December 13, 2023 • 40 mins
Explore the story behind 'You Look Like Me' with podcaster Louise McLoughlin. Plus learn the secrets to podcasting success, tips for newcomers, and uncover the hard work behind narrative podcasts. This is the perfect conversation for folks curious about podcasting or researching ways to build a narrative podcast. Louise and Jamie, formerly co-workers at CNN, provide TV insider knowledge to help you develop your idea into a show.
"You Look Like Me" Podcast Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/you-look-like-me/id1537873411
Takeaways
- Find a topic you are passionate about and genuinely interested in.
- Don't strive for perfection; just get started and learn as you go.
- Maintain authenticity and be true to yourself on camera.
- Balance personal and public life, and be mindful of the impact on relationships.
- Plan ahead and have a routine to avoid burnout.
- Focus on connecting with your audience and caring about their experience.
Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:32 Podcast PDF Store: https://stan.store/jamietheproducer 01:25 Clip from the podcast "You Look Like Me" about donor conception 02:05 Intro Louise: https://www.louisejo.com/ 03:28 How Louise juggled her career and podcasting and the "lucky timing" she encountered 06:57 Developing narrative podcasting using soundbites and storytelling, plus how it launched 08:00 More on her storybook start to podcasting 09:19 How the podcast developed her personal brand 12:50 The importance of a unique storyline 15:13 Working with a producer on her funded podcast 18:50 Her donor conceived story since launching the podcast 20:31 Impact budgets have on podcasting 22:20 Audio to video isn't always easy 24:45 What she learned from the process. Her top three tips for podcasters 28:00 The future of "You Look Like Me" 32:00 How to remain authentic on camera 34:30 How Louise became more herself by appearing more on camera and talking through a microphone 36:00 Tips on how to sound better on camera or on a podcast 38:00 Final tips for podcast newcomers YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/PWELpjPec2E?feature=shared
Thank you for listening! ✨ FOLLOW Jamie on IG @jamie_theproducer ✨ MORE podcast clips and tips under @oncamready 📺 Jamie is a TV Veteran with nearly 20 years of experience and is now offering her training and expertise as a consultant. 👏🏼 Thank you for SUBSCRIBING Website: https://www.oncamready.com Email: jamie@oncamready.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
On this episode of On Cam Ready,how you can become ready to
create your own narrative podcast.
At Star Seed And don't be a perfectionist because you can
get too bogged down in it. That is Louise McLaughlin.
She is a documentary producer and host of the podcast You Look
Like Me, And she's the guest on today's episode.
(00:26):
Hi, I'm Jamie Maglieta and this is on Cam Ready.
You know, if you are thinking about starting your own podcast
and you're just not sure how to get started, be sure to check
out the PDF, LinkedIn, my bio, and the description here.
We try to help you think throughall the steps you need before
you start your own podcast. As ATV Producer with 20 plus
(00:49):
years of experience, I help you brainstorm ways to develop your
idea into a show. And if you need more help, reach
out. Because I also offer
consultations. Visit my website at on
camready.com. OK, now back to our guest.
This conversation focuses on podcast creation, burnout and
(01:10):
balance. Louise is a news and documentary
producer. She's also creator and host of
the internationally chart topping podcast You Look Like
Me. It examines identity and family
secrets through the lens of donor conception.
Here's a clip. Neil, it went to voicemail.
(01:39):
Fucking hell. I hung up.
Why is that so stressful? Oh my God.
I planned what I was going to say.
I'm going to say Hi Neil, my name is Louise.
I'm calling with a very strange question, but hopefully it makes
sense to you in a minute and I hope you don't find it
offensive, but I was just wondering if you've ever donated
sperm. Oh my God, what a ridiculous
(02:01):
thing to ask. Maybe I shouldn't be calling
him. This podcast wasn't something
she jumped into quickly, you know.
She brought life to the topic after writing about her own
experience, and the way this podcast got started is so
unique. It's like a once in a lifetime
opportunity that happened to herand her story is so inspiring
(02:23):
and worth listening to. If you have an idea or you have
some value to offer the world, be sure to write about it and
share, because you never know who's reading.
That's the one piece of advice I'll say you must take away from
this conversation. All right, So now here's Louise.
Louise has credits at CBNNNBC, Vice and BBC.
(02:46):
We recorded this conversation inNovember or actually December of
2023. With us now is Louise.
Louise, how are you? I'm really good.
I'm looking out my window into pitch blackness and hoping that
the lighting is holding up. But yeah, no, it's it's really
cool to talk to you. And I'm yeah, thanks for having
(03:07):
me. You know, back story, we met in
London and we worked together a while back at CNN International.
So for those who are who are listening and aren't familiar
with either of us, we've both worked at CNN and she's actually
freelancing there currently as of this recording.
So, you know, just before we getinto podcasting, do you mind
(03:29):
just sharing a little bit more about how you decided to develop
your idea into a podcast show and how you were juggling it all
with your work at CNN and VICE and just your career in general?
Yeah I mean I think I had I'm I'm kind of an ideas person.
I love like coming up with all these concepts and then I think
(03:53):
sometimes I have too many and I don't have the follow through.
But I I was just, it felt like it was really lucky timing in
that I had actually just starteda job at NBC.
But the pandemic hit. And I had this idea from an
article that I had written. It's, you know, my life story,
(04:17):
but I had never really planned to take it public.
And then I wrote this article. And I guess, you know, when you
work in news and you're like doing news of the day, you don't
get that instant feedback. So you don't really know how
your stories are landing or if you're making an impact.
And I wrote this article which was about finding my biological
(04:40):
half sister. And I, you know, I got feedback
from all over the world from people who were also Derna
conceived like me, who were saying, you know, I've never
heard anyone put how I feel intowords before.
And I had thought that I was writing this really personal
(05:02):
essay that wasn't going to land and no one else would get.
And I was just so surprised thatit really connected with so many
people. And I was watching media
coverage of kind of fertility issues and we have a fertility
week over here in the UK each year.
And I was noticing that there's a lot of conversations around
(05:24):
people trying to conceive and people using donors, but there's
no donor conceived people being included that those
conversations. And I, I think I like went on a
Facebook group and I was like, this is so frustrating, you
know, our stories deserve to be heard again.
I had had the positive feedback and someone approached me and
(05:44):
they said, you know, I think youdid a great job with that
article. Why don't we brainstorm?
And you know, I'm, I'm happy to financially support the the
first few episodes and let's, let's see where it goes.
And this happened smack when thepandemic happened.
And so I had this free time thathonestly, you know, I I have
(06:05):
struggled to carve out since notworking at home and since not
kind of having that free time. So it was kind of, yeah, it was
a mix between the story that hadbeen bubbling under the surface,
this very kind person seeing a need for these stories to be
told and also just taking a chance on me off the back of
(06:26):
that article. And then, yeah, just just a lot
of things coming together, I guess.
And what you're saying is not a common story.
You don't really hear many people come forward and say
someone came out and wanted to financially support my story, my
narrative, right you're you created this podcast.
(06:48):
And for those who haven't listened beyond the clip I
played, it is a narrative podcast, right?
You're pulling clips and interviews and you're weaving
together a story to really help people better understand your
voice and and your your perspective, right?
And I think it is just incredible.
It's almost like a a miracle that you had someone come
(07:11):
forward because if they didn't, do you think you would have ever
gone out on your own and and done this like a creative
podcast? Yeah, I remember when he
approached me and we were talking about the best way to do
it. And the conversation was kind
of, you know, well, I've gone out and I've done the print
article and it did well. How can we elevate this?
(07:32):
How can we change it? How can we grow it?
