sure of your topic, you just try it. And then there's always a survey to ask people. And every year I did a survey, and based on the survey, I kept fine tuning the topics that I talked about. Because I mean, the reality is we're talking to ourselves, for the most part. And it's not like clubhouse where people like Yeah, that's it. Yeah. So you kind of do this thing until you get some feedback. And the feedback allows you to refine so I started out with the blog, a little bit of everything. And then even with the blog, I started to kind of scale down because I'm I realized one, I'm a mom, but I don't have the energy to talk a whole time about being a mom is just like, stop it. Do your homework, go to bed. That's the extent Yes, of being a mom for me. Technology. I like that. But I didn't know how that would come across in a podcast. So business and career was something that made sense. And I chose that because it's where I was professionally I did recruiting, I did a lot of business stuff. So I said, this makes sense a little bit. So I landed on that, and people like that, but then people wanted more human interest stories. And that came through feedback and I just refined again. I just kind of picked a starting point because if I was going to wait until perfect two three years later That's when it wasn't gonna come. And even then, so I picked a starting point. And I just made a commitment that every year just survey the audience and get feedback or in between if, like, people reached out like, Oh, I love this episode, and I went into the DMS, like, what exactly did you love? use that as a feedback, because even if I was making the episode for that one person, I knew that one person listened, I couldn't guarantee like 20 other people were listening. But I got real time feedback. So that's how I picked my topic and niche evolving over time, of course.

Krystal Proffitt: 18:40

Yeah, that's exactly what I was gonna say is like, that's just a natural evolution of getting started listening to your people and actually taking action. And at the end of the day, do you feel like maybe you got some information back on a survey? And you're like, Okay, that was helpful, but I don't really see it going in that direction. And you just kind of went with like a gut feeling? Is that kind of how it worked? That's how it always works. It's

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 19:06

like, you know, so I'll give you a perfect example. So surveys are great. But wisdom is important, right? So I get a survey. And they were like, yeah, you should ask for donations more. I'm like, okay, I wasn't, I wasn't going to ask for donation. But let me put up this glow.fm for donations. Crickets, no one is used it, right. So it's the perfect example that the audience will give you feedback. But they may not actually act on the things that they've asked for. So it's using that gut feeling to say, did I know that donations wouldn't work? I kind of did. That's why I never offered it. But when there was a feedback, I was like, Okay, let me try it. And it's like, I tried it, it didn't work, but I'll still leave it there. So a lot of that is testing it, seeing, seeing if it works. And if it works, it works. And there are some things I'm like, this is not gonna work, ya know? And then there are other things I'm like, yeah, give it a try. So there's just different buckets. I, I've never felt pressured to do exactly what the audience feedback is, is just finding that right spot. And you know, that right spot is just a feeling you can't even describe it. It's just that feeling like this feels right.

Krystal Proffitt: 20:23

Yeah, I totally agree. I know exactly what you're talking about that feeling. And if anybody's listening, you're like, I don't know, if I have that feeling. You'll know when you have it whenever it aligns with your why, like, why you created the podcast and how you can serve your audience. And also, you're excited to talk about it. I think that that's like the perfect intersection of creating great content that your audience wants to keep coming back to every single week apps. But I wanted to ask you like a practical step is what do you use for your surveys? Because there's many different ways that I've surveyed my audience over the years, is there one tool that you like, in particular,

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 21:03

I like the simplicity of Google Forms, is just so simple, you have to think about it. I've tried all the fancy stuff, all the bells and whistles, and I'm like, ooh, great charts and everything. And I'm like, that's it. So I like the simplicity of Google Forms. Because what what I find that could happen is we get lost in the beauty of the form as opposed to the content of the form. And we just need to just get the content out there so people could start filling out the survey.

