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 I spoke to Lisa as well as Leo Laporte, the husband-and-wife team behind podcasting empire TWiT, about how to build a community so engaged in your business that they want to hear your commercials.

"When we began, it was for an elitist group of real tech enthusiasts; now there's a resounding question: Where isn't technology? !" smiles Lisa Laporte who is CEO of TWiT. "It's totally evolved." The community element of podcasting was the reason this industry was seen as an "logical extension" of Chief TWiT Leo's purpose in life. It was also the reason Lisa was captivated by emerging media.

The couple had been building their podcasting empire for 16 years when the pandemic came to the forefront in 2020. "Those few years were very lonely," Lisa explains. "We were all in small Zoom boxes. However, there is a tech community that is awed by and seeks community." TWiT needed to discover a way to connect to its followers during this isolating time.

Lisa was talking with one of the sponsors for TWiT the tech-training platform ITPro.TV regarding ways to give something back to the supporters. "Simply sufficient, ITPro.TV permitted its customers to come in and hang out online for about an hour after dark. There were times when they played games, sometimes they would simply chat" Lisa continues. "I thought"That's exactly what I'd like to achieve. I was hoping for our customers to be able to have a space and hang out.

Lisa confirms that the ability to include the Discord server to their membership program in a formal manner made it "a better experience" rather than simply launching an online community. "It was time to offer our community that little more; they had grown tired of locking themselves up at home." Club TWiT was set to go live.

From content to cruise: The debut of Club TWiT

Lisa clarifies that she explains that TWiT team encourages its members to get involved in the club as much as possible. They seek feedback on their show as well as host regular Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions; they host an area where supporters can just come in and socialize. This was especially important in the online space in the midst of the epidemic, but it is translating well to real-world experiences.

"We are hosting a photography exhibit which is why I believe it'd be fun to say, 'Hey, we're going to attend this show. We invite you to join us on a photography stroll!'" continues Lisa. The group is planning to do several more experiences in-person; indeed, TWiT is hosting a cruise for its 100 members. Leo and Lisa have agreed that, nearly contrary to popular belief, it's events in person like this that are really the "fundamental heart of what podcasting is about" and what distinguishes it from other media.

Lisa and Leo also use Club TWiT to premiere and evaluate new content. If shows begin to get noticed the show could be included in their premium Club TWiT offering or become an ad-supported show. If this occurs, Lisa will approach the show's host and encourage them to start practicing the reading of ads and then join the show into their toolbox to begin contacting advertisers. All ads need to be read out by the show's host so that they feel like an organic and integrated component of the show.

Selling your sponsors better than what they do

The creation of an approach to advertising that is beneficial to sponsors and the listeners is essential to TWiT's success: "Our advertising works because our community trusts us. We have the ability to suggest products and services to them and they are willing to be a part of our team, which is why they will purchase these. When we sign advertisers We thoroughly vet them as a company as well as look over their reviews." Lisa says. Lisa.

She explains: "We do such a good job on our ad-supported part that Club members are constantly saying"Hey, we need to add advertisements.' We actually have Discord for the ads on our shows! Discord channel exclusively for ads on our shows!" She adds that their audience asks them to share an ad once a month from each show because viewers would like to know where to buy the advertised products: "They trust us so they tell us, 'You have to give us a feed to allow us to go out and hear ads every once a while.'"

At this point I need to confirm what I'm hearing. Lisa confirms: members actually write into the shows in order to request the TWiT's advertisements to be linked. "Isn't that hysterical? !" she smiles. She goes on to say: "Our Club TWiT members are getting the shows ad-free however, they do write us to say, "Hey, we miss the ads - we'd love to hear the ads!' Therefore, we regularly drop in commercials to thank our sponsors for their support or whenever we get a new partner. They're so compelling."

"Our sponsors ask"Can you please send us a courtesy commercial for every ad seen? Sales trainees are required to take a look because you've made them watchable since you've helped sell our brand better than half of our employees who aren't junior!' I thought that was pretty cute."

It is important to start small

So how do you create a business for membership that customers like and trust so much they request to hear the ads you put out? "Really take a look at what's out there and consider the way others are operating," Lisa suggests. "Look at others who are that are similar to yours and observe what they're up to before you decide to jump in. Talk to me: or talk to someone who has been through this."

She suggests "just take your time" to think about different strategies and different structures. "Don't take more than you're able to chew. If you decide to do 50 different things, you'll discover it difficult to accomplish them. Start with a small amount, just as we did: we started with AMAs."

Leo and Lisa discuss how the TWiT team is slowly but steadily figuring it out while they move further down the road. After they've gotten comfortable on the whole thing it's time to start adding to their offering with bonus material. "I never want to over-promise and then under-deliver," Lisa continues.

Lisa encourages podcasters to take a look closely at all the features they provide with their membership packages. "See what is appropriate for what you're trying to accomplish and then shop around to find the right product: because we're both audio and video, we have a few quirks that are unusual for a podcast network."

Contributing to the community

"If you're interested in the field of technology take a look at our channel. There's a show that's for everyone!" she smiles. "We have entry-level shows like the Tech Guy; we have iOS Today, which is enjoyable if you own either an iPad or iPhone and are interested in learning more about using the devices; and we also have some 'geek shows such as Security Now if you're into security. If you enjoy something, join Club TWiT and download the podcast! It is important to remember that we must support each other in this community."

Being a part of the community that supports podcasts and its wonderfully egalitarian nature is something that's always been an important aspect for the TWiT team "We will continue to provide free content, but it's a nice opportunity to have this extra thing to the fans who are super. I like having both because anyone with an internet connection is able to download our podcasts, and don't need to shell out money for them. It's democratic." says Lisa.

Then she says: "We have fans in third world nations who have written to say, "I've heard of your podcast. I used to hang out at the local electronics store for your show and get some skills. Now I've got a job in tech!'"

Perhaps Lisa, Leo, and TWiT's team TWiT have witnessed tech's evolution from a subject that was reserved for enthusiasts, but also the ubiquitous phenomenon it is nowadays. Maybe they've helped make the transition.