And pretty early on we were like, well, we don't have the
money for TV. So, you know, do we do a YouTube
series? And then, yeah, the idea just
came to do the podcast and it was kind of a new world for me.
I I did a bit of radio in college, but it wasn't really
(07:54):
something I dabbled in. But yeah, I mean just even
saying, would this podcast exist?
Had they not approached me? Would the podcast take the form
that it took? Had they not approached me when
they did as well? Because when the pandemic
happened and I was recording, I found my biological father while
(08:14):
I was recording and the fact that that happened when the
podcast was off the ground and Ikind of then obviously, you
know, picked up that microphone to capture those moments and
wouldn't necessarily have done that otherwise.
Yeah, it was just a lot of things came together and I don't
(08:35):
want to downplay like I know, especially as women like we're
so quick to say, oh, it was lucky and it was, you know,
fortune and it was timing. You know, there's obviously a
lot of hard work that has gone into the podcast to make it what
it is, but you couldn't plan forthat kind of timing either.
(08:55):
And I I, you know, I'm very aware of that.
It it expanded not only your story but also your personal
brand. You know you've been, you've
become a speaker. I saw it at some fertility
festivals. I wouldn't say it was a
festival. Maybe it's like more of a
conference. Fertility fest.
Yeah, but you know, I you have become more than your article,
(09:22):
right? And what drove you to write that
article? I mean, as journalists, we all
are compelled to write and shareour stories in different ways.
But what was it that really pushed you to put your typing to
action? Yeah, I mean that's actually a
really good question I think, you know, when I found out I was
(09:45):
donor conceived, it was such a taboo subject and it still is in
many ways less so than when I was 13 and found out.
But there was always this kind of, you know, don't tell, you
know, don't tell friends, don't tell family, no one knows.
And that it was just kind of theway it went for for decades.
(10:10):
And I had signed up to multiple DNA sites over the years and
when I was 26, I matched with myfirst match, my half sister.
And I met her and it just answered so many questions that
I had had brewing for, you know,15 plus years.
(10:34):
Where did I get this part of my personality?
Where do my cheekbones come from?
And it was just magical, you know.
And she's such an incredible person that I, you know, holding
the secret, just didn't feel like the honourable thing to do
anymore. I needed to honour the
(10:54):
relationship that I had with hernow, and I don't know why
honouring that relationship meant OK, we take it fully
public, you know, I don't know if that was almost like a
rebellion against thinking that I had had to keep the secret for
so long. And I don't think I really
(11:14):
thought it through, you know, Itwas, it was like a personal
essay that, you know, I almost saw it as like A blog post, even
though I do look back at it and go that's probably the best
thing I'll ever write, you know,It's good feeling crafted.
Your story, did you already knowwhere you wanted it to be
published? Or did you publish it in like a
(11:35):
forum and then it get picked up?So it got commissioned.
Yeah. So, yeah, I yeah, I don't, I
don't know what what pushed me to take it that public, but I do
believe that I would have stopped there had the reaction
not been what it was. But yeah, it was.
(11:57):
It was really just the catalyst of finding my half sister, Jess
and just kind of wanting just to, you know, it.
That was. I can't explain how monumental
that is when you're looking for a family member and then you
find them. And I had given up at that
point, You know, I really didn'texpect to find someone.
So maybe this was like my journalistic version of, you
(12:18):
know, screaming it from the rooftops maybe.
Maybe that's what it was. I I would agree.
I mean I think that as journalists we're all mission
driven, right. And I think once you found your
sister, maybe there was a sense of purpose that you had to help
others, you know just keep goingand to connect and to to
(12:41):
advocate for all those that are not heard and have had to keep
quiet. You know, I think it's it is a
remarkable experience and something unique, right?
And everyone who wants to be on camera or to start their own
podcast is hoping to tap into something that you've uncovered,
right? A very unique storyline that
(13:02):
other people can relate to. And the way you shaped it so
that it was something of a advocacy effort, right?
Where you're really advocating on behalf of other.
What is it that you say you say donor?
They can see people. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah. I think it's I think it's great
and it's very powerful. And you it is an award-winning
(13:24):
podcast so you have to really think you know those that are
listening that this podcast is definitely worth checking out
and I actually used it as an example when I was teaching at
Harvard as at their podcasting, one of their podcasting classes
and all the students loved that you brought to light your story
first as an article and then shaped that concept into a
(13:49):
podcast story narrative and theythey just really did enjoy that
you were able to basically conceive and give birth to a
podcast from an article and manypeople listening may be in the
same situation. They may have written a personal
essay and are hoping to shape it, hoping to maybe expose an
(14:11):
element of their life that they haven't really ever been able to
talk about to help connect with other people.
So when you started to shape thepodcast and you're thinking
back, do you remember some of the steps you took to really
come up with your your narrativescope and your plan for this
storytelling mission? Yeah, I mean, absolutely.
(14:33):
The, the article, like I said, was, you know, really a personal
essay and there was no advocacy involved in that whatsoever.
That was like me putting my brain onto paper.
But when it came to do the podcast, the person who
approached me had kind of gone, you know, I want to do this for
he's also done a conceived he said I want to do this for our
(14:53):
community. So already we kind of wanted to
wanted to do something that would elevate our voices and
kind of hit home in a way that we thought would be beneficial.
And I got in touch with a producer and I know a lot of
(15:14):
people don't have, you know, thebenefit of having a producer.
But because this was was funded you know I was able to reconnect
with someone I had worked with previously on ADNA themed
podcast that I had been an interviewee for and I remember
chatting to her originally and she said the line you know do we
(15:35):
want what do we want here? Do we want this to be a vanity
project And I remember being like oh you know kind of taken
aback and she was like I don't mean that as a bad thing by the
way you know a van it. We can we can frame it around
you. We can frame it.
This is my story. This is me telling it and I
straight away was like no absolutely not.
You know this is this is something that elevates other
(15:57):
voices and even in like the the intro that you or the promo that
you can still hear on Spotify, you know that's that's kind of
like the mission statement that's running throughout it's
you know we're getting voices from around the world and that
that kind of changed as we went when I found my biological
father. But I think we still held, held
(16:19):
true to kind of honouring those voices.
And then we just used my narrative as kind of like this
thread that kept listeners coming back and kind of like we
got those cliffhangers because of the way my own story was
moving. But we still had those other
voices. And it actually shaped where we
went because I either copied my story, so, you know, if I found
(16:42):
a half sibling, I would speak toother people who had found other
half siblings, or I would go theopposite way.
And when I found my biological father, I would then interview
people who hadn't ever found a biological parent or had and had
been rejected, which was the opposite.
So I would either talk to peoplewho could kind of, you know,
(17:02):
back up what I was saying or whohad had completely opposite
experiences. Had you know, and while we're
talking about this, I'm still sitting here thinking, do you
still talk to your half sister and your father?
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, absolutely. Yeah.
We're growing relationships all the time.
Yeah. Wow.
And again, we're talking about Louis the McLaughlin.
McLaughlin, right. I'm saying it.
(17:23):
McLaughlin. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I don't say with the accent, yousay it with no, But I think it's
wonderful that you still stay intouch with them.
How? What have you learned from
building that relationship? Oh my God.
So much. So much.
Like is, is there something you didn't include in your podcast
that you would you would want totell the listeners now that
(17:48):
maybe are listening to your own podcast and are are potentially
wondering about Has anyone reached out and asked or is
there anything that you would want to follow up with that's
worth sharing today that could help anyone who's listening to
your own podcast have maybe closure or better understanding
of where things are? Yeah, I mean people, people
(18:08):
reach out all the time, which isamazing.
You know, like, again, that kindof feedback that you get from a
project like this that you don'tget from like day-to-day news.