Krystal Proffitt: 21:33

Yeah, this is so good. This is so good, because that's what I've used. And many times I've done a few here or there, like on social media, like an Instagram story or something like oh, you know, what, tell me like a or b, tell me which one you like. But other than that, I like to keep it simple, too. So you're totally we're, we're sinking up on all our podcasts? Yes, for sure. For sure. But, um, I had another question about how you approach your format. So we're gonna talk about because I know you have a podcast production company, and you have ways that you work with other podcasters to develop their shows. But I want to just go back to the very beginning of your podcast journey, and how did you decide on how long your episode was going to be? Or if you are going to do solo versus interview and how often you are going to publish your episodes like what decisions went into those.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 22:30

So true story, and if Pat Flynn's listening, I could say I listened to Pat and maybe one or two other podcasts. And I think, Pat this week, Lee, and life happens and I don't get to listen, right? And I was just like, oh my god, I missed like a whole three weeks, and then I just stopped. I'm like, this is a lot to catch up on. So I just stopped. And so when I decided to podcasts, I'm like, I can't do this weekly thing. It's too much. And I also didn't want the audience to feel like how I felt in that moment. Maybe if the last episode I listened and Pat said if you miss last week's episode, It's totally fine. I would, I would have been released from that urge to make sure I listened religiously to every single episode. So my choice was to do bi weekly because it was more manageable. And I felt like my audience, I my audience, and I want to make sure that they have time to catch up. And if they missed something, they're missed there, they only missed one they didn't miss like two or three. So that was the biggest reason behind the BI weekly. The length was just because I just started out I'm like, I don't know what I want to talk about. Like, I'd be here recording, you know, and then when I look, I'm like, it's only 15 minutes, like this, like at least 30 minutes. So that was the first thing I'm like, yeah, this is gonna be a 30 minute podcast, because I'm here like talking. I'm like thinking that I'm just on and on and on. And I look up and it's like, 15 minutes max. I'm like, Okay, let's keep it at 30. And then in terms of format, the format came out of being practical. I was just starting at the time, not everyone wants to be a guest on the podcast. But in 2015, I was still doing like a what, what is that? Yeah, it's just like, Alright, let me do a mix of solo shows, and interview shows. And the first couple episodes were really short solo shows, because I didn't have a guest at that time. And it turned out that was a really great mix, because some shows are either solo or interview and just having that mix, ended up working out perfectly down the road. But it was just for very practical reasons. And I think the solo shows were, in hindsight helped me be more comfortable with my voice and being alone and not hide behind a guest to record episodes. So all of these, these weren't magic moments. This wasn't this magic. Nope. It was like, Oh, no, nobody, I'm not gonna get a guest. So let me just get used to recording some solo episodes. And my first episodes were very, so like, I think it was episode six. And I get this story because I, I didn't understand the concept of batching in January 2015, just yet. And so here it was. Monday night, and an episode is due Tuesday. And I'm like, I'm not inspired by a topic. I don't know what I'm gonna record and I am frustrated because I'm like, I don't know what I'm gonna say. And I get on the mic record a six minute episode. Like, I don't feel like doing this right now, because I don't know what I want to record. And it's so frustrating. But I committed to a bi weekly episode. So I'm just telling you that I had no topic, there was no preparation. I was hoping that procrastination would come and then I had a big eureka moment, blah, blah, blah. And then I recorded it. I wasn't happy, but I hit release. And then people are like, that was a good episode. Tell me how you got to the point to record. I'm like, What? Like, that was a good episode. Yeah, tell me how you so you yet again, it you didn't have a topic. But tell me how you actually got to sit and record. I'm like, because I committed to a bi weekly show. That's really what it was. So I mean, a lot of times we think of, you know, these, these brave moments, and they come in, it's like in the vulnerable moments. That's when I get the most feedback. Like I had nothing to record. And I was upset with myself, because I wasn't prepared. But I'm still gonna put this episode out. I'm not gonna ghost you guys. And that turned out I was like, that was the first moment I realized that it wasn't about the Polish appearance. It was how the audience was connecting, because they're humans too. And they also have things in their lives that they don't want to do, but to have to show up and do. So those are like lessons. Thankfully, I learned in January 2015 that were just like, okay, yeah, keep going. All right.

