by Lindsay Keener
A fan favorite of smartphone users everywhere, podcasts are the latest craze, and for good reason.
While there is not a specific way to go about producing a podcast, some creatives have had more success than others. Stephanie Hall and Jasmine Bates are the women behind The Girls Next Door (TGND), “a podcast representing two ordinary chicks sharing life lessons and stories about their journey of ‘starting over.’”
In the midst of going through two separate divorces, Hall and Bates bonded over their different, but similar, life circumstances. The friends turned colleagues decided to share their lives with fellow millennials in hopes of encouraging others.
“We thought that we were both alone in going through that process and discovered that there were actually a lot of young men and women who were trying to navigate different challenges in their lives,” said Hall. “We decided that we wanted to have open and candid conversations about any topic that you can think of.”
A recorded series of audio discussions made by an individual or multiple people, podcasts are audible episodes on various topics. TGND says choosing a topic is half the battle of creating a successful podcast.
“Having an outline of topics that we wanted to discuss helped us become more successful when we got ready to record. You can tell the difference between our first episode and our most current one,” said Bates.
Bates says being resourceful will also improve the quality of your podcast.
“When we initially started out we were going into the studio and then when the pandemic hit that shut down the whole world, essentially,” said Bates. “We took a break from our podcast until we researched and discovered that there were other avenues so now we’re able to do our podcast from home using Anchor and connect to multiple streaming platforms all at once.” The duo says the service is perfect for aspiring podcasters who may feel overwhelmed by the use of technology.
Bates says knowing the strengths and weaknesses of all involved helps tremendously.
“I’m the more tech-savvy of us and so I do all the technology pieces for our podcast and Stephanie comes up with the topics we should focus on, she’s the brain behind the podcast,” said Bates.
Hall emphasizes the importance of having a good relationship with your co-host.
“When selecting anyone to be your teammate you want to make sure that you are able to work well together, that the chemistry is there and that you’re able to piggyback off of one another,” said Hall.
TGND encourages healthy banter.
“Even though we are friends, there are plenty of times where we have differing viewpoints and that creates an organic atmosphere where we are able to feed off of each other and that adds to the conversation,” added Hall.
The co-hosts warn that all work and no play makes for a lackluster podcast.
“When it’s no longer fun your audience will pick up on that. You want to keep that fun environment in your space and around you,” said Hall.
TGND keeps the fun alive by staying true to their mission: providing relatable content to their listeners.
“We are very open and that allows our listeners to feel like they know us,” said Hall. “We wanted to be the girls that you’d just want to sit on the porch with and talk about whatever may cross your mind. We’re really transparent, we’re really just Jasmine and Stephanie.”
Reprinted from The Michigan Chronicle
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