But I think actually I've just come to the end of Season 2 and
it's almost the opposite. As I grow my relationships more,
(18:28):
it makes me wary of being publicabout them because I want to be
true to the audience and I want to be true to the story.
And when I met my bio dad, you know, it was all this like swirl
of excitement. And you know, since I started,
(18:50):
when I started the podcast, I only had my half sister and now
I have biological father found. I have a biological grandmother
and I have 1/2 brother and an additional half sister.
So that's growing and finding them has been amazing.
But we're now like a unit. You know, we have a WhatsApp
(19:12):
that we are all on. And you know, it's like any
relationship, like any family kind of family.
You know, not really. But you know, it's not all
perfect. And I don't want to get to a
point where I start, you know, I'm not out to air things that
(19:36):
aren't perfect, but I'm also notout to pretend that things are
perfect. So I think it's just, yeah, the
more personal it becomes. You just have to.
You have to balance between taking the story to the audience
and then choosing not to at the same time, if that makes sense.
(19:57):
Yeah, it does. And you know, what I'm curious
about is, as you started to weave all these sound bites
together, were you interviewing people on camera or on the
phone? Like how did you go about
collecting your sound for the podcast?
Yeah, literally the way we are now.
Definitely camera on if you can.I just think you connect better
with people. It's it's so much nicer to do it
(20:21):
in person. But like I said, this was a
podcast born in the pandemic like and there were
international, you know, I wanted it to be a global podcast
and again, we did not have the budget for me to be flying out
to, you know, far-flung America.So, yeah, I mean we've, I think
as journalists we've all just adapted to making this work.
(20:43):
And is it as amazing as in person?
Probably not. But you know, we we've done it
and you know, you do get great interviews out of it at the same
time, especially when the connection is good.
I have had versions where the connection has not been great
and that has been a struggle. But yeah, mostly.
Mostly it's been OK. And So what I'm hearing is you
(21:08):
have recordings on camera that could potentially turn into a
video podcast. Maybe if I went back and got
retrospect. Yeah, retrospective permission.
But yeah, I don't know. I don't know what new that
would. Yeah.
What newness that would bring. But yeah, I mean, who knows, You
(21:29):
know, we in the second episode, there is audio of me seeing my
half sister's face for the firsttime.
And my my flatmate recorded me sitting at a table when I had
that DNA match when I found her for the first time and she sent
to me for WhatsApp message and obviously her photo pops up and
he's got the camera on me. And I had never planned for that
(21:52):
video. That was obviously amazing and
one incredible thing to have. I had never imagined that that
would then be turned into audio that would then become part of
this podcast. So you you know, you never know
where things that you record aregoing to go.
Really, do you? Yeah.
And I think with the movement right now to video, audio with
YouTube monetizations and now YouTube also taking on the RSS,
(22:17):
more people are starting to incorporate video.
I think it does make it a bit harder to incorporate it because
if you are having more personal stories and maybe people don't
want to be on camera for, you know.
So it may be a little bit more difficult to get those emotional
interviews that you were able toget by not having the camera on,
but I mean, I'm all about if youcan repurpose it, I bet you have
(22:40):
more legs on that. And it's always worth sharing
and connect with more people andmaybe even start a documentary.
My gosh, my head's going in all different places.
But I think, you know, it would be really great if we just went
through a few tips for people that are trying to put their
idea to action and really want to develop their own show.
(23:02):
So what maybe are three tips that you would share to help
someone get off the ground? Yeah, I mean I think doing it on
something that you are passionate about, it's so
obvious, but you know, trying toguess what's popular is just
(23:22):
you're just not going to have the the passion behind it.
I don't think it's it's amazing how people like an audience and
listeners can pick up on whetheryou're genuinely interested in
what you're talking about. And again, you know, for me it
was just being able to incorporate those different
voices. But I think there's so many
(23:43):
different ways that you can do apodcast.
You can literally sit down and have a conversation and record
it and not edit it at all where you can go down the route we
went and we kind of made it into, you know, a documentary
style where we've got those, like those teasers and those
cliffhangers and that narrative running through, but then other
people coming in. But I would say, you know, I've
(24:05):
listened back to my first episode and I go, Oh my God,
people are being directed to my podcast and they're listening to
that. Like, and I look at even
listenership rates. And, you know, obviously I feel
like every podcast will have most people will listen to the
first one unless one goes viral and then drop off.
It's just the nature of it. But yeah, I look back at it and
(24:27):
I'm like, oh, there's so much I would change.
But I think that's OK. I think it's OK to not know your
exact style on the first episode, you know, because my
podcast developed so much and changed so much as it moved
along. And some things worked really
well and some things didn't workso well, and I didn't know that
(24:47):
until I made it, you know? So would you say like your top
three tips? What I'm hearing is like
understanding your style, your concept and the direction of
your narrative. Or how would you describe your 3
tips? Like if you were just say these
are my I would. Say just get started and don't
(25:08):
be a perfectionist because you can get too bogged down in it.
I think there's a there's a fright outside on my street that
is not a tip. I would say be passionate about
what you're doing because and just be genuine.
Just be, you know talk to your audience like they're, they're
(25:34):
along for the ride with you, youknow, and they're invested.
And it's it's, yeah, it's quite an intimate relationship again,
compared to to other mediums. I think people, people really do
connect through it. Yeah, it's.
I think podcasting has become somainstream and it feels like
(25:54):
everyone has a podcast, so I don't like it.
It feels weird to get like emotional about it because I
feel like everyone's doing it. But it is a special medium, you
know. And as much as it feels like so
many people are doing it, it's not as saturated as it appears
because so many people as you and I have talked about burnout,
right? You know, after they call, it's
called Pod Fading. You know, they do 10 episodes
(26:16):
and then they can't do anymore because it's a lot of work.
You know, What advice would you give someone who's hoping to do
a narrative podcast like yours on how to juggle the workload
with the production and your job?
Yeah, I mean, if they. Yeah, if anyone finds out, I
would like them to tell me. I I found it really, really
(26:39):
difficult. You know, I did.
And what worked, you know, I hadAI had a different editor for
season one, and then someone whowas down and conceived came on
and kind of worked with me for season 2.
But they weren't really, you know, they weren't over my
(27:00):
shoulder. And I kind of had to go to them
and I had to be like, oh shit, we really need to get on this
now, which was different to the first time around because my
producer was, you know, so on it.
She was like, Louise, where is the next episode?
Where is the next episode? And I feel like I had to get
that external pressure elsewhereand put it on myself.
What I found really useful was going on to social media and
(27:24):
being like, we've got a new episode coming out in two weeks
on Wednesday. And, you know, we didn't like,
we didn't have it ready. But then everyone would respond
and be like, that's amazing. Can't wait.
And you'd be like, oh God, it's like, now I've got to do it.
Yeah. So, yeah, it's just making those
like external pressures I guess and kind of like almost like
(27:45):
tricking yourself into just doing it.
I'm sure other people have better ways.
But yeah, I. Really.
Yeah. Those are good tips.
And now you keep saying on the second season.
But I'm wondering, I mean, I remember you posting something
about how I think you weren't going to do it anymore.
Are you? Have you changed your mind?
(28:06):
I It's TBD. CBD.
Yeah, yeah. It's I I'm not opposed to going
back, but I don't want to continue it for the sake of it.
And I want it to remain at the kind of standard that we built
it to. And I I would like to see it.
(28:28):
You know, you were saying about like documentary or like I would
like to see it move to a different medium.
I think it has potential to carry.
So I don't know. I don't know.
There's been a lot of changes like for me, work wise outside
the podcasts, but I'm definitelynot.
I'm not closing the door on it at all.
(28:49):
But I'm not pressuring myself. I want, I want to be excited by
it and I want to. I want to want to do it.