Krystal Proffitt: 27:10

I think that I think that you just gave someone a blessing, like just hearing all of that, because that is exactly the journey that I've been on is like, y'all, we have produced podcast episodes that we're not best selling award winning, like all of like, No, no, no, no, I have a lot like you could go back to the very beginning of my podcast and listen to some that you're like, Krystal, what were you doing and I will happily say, I had no idea what I was doing. But I showed up anyway, I kept coming back every single time and that's the only way that you can get better. So I guess you just give so many people a gift in sharing that experience. And I love that you've been doing this long enough to know that it's an evolution. We've said that a few times here. It is an evolution of your show. You just have to get started y'all. This is the thing you just have to get started.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 28:03

I literally Kept Secret, there was a book that I kept the art I'd ever read it I honestly, I did not read it, but the title of it and I think it was Guy Kawasaki, The Art of the Start. That's it. Like if you do not start, you could be in the lab, you could be testing and testing and testing. But if you don't do something, if it's not live, you can't refine it, you can't make it better. And that's, that's what drove me more perfection only happens once you kind of let it go. And you're able to refine it over time. Yeah, you know, there were some rough moments, man, but that episode is like what you like that like?

Krystal Proffitt: 28:43

Well, I love how you said you were waiting, you're hoping that procrastination would bring like this eureka moment? And it kind of did kind of, like in its own weird way.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 28:54

Exactly. And I think that's the other thing, right? We we want these things to happen. But they don't show up as sexy as we think they will, right? It's in these moments where it's just like, gosh, I don't know what to say I had these grand ideas. Because the audience is the same way everyone has a grand idea for their career, they have a grand idea for whatever they're doing doing laundry, if your show is about, you know, whatever it is everyone has a grand idea of perfection that they thought that they do an execute something. And as their expert, you're telling them that grand ideas and all things happen, and how do we, you know, adjust. And the thing that I keep thinking about is I live in New York City. And buildings are these skyscrapers are built with sway room, right? And you know, when heavy winds come there's a slight sway, because if they didn't, you know, this building would not withstand, you know, against this, this, if you're too rigid, you're not going to be able to withstand with the wind, and I'm like, Am I gonna just go with the flow, just a little bit of sway. And then I'll come right back to where I want to be. And and I think that's the, that's one of the things that I keep in mind, just build some sway room in, it's not going to be perfect, but it's a beautiful journey, because you're going to be helping someone. And for me, it's always the person who says, Oh, I gotta listen to this episode. Again. It was so inspiring. I was like, hallelujah. And I really listened because I'm like, let me go listen to why they were like, wait,

Krystal Proffitt: 30:32

what did I say? That's when you ask yourself, what did I actually say in that? Because I thought I was just rambling behind a microphone, but apparently, I dropped some truth bombs or some wisdom.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 30:42

It's true. And then I go back, and then I find myself encouraged by myself. And I'm like, Okay, all right. So a lot of times, in those moments, you don't feel like you're dropping wisdom. And I think that's the thing that we want it to be so polished and perfect. But I think it's in the imperfection that people find the value because we're not dealing with perfect people.

Krystal Proffitt: 31:03

Yes. Oh my gosh, yes, we are dropping some truth bombs. And so wisdom here today, though, this is so good. This is so helpful. And I want to like really point out how you know, Cariann and I have totally different shows, we have very different podcasts. And that is the beauty of podcasting. But it's also the beauty in bringing other podcast experts onto the show, because I actually want to talk about seasons and segments, because these aren't things that I typically do on my podcast, but I've gotten questions about them. And I can only offer up what I've seen other people do. So I would love for you to talk about how seasons have worked on your show and how having dedicated segments because I was listening to your episode with Carrie Lee about linguistics, y'all. Oh my gosh, I just fell in love y'all talking about Caribbean accents. And both of y'all talking together all the time. I was just like, I could listen to y'all talk all day. It was good. It was so good.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 32:05

