Establishing a Community: A 5-Step Guide to a Solid Beginning
Sarah Peck, the creator and executive director of the Startup Pregnant podcast, embarked on a unique journey when she found herself five months pregnant and struggling to find honest information about pregnancy. This personal struggle led to the inception of the podcast, which shares stories of women business founders and leaders in their pioneering journeys through entrepreneurship and parenting.
In the early days, the Startup Pregnant podcast faced a slow start. The Facebook Group associated with the podcast had little engagement or member activity for four months. However, Peck remained persistent and never lost faith in the process or the community.
To fund her podcast, Peck took an innovative approach. She started by asking for sponsors, and to her surprise, everyone she asked said yes, and two people even reached out to sponsor the podcast. While the specific strategies Peck used to secure sponsorship are not explicitly detailed, common approaches for podcast sponsorship might include building a loyal and engaged audience, increasing visibility, using tiered subscription models, and partnering with businesses aligned with the podcast’s target audience.
Peck's perseverance paid off, as the Startup Pregnant podcast began to gain traction. One of the podcast's biggest guests so far has been Danielle LaPorte. Peck reached out to interesting people to interview, and LaPorte was very generous about sharing the interview with her own network.
The podcast's community resource, the Facebook Group, has grown and improved engagement since its start. Peck devoted a lot of time and energy to this free community resource in the beginning. To keep the Facebook Group a safe place for entrepreneurial moms, Peck has an application process for new members.
The Startup Pregnant podcast serves a specific, smaller audience and has received positive feedback from its listeners. Peck's initial goal was to email 100 people every week to promote the podcast, and her personal blog was the first step in seeking sponsorship for the podcast.
Despite the success of the Startup Pregnant podcast, there is no known influencer, media hit, or tweet that served as the tipping point. Instead, Peck's personal journey and her dedication to creating a supportive community for entrepreneurial mothers have been the driving forces behind the podcast's growth.
In conclusion, Sarah Peck's Startup Pregnant podcast is a testament to the power of persistence and the importance of creating a supportive community. From a personal quest for honest information during pregnancy, Peck has built a thriving podcast and Facebook Group that serves as a valuable resource for women business founders and leaders navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship and parenting.
- Sarah Peck's podcast, Startup Pregnant, has expanded beyond just sharing stories of women in business and parenthood, now including discussions about various aspects of lifestyle, such as fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, and relationships.
- To support her podcast's growth, Peck has extended her platform to include reviews and recommendations on pets, travel, cars, and shopping, offering her listeners a more comprehensive resource for their daily lives.
- Thanks to Peck's strong community engagement, the Facebook Group associated with the Startup Pregnant podcast has evolved into a welcoming space for discussing not just entrepreneurship and parenting, but also these new topics, fostering a sense of camaraderie among its members.
- By showcasing her persistence in building a dedicated following and a supportive community, Sarah Peck serves as an inspiring example for aspiring podcast creators who want to start a successful digital platform and cater to specific niche audiences, such as those in the fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, relationships, pets, travel, cars, or shopping industries.