And it's emotionally, I think, because it's such a hefty
subject. And the bigger your audience
gets as well, the more you feel like you owe it to them to do it
right. And you don't have that when you
(29:11):
start out in your earlier podcasts in your earlier
episode. Sorry.
So I think, yeah, you can, you can become more critical of
yourself as you go on and kind of strive for perfection.
A bit too much, maybe, And it iseasy to lose the not the joy of
(29:32):
it, but the enthusiasm to get upand do it.
And I think that's not where I wanted to be with it and I think
that will come back. But yeah, I'm giving myself a
break for sure. I I understand exactly like I
had to push mine to a biweekly because trying to do it every
week it just became like a job that you don't want to to
(29:55):
fulfill every week because it's so much work and such a big
lift. So biweekly at least gives me
some breathing room, but even still, you know, I was dealing
with, I mean thankfully I've been able to stay on the BI
weekly, but I was dealing with personal issues.
So I I mentioned it earlier and you know, having to have
personal challenges come up, youreally need to plan ahead and
(30:20):
you really need to have things in the can ready in order to
avoid that burnout. So some of the the advice I
usually will give people is you know, really you want to map it
out. I always try to record multiple
interviews at once for over 2 weeks and then I start editing
and launch them as they go so that I can focus more on the
(30:42):
marketing, the SEO if I need it,I'm more YouTube.
I personally don't focus on the podcast platforms as much
currently because I've been focused on testing out YouTube
ahead of the RSA integration andtrying to put this on YouTube as
a visual podcast has been my priority.
(31:03):
So I don't even know. You know, I think I had like 800
downloads at one point when I looked last, which is great, you
know, but it's not. I'm not sitting there every day
looking at my analytics on a podcasting platform.
I do use Anchor. It is free for anybody who's
looking for hosting platform, but you really do want to pay
for the platform so that you getall those opportunities to
(31:25):
increase your SEO. Have your transcripts included.
So that helps with searching. There's a lot that goes into it,
so it's important to have a schedule.
So as I was saying one way, if you guys are listening and
you're thinking, gosh, how do I avoid burnout?
How do I get started and become on camera ready every time?
This podcast is due. Planning it out like ATV
(31:47):
producer, having backup plans just in case and really having
your routine so that you can always fall back on it and you
it starts to move like a machine, you know and that will
help. And it's hard like as as she's
saying right, guys are listening, she has a narrative
podcast. It's a lot of work, it's
(32:07):
emotional. So it really depends on your
topic too. For me, I love conversations and
I want to just make sure that more people are hearing from the
experts and that are within my network like yourself and
getting to really learn from this.
These TV insiders like yourself too.
Being on camera, you were thrustinto this like spotlight
(32:30):
essentially behind the scenes. Now in front of this, in front
of the camera, one of the thingsyou kept bringing up was
authenticity. On LinkedIn, I recently had
someone reach out and ask, you know, how do you maintain
authenticity when you're talkingon camera?
I like this individual I guess feels as if he is not sounding
(32:52):
like himself or he he struggles with coming off as genuine.
I personally just feel like because of our our background
and correct me if I'm wrong or if you disagree or not.
But because of our background we're not really afraid of
cameras. Like I don't look at the camera
and feel like I need to be someone different.
How do you how do you present oncamera and stay true to
(33:15):
yourself, Louise? Yeah, I mean, I don't know, I I
feel like being in TV can go like one way or the other in
terms of like being authentic and seeing a camera or not
seeing a camera. And you know, when you're
surrounded by kind of, you know,the broadcaster voice and the
broadcaster stance and the hand movement, and obviously you
(33:37):
don't have to think about that so much over podcast.
But I remember when I was in college, kind of, I was doing an
internship in radio and I was being trained to be a news
reader. And I was trained and I was
trained and I was trained and I never actually got put on air
because I couldn't nail the voice that that the station
(33:58):
wanted me to have. And I really, you know, I really
beat myself up about it actually, because I couldn't
understand what I was doing wrong and why I didn't sound
like everyone else. And now I am so glad I don't
sound like everyone else. It's that's the beauty of doing
your own project. You know, I like I said I had
(34:22):
AI, had a producer, but it was like this was kind of my baby
that I was creating and no one was going to be like actually,
you don't sound BBC enough or you don't sound, you know, as
long as I'm eloquent, as long aspeople, you know, know what I'm
saying. I, yeah, I I sound more
(34:44):
polished. Definitely.
You know, I listened back to thefirst episode and I'm like, OK,
the confidence maybe isn't thereor just, yeah, just small things
or just like the pacing. But I became more myself.
I didn't become, you know, I actually learned to just speak
like I speak, but a bit more. I don't know, a bit more.
(35:06):
I don't even know what the word is.
Maybe it is that you just becamemore confident in who you
actually are and you were able to show that under the pressures
of the lens or under the pressures of being on a mic
maybe. Yeah, I think so.
I just broke away from, oh, thisis how I meant to sound.
And I just went, oh, this is howI sound, you know.
And there's like there's things I do that I haven't heard anyone
(35:30):
else really do. Like I'll I'll kind of, like
laugh through a sentence in a weird way or something.
But I kind of just, I don't know, I like it.
It's just like and it obviously worked and it's not it.
It was really cool to go from, you know, that that college
student going, oh, I'm never going to be able to do this.
And then flash forward to 10 years later and this podcast
(35:53):
that I've come up with is, you know, internationally acclaimed
and I'm the same person. Nothing's different.
My voice is the same, you know, It's just that I I was allowed
to do it and I was allowed to not have to squeeze myself into
another mold. And I think that's, yeah, that's
the power of doing your own project.
And a lot of what I'm hearing her say is like confidence and
(36:16):
being comfortable with who you are, embracing some of maybe
your unique qualities to really help you sound as authentic and
genuine as possible. And I would agree with it all.
You know, my husband was said that on the first podcast I
started in like a year ago now, my husband said I would sound
(36:38):
like I was a music theatre junkie or someone on camera, you
know, who has had a musical theatre background.
And I was like, really? He's like, you're sounding like
you're on in a theatre. I was like, oh really?
Gosh, I got to stop. So then I started to listen
back. And I think it's also important
to listen to how you sound to get a better sense.
(36:58):
So you're like, OK, I actually, I thought that was the voice I
needed to the point you're making.
I was trying to fit myself into a box, but I clearly wasn't
doing it the right way. And now I just need to embrace
how I sound and just be comfortable enough to talk the
(37:19):
way I would talk to you if we were out having a coffee
somewhere. And that's kind of how I keep
going at least. Yeah, yeah.
No, exactly. That's exactly my experience as
well. Well, I've really enjoyed our
conversation. I think we've provided everyone
with some great tips. But before we go, are there any
like last minute thoughts that you might want to share with
people who are looking to develop their own show or are
(37:42):
just trying to look for some more tips on how to become on
Cam Ready I'm. Sure.
You asked me to loaded. Yeah, I mean, I I can only speak
to like my own sticking points. But yeah, just going back to, I
(38:05):
am such a perfectionist and I find it so difficult to do
something if I'm not 100% perfect at it.
But you just have to. Unfortunately, unless you have
like a full production team behind you and a wad of cash,
which you know we don't have that luxury most of the time you
(38:28):
just got to do it and you just got to see what works for you,
see what works for the audience and just give a shit, you know,
just give a shit about what you're talking about and and
give a shit about your audience as well and how it lands with
them. And yeah, like I said I I think
this medium is just a relationship like a two way
(38:50):
relationship more than other mediums are and I think that's
really special and really beneficial and.
Yeah. And I would agree.
And well, the importance is how this lands with your audience.
And I hope this landed well witheveryone listening.