So true story. All right. So let's, I just really started doing segments seriously this year. I've dabbled with it, but it just didn't flow or feel right. And so I said, You know what, let me give this a chance. And that's the other thing. Like if you thought of something early and it didn't work, you could it's okay to let go and come back and try it again. It maybe isn't right for that moment that month or whatever. But come back. So seasons, I mean segments is something that I really decided to do and I and I think with everything else, it has to be thoughtful, it has to make sense for your show. So I think the one felony that a lot of podcasters were committing john Lee Dumas had like the fire moment or whatever on fire thing and a lot of people were trying to copy that I'm like that works for his show. This does not work for your show. So segments have to be you can get an idea. So the breadfruit minute is really an update segment in a very general term. But how do you make that segment? So part of the show that people feel like, Oh, yeah, this fits right. And that's gonna take some time.

Krystal Proffitt: 33:17

So can you explain real fast what that is what is a breadfruit minute.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 33:22

So the breadfruit minute is so since carry on friends is a cornerstone show of breadfruit media, my production company, I've decided that the breadfruit minute would be a way to cross promote shows that I also produce. So the breadfruit minute was really a very quick update. And what we've done is I've done drops, so we'll pick pick one show, and the host would just do a quick drop. So you'd hear their voice, and then I'll you know, they'll throw it to them. And then I'll pick it back up. And I'll give other updates and the breadfruit Media Minute is really one an opportunity for cross promotion. And it's an update as to what I'm working on. Because as you evolve as a podcaster, there are things that you have going on, and it may not fit into the entire show, but it's You are the personality of the show. So it's kind of finding a way of getting the audience to know a little bit of what you have going on. And the minute I think psychologically feels like it's really quick. So you know, people are like, Okay, this is quick, I can listen to it and not skip to the next thing. Nice. So, so that's the segment. So in terms of seasons. In 2017, I had recorded this thing that said, I wish I'd done my show in seasons, because I was like, Oh my gosh, I'm just producing all year round nonstop. I need a break. And I thought that I wanted to do seasons, right? And then I'm like, No, I'm not doing seasons anymore. And here's why very personal opinion. So in 2017, I took a break for personal reasons I was pregnant, everyone was dying, literally. And I was just like, I just need time out life is just hard. And I took a break and came back, the downloads weren't the same, it took a long time to bring the boys back to the art. You know, like the milkshake, just bring it took a tie back up. I was like, Oh my gosh, this is a lot of work. And so as I was producing other shows, or helping I had clients where I was more in a consulting, and they took a break and came back, I saw how hard it was to really bring the audience back after a season. And so I've never done seasons, you know, the only breaks that I've taken are breaks. That makes sense. So towards the end of the year in December, those last two weeks when everyone is like holiday, like Happy Holidays to you in the new year. That's about it. So I just made that choice to kind of keep up with that natural cadence of what the audience does. It's like they're on holidays. They're it's Christmas, New Year's. But seasons, I just said it's I've just realized how much work it is to bring people back. And if and again, if we're not a big show like cereal, or it's just very hard, the marketing dollars that they're spending to keep that show on top of mine, even outside of season is not something I personally have. So I will continue to do my year round shows. And that has worked best better for me then during the season taking off.

Krystal Proffitt: 36:23

I think it's so important that listeners hear the mindset behind seasons, why it would make sense for you, and how to approach it because and even just hearing that like I haven't really ever done seasons or taken a big like hiatus. I know a lot of people will say, I'm taking a hiatus for the summer, and we'll see you in the fall, you know, because they have kids at home or this and that. And I think that it's great if it's your lifestyle, but I hadn't thought about bringing people back because, man, y'all I have worked so hard anyway, if you're listening to this, it's likely that it is habitually built into your schedule to listen to this podcast every time it comes out. And that that is by intention. And that is why I think it's so important, like Cariann said that you understand your audience, you understand your listeners, because you said they're not going to miss you over the holiday break, because they're all busy doing other things anyway, but you had to know this about your audience. So what karianne does for her podcast, may not work for yours. So you really have to understand who your audience is. And this actually brings up the next question I wanted to ask you. So I love how niche, your podcast is your production company. It is very Caribbean American focus, like you don't talk to all people. It is a very specific group of people. And so I know that you work with other podcasters and there's podcasters or potential podcasters. Listen to the show, and everyone wants to talk about niche. So my question is, do you think shows can get too niche? Or how do you approach someone who says I just want to talk to all people. What do you say to them?

