Founded in 2016, The Earful Tower profiles all things Paris: culinary secrets, famous and lesser-known attractions, neighbourhood identities, family life, daily life, fashion insights, photography ideas: and that's just scratching the surface.
https://theearfultower.com/
Host Oliver Gee delivers all of this in an entertaining, witty, informative and engaging manner, either through solo episodes exploring around town, often featuring his wife Lina as co-host, or through guests as diverse as comedians, politicians, tour guides and supermodels.
If you have a curiosity for Paris, an aspiration to go, a longing to return and ultimately, the desire for it to be a part of your life, The Earful Tower is here for your playlist.
Oliver has built the show to over 2 million downloads, 300+ episodes, recognition from podcast awards and the NY Times and, most impressively, a full time production company that creates not just regular weekly episodes, but premium Patreon content, regular Instagram photos, blog posts, a weekly newsletter, a YouTube channel, a digital travel guide and three published books.
It is a model for any travel podcaster, established or aspiring, to look to, to see how it's done and how to make your subject, whether it's a destination or a concept, the star of the show.
Oliver has learned how the underlying theme and purpose of the podcast will filter through with each guest. A baker may talk not just about their pastries and baking techniques, but then a favourite bench to go enjoy it while watching the sunset over the Seine. A musician may mention their favourite bar or outdoor stage while talking about a performance they did.
No matter the topic or guest, "You're gonna get a lot of Paris out of every episode."
Travel Podcast the World
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Action Advice
8:57 - The amazing serendipity of repurposing: how people can discover you and your brand without even necessarily listening to the podcast.
10:34 - How to multi-purpose content effectively, between platforms and mediums.
11:15- Why you don't need to "tease" your loyal, dedicated listeners. Show them what they'll get, and they'll go listen to it, because they want the podcast experience.
14:09 - The theme of your podcast will shine through by letting your guests relate back to it in their own words.
20:26 - Being direct about your Patreon offers, what's included and why it's important for the show. People who love your show are looking for ways to support you.
21:34 - Focus on putting good, quality, useful and fun offers out there.
23:42 - The benefits of your premium content could outweigh the cost of not buying it, whether saving people time or money.
24:44 - On making the most of opportunities, in the moment, especially when you're unprepared!
26:10 - How the right balance of background environment and engaging content can create a magical ambience.
27:29 - Equipment recommendations for field recording, including Oliver's advice on smartphones.
29:00 - Allow the low barrier/cost of entry to podcasting to allow you to simply start, and focus on creating something entertaining, interesting and informative (Oliver's triangle of content creation).
32:09 - Don't let the bear get away!
32:59 - How to reassure yourself that a destination/theme like Paris is truly a bottomless source of topics and episodes.
33:38 - Why Oliver's experiment with doing a season of episodes that took place outside of Paris, profiling a long road trip, was not received as expected. The "ongoing journey" without knowing if there is an ending can be a little off-putting.
Guest Links
The Earful Tower
on Instagram
on Twitter
on Youtube
Books:
Paris on Air, memoir
Roger the Liger in Paris, children's book
Kylie the Crocodile in Paris
2022 Paris Guide
References
Zoom H1 recorder
Places
Paris