So please reach out, let us knowif you have any additional
questions. If you want any more information
(39:13):
on Louise, check out the description and there's a link
to her website as well as to herpodcast.
Louise, thank you so much for joining us.
Yay, thank you so much for having me.
So good to chat. Thanks so much for watching and
if you are interested in developing your podcast idea
into a show, I have PDFs to helpyou get started.
(39:33):
Really, I'm using these PDFs to help you think like a producer.
Once you start thinking like ATVproducer, the creative juices
start flowing in. The development process kicks
into gear very easily. So go through my workbook and
check out the PDF. They're both LinkedIn, the
description to this podcast and if you need any more information
(39:55):
about the guest, you can also find a link to everything about
Louise down there as well. Thanks so much for all your
support. As we go into the new year, I
just wanted to say I will be looking for more guests in the
Atlanta area as I'm going to start utilizing a studio in
Atlanta. And I want to make sure that I
highlight people and professionals that are focused
(40:16):
on helping you become on Cam ready in the Atlanta area.
So if you know anyone please reach out e-mail me.
Jamie at on camready.com. Thanks again and have a great
day. I'll see you online.
On this episode of On Cam Ready,how you can become ready to
create your own narrative podcast.
At Star Seed And don't be a perfectionist because you can
get too bogged down in it. That is Louise McLaughlin.
She is a documentary producer and host of the podcast You Look
Like Me, And she's the guest on today's episode.
(00:26):
Hi, I'm Jamie Maglieta and this is on Cam Ready.
You know, if you are thinking about starting your own podcast
and you're just not sure how to get started, be sure to check
out the PDF, LinkedIn, my bio, and the description here.
We try to help you think throughall the steps you need before
you start your own podcast. As ATV Producer with 20 plus
(00:49):
years of experience, I help you brainstorm ways to develop your
idea into a show. And if you need more help, reach
out. Because I also offer
consultations. Visit my website at on
camready.com. OK, now back to our guest.
This conversation focuses on podcast creation, burnout and
(01:10):
balance. Louise is a news and documentary
producer. She's also creator and host of
the internationally chart topping podcast You Look Like
Me. It examines identity and family
secrets through the lens of donor conception.
Here's a clip. Neil, it went to voicemail.
(01:39):
Fucking hell. I hung up.
Why is that so stressful? Oh my God.
I planned what I was going to say.
I'm going to say Hi Neil, my name is Louise.
I'm calling with a very strange question, but hopefully it makes
sense to you in a minute and I hope you don't find it
offensive, but I was just wondering if you've ever donated
sperm. Oh my God, what a ridiculous
(02:01):
thing to ask. Maybe I shouldn't be calling
him. This podcast wasn't something
she jumped into quickly, you know.
She brought life to the topic after writing about her own
experience, and the way this podcast got started is so
unique. It's like a once in a lifetime
opportunity that happened to herand her story is so inspiring
(02:23):
and worth listening to. If you have an idea or you have
some value to offer the world, be sure to write about it and
share, because you never know who's reading.
That's the one piece of advice I'll say you must take away from
this conversation. All right, So now here's Louise.
Louise has credits at CBNNNBC, Vice and BBC.
(02:46):
We recorded this conversation inNovember or actually December of
2023. With us now is Louise.
Louise, how are you? I'm really good.
I'm looking out my window into pitch blackness and hoping that
the lighting is holding up. But yeah, no, it's it's really
cool to talk to you. And I'm yeah, thanks for having
(03:07):
me. You know, back story, we met in
London and we worked together a while back at CNN International.
So for those who are who are listening and aren't familiar
with either of us, we've both worked at CNN and she's actually
freelancing there currently as of this recording.
So, you know, just before we getinto podcasting, do you mind
(03:29):
just sharing a little bit more about how you decided to develop
your idea into a podcast show and how you were juggling it all
with your work at CNN and VICE and just your career in general?
Yeah I mean I think I had I'm I'm kind of an ideas person.
I love like coming up with all these concepts and then I think
(03:53):
sometimes I have too many and I don't have the follow through.
But I I was just, it felt like it was really lucky timing in
that I had actually just starteda job at NBC.
But the pandemic hit. And I had this idea from an
article that I had written. It's, you know, my life story,
(04:17):
but I had never really planned to take it public.
And then I wrote this article. And I guess, you know, when you
work in news and you're like doing news of the day, you don't
get that instant feedback. So you don't really know how
your stories are landing or if you're making an impact.
And I wrote this article which was about finding my biological
(04:40):
half sister. And I, you know, I got feedback
from all over the world from people who were also Derna
conceived like me, who were saying, you know, I've never
heard anyone put how I feel intowords before.
And I had thought that I was writing this really personal
(05:02):
essay that wasn't going to land and no one else would get.
And I was just so surprised thatit really connected with so many
people. And I was watching media
coverage of kind of fertility issues and we have a fertility
week over here in the UK each year.
And I was noticing that there's a lot of conversations around
(05:24):
people trying to conceive and people using donors, but there's
no donor conceived people being included that those
conversations. And I, I think I like went on a
Facebook group and I was like, this is so frustrating, you
know, our stories deserve to be heard again.
I had had the positive feedback and someone approached me and
(05:44):
they said, you know, I think youdid a great job with that
article. Why don't we brainstorm?
And you know, I'm, I'm happy to financially support the the
first few episodes and let's, let's see where it goes.
And this happened smack when thepandemic happened.
And so I had this free time thathonestly, you know, I I have
(06:05):
struggled to carve out since notworking at home and since not
kind of having that free time. So it was kind of, yeah, it was
a mix between the story that hadbeen bubbling under the surface,
this very kind person seeing a need for these stories to be
told and also just taking a chance on me off the back of
(06:26):
that article. And then, yeah, just just a lot
of things coming together, I guess.
And what you're saying is not a common story.
You don't really hear many people come forward and say
someone came out and wanted to financially support my story, my
narrative, right you're you created this podcast.
(06:48):
And for those who haven't listened beyond the clip I
played, it is a narrative podcast, right?
You're pulling clips and interviews and you're weaving
together a story to really help people better understand your
voice and and your your perspective, right?
And I think it is just incredible.
It's almost like a a miracle that you had someone come
(07:11):
forward because if they didn't, do you think you would have ever
gone out on your own and and done this like a creative
podcast? Yeah, I remember when he
approached me and we were talking about the best way to do
it. And the conversation was kind
of, you know, well, I've gone out and I've done the print
article and it did well. How can we elevate this?
(07:32):
How can we change it? How can we grow it?
And pretty early on we were like, well, we don't have the
money for TV. So, you know, do we do a YouTube
series? And then, yeah, the idea just
came to do the podcast and it was kind of a new world for me.
I I did a bit of radio in college, but it wasn't really
(07:54):
something I dabbled in. But yeah, I mean just even
saying, would this podcast exist?
Had they not approached me? Would the podcast take the form
that it took? Had they not approached me when
they did as well? Because when the pandemic
happened and I was recording, I found my biological father while
(08:14):
I was recording and the fact that that happened when the
podcast was off the ground and Ikind of then obviously, you
know, picked up that microphone to capture those moments and
wouldn't necessarily have done that otherwise.
Yeah, it was just a lot of things came together and I don't
(08:35):
want to downplay like I know, especially as women like we're
so quick to say, oh, it was lucky and it was, you know,
fortune and it was timing. You know, there's obviously a
lot of hard work that has gone into the podcast to make it what
it is, but you couldn't plan forthat kind of timing either.
(08:55):
And I I, you know, I'm very aware of that.
It it expanded not only your story but also your personal
brand. You know you've been, you've
become a speaker. I saw it at some fertility
festivals. I wouldn't say it was a
festival. Maybe it's like more of a
conference. Fertility fest.