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 38:09

I'm scared to talk to all people. Yeah, I talking to all people, I think there's a psychology behind that because we feel like we're gonna, it's a fear of missing out. That's, that's, that's what that is. And I believe in niche. I even did a talk at podcast movement, the power of being a niche in a niche. Because then you have African Americans and then within that you have a Caribbean American. So we're really a sub niche of the African American group. And I think it's very important because when people feel like, oh, my goodness, she knows exactly what I'm talking about. Like that is a feeling like that's cosigning high fiving. Holly Lula in that doesn't happen if you're talking to everyone. Right? It's it's it. And we, I don't know how to say this. I think as an industry, we've gotten so caught up in downloads that we, we put downloads before people. Yeah. And at the end of the day, you want people to connect with you so much that they make you and listening to you a part of their routine. And if you don't show up, they're like, Where's the episode? Are you okay? If they listen? Are you okay? Yeah, there's the episode, you know, I'm sorry, it's a little late, but it's coming. Okay. So that's kind of where my audience is, like, if I don't show up, they're like, are you okay? Everything good over there. But having a niche and speaking their language and talking to them, because they feel seen, you know, they feel heard they feel understood. And finding your niche, or I think the more the, I don't know if there's so such a thing called to niche. I mean, if you only have a topic that is so niche, where you're really defining yourself, then that's an issue, but it's broad enough that there are some people who are gonna be like, yeah, I dig this. But I also think there's a lot of things that started off with a group of people. So let's let's use clubhouse because it's the hottest thing right now. It started off with a niche, a small group of people, and then all of a sudden, it's just kind of ballooned. And I think that's kind of where we realize that when you find a group of people who you're creating content for, and they love it so much, they're going to tell other people who they're like, you should listen to this show, you should listen to this show the way that everyone's like, you're a clubhouse, you need to get into clubhouse. I mean, and again, I'm not saying to clubhouse magnitude is just the act of I love this so much. I'm going to tell a couple people about it. Because despite everything that's happening, word of mouth is still the number one way people discover podcasts.

Krystal Proffitt: 41:03

Oh my gosh, like I there were so many Mic drop moments and everything that you just said, like, I want everybody listening to go back and re listen to everything that Kerry-Anne and just said, because it's so important. And it's so true. Like, I'm just as much of a marketing nerd as I am a podcast nerd. And I love having these conversations, because it's so true. Everyone wants to chase the shiny object of Oh, maybe I should do this and be on this social media and do this and do that. But if you just really focus on the content and serving the people that you know, you can serve, so well, you will make a difference like it will happen. You just have to have to have a little patience and be prepared for the evolution be prepared for the messy stuff and don't try to be perfect. You carry in and I just told you, we were giving you full permission

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 41:55

To not be perfect is messy. And I think that's a thing that we that that makes it much harder for podcasters starting now, because when I started, I didn't have the struggle of you can make millions of dollars or companies about to be billions of dollars in podcasting, there was no such thing as like, what millions billions, what is that? So, and I think because of that it gets it's lost that podcasting is a long game. So if I started in 2015, and that was a long time, and Pat was podcasting. There are people who've been doing it much longer who are just now seeing returns, they weren't seeing returns in 2015. And you know, if we use Pat because he's much more visible. He started this because he he was in architecture, and it was about environmental stuff and he created this pot. He didn't really create the podcast first. And these are the stories that you pay attention to. He created a course to teach people how to have their buildings pass the leads, which is you know, the certification for when you want to have an environmental friendly and you realize oh wow So he went into podcasting. So no one really it's not like a clear shot to podcasting to say this is it Aha, it's like a stumble, and even the topic, you just kind of stumble on it and over time, kind of refine, you know that that topic you talk about. Don't, don't focus on being perfect focus on the evolution because we're all evolving and the audience grows with you. Everyone remembers growing up with name, your favorite TV show name, your favorite boy band, you kind of grew up with them, you know, so, and they they mature it and, you know, some people stay with you. And some people, you know, say, oh, I've outgrown this and gone somewhere else. And do not be afraid of the people who have outgrown your show. Because as people have outgrown your show more people are other people are discovering your show. Yeah. And I think that's very critical to understand that. And I think it's this idea of not wanting to lose people feeling disheartened, when someone unsubscribes let them unsubscribe, your open rate is going to be better. Yes, you're gonna have like more engagement. And I think these are the things that hold us hostage, the numbers, the sexy numbers and lingerie or whatever, wrapped in chocolate, something, they get it, they keep us distracted from, who is important, which is the audience and what's important, which is the content,

Krystal Proffitt: 44:30

for sure, for sure. And you touched on it earlier. But I want to circle back around to the consistency piece, like oh my gosh, if y'all can just do what Kerry-Anne did. And what I did in the beginning, is just pick when you're going to publish and commit to that, even if it's once a month. Like we don't care when it is we want you to just show up consistently to the point where people are asking you Hey, where are you at? Well, yeah, you didn't publish like what's going on? We Are you okay? Yes,

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 44:58

Yes. Right there. We're like, Wait was episode. Okay. Wait, are you okay? Yes. All right.

Krystal Proffitt: 45:03

Okay. You promised us You promised, like, Where's our where's our content? We need it. Kerry-Anne this has been so much fun. But I want to switch gears on you again, because I have some rapid fire questions. If you're up for it.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 45:16

I'm up for it. Oh, let's see. All right.

Krystal Proffitt: 45:19

They're gonna be easy, I promise. So the first one is, what piece of advice would you give to a brand new podcaster?

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 45:28

Just start, just start. And, you know, be if you're really serious about starting, find someone to hold you accountable to make sure you start find the right person to hold you accountable. So if that's Krystal, if you're in Krystal's group, whatever, just start and let someone be there to hold your hand and encourage you and tell you what you not everything you need, not what you want to hear about what you need to hear in order to start.

Krystal Proffitt: 45:55

Oh, that's really good. That's great. Okay, my next one is a two part question. So what is the dream podcast you would love to be on? And who is your dream podcast? Guest?

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 46:08

That's a good question. I never thought of that. I know my dream guest is Usain Bolt. I'm a real fan. And I would just I'm just like, would love to talk to you same boat. But I I don't know a dream podcast. I'd like I never thought that's a good question. I'm actually stumped by that. It's a good question. I can't think I don't know. I don't know the answer to that. I don't know the answer to that question.

Krystal Proffitt: 46:40

I mean, I'm just gonna sit here uncomfortably silent till you think of something.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 46:45

I mean, I think I always love conversations with podcasts are so like, geeking out with you and other people, I think is just always a great opportunity. Because I feel like just like how that question stumped me. I think podcasts that may not feel like Oh, I'd be a good guest would also be the opportunity to explore or find out more about myself. So I think any podcasts any podcast or on podcasting, or culture or music or movie I think would work for me.

Krystal Proffitt: 47:18

So basically, you're saying you're living your dream being yes podcasted

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 47:25

flustered I'm like, wait a minute. Now I'm gonna research you know, my Krystal show was like yeah, cuz i. The other thing about it. I love when I get asked questions that I don't normally get. So that was a good question. Krystal. Yeah.

Krystal Proffitt: 47:40

I got I got to pat myself on the back for that. Okay, my last question is, Do you consider yourself a perfectionist?

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 47:47

Absolutely. Without a doubt, I did not tell you about my Virgo. My Virgos support group. It's this idea of like, it has to be just right just right and that immobilizes you and so because Because that I have that level of self awareness. I know I have to get help, because if I don't, I'm just gonna be left to my devices. And I wouldn't be here six years later. So I'm a perfectionist, but I need help. And how do I get help surround myself with other people who are going to be like, What are you talking about? Stop it. Do it. Do it. What are you talking about? Yeah, yep.