Yeah, but you know, I you have become more than your article,
(09:22):
right? And what drove you to write that
article? I mean, as journalists, we all
are compelled to write and shareour stories in different ways.
But what was it that really pushed you to put your typing to
action? Yeah, I mean that's actually a
really good question I think, you know, when I found out I was
(09:45):
donor conceived, it was such a taboo subject and it still is in
many ways less so than when I was 13 and found out.
But there was always this kind of, you know, don't tell, you
know, don't tell friends, don't tell family, no one knows.
And that it was just kind of theway it went for for decades.
(10:10):
And I had signed up to multiple DNA sites over the years and
when I was 26, I matched with myfirst match, my half sister.
And I met her and it just answered so many questions that
I had had brewing for, you know,15 plus years.
(10:34):
Where did I get this part of my personality?
Where do my cheekbones come from?
And it was just magical, you know.
And she's such an incredible person that I, you know, holding
the secret, just didn't feel like the honourable thing to do
anymore. I needed to honour the
(10:54):
relationship that I had with hernow, and I don't know why
honouring that relationship meant OK, we take it fully
public, you know, I don't know if that was almost like a
rebellion against thinking that I had had to keep the secret for
so long. And I don't think I really
(11:14):
thought it through, you know, Itwas, it was like a personal
essay that, you know, I almost saw it as like A blog post, even
though I do look back at it and go that's probably the best
thing I'll ever write, you know,It's good feeling crafted.
Your story, did you already knowwhere you wanted it to be
published? Or did you publish it in like a
(11:35):
forum and then it get picked up?So it got commissioned.
Yeah. So, yeah, I yeah, I don't, I
don't know what what pushed me to take it that public, but I do
believe that I would have stopped there had the reaction
not been what it was. But yeah, it was.
(11:57):
It was really just the catalyst of finding my half sister, Jess
and just kind of wanting just to, you know, it.
That was. I can't explain how monumental
that is when you're looking for a family member and then you
find them. And I had given up at that
point, You know, I really didn'texpect to find someone.
So maybe this was like my journalistic version of, you
(12:18):
know, screaming it from the rooftops maybe.
Maybe that's what it was. I I would agree.
I mean I think that as journalists we're all mission
driven, right. And I think once you found your
sister, maybe there was a sense of purpose that you had to help
others, you know just keep goingand to connect and to to
(12:41):
advocate for all those that are not heard and have had to keep
quiet. You know, I think it's it is a
remarkable experience and something unique, right?
And everyone who wants to be on camera or to start their own
podcast is hoping to tap into something that you've uncovered,
right? A very unique storyline that
(13:02):
other people can relate to. And the way you shaped it so
that it was something of a advocacy effort, right?
Where you're really advocating on behalf of other.
What is it that you say you say donor?
They can see people. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah. I think it's I think it's great
and it's very powerful. And you it is an award-winning
(13:24):
podcast so you have to really think you know those that are
listening that this podcast is definitely worth checking out
and I actually used it as an example when I was teaching at
Harvard as at their podcasting, one of their podcasting classes
and all the students loved that you brought to light your story
first as an article and then shaped that concept into a
(13:49):
podcast story narrative and theythey just really did enjoy that
you were able to basically conceive and give birth to a
podcast from an article and manypeople listening may be in the
same situation. They may have written a personal
essay and are hoping to shape it, hoping to maybe expose an
(14:11):
element of their life that they haven't really ever been able to
talk about to help connect with other people.
So when you started to shape thepodcast and you're thinking
back, do you remember some of the steps you took to really
come up with your your narrativescope and your plan for this
storytelling mission? Yeah, I mean, absolutely.
(14:33):
The, the article, like I said, was, you know, really a personal
essay and there was no advocacy involved in that whatsoever.
That was like me putting my brain onto paper.
But when it came to do the podcast, the person who
approached me had kind of gone, you know, I want to do this for
he's also done a conceived he said I want to do this for our
(14:53):
community. So already we kind of wanted to
wanted to do something that would elevate our voices and
kind of hit home in a way that we thought would be beneficial.
And I got in touch with a producer and I know a lot of
(15:14):
people don't have, you know, thebenefit of having a producer.
But because this was was funded you know I was able to reconnect
with someone I had worked with previously on ADNA themed
podcast that I had been an interviewee for and I remember
chatting to her originally and she said the line you know do we
(15:35):
want what do we want here? Do we want this to be a vanity
project And I remember being like oh you know kind of taken
aback and she was like I don't mean that as a bad thing by the
way you know a van it. We can we can frame it around
you. We can frame it.
This is my story. This is me telling it and I
straight away was like no absolutely not.
You know this is this is something that elevates other
(15:57):
voices and even in like the the intro that you or the promo that
you can still hear on Spotify, you know that's that's kind of
like the mission statement that's running throughout it's
you know we're getting voices from around the world and that
that kind of changed as we went when I found my biological
father. But I think we still held, held
(16:19):
true to kind of honouring those voices.
And then we just used my narrative as kind of like this
thread that kept listeners coming back and kind of like we
got those cliffhangers because of the way my own story was
moving. But we still had those other
voices. And it actually shaped where we
went because I either copied my story, so, you know, if I found
(16:42):
a half sibling, I would speak toother people who had found other
half siblings, or I would go theopposite way.
And when I found my biological father, I would then interview
people who hadn't ever found a biological parent or had and had
been rejected, which was the opposite.
So I would either talk to peoplewho could kind of, you know,
(17:02):
back up what I was saying or whohad had completely opposite
experiences. Had you know, and while we're
talking about this, I'm still sitting here thinking, do you
still talk to your half sister and your father?
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, absolutely. Yeah.
We're growing relationships all the time.
Yeah. Wow.
And again, we're talking about Louis the McLaughlin.
McLaughlin, right. I'm saying it.
(17:23):
McLaughlin. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I don't say with the accent, yousay it with no, But I think it's
wonderful that you still stay intouch with them.
How? What have you learned from
building that relationship? Oh my God.
So much. So much.
Like is, is there something you didn't include in your podcast
that you would you would want totell the listeners now that
(17:48):
maybe are listening to your own podcast and are are potentially
wondering about Has anyone reached out and asked or is
there anything that you would want to follow up with that's
worth sharing today that could help anyone who's listening to
your own podcast have maybe closure or better understanding
of where things are? Yeah, I mean people, people
(18:08):
reach out all the time, which isamazing.
You know, like, again, that kindof feedback that you get from a
project like this that you don'tget from like day-to-day news.
But I think actually I've just come to the end of Season 2 and
it's almost the opposite. As I grow my relationships more,
(18:28):
it makes me wary of being publicabout them because I want to be
true to the audience and I want to be true to the story.
And when I met my bio dad, you know, it was all this like swirl
of excitement. And you know, since I started,
(18:50):
when I started the podcast, I only had my half sister and now
I have biological father found. I have a biological grandmother
and I have 1/2 brother and an additional half sister.
So that's growing and finding them has been amazing.
But we're now like a unit. You know, we have a WhatsApp
(19:12):
that we are all on. And you know, it's like any
relationship, like any family kind of family.
You know, not really. But you know, it's not all
perfect. And I don't want to get to a
point where I start, you know, I'm not out to air things that
(19:36):
aren't perfect, but I'm also notout to pretend that things are
perfect. So I think it's just, yeah, the
more personal it becomes. You just have to.
You have to balance between taking the story to the audience
and then choosing not to at the same time, if that makes sense.
(19:57):
Yeah, it does. And you know, what I'm curious
about is, as you started to weave all these sound bites
together, were you interviewing people on camera or on the
phone? Like how did you go about
collecting your sound for the podcast?