Intro: 48:29

I love it. I love it. So all you Virgos out there anybody that falls into that camp, reach out to Kerry-Anne and say, Hey, I need some accountability. Just do it. And get out there.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 48:41

I even know what you're thinking before you start. You're like, no, come back. Come back. I see. I see you trailing off, come back. Come back. Yes, Yes, I do. I do have a Virgo support group. So I have someone who show I'm producing. And I don't remember what I said to her. I'm like, don't worry about the order in which your record, we are not worried about that. She's like, How did you know I saw it in your eyes

Krystal Proffitt: 49:06

and saw it 10 miles away. It was coming at you. And I just was like, I know it's good to stop you. It's a train.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 49:12

Yes. Yes. Yes. Like Don't worry about this is the order I should record like no worry. You record as the guests are available because we don't control their schedule. Worry about the release after you've gotten the recording done. That's it.

Krystal Proffitt: 49:25

Yeah. Oh, this is so good. Kerry-Anne...oh my gosh, I could talk to you f r hours about podcasting and all the amazing thin s that you're doing. But if someone's listeni g today, and they're like, I want to go check o t Kerry-Anne I want to go follow her. I want o learn more about her production company. Where c n they find yo

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 49:44

Alright, so breadfruit media at breadfruit media on Twitter and Instagram, and breadfruit media.com of course, and then Carry on Friends at Carry on Friends, Instagram, Twitter all over the place and Carryonfriends.com. That's me.

Krystal Proffitt: 50:01

Thank you so much for being on the show today. I feel like we were gonna have to have you back on just to have more conversations

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 50:08

I'm happy to we didn't even get into all the other stuff that's happening in podcasting. But...

Krystal Proffitt: 50:15

I know. Well, that just leaves room for our show our conversation to evolve. I feel like evolution consistency. And just getting it out. There has been the theme of today. So thank you so much for being on the show.

Kerry-Anne Reid-Brown: 50:29

Thank you for having me.

Krystal Proffitt: 50:31

So what'd you think? I know you love her too. Don't do. Who's so good. So, so good. And I just loved how candid and open that we were able to chat y'all This to me is what podcasting is all about. It's getting connected with people that share your same passion and that you can speak to openly and honestly about whatever your topic is and to have just fantastic conversations. And one of my favorite things about podcasting is that it's connected me with people that I probably never would have met and people that, like I said, have the same passions that I do. But if I never shared how passionate I was about podcasting, then Kerry-Anne and I may h ve never have met and I would have missed out on an opportunity for a new friendship and just to sh re in my geekiness with podcasting. Oh, it was j st so much fun. So make sure you go to the s ow notes, KrystalProffitt.com/Episode234. To check out all the things that we talked about today make sure you go check out carry on frien s, which is carry Anne's podcast, and go check out breadfruit media if you are of Caribbean herit ge, like we said in the podcast, like one of the b ggest mistakes people make is like not payin attention to what podcasts are actually about and what they stand for. But if any of this appli s to you, and you are so interested in worki g with karianne make sure you go follow her check out what she's doing because like I said like he is a force to be reckoned with. She is doing incredible things in the podcast space. And I jus I love standing on the sidelines and cheer ng for her as she continues to do bigger and bette things. But that's all I have for you today So like I said, Go check out the show notes KrystalProffitt.com/Episode234. And if this is your first time tuning in, thank you so much fo listening. What a fun conversation to be listenin to for the very first time. Make sure you hit t at subscribe button, wherever you're listeni g to the show, take a screenshot and tag me and carry it on social media to say, hey, this was y number one takeaway, or this was the best piece of the conversation or tell us one thing that you learned about podcasting that you didn't know be ore. So again, shownotes, KrystalProffitt.com/ep sode234. And as always, remember Keep it up. W all have to start somewhere.