Yeah, literally the way we are now.
Definitely camera on if you can.I just think you connect better
with people. It's it's so much nicer to do it
(20:21):
in person. But like I said, this was a
podcast born in the pandemic like and there were
international, you know, I wanted it to be a global podcast
and again, we did not have the budget for me to be flying out
to, you know, far-flung America.So, yeah, I mean we've, I think
as journalists we've all just adapted to making this work.
(20:43):
And is it as amazing as in person?
Probably not. But you know, we we've done it
and you know, you do get great interviews out of it at the same
time, especially when the connection is good.
I have had versions where the connection has not been great
and that has been a struggle. But yeah, mostly.
Mostly it's been OK. And So what I'm hearing is you
(21:08):
have recordings on camera that could potentially turn into a
video podcast. Maybe if I went back and got
retrospect. Yeah, retrospective permission.
But yeah, I don't know. I don't know what new that
would. Yeah.
What newness that would bring. But yeah, I mean, who knows, You
(21:29):
know, we in the second episode, there is audio of me seeing my
half sister's face for the firsttime.
And my my flatmate recorded me sitting at a table when I had
that DNA match when I found her for the first time and she sent
to me for WhatsApp message and obviously her photo pops up and
he's got the camera on me. And I had never planned for that
(21:52):
video. That was obviously amazing and
one incredible thing to have. I had never imagined that that
would then be turned into audio that would then become part of
this podcast. So you you know, you never know
where things that you record aregoing to go.
Really, do you? Yeah.
And I think with the movement right now to video, audio with
YouTube monetizations and now YouTube also taking on the RSS,
(22:17):
more people are starting to incorporate video.
I think it does make it a bit harder to incorporate it because
if you are having more personal stories and maybe people don't
want to be on camera for, you know.
So it may be a little bit more difficult to get those emotional
interviews that you were able toget by not having the camera on,
but I mean, I'm all about if youcan repurpose it, I bet you have
(22:40):
more legs on that. And it's always worth sharing
and connect with more people andmaybe even start a documentary.
My gosh, my head's going in all different places.
But I think, you know, it would be really great if we just went
through a few tips for people that are trying to put their
idea to action and really want to develop their own show.
(23:02):
So what maybe are three tips that you would share to help
someone get off the ground? Yeah, I mean I think doing it on
something that you are passionate about, it's so
obvious, but you know, trying toguess what's popular is just
(23:22):
you're just not going to have the the passion behind it.
I don't think it's it's amazing how people like an audience and
listeners can pick up on whetheryou're genuinely interested in
what you're talking about. And again, you know, for me it
was just being able to incorporate those different
voices. But I think there's so many
(23:43):
different ways that you can do apodcast.
You can literally sit down and have a conversation and record
it and not edit it at all where you can go down the route we
went and we kind of made it into, you know, a documentary
style where we've got those, like those teasers and those
cliffhangers and that narrative running through, but then other
people coming in. But I would say, you know, I've
(24:05):
listened back to my first episode and I go, Oh my God,
people are being directed to my podcast and they're listening to
that. Like, and I look at even
listenership rates. And, you know, obviously I feel
like every podcast will have most people will listen to the
first one unless one goes viral and then drop off.
It's just the nature of it. But yeah, I look back at it and
(24:27):
I'm like, oh, there's so much I would change.
But I think that's OK. I think it's OK to not know your
exact style on the first episode, you know, because my
podcast developed so much and changed so much as it moved
along. And some things worked really
well and some things didn't workso well, and I didn't know that
(24:47):
until I made it, you know? So would you say like your top
three tips? What I'm hearing is like
understanding your style, your concept and the direction of
your narrative. Or how would you describe your 3
tips? Like if you were just say these
are my I would. Say just get started and don't
(25:08):
be a perfectionist because you can get too bogged down in it.
I think there's a there's a fright outside on my street that
is not a tip. I would say be passionate about
what you're doing because and just be genuine.
Just be, you know talk to your audience like they're, they're
(25:34):
along for the ride with you, youknow, and they're invested.
And it's it's, yeah, it's quite an intimate relationship again,
compared to to other mediums. I think people, people really do
connect through it. Yeah, it's.
I think podcasting has become somainstream and it feels like
(25:54):
everyone has a podcast, so I don't like it.
It feels weird to get like emotional about it because I
feel like everyone's doing it. But it is a special medium, you
know. And as much as it feels like so
many people are doing it, it's not as saturated as it appears
because so many people as you and I have talked about burnout,
right? You know, after they call, it's
called Pod Fading. You know, they do 10 episodes
(26:16):
and then they can't do anymore because it's a lot of work.
You know, What advice would you give someone who's hoping to do
a narrative podcast like yours on how to juggle the workload
with the production and your job?
Yeah, I mean, if they. Yeah, if anyone finds out, I
would like them to tell me. I I found it really, really
(26:39):
difficult. You know, I did.
And what worked, you know, I hadAI had a different editor for
season one, and then someone whowas down and conceived came on
and kind of worked with me for season 2.
But they weren't really, you know, they weren't over my
(27:00):
shoulder. And I kind of had to go to them
and I had to be like, oh shit, we really need to get on this
now, which was different to the first time around because my
producer was, you know, so on it.
She was like, Louise, where is the next episode?
Where is the next episode? And I feel like I had to get
that external pressure elsewhereand put it on myself.
What I found really useful was going on to social media and
(27:24):
being like, we've got a new episode coming out in two weeks
on Wednesday. And, you know, we didn't like,
we didn't have it ready. But then everyone would respond
and be like, that's amazing. Can't wait.
And you'd be like, oh God, it's like, now I've got to do it.
Yeah. So, yeah, it's just making those
like external pressures I guess and kind of like almost like
(27:45):
tricking yourself into just doing it.
I'm sure other people have better ways.
But yeah, I. Really.
Yeah. Those are good tips.
And now you keep saying on the second season.
But I'm wondering, I mean, I remember you posting something
about how I think you weren't going to do it anymore.
Are you? Have you changed your mind?
(28:06):
I It's TBD. CBD.
Yeah, yeah. It's I I'm not opposed to going
back, but I don't want to continue it for the sake of it.
And I want it to remain at the kind of standard that we built
it to. And I I would like to see it.
(28:28):
You know, you were saying about like documentary or like I would
like to see it move to a different medium.
I think it has potential to carry.
So I don't know. I don't know.
There's been a lot of changes like for me, work wise outside
the podcasts, but I'm definitelynot.
I'm not closing the door on it at all.
(28:49):
But I'm not pressuring myself. I want, I want to be excited by
it and I want to. I want to want to do it.
And it's emotionally, I think, because it's such a hefty
subject. And the bigger your audience
gets as well, the more you feel like you owe it to them to do it
right. And you don't have that when you
(29:11):
start out in your earlier podcasts in your earlier
episode. Sorry.
So I think, yeah, you can, you can become more critical of
yourself as you go on and kind of strive for perfection.
A bit too much, maybe, And it iseasy to lose the not the joy of
(29:32):
it, but the enthusiasm to get upand do it.
And I think that's not where I wanted to be with it and I think
that will come back. But yeah, I'm giving myself a
break for sure. I I understand exactly like I
had to push mine to a biweekly because trying to do it every
week it just became like a job that you don't want to to
(29:55):
fulfill every week because it's so much work and such a big
lift. So biweekly at least gives me
some breathing room, but even still, you know, I was dealing
with, I mean thankfully I've been able to stay on the BI
weekly, but I was dealing with personal issues.
So I I mentioned it earlier and you know, having to have
personal challenges come up, youreally need to plan ahead and
(30:20):
you really need to have things in the can ready in order to
avoid that burnout. So some of the the advice I
usually will give people is you know, really you want to map it
out. I always try to record multiple
interviews at once for over 2 weeks and then I start editing
and launch them as they go so that I can focus more on the
(30:42):
marketing, the SEO if I need it,I'm more YouTube.
I personally don't focus on the podcast platforms as much
currently because I've been focused on testing out YouTube
ahead of the RSA integration andtrying to put this on YouTube as
a visual podcast has been my priority.
(31:03):
So I don't even know. You know, I think I had like 800
downloads at one point when I looked last, which is great, you
know, but it's not. I'm not sitting there every day
looking at my analytics on a podcasting platform.
I do use Anchor. It is free for anybody who's
looking for hosting platform, but you really do want to pay
for the platform so that you getall those opportunities to
(31:25):
increase your SEO. Have your transcripts included.
So that helps with searching. There's a lot that goes into it,
so it's important to have a schedule.
So as I was saying one way, if you guys are listening and
you're thinking, gosh, how do I avoid burnout?
How do I get started and become on camera ready every time?
This podcast is due. Planning it out like ATV
(31:47):
producer, having backup plans just in case and really having
your routine so that you can always fall back on it and you
it starts to move like a machine, you know and that will
help. And it's hard like as as she's
saying right, guys are listening, she has a narrative
podcast. It's a lot of work, it's
(32:07):
emotional. So it really depends on your
topic too. For me, I love conversations and
I want to just make sure that more people are hearing from the
experts and that are within my network like yourself and
getting to really learn from this.
These TV insiders like yourself too.
Being on camera, you were thrustinto this like spotlight
(32:30):
essentially behind the scenes. Now in front of this, in front
of the camera, one of the thingsyou kept bringing up was
authenticity. On LinkedIn, I recently had
someone reach out and ask, you know, how do you maintain
authenticity when you're talkingon camera?
I like this individual I guess feels as if he is not sounding
(32:52):
like himself or he he struggles with coming off as genuine.
I personally just feel like because of our our background
and correct me if I'm wrong or if you disagree or not.
But because of our background we're not really afraid of
cameras. Like I don't look at the camera
and feel like I need to be someone different.
How do you how do you present oncamera and stay true to
(33:15):
yourself, Louise? Yeah, I mean, I don't know, I I
feel like being in TV can go like one way or the other in
terms of like being authentic and seeing a camera or not
seeing a camera. And you know, when you're
surrounded by kind of, you know,the broadcaster voice and the
broadcaster stance and the hand movement, and obviously you
(33:37):
don't have to think about that so much over podcast.
But I remember when I was in college, kind of, I was doing an
internship in radio and I was being trained to be a news
reader. And I was trained and I was
trained and I was trained and I never actually got put on air
because I couldn't nail the voice that that the station
(33:58):
wanted me to have. And I really, you know, I really
beat myself up about it actually, because I couldn't
understand what I was doing wrong and why I didn't sound
like everyone else. And now I am so glad I don't
sound like everyone else. It's that's the beauty of doing
your own project. You know, I like I said I had
(34:22):
AI, had a producer, but it was like this was kind of my baby
that I was creating and no one was going to be like actually,
you don't sound BBC enough or you don't sound, you know, as
long as I'm eloquent, as long aspeople, you know, know what I'm
saying. I, yeah, I I sound more
(34:44):
polished. Definitely.
You know, I listened back to thefirst episode and I'm like, OK,
the confidence maybe isn't thereor just, yeah, just small things
or just like the pacing. But I became more myself.
I didn't become, you know, I actually learned to just speak
like I speak, but a bit more. I don't know, a bit more.
(35:06):
I don't even know what the word is.
Maybe it is that you just becamemore confident in who you
actually are and you were able to show that under the pressures
of the lens or under the pressures of being on a mic
maybe. Yeah, I think so.
I just broke away from, oh, thisis how I meant to sound.
And I just went, oh, this is howI sound, you know.
And there's like there's things I do that I haven't heard anyone
(35:30):
else really do. Like I'll I'll kind of, like
laugh through a sentence in a weird way or something.
But I kind of just, I don't know, I like it.
It's just like and it obviously worked and it's not it.
It was really cool to go from, you know, that that college
student going, oh, I'm never going to be able to do this.
And then flash forward to 10 years later and this podcast
(35:53):
that I've come up with is, you know, internationally acclaimed
and I'm the same person. Nothing's different.
My voice is the same, you know, It's just that I I was allowed
to do it and I was allowed to not have to squeeze myself into
another mold. And I think that's, yeah, that's
the power of doing your own project.
And a lot of what I'm hearing her say is like confidence and
(36:16):
being comfortable with who you are, embracing some of maybe
your unique qualities to really help you sound as authentic and
genuine as possible. And I would agree with it all.
You know, my husband was said that on the first podcast I
started in like a year ago now, my husband said I would sound
(36:38):
like I was a music theatre junkie or someone on camera, you
know, who has had a musical theatre background.
And I was like, really? He's like, you're sounding like
you're on in a theatre. I was like, oh really?
Gosh, I got to stop. So then I started to listen
back. And I think it's also important
to listen to how you sound to get a better sense.
(36:58):
So you're like, OK, I actually, I thought that was the voice I
needed to the point you're making.
I was trying to fit myself into a box, but I clearly wasn't
doing it the right way. And now I just need to embrace
how I sound and just be comfortable enough to talk the
(37:19):
way I would talk to you if we were out having a coffee
somewhere. And that's kind of how I keep
going at least. Yeah, yeah.
No, exactly. That's exactly my experience as
well. Well, I've really enjoyed our
conversation. I think we've provided everyone
with some great tips. But before we go, are there any
like last minute thoughts that you might want to share with
people who are looking to develop their own show or are
(37:42):
just trying to look for some more tips on how to become on
Cam Ready I'm. Sure.
You asked me to loaded. Yeah, I mean, I I can only speak
to like my own sticking points. But yeah, just going back to, I
(38:05):
am such a perfectionist and I find it so difficult to do
something if I'm not 100% perfect at it.
But you just have to. Unfortunately, unless you have
like a full production team behind you and a wad of cash,
which you know we don't have that luxury most of the time you
(38:28):
just got to do it and you just got to see what works for you,
see what works for the audience and just give a shit, you know,
just give a shit about what you're talking about and and
give a shit about your audience as well and how it lands with
them. And yeah, like I said I I think
this medium is just a relationship like a two way
(38:50):
relationship more than other mediums are and I think that's
really special and really beneficial and.
Yeah. And I would agree.
And well, the importance is how this lands with your audience.
And I hope this landed well witheveryone listening.
So please reach out, let us knowif you have any additional
questions. If you want any more information
(39:13):
on Louise, check out the description and there's a link
to her website as well as to herpodcast.
Louise, thank you so much for joining us.
Yay, thank you so much for having me.
So good to chat. Thanks so much for watching and
if you are interested in developing your podcast idea
into a show, I have PDFs to helpyou get started.
(39:33):
Really, I'm using these PDFs to help you think like a producer.
Once you start thinking like ATVproducer, the creative juices
start flowing in. The development process kicks
into gear very easily. So go through my workbook and
check out the PDF. They're both LinkedIn, the
description to this podcast and if you need any more information
(39:55):
about the guest, you can also find a link to everything about
Louise down there as well. Thanks so much for all your
support. As we go into the new year, I
just wanted to say I will be looking for more guests in the
Atlanta area as I'm going to start utilizing a studio in
Atlanta. And I want to make sure that I
highlight people and professionals that are focused
(40:16):
on helping you become on Cam ready in the Atlanta area.
So if you know anyone please reach out e-mail me.
Jamie at on camready.com. Thanks again and have a great
day. I'll see you online.
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